Episode 76: Homegrown competition

Having covered the caliphate’s East last time, we must now do the same for its west. The anarchy left such a deep impact on the caliphate that we really need to take our time discovering its aftermath. The situation in Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, and the North was very messy, but we’ll look at them through the lens of one remarkable soldier. His journey started in Egypt, but spanned the caliphate’s west, giving us a window into the entire region’s politics at the time. 

Glossary

• Ahmad ibn Tulun: today’s protagonist was the son of an ‘Uyghur commander, born in Samarra shortly after its founding. He was raised to be a soldier and on the caliphate’s border fighting against the Byzantines before he turned 20. He became governor of Egypt at 33, a position he used to propel himself into the history books. By the time he died, the 48 year old had broken away from the Abbasid Caliphate and had built a state that could rival it in many ways. 
• Baykabak: I’m pretty sure this powerful Turkish commander married Tulun’s widow and had thus become ibn Tulun’s stepfather, though some sources give that man a different name. In any case, Baykabak was close to ibn Tulun and appointed him to govern Egypt on his behalf in 868, back when the Turks were running roughshod over Abbasid authority. 
• Amajor: a Turkish commander who was linked with Musa ibn Bugha’s camp. His daughter was married to ibn Tulun, making him son in law to Amajor. He was sent to force al Shaybani out of Palestine in 872, a task that had eluded many armies before. After his success greater Syria and Egypt were assigned to Amajor, who lived in the former and kept ibn Tulun in charge of the latter. When he died in 878 ibn Tulun swept into his lands and accepted his son’s abdication.
• Al Mu’tamid: the caliph finally shows up, although he does come off as cowardly and somewhat traitorous so its not a particularly good look. At least he finally made an appearance! I guess we can see why he felt so sidelined by his brother though. 
• Talha: the real power behind the throne, nobody challenged him the way ibn Tulun did. They were both products of the same military environment unique to Samarra in its heyday. Each had a different, privileged experience: one the caliph’s son, the other a son to a powerful commander. 
• Ahmad ibn Talha: Talha’s son came to age during al Mu’tamid’s long reign and thus appears towards the end of our discussion, as a military commander sent by his father to reconquer Egypt no less. It was a mighty task that he failed to accomplish, but it shows what kind of expectations were thrust upon the Abbasid prince.
• Isa ibn il Shaykh al Shaybani: this Mesopotamian tribal chief was one of the last of his kind serving in the Abbasid military. He was appointed to his position during the time of the puppet caliph al Musta’in and he refused to recognize al Mu’tazz after his victory in the proxy fitna. This wasn’t out of a sense of loyalty to al Musta’in, but mainly because the Turks had alienated all other ethnicities and didn’t really want him serving anyway. He went rogue in 65, was defeated in 66, fled to Egypt and bribed little Bugha, was reinstated in 67 and went rogue again that same year. Al Shaybani’s son was killed unexpectedly in a small skirmish outside his garrison in 872, and it seems to have taken the fight out of him. It was only after this loss that he agreed to transfer to Dyar Bakr to govern Armenia and Azerbaijan. His role there was as a buffer between the Abbasids and the mess in the north, which he did with a remarkable level of independence. He died in 883 and was succeeded by his son.
• Is’haq ibn Kundaj: another of Musa ibn Bugha’s commanders. He was appointed as governor of Mosul in 879 and in a few years defeated al Shaybani and other regional foes to lay claim to much of Mesopotamia. After that he allied with, then fought against both Mohammad ibn abi al Saj and the Tulunids. It was a very chaotic time for this part of the caliphate to say the least. He died in the 90’s and was succeeded by his son.
• Mohammad ibn abi al Saj: although their father had betrayed the caliphate during the Saffarid rebellion, Mohammad and his brother still counted among its loyal commanders. In charge of a couple towns on the edge of the Syrian desert, Mohammad capitalized on the collapse of Tulunid authority by allying with ibn Kundaj and taking over most of Syria. The two abandoned the campaign after the arrival of Ahmad ibn Talha, and following its failure against the Tulunids Mohammad allied with the winners to oust ibn Kundaj from Mesopotamia. He almost got away with it too, but ibn Kundaj proved his equal in cutting deals, and he agreed to cooperate with the Tulunids in return for their help against ibn abi al Saj. 
• Lu’lu’: ibn Tulun’s lynchpin in Syria abandoned his side in ’82 and immediately went to fight for Talha in Basra, proving absolutely instrumental in bringing about an end to the slave rebellion.
• Yazaman: he was a eunuch who is rumored to have once served al Mutawakkil’s bestie, al Fat’h ibn Khaqan. Supported by locals he rose up in rebellion against the Tulunid governor after he’d been weakened and distracted by Lu’lu’s desertion. Yazaman refused Tulunid overlordship at first, declaring for the Abbasids, but later on switched sides again as the Tulunids seemed more interested in supporting the fight against the Byzantines. He died on campaign against the Greeks, and is renowned as one of the umma’s most fervent warriors.
• Khumarwayh ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun: this son of ibn Tulun wasn’t supposed to succeed him originally but he became the heir after his brother turned out to be a little too ambitious (and much too stupid). He was only 20 years old when he won the battle against Ahmad ibn Talha and secured both his realm and Syria. Stories about the war itself make him out to be totally inexperienced and his conduct is a little embarrassing even, but the important thing is that he won. 
• Abbas ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun: the son who rebelled against his father is remembered mainly for the vicious punishment he received as a result. Having to kill your friends in public while they plead for their lives? That’s not cool. Then there was a lifetime of captivity to look forward to after that. Sad stuff, poor guy.