Nasr ibn Sayyar
Encyclopedia
Nasr ibn Sayyar was an Arab general and the last Umayyad
governor of Khurasan
in 738–748. An experienced commander in the wars against the Turgesh
, as governor he introduced tax reforms in his province and stabilized Umayyad control beyond the Oxus. Preoccupied by inter-tribal rivalries and uprisings however, he was unable to stop the outbreak and spread of the Abbasid Revolt, which enjoyed widespread support in Khurasan. Evicted from his province, he fled to Iran
where he died in late 748.
. For his service during this campaign, Nasr was awarded an entire village in this region. Despite the successes of Qutayba, much of Central Asia
east of the Oxus remained outside effective Arab control; while garrisons had been established in places like Samarkand
, Balkh
, or Bukhara
, the Caliphate largely relied on cliental relationships with the multitude of local rulers, who became tributary to the Umayyads. In addition, clashes with the Chinese-backed Turgesh
, the ambiguous policy followed regarding conversion of the native population (mass conversions would lessen the taxable population and hence the amount of tribute received) and increasing inter-Arab tribal factionalism weakened Umayyad control over the region and necessitated increased military activity.
Thus Nasr is recorded as campaigning in Ferghana in 724, while in 734 he was appointed as governor of Balkh. There he faced the rebellion of the local Khurasani troops under al-Harith ibn Surayj, who called for reforms in taxation and the ending of discrimination towards the native converts (mawali
). With 4,000 men, Ibn Surayj marched on Balkh and took the city, although Nasr disposed of 10,000 men. Nasr and his army remained passive for the remainder of the revolt; they did not aid the provincial capital, Merv
, when the rebels attacked it, and this stance encouraged several local tribes to join the uprising. Eventually however the rebels were defeated by Juday' al-Kirmani, with Ibn Surayj fleeing across the Oxus to the Turgesh.
i roots (he was the leader of the Azd
tribe in Khurasan) however made him unpalatable to Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
. Nasr on the other hand, in addition to his other qualities, was a Mudari and married to a Tamimi
wife. He would therefore be acceptable to the numerous Mudari element of the Khurasani army, on which Hisham chiefly relied for support, but could also, as a local, help to reduce the Khurasani Arabs' discontent towards the Umayyad government. Nasr's own relatively obscure tribal background—from a non-noble family of the Layth tribe from Kinanah—also suited the Caliph's purposes, as it meant that he lacked any local power base of his own.
In the event, Nasr would succeed in retaining his office for a decade, despite the turmoil that swept the Caliphate after 743. When Yazid III
came to power in early 744, he initially ordered Nasr replaced. Nasr refused to accept this, and held on to the post, being eventually confirmed to it a few months later. After Marwan II
's rise to power in December 744, he likewise affirmed Nasr's position. Nasr's major achievements during his tenure were the reform of the tax system and the restoration of Umayyad control over Transoxiana. The Khurasani tax system had been established at the time of the Muslim conquest and remained unchanged since. It relied on the collection of a fixed tribute by the local non-Muslim (mostly Zoroastrian) gentry, the dihqans, who often discriminated against the Muslim settlers and the native converts. This contributed to the latter's increasing resentment of Umayyad rule, and the demand for a tax reform had fuelled past revolts like that of Ibn Surayj. Consequently, Nasr streamlined the tax system in 739, implementing a blanket imposition (the kharaj
) on all owners of agricultural land and forcing the non-Muslims to pay an additional poll tax
(the jizyah). In this way, the chroniclers report, 30,000 Muslims were absolved of the jizyah, and 80,000 non-Muslims were forced to pay it instead. Modern scholars however consider the effect of this belated reform on the prevailing anti-Umayyad climate as minimal. Upon his appointment, Nasr also moved the provincial capital back to Merv from Balkh, where Asad had established it. Additionally, for the first time in the province's history he appointed sub-governors. They were drawn from among his allies and supporters in order to reward them and to improve his own control of the province.
Taking advantage of the disintegration of the Turgesh khaganate after the murder of its khagan
Suluk, Nasr moved aggressively across the Oxus. He occupied Saghaniyan in 739, and recovered much territory in the next year, including Samarkand. Aiming to recover all the lands previously conquered under Qutayba ibn Muslim and to curtail the activities of the renegade Ibn Surayj, Nasr then launched an expedition targeting al-Shash (Tashkent
). Although his army defeated a 15,000-strong Turgesh force under Suluk's murderer and successor Kül Chor at Syr Darya
, Nasr apparently failed to subdue al-Shash, and Ibn Surayj was left unmolested to continue his opposition to the Umayyads from his base at Faryab. Another expedition, against Ferghana, plundered and ravaged the surrounding countryside and took many captives, but it seems that Nasr's reconquest did not extend much beyond Samarkand.
Nasr gave his province an unprecedented period of good government, stability and prosperity, so that, in the words of the 9th-century historian al-Mada'ini, "Khurasan was built up as it had never been before". Outwardly at least, by 743 the Umayyad position in Khurasan appeared stronger than ever. The reality beneath the splendid façade however was different. Tension and mutual mistrust existed between the Khurasani Arab levies (muqatila) and the 20,000 Syrian troops introduced into the province as a security measure after the disastrous Battle of the Defile
in 731, while tribal antagonism continued to create trouble: as elsewhere during Hisham's reign, the Umayyad government favoured the North Arab Mudar tribal group, which in turn was generally supportive of and loyal to the Umayyads, while the Azd and Rabi'ah tribes (collectively called the "Yemenis") were relegated into de facto opposition. In Khurasan in particular, Nasr was especially reliant on the support of his wife's powerful Tamim tribe living around Marv, for not all the Mudari tribes backed him, and even the Syrian contingent sided with his opponents. As long as he was supported by a strong central government in Damascus
, Nasr was able to keep his internal enemies in check, but in the troubles that followed Hisham's death in 743, that support vanished.
In addition, Khurasan was a major center of Shiism and specifically of the Kaysanite
sect of the Hashimiyya, which had gained wide acceptance in the province, especially among the mawali. In 742–743, Nasr confronted and defeated a revolt led by Yahya, son of Zayd ibn Ali
and the leader of the Hashimiyya in Khurasan. Yahya was captured and executed, and the resulting vacuum in Hashimi leadership opened the path for the Khurasani movement to come under the control of the Abbasid family.
. Nasr's position was severely undermined, and the Yemeni faction now hoped to see their leader Juday' al-Kirmani appointed governor in his stead. Indeed, Yazid appointed his favourite, the Kalbi Mansur ibn Jumhur, as governor of Iraq, and he in turn nominated his own brother as Nasr's replacement. Nasr refused to accept this, and was again fortunate in his persistence, for Mansur fell out of favour and was dismissed after only two months. Agitation among the Yemeni faction persisted, amidst rumours that Nasr had intercepted letters appointing al-Kirmani as governor, and a dispute on the payment of stipends to the muqatila. Nasr tried to secure his own position by deposing al-Kirmani from his leadership of the Azd, as well as by trying to win over Azd and Rabi'ah leaders. This led to a general uprising by the Azd and Rabi'ah under al-Kirmani. It is indicative of the lingering inter-tribal antagonism of the late Umayyad world that the rebellion was launched in the name of revenge for the Muhallabids
, an Azd family that had been purged after rebelling in 720, an act which had since become a symbol of Yemeni resentment of the Umayyads and their northern Arab-dominated regime.
On 13 July 744, Nasr captured and imprisoned al-Kirmani. After barely a month, the latter escaped, and his rebellion was joined not only by Azd soldiers, but also by many of the Arab settlers around Marv. A tentative truce was initially agreed upon, during which fruitless negotiations were conducted, but after Yazid reconfirmed Nasr in his post, al-Kirmani and the Yemenis—in reality, al-Kirmani's followers included other tribes as well, including most of the Syrians and even some Mudaris, but they were collectively called yamaniyya in the sources—resumed their revolt. Nasr in turn tried to strengthen his own position by enlisting the services of al-Harith ibn Surayj, al-Kirmani's one-time adversary, who enjoyed considerable support among some Arab tribes and especially his native Tamimis. When Ibn Surayj arrived at Merv in July 745 he was enthusiastically received by the town's inhabitants. Scorning Nasr's proposals for cooperation, Ibn Surayj soon withdrew to the countryside and rose in rebellion as well. Among the Mudaris and Nasr's followers, Marwan II was widely opposed, even though Nasr recognized him as the legitimate Caliph in exchange for his own confirmation to his post. Exploiting this resentment, Ibn Surayj soon gathered around him an army over over 3,000 men.
In March 746 Ibn Surayj's army attacked Marv, but was repulsed with many casualties, and he then made common cause with al-Kirmani—of whose activities between his escape in 744 and this point nothing is known. With Marwan II still trying to consolidate his own position in Syria and Mesopotamia, Nasr was bereft of any hopes of reinforcement, and the allied armies of Ibn Surayj and al-Kirmani drove him out of Merv towards the end of 746. Nasr retreated to Nishapur
, but within days al-Kirmani and Ibn Surayj fell out among themselves and clashed, resulting in the death of Ibn Surayj. Nasr now resolved to take back Marv, backed by the Qaysis settled around Nishapur. During summer 747, Nasr's and al-Kirmani's armies confronted each other before the walls of Marv, occupying two fortified camps and skirmishing with each other for several months. The fighting stopped only when news came of the start of the Hashimi uprising under Abu Muslim
.
Negotiations commenced, but were almost broken off when a member of Nasr's entourage, an embittered son of Ibn Surayj, attacked and killed al-Kirmani. Calmer heads prevailed for the moment, the two sides were able to tentatively settle their differences, and Nasr re-occupied his seat in Marv. Tensions however remained and Abu Muslim soon managed to persuade al-Kirmani's son and successor Ali that Nasr had been involved in his father's murder. As a result, both Ali al-Kirmani and Nasr separately appealed to Abu Muslim for aid against each other, although the latter eventually chose al-Kirmani. On 14 February 748, the Hashimi army occupied Marv, and Nasr again had to flee the city. Pursued by the Hashimi forces under Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i
, Nasr was forced to abandon Nishapur too after his son Tamim was defeated at Tus, and retreat to the region of Qumis, on the western borderlands of Khurasan. At this point, the long-awaited reinforcements from the Caliph arrived, but their general and Nasr failed to coordinate their movements, and Qahtaba was able to defeat the Caliph's army at Rey
and kill its commander. Nasr was now forced to abandon Qumis and flee towards Hamadan
. On the way, in the town of Sawa, he fell ill and died on 9 December, at the age of 85.
His grandson, Rafi ibn al-Laith, led a large-scale rebellion against the misgovernment of the Abbasid governor Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan in 807–810, which spread across Khurasan and Transoxiana.
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...
governor of Khurasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
in 738–748. An experienced commander in the wars against the Turgesh
Turgesh
The Türgesh, Turgish or Türgish were a Turkic tribal confederation who emerged from the ruins of the Western Turkic Kaganate...
, as governor he introduced tax reforms in his province and stabilized Umayyad control beyond the Oxus. Preoccupied by inter-tribal rivalries and uprisings however, he was unable to stop the outbreak and spread of the Abbasid Revolt, which enjoyed widespread support in Khurasan. Evicted from his province, he fled to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
where he died in late 748.
Early life and career
Nasr was a military leader with long service and experience in Khurasan. Already in 705 he participated in a campaign along the upper Oxus River, led by Salih, the brother of Qutayba ibn Muslim, the general who had been tasked with subduing TransoxianaTransoxiana
Transoxiana is the ancient name used for the portion of Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgystan and southwest Kazakhstan. Geographically, it is the region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers...
. For his service during this campaign, Nasr was awarded an entire village in this region. Despite the successes of Qutayba, much of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
east of the Oxus remained outside effective Arab control; while garrisons had been established in places like Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
, Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
, or Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
, the Caliphate largely relied on cliental relationships with the multitude of local rulers, who became tributary to the Umayyads. In addition, clashes with the Chinese-backed Turgesh
Turgesh
The Türgesh, Turgish or Türgish were a Turkic tribal confederation who emerged from the ruins of the Western Turkic Kaganate...
, the ambiguous policy followed regarding conversion of the native population (mass conversions would lessen the taxable population and hence the amount of tribute received) and increasing inter-Arab tribal factionalism weakened Umayyad control over the region and necessitated increased military activity.
Thus Nasr is recorded as campaigning in Ferghana in 724, while in 734 he was appointed as governor of Balkh. There he faced the rebellion of the local Khurasani troops under al-Harith ibn Surayj, who called for reforms in taxation and the ending of discrimination towards the native converts (mawali
Mawali
Mawali or mawālá is a term in Classical Arabic used to address non-Arab Muslims.The term gained prominence in the centuries following the early Arab Muslim conquests in the 7th century, as many non-Arabs such as Persians, Egyptians, and Turks converted to Islam...
). With 4,000 men, Ibn Surayj marched on Balkh and took the city, although Nasr disposed of 10,000 men. Nasr and his army remained passive for the remainder of the revolt; they did not aid the provincial capital, Merv
Merv
Merv , formerly Achaemenid Satrapy of Margiana, and later Alexandria and Antiochia in Margiana , was a major oasis-city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, located near today's Mary in Turkmenistan. Several cities have existed on this site, which is significant for the interchange of...
, when the rebels attacked it, and this stance encouraged several local tribes to join the uprising. Eventually however the rebels were defeated by Juday' al-Kirmani, with Ibn Surayj fleeing across the Oxus to the Turgesh.
Appointment as governor of Khurasan, reforms and campaigns
Despite his failure to act against Ibn Surayj, Nasr was appointed in July 738, at the age of 74, as governor of Khurasan. This decision was a result not only of his experience, but also of his proven loyalty to the Umayyads and his appropriate tribal affiliation. Nasr's appointment came four months after the death of the previous incumbent, Asad ibn Abd Allah al-Qasri. In the interim, the sources report variously that the province was run either by the Syrian general Ja'far ibn Hanzala al-Bahrani or by Asad's lieutenant al-Kirmani. At any rate, the sources agree that al-Kirmani stood at the time as the most prominent man in Khurasan and should have been the clear choice for governor. His YemenYemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
i roots (he was the leader of the Azd
Azd
The Azd or Al Azd, are an Arabian tribe. They were a branch of the Kahlan tribe, which was one of the two branches of Qahtan the other being Himyar.In the ancient times, they inhabited Ma'rib, the capital city of the Sabaean Kingdom in modern-day Yemen...
tribe in Khurasan) however made him unpalatable to Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik 10th Umayyad caliph who ruled from 723 until his death in 743. When he was born in 691 his mother named him after her father....
. Nasr on the other hand, in addition to his other qualities, was a Mudari and married to a Tamimi
Banu Tamim
Banī Tamīm Tamim is one of the largest of all Arab tribes. Their history goes back to pre-Islamic times....
wife. He would therefore be acceptable to the numerous Mudari element of the Khurasani army, on which Hisham chiefly relied for support, but could also, as a local, help to reduce the Khurasani Arabs' discontent towards the Umayyad government. Nasr's own relatively obscure tribal background—from a non-noble family of the Layth tribe from Kinanah—also suited the Caliph's purposes, as it meant that he lacked any local power base of his own.
In the event, Nasr would succeed in retaining his office for a decade, despite the turmoil that swept the Caliphate after 743. When Yazid III
Yazid III
Yazid ibn al-Walid ibn 'Abd al-Malik or Yazid III was an Umayyad caliph. He reigned for six months, from April 15 to October 3 or 4, 744; and died in that office....
came to power in early 744, he initially ordered Nasr replaced. Nasr refused to accept this, and held on to the post, being eventually confirmed to it a few months later. After 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.In A.H. 114 Caliph Hisham appointed Marwan governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan. In A.H...
's rise to power in December 744, he likewise affirmed Nasr's position. Nasr's major achievements during his tenure were the reform of the tax system and the restoration of Umayyad control over Transoxiana. The Khurasani tax system had been established at the time of the Muslim conquest and remained unchanged since. It relied on the collection of a fixed tribute by the local non-Muslim (mostly Zoroastrian) gentry, the dihqans, who often discriminated against the Muslim settlers and the native converts. This contributed to the latter's increasing resentment of Umayyad rule, and the demand for a tax reform had fuelled past revolts like that of Ibn Surayj. Consequently, Nasr streamlined the tax system in 739, implementing a blanket imposition (the kharaj
Kharaj
In Islamic law, kharaj is a tax on agricultural land.Initially, after the first Muslim conquests in the 7th century, kharaj usually denoted a lump-sum duty levied upon the conquered provinces and collected by the officials of the former Byzantine and Sassanid empires or, more broadly, any kind of...
) on all owners of agricultural land and forcing the non-Muslims to pay an additional poll tax
Poll tax
A poll tax is a tax of a portioned, fixed amount per individual in accordance with the census . When a corvée is commuted for cash payment, in effect it becomes a poll tax...
(the jizyah). In this way, the chroniclers report, 30,000 Muslims were absolved of the jizyah, and 80,000 non-Muslims were forced to pay it instead. Modern scholars however consider the effect of this belated reform on the prevailing anti-Umayyad climate as minimal. Upon his appointment, Nasr also moved the provincial capital back to Merv from Balkh, where Asad had established it. Additionally, for the first time in the province's history he appointed sub-governors. They were drawn from among his allies and supporters in order to reward them and to improve his own control of the province.
Taking advantage of the disintegration of the Turgesh khaganate after the murder of its 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...
Suluk, Nasr moved aggressively across the Oxus. He occupied Saghaniyan in 739, and recovered much territory in the next year, including Samarkand. Aiming to recover all the lands previously conquered under Qutayba ibn Muslim and to curtail the activities of the renegade Ibn Surayj, Nasr then launched an expedition targeting al-Shash (Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
). Although his army defeated a 15,000-strong Turgesh force under Suluk's murderer and successor Kül Chor at Syr Darya
Syr Darya
The Syr Darya , also transliterated Syrdarya or Sirdaryo, is a river in Central Asia, sometimes known as the Jaxartes or Yaxartes from its Ancient Greek name . The Greek name is derived from Old Persian, Yakhsha Arta , a reference to the color of the river's water...
, Nasr apparently failed to subdue al-Shash, and Ibn Surayj was left unmolested to continue his opposition to the Umayyads from his base at Faryab. Another expedition, against Ferghana, plundered and ravaged the surrounding countryside and took many captives, but it seems that Nasr's reconquest did not extend much beyond Samarkand.
Nasr gave his province an unprecedented period of good government, stability and prosperity, so that, in the words of the 9th-century historian al-Mada'ini, "Khurasan was built up as it had never been before". Outwardly at least, by 743 the Umayyad position in Khurasan appeared stronger than ever. The reality beneath the splendid façade however was different. Tension and mutual mistrust existed between the Khurasani Arab levies (muqatila) and the 20,000 Syrian troops introduced into the province as a security measure after the disastrous Battle of the Defile
Battle of the Defile
The Battle of the Defile or Battle of the Pass was fought over three days in the Tashtakaracha Pass between a large Umayyad army and the Turgesh in July 731 CE...
in 731, while tribal antagonism continued to create trouble: as elsewhere during Hisham's reign, the Umayyad government favoured the North Arab Mudar tribal group, which in turn was generally supportive of and loyal to the Umayyads, while the Azd and Rabi'ah tribes (collectively called the "Yemenis") were relegated into de facto opposition. In Khurasan in particular, Nasr was especially reliant on the support of his wife's powerful Tamim tribe living around Marv, for not all the Mudari tribes backed him, and even the Syrian contingent sided with his opponents. As long as he was supported by a strong central government in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Nasr was able to keep his internal enemies in check, but in the troubles that followed Hisham's death in 743, that support vanished.
In addition, Khurasan was a major center of Shiism and specifically of the Kaysanite
Kaysanites Shia
The Kaysanites were a once dominant Shi'a Ghulat sect that formed from the followers of Al-Mukhtar. They believed in the Imamate of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah. Following the death of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah the sect split up into numerous sub-sects, each with their own Imam and unique beliefs...
sect of the Hashimiyya, which had gained wide acceptance in the province, especially among the mawali. In 742–743, Nasr confronted and defeated a revolt led by Yahya, son of Zayd ibn Ali
Zayd ibn Ali
Zayd ibn ‘Alī was the grandson of Husayn ibn Alī, the grandson of Muhammad. Zayd was born in Medina in 695. His father was the Shī‘ah Imam ‘Alī ibn Husayn "Zayn al-Abidīn"...
and the leader of the Hashimiyya in Khurasan. Yahya was captured and executed, and the resulting vacuum in Hashimi leadership opened the path for the Khurasani movement to come under the control of the Abbasid family.
Civil wars and the Abbasid revolt
In 743, after the death of Caliph Hisham, Walid II reconfirmed Nasr in his post, but the influential governor of Iraq, Yusuf ibn Umar, an opponent of Nasr, tried to lure him away from his province by calling him to Iraq. Nasr delayed his departure, stalling for time, and was saved by the murder of Walid in April 744. However, Walid's successor, Yazid III, moved to install a regime dominated by the Yemeni Kalbi tribeBanu Kalb
The Banu Kalb was one of the tribes of Arabia during Muhammad's era. The Banu Kalb claimed descent from the Yemenites. According to the hadith of the Islamic prophet Muhammad they will be among the first people to follow the Sufyani....
. Nasr's position was severely undermined, and the Yemeni faction now hoped to see their leader Juday' al-Kirmani appointed governor in his stead. Indeed, Yazid appointed his favourite, the Kalbi Mansur ibn Jumhur, as governor of Iraq, and he in turn nominated his own brother as Nasr's replacement. Nasr refused to accept this, and was again fortunate in his persistence, for Mansur fell out of favour and was dismissed after only two months. Agitation among the Yemeni faction persisted, amidst rumours that Nasr had intercepted letters appointing al-Kirmani as governor, and a dispute on the payment of stipends to the muqatila. Nasr tried to secure his own position by deposing al-Kirmani from his leadership of the Azd, as well as by trying to win over Azd and Rabi'ah leaders. This led to a general uprising by the Azd and Rabi'ah under al-Kirmani. It is indicative of the lingering inter-tribal antagonism of the late Umayyad world that the rebellion was launched in the name of revenge for the Muhallabids
Muhallabids (clan)
Muhallabids are the kinsmen or clients of Al Muhallab ibn Abi Suffrah. They rose to power in service to the Umayyads before coming crashing down in political struggle with the Caliph Yazid II in 720 CE...
, an Azd family that had been purged after rebelling in 720, an act which had since become a symbol of Yemeni resentment of the Umayyads and their northern Arab-dominated regime.
On 13 July 744, Nasr captured and imprisoned al-Kirmani. After barely a month, the latter escaped, and his rebellion was joined not only by Azd soldiers, but also by many of the Arab settlers around Marv. A tentative truce was initially agreed upon, during which fruitless negotiations were conducted, but after Yazid reconfirmed Nasr in his post, al-Kirmani and the Yemenis—in reality, al-Kirmani's followers included other tribes as well, including most of the Syrians and even some Mudaris, but they were collectively called yamaniyya in the sources—resumed their revolt. Nasr in turn tried to strengthen his own position by enlisting the services of al-Harith ibn Surayj, al-Kirmani's one-time adversary, who enjoyed considerable support among some Arab tribes and especially his native Tamimis. When Ibn Surayj arrived at Merv in July 745 he was enthusiastically received by the town's inhabitants. Scorning Nasr's proposals for cooperation, Ibn Surayj soon withdrew to the countryside and rose in rebellion as well. Among the Mudaris and Nasr's followers, Marwan II was widely opposed, even though Nasr recognized him as the legitimate Caliph in exchange for his own confirmation to his post. Exploiting this resentment, Ibn Surayj soon gathered around him an army over over 3,000 men.
In March 746 Ibn Surayj's army attacked Marv, but was repulsed with many casualties, and he then made common cause with al-Kirmani—of whose activities between his escape in 744 and this point nothing is known. With Marwan II still trying to consolidate his own position in Syria and Mesopotamia, Nasr was bereft of any hopes of reinforcement, and the allied armies of Ibn Surayj and al-Kirmani drove him out of Merv towards the end of 746. Nasr retreated to Nishapur
Nishapur
Nishapur or Nishabur , is a city in the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot of the Binalud Mountains, near the regional capital of Mashhad...
, but within days al-Kirmani and Ibn Surayj fell out among themselves and clashed, resulting in the death of Ibn Surayj. Nasr now resolved to take back Marv, backed by the Qaysis settled around Nishapur. During summer 747, Nasr's and al-Kirmani's armies confronted each other before the walls of Marv, occupying two fortified camps and skirmishing with each other for several months. The fighting stopped only when news came of the start of the Hashimi uprising under Abu Muslim
Abu Muslim
- External links :* *...
.
Negotiations commenced, but were almost broken off when a member of Nasr's entourage, an embittered son of Ibn Surayj, attacked and killed al-Kirmani. Calmer heads prevailed for the moment, the two sides were able to tentatively settle their differences, and Nasr re-occupied his seat in Marv. Tensions however remained and Abu Muslim soon managed to persuade al-Kirmani's son and successor Ali that Nasr had been involved in his father's murder. As a result, both Ali al-Kirmani and Nasr separately appealed to Abu Muslim for aid against each other, although the latter eventually chose al-Kirmani. On 14 February 748, the Hashimi army occupied Marv, and Nasr again had to flee the city. Pursued by the Hashimi forces under Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i
Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i
Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i was a follower of the Abbasids from Khurasan who played a leading role in the Abbasid Revolt against the Ummayad Caliphate....
, Nasr was forced to abandon Nishapur too after his son Tamim was defeated at Tus, and retreat to the region of Qumis, on the western borderlands of Khurasan. At this point, the long-awaited reinforcements from the Caliph arrived, but their general and Nasr failed to coordinate their movements, and Qahtaba was able to defeat the Caliph's army at Rey
Rey, Iran
Rey or Ray , also known as Rhages and formerly as Arsacia, is the capital of Rey County, Tehran Province, Iran, and is the oldest existing city in the province....
and kill its commander. Nasr was now forced to abandon Qumis and flee towards Hamadan
Hamadan
-Culture:Hamadan is home to many poets and cultural celebrities. The city is also said to be among the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities.Handicrafts: Hamadan has always been well known for handicrafts like leather, ceramic, and beautiful carpets....
. On the way, in the town of Sawa, he fell ill and died on 9 December, at the age of 85.
His grandson, Rafi ibn al-Laith, led a large-scale rebellion against the misgovernment of the Abbasid governor Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan in 807–810, which spread across Khurasan and Transoxiana.