Aban ibn al-Walid ibn Uqba

Aban ibn al-Walid ibn Uqba
أبان بن الوليد بن عقبة
Governor of Hims, Qinnasrin and Arminiya
In office
684–691
MonarchsMarwan I
Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan
Preceded byNu'man ibn Bashir (Homs)
Succeeded byAbdallah ibn Abd al-Malik (Homs)
Muhammad ibn Marwan (Qinnasrin/Arminiya)
Personal details
RelationsBanu Umayya (clan)
Parent
RelativesAl-Walid ibn Hisham (nephew)
Uthman ibn Affan (half-uncle)
Uthman ibn al-Walid (brother)
Military service
AllegianceUmayyad Caliphate

Abān ibn al-Walīd ibn ʿUqba ibn Abī Muʿayṭ (Arabic: أبان بن الوليد بن عقبة بن أبي معيط) was a member of the Umayyad family who served as governor of Hims, Qinnasrin (with the Jazira) and Armenia for the caliphs Marwan I (r. 684–685) and Abd al-Malik (r. 685–705). His brother Uthman may have been his deputy in Armenia, or a governor in his own right, while another deputy of his was Dinar ibn Dinar, who defeated the Byzantines in 694/5.

In circa 688/89, Abd al-Malik tasked Aban with suppressing the rebellion of the Qaysi chieftain Zufar ibn al-Harith al-Kilabi, who, from his fortified, strategic outpost of al-Qarqisiya on the Euphrates, posed a nagging obstacle to the caliph's planned conquest of Iraq. That province was controlled by Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr on behalf of his Mecca-based brother, Abd Allah, a rival caliph to Abd al-Malik. Zufar recognized the suzerainty of Ibn al-Zubayr and had previously staved off the Umayyad commander, Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, in 685/86. Aban defeated Zufar in battle, during which Zufar's son, Waki', was killed. This death turned the conflict into a personal vendetta, making it much harder for Abd al-Malik to negotiate with Zufar until several years later.