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Emirate of Tbilisi

 
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The Emirs of Tbilisi ruled over the parts of today’s eastern
Eastern Georgia

Eastern Georgia commonly refers to the eastern part of the nation of Georgia , which in historic times included the kingdom of Caucasian Iberia in the Caucasus....
 Georgia
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
 from their base in the city of Tbilisi
Tbilisi

Tbilisi , is the capital city and the largest city of Georgia , lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form Tpilisi and it was officially known as ?????? in Russian, until 1936....
, from 736 to 1080 (nominally to 1122). Established by the Arabs during their invasions of Georgian lands, the emirate
Emirate

An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Arab Monarch styled emir....
 was an important outpost of the Muslim
Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
 rule in the Caucasus
Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region located between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is home to Europe's highest mountain ....
 until recaptured by the Georgians under King David IV
David IV of Georgia

David IV, also known as David II or David III, or David the Builder , from the House of Bagrationi, was List of the Kings of Georgia of Georgia from 1089 to 1125....
 in 1122. Since then, the city has been the capital of Georgia to this day.

Arabs first appeared in Georgia, namely in Kartli
Kartli

Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia . It includes the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and two other major cities, Gori and Rustavi....
 (Caucasian Iberia
Caucasian Iberia

Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Ancient Greece and Roman Empire to the ancient Georgia kingdom of Kartli corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia....
 of the Classic authors), in 645.






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The Emirs of Tbilisi ruled over the parts of today’s eastern
Eastern Georgia

Eastern Georgia commonly refers to the eastern part of the nation of Georgia , which in historic times included the kingdom of Caucasian Iberia in the Caucasus....
 Georgia
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
 from their base in the city of Tbilisi
Tbilisi

Tbilisi , is the capital city and the largest city of Georgia , lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form Tpilisi and it was officially known as ?????? in Russian, until 1936....
, from 736 to 1080 (nominally to 1122). Established by the Arabs during their invasions of Georgian lands, the emirate
Emirate

An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Arab Monarch styled emir....
 was an important outpost of the Muslim
Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
 rule in the Caucasus
Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region located between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is home to Europe's highest mountain ....
 until recaptured by the Georgians under King David IV
David IV of Georgia

David IV, also known as David II or David III, or David the Builder , from the House of Bagrationi, was List of the Kings of Georgia of Georgia from 1089 to 1125....
 in 1122. Since then, the city has been the capital of Georgia to this day.

History

Georgia Map 830 1020
The Arabs first appeared in Georgia, namely in Kartli
Kartli

Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia . It includes the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and two other major cities, Gori and Rustavi....
 (Caucasian Iberia
Caucasian Iberia

Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Ancient Greece and Roman Empire to the ancient Georgia kingdom of Kartli corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia....
 of the Classic authors), in 645. It was not, however, until 735, when they succeeded in establishing their firm control over a large portion of the country. In that year, Marwan II
Marwan II

Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan or Marwan II was an Umayyad caliph who ruled from 744 until 750 when he was killed. He was the last Umayyad ruler to rule from Damascus....
 took hold of Tbilisi and much of the neighbouring lands and installed there an Arab emir
Emir

Emir , is a high Nobility or office, used throughout the Arab World and historically in some Turkic peoples states and Afghanistan. Emirs are usually considered high-ranking sheikhs, but in monarchical states the term is also used for princes, with "Emirate" being analogous to principality in this sense....
, who was to be confirmed by the Caliph of Baghdad or, occasionally, by the Wali
Wali

Wali , is an Arabic word meaning "trusted one"; it generally denotes "friend of God" in the phrase ??? ???? waliyu 'llah It should not be confused with the word Wali which is an administrative title that was used in the Muslim Caliphate, and still today in some Muslim countries....
 of Arminiya.

During the Arab period, Tbilisi (al-Tefelis) grew into a center of trade between the Islam
Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
ic world and northern Europe
Northern Europe

Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as including the following countries and dependent regions:...
. Beyond that, it functioned as a key Arab outpost and a buffer province facing the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
 and Khazar dominions. Over time, Tbilisi became largely Muslim
Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
, but the Islamic influences were strictly confined to the city itself, while the environs remained largely Christian
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
.

Tbilisi was a large city with a strong double wall pierced by three gates. It lay on both banks of the Kura River
Kura River

Kura is a river in the Caucasus Mountains. Starting in north-eastern Turkey , it flows through Turkey to Georgia , then to Azerbaijan, where it receives the Aras River as a right tributary, and enters the Caspian Sea....
, and the two parts were connected by a bridge of boats. The contemporary geographers especially mention its thermal springs, which supplied the baths with constant hot waters. On the river were water-mills. The houses were primarily built, to the surprise of contemporary Arab travelers, of pine wood. In the first half of the 9th century, Tbilisi is said to have been the second largest, after Derbend, city in the Caucasus
Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region located between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is home to Europe's highest mountain ....
, with its at least 50.000 inhabitants and thriving commerce.

As the Caliphate
Caliphate

The caliphate represented the political leadership of the Muslim ummah in classical and medieval Islamic history and juristic theory. The head of state's position is based on the notion of a successor to the Prophets of Islam Muhammad's political authority....
 weakened after the destruction of Baghdad
Baghdad

Baghdad is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous. With a municipal population estimated at 6.5 million, it is the largest city in Iraq, and the second largest city in the Arab World....
 in 813, the Abbasid
Abbasid

The Abbasid Caliphate was the third of the Islamic Caliphates of the Islamic Empire. The Caliphate is one of the high points of Islam, and at the time Muslim civilization, together with that of Byzantium, China and India, was the most developed part of the world....
 power was much troubled by the secessionist tendencies among peripheral rulers, those of Tbilisi not excluded. At the same time, the emirate became a target of the resurgent Georgian Bagratids
Bagrationi Dynasty

The Bagrationi dynasty was the ruling family of Georgia . Their ascendency lasted from the early Middle Ages until the early 19th century. In modern usage, this royal line is frequently referred to as the Georgian Bagratids, a Greek language form of their dynastic name....
 who liberated several Georgian lands from the Arab grasp. The Emirate of Tbilisi grew in relative strength under Is’hak bin Ismail (833-853), who was powerful enough to quell the energies of the Georgian princes and to contend the Abbasid authority in the region. He withheld his annual payment of tribute to Baghdad, and declared his independence from the Caliph. To suppress the rebellion, Caliph al-Mutawakkil
Al-Mutawakkil

Al-Mutawakkil ?Ala Allah Ja?far ibn al-Mu?tasim was an Abbasid caliph who reigned in Samarra from 847 until 861. He succeeded his brother al-Wathiq and is known for putting an end to the Mihna "ordeal", the Inquisition-like attempt by his predecessors to impose a single Mu'tazili version of Islam....
 dispatched, in 853, a punitive expedition
Punitive expedition

A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a state or any group of persons. It is usually undertaken in response to disobedient or morally wrong behavior, but may be also be a covered revenge....
 led by Bugha al-Kabir al-Sharabi (also known as Bugha the Turk) who burned Tbilisi to the ground and had Is’hak decapitated, terminating the city’s chances to become the center of an independent Islamic state in the Caucasus. The Abbasids chose not to rebuild the city extensively, and as a result the Muslim prestige and authority in the region began to wane.

Beginning in the 1020s, the Georgian
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
 kings pursued contradictive but generally expansionist policy against the emirs of Tbilisi
Tbilisi

Tbilisi , is the capital city and the largest city of Georgia , lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form Tpilisi and it was officially known as ?????? in Russian, until 1936....
, this latter city coming sporadically under Georgian control. The territories of the emirate shrank to Tbilisi and its immediate environs. However, the Seljuk invasions of the 1070s-1080s thwarted the Georgian advances and deferred the Bagratid plans for nearly a half of a century. The last line of emirs of Tbilisi went back, presumably, to circa 1080, and the city’s government was run thereafter by the merchant oligarchy known to Georgian annals as tbileli berebi, that is, the elders of Tbilisi. David IV
David IV of Georgia

David IV, also known as David II or David III, or David the Builder , from the House of Bagrationi, was List of the Kings of Georgia of Georgia from 1089 to 1125....
’s victories over the Seljuk Turks inflicted a final blow to Islamic Tbilisi, and a Georgian army triumphantly entered the city in 1122, ending the four hundred years of a foreign domination.

Rulers


Shuabid emirs of Tbilisi

  • Ismail b. Shuab (the first known emir, r. until 813)
  • Mohammed b. Atab (813-829)
  • Ali b. Shuab (829-833)
  • Is’hak b. Ismail b. Shuab (833-853)

Shaybanid emirs of Tbilisi

  • Mohammed b. Khalil (853-870)
  • Isa b. ash-Sheikh ash-Shayban (870-876)
  • Ibrahim (876-878)
  • Gabuloc (878-880)


Jaffarid emirs of Tbilisi

  • Jaffar I b. Ali (880-914)
  • Mansur b. Jaffar (914-952)
  • Jaffar II b. Mansur (952-981)
  • Ali b. Jaffar (981-1032)
  • Jaffar III b. Ali (1032-1046)
  • Mansur b. Jaffar (1046-1054)
  • Abu’l-Haija b. Jaffar (1054-1062) (the last known emir)

See also

  • History of Georgia
    History of Georgia (country)

    The history of Georgia began with the rise of the early Georgian states of Colchis and Caucasian Iberia, which in Circa1000 BC formed the Georgian civilization and achieved its renaissance and golden age in the twelfth through thirteenth centuries....


External links


  • at