Battle of Khazir

Battle of Khazir
Part of the Second Muslim Civil War
Date6 August 686
LocationBar'ita (Bar'idta), along Khazir River
36°20′00″N 43°24′00″W / 36.33333°N 43.40000°W / 36.33333; -43.40000
Result Pro-Alid victory
Belligerents
Umayyad Caliphate Pro-Alid forces of al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi
Commanders and leaders
Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad  †
Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni  †
Humayd ibn Hurayth al-Kalbi
Umayr ibn al-Hubab al-Sulami (defected)
Shurahbil ibn Dhi'l Kala' al-Himyari  †
Al-Rabi'a ibn al-Mukhariq al-Ghanawi  †		 Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar
Al-Tufayl ibn Laqit
Sufyan ibn Yazid al-Azdi
Ali ibn Malik al-Jushami  †
Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah al-Nakha'i
Abu 'Amra Kaysan
Strength
~60,000 ~20,000
Casualties and losses
Heavy Heavy

The Battle of Khazir (/ALA-LC: Yawm Khāzir) took place in August 686 near the Khazir River in Mosul's eastern environs. The battle occurred during the Second Muslim Civil War and was part of the larger struggle for control of Iraq between the Syria-based Umayyad Caliphate, the pro-Alid forces of the Kufa-based al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi and the rival Medina-based caliphate of Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr. It ended in a rout for the Umayyads and the expansion of al-Mukhtar's rule into the region of Mosul.

The battle was precipitated by the advance into Mosul of an Umayyad army led by Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad. The latter was a hated enemy of al-Mukhtar's pro-Alid partisans and al-Mukhtar quickly moved to halt Ubayd Allah's advance. He sent 20,000 fighters, mostly Persian mawali, under Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar's command to confront the 60,000-strong Umayyad army, which was dominated by Syrian Arab tribes. The night before the battle, the Umayyad commander Umayr ibn al-Hubab al-Sulami secretly defected to Ibn al-Ashtar. During the initial combat, part of Ibn al-Ashtar's forces were put to flight, but then regrouped under his command and charged against the Umayyad center. This resulted in heavy casualties on both sides and Ubayd Allah and several of his lieutenants were slain. Umayr and his Sulaymi tribesmen deserted while the pro-Alids pursued the remaining Umayyad troops, scores of whom drowned in the Khazir River.

The Umayyad rout was a major setback for the Caliphate, which did not launch another invasion of Iraq until 691. However, al-Mukhtar's victory was short-lived as he was killed a year later when the Zubayrids took over Kufa. Meanwhile, the blood feud between the Qaysi and Yamani tribal elements of the Caliphate intensified due to Umayr's mid-battle defection and subsequent spearheading of attacks against the tribes of Taghlib and Kalb. In these later battles, the Kalb were led by Humayd ibn Hurayth al-Kalbi, an Umayyad commander who survived Khazir.

Background

After consolidating authority in Syria and restoring Egypt to the Umayyad realm, Caliph Marwan I (r. June 684–April 685) dispatched an army led by Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad to wrest back Iraq (the part of Mesopotamia south of Tikrit[1]), control of which was split by a number of anti-Umayyad factions, including partisans of al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, other pro-Alids and Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr.[2] Marwan promised Ubayd Allah the governorship of all the territories he conquered.[2] In early January 685, while Ubayd Allah was mobilizing his troops at the Euphrates town of Jisr Manbij, his second-in-command, Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni, had destroyed a pro-Alid band, known as the tawwabun or "Penitents", led by Sulayman ibn Surad at the Battle of 'Ayn al-Warda in modern-day Ras al-Ayn.[2][3] Three months later, Marwan died and his son Abd al-Malik succeeded him as caliph.

Meanwhile, in the eighteen months following the Umayyad victory at Ayn al-Warda, Ubayd Allah's troops were bogged down by struggles with the Qaysi tribes of Jazira led by the pro-Zubayrid Zufar ibn al-Harith al-Kilabi.[2][3] Finally, in the summer of 686, Ubayd Allah's troops advanced toward Mosul in northern Jazira with the ultimate aim of conquering Iraq.[4] Al-Mukhtar, who in the weeks prior had seized Kufa from Ibn al-Zubayr's governor, rapidly organized and dispatched a force under his skilled Arab commander, Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar, to confront the Umayyad army.[4] Ubayd Allah defeated this force on 9–10 July 686.[4] Meanwhile, Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr and the ashraf (Arab tribal nobility) of Kufa used the absence of al-Mukhtar's forces as an opportunity to recapture Kufa.[3] The attempt failed as al-Mukhtar was able to recall his troops and defeat the pro-Zubayrid forces by the end of July.[3] With Kufa secured, al-Mukhtar again dispatched Ibn al-Ashtar to confront Ubayd Allah's army.[5]

Combatants

The ranks of Ubayd Allah's 60,000-strong army consisted of Arab tribesmen from Syria and as such was referred to in medieval sources as jumū' ahl al-Shām (host of the Syrians).[6] At the time, according to one report cited by medieval historian al-Tabari, "[Caliph] Marwan's army was from Kalb and their commander was Ibn Bahdal", while "the whole of Qays was in al-Jazira and were opponents of Marwan and the family of Marwan".[6] Historian Hugh N. Kennedy asserts that this "report is exaggerated" because Ubayd Allah recruited commanders from both Qays and Yaman (the latter were dominated by Kalb), "but it does point to a general problem" regarding the effect of the Qaysi–Yamani rivalry on the Umayyad army.[7]

Al-Mukhtar's forces were smaller than Ubayd Allah's army,[8] but the morale of his men was high due to their victory in Kufa and their desire to avenge Husayn ibn Ali and Ibn Surad's Penitents, whose deaths were attributed to Ubayd Allah.[5] The 13,000-strong army al-Mukhtar sent under Ibn al-Ashtar's command consisted largely of mawālī (non-Arab clients of Arab tribes) from the aḥāmira (Persian inhabitants of Kufa).[9] The aḥāmira were led by a certain Abu Amra Kaysan.[9] The predominance of Persians in al-Mukhtar's army was noted by Umayyad defectors to Ibn al-Ashtar who complained to him that they rarely heard a word of Arabic spoken by al-Mukhtar's soldiers whom they viewed as unfit or untrustworthy to confront the Syrian Arab tribesmen under Ubayd Allah's command.[9] Ibn al-Ashtar reportedly retorted that his troops were "the sons of noble warriors and chiefs of the Persians".[9] Arab cavalry also formed a significant part of Ibn al-Ashtar's forces.[9] Moreover, Ibn al-Ashtar's lieutenant commanders were also Arabs.

Battle

In early August 686, the entire body of Ibn al-Ashtar's forces marched north toward the Zab River to block the Umayyad army's advance into Iraq.[4][10] Without dividing his cavalry and infantry, Ibn al-Ashtar continued his northward march near the Umayyads' camp and drew in the forces of Humayd ibn Hurayth al-Kalbi, one of Ubayd Allah's commanders.[11] Ibn al-Ashtar then dispatched his advance forces under al-Tufayl ibn Laqit to capture the village of Bar'ita, about 15 mi (24 km) east of Mosul, near the banks of the Khazir River, a tributary of the Zab.[8][12] They encamped at Bar'ita while Ubayd Allah and his troops advanced and camped nearby.[8] That night, the commander of Ubayd Allah's left wing, Umayr ibn al-Hubab al-Sulami, secretly met and defected to Ibn al-Ashtar, promising the latter that he and his Qaysi-dominated contingent would abandon Ubayd Allah mid-battle once Ibn al-Ashtar's forces attacked the Umayyad left wing.[8] Umayr then returned to the Umayyad camp, while Ibn al-Ashtar put his guards on alert for the remainder of the night.[13]

At dawn, on 6 August, Ibn al-Ashtar mobilized his men and formed his battalions.[12][13] He placed Sufyan ibn Yazid al-Azdi in command of the right wing, Ali ibn Malik al-Jushami in command of the left wing, his half-brother Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah in charge of the cavalry and al-Tufayl ibn Laqit in command of the foot soldiers.[12][13] Because the cavalry was so small, Ibn al-Ashtar kept them close to him in the right wing.[12][13] When his forces marched on foot to a hill overlooking the Umayyad camp,[12] Ibn al-Ashtar sent one of his horsemen, Abdallah ibn Zuhayr al-Saluli, to gather intelligence on Ubayd Allah's troops.[13] Al-Saluli exchanged words and insults with one of Ubayd Allah's soldiers and returned to Ibn al-Ashtar with news that the Umayyads were in "a state of confusion and dismay".[13] Ibn al-Ashtar then reviewed his troops and rallied them to fight a jihad (holy war) against the "murderer of Husayn", i.e. Ubayd Allah.[14][15]

When Ibn al-Ashtar returned to his position, he dismounted and the Umayyads advanced.[14][16] In command of the Umayyad right wing was al-Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni, in command of the left wing was Umayr ibn al-Hubab, while Shurahbil ibn Dhi'l Kala' al-Himyari led the cavalry.[16] Ubayd Allah marched along with his foot soldiers. As the battle lines became closer, al-Sakuni's right wing assaulted al-Jushami's left wing. Al-Jushami fell, followed by his son Qurrah and their guards.[16] Consequently, Ibn al-Ashtar's left wing was driven back, but under Abdallah ibn Warqa' al-Saluli they collected themselves and joined Ibn al-Ashtar's right wing.[17] Afterward, Ibn al-Ashtar directed the right wing under al-Azdi to assault the Umayyads' left wing in the hope that Umayr ibn al-Hubab would hold true to his promise and fall back as agreed.[18] However, Umayr held his ground and fierce fighting ensued.[18]

Once he saw that the Umayyads' left wing was holding steady, Ibn al-Ashtar changed tack and ordered his troops to attack the Umayyads' center, believing if he could disperse the core of the Umayyad army, the latter's right and left wings would likewise disperse.[18] Ibn al-Ashtar himself took part in this assault and is said to have slew several Umayyad soldiers with his coterie of close companions.[19] Amid the heavy clashes, numerous men on both sides were killed and the Umayyads were routed,[6][19] Upon witnessing this, Umayr ibn al-Hubab communicated to Ibn al-Ashtar if he should defect to his camp;[19] Ibn al-Ashtar told him to hold off because he feared his men would harm Umayr amid their anger.[19]

Ubayd Allah was killed during the assault,[6] and Ibn al-Ashtar himself is said to have slew him, "cut[ting] him in two, so that his feet had gone to the east and his arms to the west", according to the report of a certain al-Dahhak ibn Abdallah al-Mishraqi.[19] At the same time, a Kufan soldier named Sharik ibn Jadir al-Taghlibi had attacked and killed Husayn ibn Numayr, mistaking the latter for Ubayd Allah.[6][20] Shurahbil ibn Dhi'l Kala' was also killed,[6] as was another of Ubayd Allah's lieutenants, al-Rabi'a ibn al-Mukhariq al-Ghanawi.[6] Ibn al-Ashtar's troops seized the Umayyad camp and pursued their defeated army to the river.[21] Apparently, more Umayyad troops drowned in the Khazir River than were slain in battle.[21]

Aftermath

The Umayyad rout gave al-Mukhtar control of the region of Mosul and posed a major setback to Abd al-Malik's plans of establishing Umayyad authority over Iraq.[5] Al-Mukhtar and his supporters viewed Ubayd Allah's death as justice for his role in the killing of Husayn at Karbala in 680.[22] Meanwhile, the Qays of the Jazira, led by Zufar, gained confidence from the defeat of the Umayyad army, which was dominated by their Kalbi and Kindi rivals.[4] The Qaysi position was strengthened by the arrival of Umayr ibn al-Hubab and his Sulaymi tribesmen.[4] The defection of Umayr and his men was partly the reason Ubayd Allah's troops were defeated.[5] The Kalbi chieftain and an Umayyad survivor of Khazir, Humayd ibn Hurayth, went on to lead the Kalb in the devastating tit-for-tat raids and battles with Umayr and Zufar's Qaysi tribesmen in the years following Khazir.[23] While the Battle of Marj Rahit divided the Arab tribes of Syria and Jazira into the Qaysi and Yamani factions, the aftermath of Khazir intensified the feud.[6] This particularly occurred when Umayr, after joining up with Zufar, encroached on the previously neutral Taghlib tribe, driving the latter to join the Kalb, Ghassan, Lakhm and the Kindi tribes of Sakun and Sakasik, as part of the Yamani faction; the opposing Qaysi tribes consisted of the Kilab, Uqayl, Bahila and Sulaym.[6]

Al-Mukhtar's fortunes ended in early 687 when Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr and the Kufan ashraf defeated al-Mukhtar's loyalists and besieged Kufa. Al-Mukhtar and 6,000 of his partisans were killed when this pro-Zubayrid army finally stormed the city in April 687. Although this gave Ibn al-Zubayr control of Iraq, he soon had to contend with Kharijite revolts in the province and elsewhere.[5] Meanwhile, Abd al-Malik desisted from further attempts to seize Iraq following the debacle at Khazir, and instead focused on winning over disaffected tribal chieftains throughout the province.[7] In 690/91, Abd al-Malik launched a major invasion of Iraq, personally leading an army whose command was largely staffed by the caliph's family, including Muhammad ibn Marwan, Khalid ibn Yazid and Abd Allah ibn Yazid.[7] By then, many of Iraq's ashraf had accepted Umayyad sovereignty, and following the Umayyad victory in the Battle of Maskin that year, Zubayrid rule in Iraq came to an end.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Al-Tabari, ed. Fishbein 1990, p. 74, n. 283.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Wellhausen 1927, p. 185.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Donner 2010, p. 184.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wellhausen 1927, p. 186.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Donner 2010, p. 185.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kennedy 2001, p. 32.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Kennedy 2001, p. 33.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Al-Tabari, ed. Fishbein 1990, p. 75.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Zakeri 1995, p. 206.
  10. ↑ Al-Tabari, ed. Fishbein 1990, p. 74.
  11. ↑ Al-Tabari, ed. Fishbein 1990, pp. 74–75.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Kennedy 2001, p. 23.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Al-Tabari, ed. Fishbein 1990, p. 76.
  14. 1 2 Kennedy 2001, p. 24.
  15. ↑ Al-Tabari, ed. Fishbein 1990, pp. 77–78.
  16. 1 2 3 Al-Tabari, ed. Fishbein 1990, p. 78.
  17. ↑ Al-Tabari, ed. Fishbein 1990, pp. 78–79.
  18. 1 2 3 Al-Tabari, ed. Fishbein 1990, p. 79.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Al-Tabari, ed. Fishbein 1990, p. 80.
  20. ↑ Al-Tabari, ed. Fishbein 1990, pp. 80–81.
  21. 1 2 Al-Tabari, ed. Fishbein 1990, p. 81.
  22. ↑ Hawting 1986, p. 53.
  23. ↑ Wellhausen 1927, pp. 202–203.

Bibliography

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