The
Tahirid dynasty was a dynasty, of
Persian origin, that governed the
Abbasid province of
Khorasan from 821 to 873 and the city of
Baghdad from 820 until 891. The dynasty was founded by
Tahir ibn Husayn, a leading general in the service of the
Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun. Their capital in
Khorasan was initially located at
Merv but was later moved to
Nishapur.
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Archaeology Site in Merv |
In 810,
Abbasid the caliph
al-Amin, and his brother,
Al-Ma'mun, came in conflict which each others, which later led to a civil war; in January 811,
al-Amin formally began the
Great Abbasid Civil War. al-Ma'mun had a small army under
Tahir ibn Husayn of 4,000 - 5,000 men.
Tahir was sent to confront Ali's advance. The two armies met at
Rayy, on the western borders of
Khurasan, and the ensuing battle (3 July 811) resulted in a crushing victory for the
Khurasanis, in which
Ali was killed and his army disintegrated on its flight west.
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Rayy Citadel |
Tahir ibn Husayn was afterwards transferred out of the public eye to an unimportant post in
Raqqa. However, he was later recalled from the post, and was rewarded with the governorship of
Khorasan. Tahir then began consolidating his authority over the region, appointing several officials to certain offices, including
Muhammad ibn Husayn Qusi, who was appointed as the governor of
Sistan.
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Modern city of Raqqa |
After
Tahir left for
Khorasan, the governorship of
Baghdad was given to a member of a collateral branch of the family,
Ishaq ibn Ibrahim, who controlled the city for over twenty-five years. During
Ishaq's term as governor, he was responsible for implementing the
Mihna (inquisition) in
Baghdad. His administration also witnessed the departure of the caliphs from
Baghdad, as they made the recently constructed city of
Samarra their new capital.
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Samarra |
Tahir later declared independence from the
Abbasid empire in 822 by omitting any mention of
al-Ma'mun during a Friday sermon. However, he died the same night.
Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mun appointed
Tahir's son
Talha ibn Tahir to continue at his father's post.
Talha's rule is mostly known for his campaigns in
Sistan, another province under his rule, against the local
Kharijites, who were led by a
Hamza ibn Adharak. Fighting between the two continued until 828, when both
Hamza and
Talha died.
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A fort in Sistan Province |
Tahir's other son,
Abdullah, was instated as the wali of
Egypt and the
Arabian Peninsula, and when
Talha died in 828 he was given the governorship of
Khorasan. Abdullah is considered one of the greatest of the
Tahirid rulers, as his reign witnessed a flourishing of agriculture in his native land of
Khorasan, popularity among the populations of the eastern lands of the
Abbasid caliphate and extending influence due to his experience with the western parts of the caliphate.
 |
Egypt |
Abdullah died in 845 and was succeeded by his son
Tahir II. Tahir died in 862; his will stated that his young son
Muhammad should succeed him as governor, and this was honored by the caliph. Not much is known of
Tahir's rule, but the administrative dependency of
Sistan was lost to rebels during his governorship.
Tahirid rule began to seriously deteriorate after
Tahir's son
Muhammad ibn Tahir became governor, due to his carelessness with the affairs of the state and lack of experience with politic. He was governor from 862 to 873.
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Ruined gates of Haozdar, Sistan |
When
Ishaq died in 849 he was succeeded first by two of his sons, and then in 851 by
Tahir's grandson
Muhammad ibn Abdallah. Abdallah played a major role in the events of the
"Anarchy at Samarra" in the 860s, giving refuge to the caliph
al-Musta'in and commanding the defense of
Baghdad when it was besieged by the forces of the rival caliph
al-Mu'tazz in 865. The following year, he forced
al-Musta'in to abdicate and recognized
al-Mu'tazz as caliph, and in exchange was allowed to retain his control over
Baghdad.
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Mosque in Baghdad |
Oppressive policies in
Tabaristan, another dependency of
Khorasan, resulted in the people of that province revolting and declaring their allegiance to the independent
Zaydi ruler
Hasan ibn Zayd in 864. In
Khorasan itself,
Muhammad's rule continued to grow increasingly weak, and in 873 he was finally overthrown by the
Saffarid dynasty, who annexed
Khorasan to their own empire in eastern
Persia.
Violent riots plagued Baghdad during the last years of Abdallah's life, and conditions in the city remained tumultuous after he died and was succeeded by his brothers, first Ubaydallah and then Sulayman. Eventually order was restored in Baghdad, and the Tahirids continued to serve as governors of the city for another two decades. In 891, however, Badr al-Mu'tadidi was put in charge of the security of Baghdad in place of the Tahirids, and the family soon lost their prominence within the caliphate after that.
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