Abbasid conquest of Tabaristan
| Abbasid Conquest of Tabaristan | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Muslim conquest of Northern Persia | |||||||||
The map of Tabaristan and its surrounding regions | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Abbasid Caliphate |
Dabuyid dynasty Masmughans of Damavand | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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al-Mahdi Khazim al-Tamimi Abu al-Khasib Ruh bin Hatem Omar bin Al-Alaa | Ispahbad Khurshid | ||||||||
Also known as the Abbasid campaign against Tabaristan or the Abbasid invasion of Tabaristan (141–144 AH / 758–761 CE), was a military campaign launched by the Abbasid Caliphate during the reign of Caliph Abu Ja'far al-Mansur. The objective was to subjugate Tabaristan, which was under the rule of the Dabuyid dynasty, a Zoroastrian Iranian dynasty, led by Ispahbad Khurshid. Caliph al-Mansur dispatched his son, Muhammad al-Mahdi, to lead the campaign. Under his command, he assigned Khazim al-Tamimi and Abu al-Khasib, a trusted mawla of al-Mansur, to help in the war effort. The Abbasid forces initially gained entry to Tabaristan in 758 CE, subsequently occupying major cities and compelling Khurshid's temporary submission.
Khurshid abrogated his agreement with the Abbasids in 142 AH / 759 CE, killing all Muslims residing in his territory and mobilizing forces for renewed resistance. al-Mansur responded by dispatching Khazim ibn Khuzayma, Rawh ibn Hatim, and Abu al-Khasib to besiege Khurshid's fortress. The prolonged siege was ultimately resolved through a stratagem devised by Abu al-Khasib, who infiltrated the fortress by pretending to defect. After the fortress was captured and its defenders killed, Khurshid committed suicide by consuming poison from his ring. The conquest was completed by 761 CE with Khurshid's death and the annexation of Tabaristan into the Abbasid Caliphate.