Abdullah Ibn Aamir - Re-conquest of Khorasan

Re-conquest of Khorasan

Khorasan, a province of the Persian Empire, extended from what is now north eastern Iran to western Afghanistan and southern Turkmenistan. It was conquered during the reign of Caliph Umar, under the command of Ahnaf ibn Qais. After the death of Umar, Khorasan broke into revolt under Persian Emperor Yazdegerd III, but before he could lead the Persians against the Muslims, he was betrayed and killed in 651. Caliph Uthman in 651, sent Abdullah ibn Aamir, the governor of Busra, to re-conquer Khorasan. Abdullah ibn Aamir marched with large force from Busra to Khorasan. After capturing the main forts in Khorasan he sent many columns to various directions into Khorasan, the strategy being to prevent the Persians from gathering into a large force. The town of Bayak, in modern Afghanistan, was taken by force, with a Muslim commander falling in the battle. After Bayak, the Muslims marched towards Tabisan, which was captured with little resistance. The Muslim army captured the city of Nishapur after a long siege. The Muslim army continued capturing other small and big towns in the Khurassan region. Afterwards they consolidated their position in Khurassan. The Muslims then marched towards Herat in Afghanistan, which surrendered to Muslims peacefully. After gaining control of the region the Muslims marched towards city of Merv in modern Turkmenistan. The city surrendered along with other towns of the region except one, Sang, which was later taken by force. The campaign in Khorasan ended with conquest of Balkh (Afghanistan) in 654 .