Barjik
Encyclopedia
Barjik was a Khazar prince
who flourished in the late 720s. He is described by al-Tabari
as "the son of the Khagan
"; his exact status and position is unknown though he may have been the Bek
.
Barjik led the Khazar armies in the Khazar-Arab wars of the early 700s. In 730, he won a victory at the Battle of Marj Ardabil, sacking and occupying the city. He killed the Arab general al-Djarrah al-Hakami and mounted the latter's head on his throne as a trophy. This enraged the Umayyad
troops who faced him the following year outside of Mosul
, and Barjik was defeated and slain in the ensuing battle.
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
who flourished in the late 720s. He is described by al-Tabari
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari was a prominent and influential Sunni scholar and exegete of the Qur'an from Persia...
as "the son of the Khagan
Khagan
Khagan or qagan , alternatively spelled kagan, khaghan, qaghan, or chagan, is a title of imperial rank in the Mongolian and Turkic languages equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a khaganate...
"; his exact status and position is unknown though he may have been the Bek
Khagan Bek
-History:Khazar kingship was divided between the khagan and the Bek or Khagan Bek. Contemporary Arab historians related that the Khagan was purely a spiritual ruler or figurehead with limited powers, while the Bek was responsible for administration and military affairs.In the Khazar Correspondence,...
.
Barjik led the Khazar armies in the Khazar-Arab wars of the early 700s. In 730, he won a victory at the Battle of Marj Ardabil, sacking and occupying the city. He killed the Arab general al-Djarrah al-Hakami and mounted the latter's head on his throne as a trophy. This enraged the Umayyad
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
troops who faced him the following year outside of Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
, and Barjik was defeated and slain in the ensuing battle.