Military History of Ray, Iran - Samanids, Early 10th Century CE

Samanids, Early 10th Century CE

Although Isma'il does not seem to have been much concerned with his obligation to send annual tribute to Baghdad, he did devote considerable resources to the defence of his expanded quasi-kingdom. Still, Ray was very much on the fringe of his territory, and tended to be overlooked in commercial policies designed to benefit his heartland in Khwarazm, 1,000 km to the north-east. Furthermore, in 289 H (902 CE), Muhammad ibn Harun, whom Isma'il had appointed governor of Tabaristan, rebelled and declared his support for Shi'ism. The city's inhabitants therefore invited him to come and rid them of their unpopular governor Ukratmush al-Turki, which he did, defeating and killing Ukratmush that summer. Isma'il hastened to regain control, and a few months later he routed Muhammad's forces just outside the city. Muhammad fled to Daylam, but his forces were scattered. Meanwhile, a newly-appointed vizier in Baghdad, 'Abbas ibn Hasan, began trying to take advantage of the unrest to bring Isma'il under tighter control, but the very efficient Samanid armed forces did not permit the unrest to turn into an effective rebellion.

Isma'il, who died in 295 H (907 CE), was not the only efficient and troublesome warlord in the Caliphate. Yusuf Ibn Abi'l-Saj, who had pushed his nephew aside to succeed his brother Muhammad as governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan, had a most uneasy relationship with the authorities in Baghdad. In 304 H (916-7 CE), he expanded his territory by invading Ray, then sent a letter to Baghdad claiming that the previous vizier had made him governor of the province (at this time two rivals, 'Ali ibn al-Furat- an ally of Yusuf- and 'Ali ibn 'Isa were effectively taking turns to eject each other from the vizierate every few years). A few months later the caliph sent an army, led by Khaqan al-Muflihi, to remove Yusuf's governor from Ray. Yusuf took his army back to Ray and defeated Khaqan's force, but after another few months, hearing of the approach of a stronger army, led by the very competent general Mu'nis al-Khadim, Yusuf withdrew to Ardabil, which he could defend more effectively. The move worked, and in 306 H (918 CE) he defeated Mu'nis, but the following year the general returned, and captured the rebel, who was imprisoned in Baghdad. Furthermore, when Yusuf left Ray in 306 H, the Daylamite 'Ali ibn Wahsudan took his chance and moved in. 'Ali's triumph was short-lived, however, because he had recently murdered his brother Justan (by then ruling Daylam as Justan III). Justan's son-in-law Muhammad ibn Musafir had since then been waiting for a chance of revenge, and in 307 H (919 CE) he killed 'Ali.

One of Yusuf's senior officers, Subuk, remained free and loyal. He gained control of Azerbaijan, then defeated an army sent to remove him, and became officially recognised as governor there. Outlying territories such as Ray were more of a problem, and by early 309 H (921 CE) the city was conquered by another Daylamite prince, Layli of Ishkawet (thanks to treason by Mu'nis' local deputy, Akh Su'luk). His rule lasted only months before the Samanid vizier Bal'ami delivered his head to the Caliph. In 310 H (922 CE) Subuk died; Yusuf was released, and made governor of Azerbaijan, plus Ray, Qazwin etc. Ahmad ibn 'Ali, the existing governor at Ray (another Daylamite, and a convert to Isma'ili Islam) objected to this arbitrary decision, and rebelled against the Caliph, so in 311 H (924 CE), Yusuf defeated and killed him, then put Muflih, one of his former slaves, in control of the city before moving on to Hamadan. Soon afterwards, the people of Ray expelled Muflih, who was replaced by a Samanid governor, and in 313 H (925 CE) Yusuf returned, to instal another of his deputies (the last time he would intervene in the city, as he was captured near Kufa and killed a couple of years later).

In 314 H (926 CE), at the request of Caliph al-Muqtadir, the Samanid leader Nasr ibn Ahmad ibn Ismail mounted an expedition to dislodge Fatik, the freedman then governing Ray on behalf of Yusuf ibn Ali 'I-Sadj. He captured the city in Djumada II (August–September) and returned to Bukhara a couple of months later, once stability had been assured. In 316 H (928 CE), the Da'i Saiyid Abu Muhammad Hasan ibn Kasim (deposed former ruler of Tabaristan) and Abu Mansur Makan ibn Kaki (former governor of Djurdjan) set out on a campaign of conquest, so in early Sha'ban (late September) Muhammad ibn Sa'luk, the governor appointed to Ray by Nasr ibn Ahmad, effectively invited them to take control of Ray, pleading illness, and retired to Khorasan. The effortless conquerors discovered too late that Asfar ibn Shirawaihi, the man whose rebellion had ended Makan's governorship, had returned from Khorasan and conquered both Djurdjan and Tabaristan. The Da'i tried to depose him, but was defeated, and killed by Asfar's lieutenant Mardawidj ibn Ziyar on 24 Ramadan, 316 H (11 November 928 CE). Asfar then marched his army to Ray and defeated Makan, who withdrew in haste. About 318 H (930 CE), Asfar sent Mardawidj ibn Ziyar to command a force against Muhammad ibn Musafir in Daylam, but instead of fighting they teamed up against Asfar, who fled, but was caught and killed the following year. Makan ibn Kaki prevented Mardawidj from taking over any of Asfar's territories except Ray, but he did gain the service of three of Makan's ablest officers, the Daylamite brothers 'Ali, Hasan and Ahmad ibn Buya.

Mardawidj, who seems to have had delusions of grandeur, allegedly including plans to capture Baghdad, was murdered by disaffected Turkic members of his own staff, in Safar 323 H (January 935 CE) at Isfahan while celebrating a Zoroastrian festival, and was succeeded at Ray by his brother Vushmgir, to whom Makan had to flee in 329 H (940 CE) after being defeated by the army of Khorasan. Their combined force met the Khorasani army, commanded by Abu 'Ali Ahmad ibn Muhtaj, governor of Khorasan, at Ishakabad on the Damghan road near Ray, on 21 Rabi' l (25 December)- Makan was killed by an arrow shot to the head. Abu 'Ali returned to Khorasan after a while, allowing Vushmgir to return to Ray, but after the death of their overlord Nasr ibn Ahmad in 331 H (943 CE), Hasan ibn Buya seized the opportunity to drive him out again. The next Samanid overlord, Nasr's son Abu Muhammad Nuh ibn Nasr ibn Ahmad, swiftly sent Abu 'Ali and his army back to Ray, but on the long march, some of them deserted, and when he met Hasan's force, 3 farsakhs outside Ray, most of the Kurdish soldiers in his army switched sides. He escaped back to Nishapur, but Nuh ordered him to try again, so in Djumada 333 H (January -February 945 CE), Abu 'Ali advanced against Ray again. On this occasion Hasan chose to withdraw, so Abu 'Ali captured the town and surrounding region in Ramadan (April–May). Hasan's older brother 'Ali sent him back and somehow (possibly by diplomacy) he regained the lost territory. Meanwhile, Hasan's other brother Ahmad was in a position to take control of Baghdad itself, so the Caliph, with whom the brothers had always maintained friendly relations, accepted the reality of the situation and gave them official status and power, with the new honorary names "'Imad al-Daula", "Rukn al-Daula" and "Mu'izz al-Daula". Ray became the capital for Hasan/Rukn's territory.