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Ahmad ibn Tulun
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Ahmad ibn ?ulun (September 835 – March 884) was the founder of the Tulunid dynasty that ruled Egypt briefly between 868 and 905 AD. Originally sent by the Abbassid caliph as governor to Egypt, ibn ?ulun established himself as an independent ruler.
?ulun was born in Baghdad during the month of Ramadan 220 AH (September 835).
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Ahmad ibn ?ulun (September 835 – March 884) was the founder of the Tulunid dynasty that ruled Egypt briefly between 868 and 905 AD. Originally sent by the Abbassid caliph as governor to Egypt, ibn ?ulun established himself as an independent ruler.
Biography
Ibn ?ulun was born in Baghdad during the month of Ramadan 220 AH (September 835). His father, ?ulun, was one of the Turkic slaves included with a tribute sent by the governor of Bukhara to the Abbassid Caliph al-Ma'mun around the year 200/815-16. The Abbassid court recruited Turkish slaves to serve as military officers, and Tulun did well for himself, eventually coming to command the Caliph's private guard.
The family moved to Samarra in 850, and ibn Tulun received his military training there, and also studied theology. He was appointed commander of special forces for the Caliph al-Mutawakkil in 855. Tulun died around this time, and his widow married an influential Turkish commander in the palace, Bayik Bey (Bakbak in some of the Arabic sources). Ibn ?ulun married Hatun, the daughter of another influential Turkish general in the palace guard, who bore him two chilren: ‘Abbas and Fa?imah.
After serving in military campaigns against the Byzantine Empire in Tarsus, ibn Tulun gained the favor of the Caliph al-Musta'in. On returning to Baghdad in 863, the Caliph presented him with a concubine, Meyyaz, with whom he had Khumarraweh, the son who eventually succeeded him as ruler of Egypt.
In 868, the Caliph al-Mu'tazz appointed Bayik Bey as the governor of Egypt; Bayik Bey in turn sent Ahmad ibn ?ulun as his regent. Ibn ?ulun arrived in Egypt in September 868.
On arriving in Egypt, ibn ?ulun found that the existing capital of Egypt, al-Fustat, founded by Amr ibn al-'As in 641, was too small to accommodate his armies. He founded a new city to serve as his capital, Madinat al-Qatta'i, or the quartered city. Al-Qatta'i was laid out in the style of grand cities of Persia and the Byzantine Empire, including a large public square, hippodrome, a palace for the governor, and a large ceremonial Mosque of Ibn Tulun, which was named for ibn ?ulun. The city was razed in 905 AD, and the mosque alone has survived.
Initially, ibn ?ulun's rule in Egypt was marked by a struggle for control with the existing head of the council of financial affairs, Ibn al-Mudabbir. Ibn al-Mudabbir was disliked by the local population because of high rates of taxation (particularly against non-Muslim citizens, which comprised over half of Egypt's population) and greed. Ibn al-Mudabbir reported directly to the Caliph, not to the governor of Egypt, and as such ignored ibn ?ulun entirely. Ibn ?ulun used his influence at the Abbassid court to work against Ibn al-Mudabbir, and finally was able to have him removed after four years.
Bayik Bey was murdered around 870, and governorship passed to Yarjukh al-Turki, father of ibn Tulun's wife, Hatun. Yarjukh retained ibn ?ulun as his regent in Egypt, and increased his power by granting him authority over Alexandria and other territories in the region. Ibn ?ulun led a campaign against the rebeliious governor of Syria, ‘Isa ibn Shaykh ash-Shaybani, which allowed him to amass an army of 100,000 men.
In 871, the Caliph al-Mu'tamid appointed his brother Al-Muwaffaq as governor of Damascus, and his son, later the Caliph Al-Mu'tadid, to succeed Yarjukh as governor of Egypt. The rebellion of the Zanji, a group of black slaves who seized control of Basra and much of southern Iraq during this decade, siphoned much of the caliphate's resources away from the provinces. In 874, ibn ?ulun took advantage of the chaos in Iraq to sever relations with Baghdad and declare independence.
It was not until 877 that Al-Mu'tadid sent armed forces under Musa bin Bugha to retake control of Egypt. But the attempted invasion was a rout, with most of Musa's army scattering before the larger forces led by ibn ?ulun. Ibn ?ulun's forces followed and took control of large portions of Syria, but the campaign was cut short when ibn ?ulun had to return to Egypt to deal with a revolt led by his own son, ‘Abbas.
Following his return from Syria, ibn ?ulun added his own name to coins issued by the dynasty, along with those of the Caliph and heir apparent. In 882, ibn ?ulun invited the nearly powerless Caliph al-Mu'tamid to Egypt to offer him protection against his brother, Al-Muwaffaq, who was trying to remain in power as regent. Al-Muta'mid was intercepted en route to Egypt, and ibn ?ulun and Al-Muwaffaq began an endless campaign against each other. Ibn ?ulun was able to have a group of prominent jurists declare Al-Muwaffaq a usurper, and both leaders had the other cursed during Friday prayers.
Military skirmishes followed. After leading the siege of Tarsus in 883, ibn ?ulun fell ill on his return to Egypt and died on May 10, 884. He was succeeded by his 20-year old son, Khumarraweh, who lacked much of the charisma and cunning that kept ibn ?ulun in power. The Tulunid dynasty was short-lived, and Egypt was reoccupied by Abbassid forces in the winter of 904-05.
See also
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