Abu 'Ali Chaghani
Encyclopedia
Abu 'Ali Ahmad Chaghani was the Muhtajid
ruler of Chaghaniyan
(939–955) and governor of Samanid
Khurasan
(939–945, 952–953). He was the son of Muhammad b. Muzaffar.
In 939, Muhammad became ill and Abu 'Ali was assigned to succeed him in his posts. As governor of Khurasan he undertook several campaigns in northern Iran
, conquering Gurgan
and territory as far west as Ray
from the Ziyarids, forcing the Ziyarids to acknowledge Samanid authority, and killing the Dailamite adventurer Makan b. Kaki. After he departed for Khurasan the Buyid Rukn al-Daula
seized Ray. In 945 Abu 'Ali returned and expelled the Buyids from Ray, but they returned a year later.
That same year, 945, the Samanid amir Nuh b. Nasr
dismissed Abu 'Ali from the governorship of Khurasan after hearing complaints of the latter's harsh rule, and sought to replace him with a Turk, the Simjurid Ibrahim b. Simjur. Abu 'Ali refused to accept his dismissal and rebelled. He convinced a Samanid, Nuh's uncle Ibrahim b. Ahamd, to come from Iraq
and installed him as amir in Bukhara
when he took the city in 947. Ibrahim, however, was unpopular with the people of Bukhara, and Nuh soon retaliated by retaking the city and blinding Ibrahim and two brothers. He was unable, however, to defeat 'Abu Ali, who had recruited the support of other Samanid vassals, such as the rulers of Khuttal, and the Kumiji mountain people, and in the end made peace with him, allowing him to keep Chaghaniyan.
In 952 following the death of the governor of Khurasan, Mansur b. Qara-Tegin (Ibrahim b. Simjur had already died in 948), 'Abu Ali was reinstated by Nuh as governor of the province. At the insistence of the Ziyarids he began a war with the Buyid Rukn al-Daula, but was unable to take Ray and made peace. This action upset Nuh, who again removed him from the governorship. 'Abu Ali fled to the Buyids and received an investiture diploma for Khurasan from the Caliph
, but was unable to enforce his claim or even return to Chaghaniyan. In 955 he and one of his sons died of the plague in Ray.
Al Muhtaj
The Al-i Muhtaj or Muhtajids was an Iranian or Arabicized Iranian ruling family of the small principality of Chaghaniyan. They ruled during the 10th and early 11th centuries.-Early history:...
ruler of Chaghaniyan
Chaghaniyan
Chaghaniyan was a small principality located on the right bank of the Oxus River, to the south of Samarkand.In the late 7th and 8th centuries it was ruled by a local magnate, called in Arabic sources the Chaghān-khudā. These rulers were most likely of Iranian stock...
(939–955) and governor of Samanid
Samanid
The Samani dynasty , also known as the Samanid Empire, or simply Samanids was a Persian state and empire in Central Asia and Greater Iran, named after its founder Saman Khuda, who converted to Sunni Islam despite being from Zoroastrian theocratic nobility...
Khurasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
(939–945, 952–953). He was the son of Muhammad b. Muzaffar.
In 939, Muhammad became ill and Abu 'Ali was assigned to succeed him in his posts. As governor of Khurasan he undertook several campaigns in northern Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, conquering Gurgan
Gürgan
Gürgan is a village in Baku, Azerbaijan. It forms part of the municipality of Gürgən-Pirallahı....
and territory as far west as Ray
Ray, Iran
Rey or Ray , also known as Rhages and formerly as Arsacia, is the capital of Rey County, Tehran Province, Iran, and is the oldest existing city in the province....
from the Ziyarids, forcing the Ziyarids to acknowledge Samanid authority, and killing the Dailamite adventurer Makan b. Kaki. After he departed for Khurasan the Buyid Rukn al-Daula
Rukn al-Daula
Hasan , known as Rukn al-Dawla, was the first Buyid amir of northern and central Iran . He was the son of Buya.-Struggle for power:...
seized Ray. In 945 Abu 'Ali returned and expelled the Buyids from Ray, but they returned a year later.
That same year, 945, the Samanid amir Nuh b. Nasr
Nuh I of Samanid
Nuh I was amir of the Samanids . He was the son of Nasr II.Nuh came to power after preventing a revolt against his father in 943. Several army officers, unhappy over Nasr's support of Ismaili missionaries, planned to assassinate him...
dismissed Abu 'Ali from the governorship of Khurasan after hearing complaints of the latter's harsh rule, and sought to replace him with a Turk, the Simjurid Ibrahim b. Simjur. Abu 'Ali refused to accept his dismissal and rebelled. He convinced a Samanid, Nuh's uncle Ibrahim b. Ahamd, to come from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and installed him as amir in Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
when he took the city in 947. Ibrahim, however, was unpopular with the people of Bukhara, and Nuh soon retaliated by retaking the city and blinding Ibrahim and two brothers. He was unable, however, to defeat 'Abu Ali, who had recruited the support of other Samanid vassals, such as the rulers of Khuttal, and the Kumiji mountain people, and in the end made peace with him, allowing him to keep Chaghaniyan.
In 952 following the death of the governor of Khurasan, Mansur b. Qara-Tegin (Ibrahim b. Simjur had already died in 948), 'Abu Ali was reinstated by Nuh as governor of the province. At the insistence of the Ziyarids he began a war with the Buyid Rukn al-Daula, but was unable to take Ray and made peace. This action upset Nuh, who again removed him from the governorship. 'Abu Ali fled to the Buyids and received an investiture diploma for Khurasan from the Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
, but was unable to enforce his claim or even return to Chaghaniyan. In 955 he and one of his sons died of the plague in Ray.
Sources
- Bosworth, C. E. "Al-e Mohtaj." Encyclopedia Iranica. 22 September 2006.
- Frye, R. N. "The Samanids." The Cambridge History of Iran Volume 4: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs. Edited by R. N. Frye. London, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1975. ISBN 0-521-20093-8