Uqaylid Dynasty
Encyclopedia
The 'Uqailid or 'Uqaylid Dynasty was a Shi'a Arab
dynasty with several lines that ruled in various parts of Al-Jazira
, northern Syria
and Iraq
in the late tenth and eleventh centuries. The main line, centered in Mosul
, ruled from 990 to 1096.
and were Shi'a. They first came to power in Diyarbakr
when they were granted land there by the Buwayhids, who hoped that they would serve as a buffer against the Kurdish
rebel Badh. Soon afterwards the 'Uqailids forged an alliance with the Hamdanids, who had been expelled from Mosul by the Buwayhids in 979. Together the two of them moved against the Buyids and Mosul was occupied in 989. The 'Uqailid leader, Muhammad b. Musayyib, then fought against Badh, which eventually resulted in the death of the Kurdish rebel. Following this, Muhammad turned against the Hamdanids and defeating them as well. He also forced the Buwayhid governor of Mosul to grant him half of his dependencies.
. Eventually the Buwayhid amir Baha' al-Daula
came to terms with Muqallad, whereby the Uqailid was invested by the caliph
with the rule of Mosul, Kufa
and Jami'yan. He was also given the title of "Husam al-Daula." The treaty made Muqallad nominally subservient to the Buwayhids but in effect he was independent, refusing to pay the tribute that he owed.
Despite the treaty, Muqallad still desired to take Baghdad, and may have done so had he not been assassinated by one of his Turkish
slaves in 1001. This marked the beginning of the long reign of Muqallad's son, Qirwash. In 1002 Qirwash raided Buwayhid territory, prompting the Baha' al-Daula's governor of Baghdad to undertake an expedition against the 'Uqailids. Defeated at first, he eventually managed gain a victory over them near Kufa, but at this point was removed from his post as governor, preventing him from following up on this success. In 1005 Qirwash was confirmed in all of his possessions by the caliph, who gave him the title "Mu'tamid al-Daula."
Qirwash's major problem during the second half of his reign was finding a way to control the Oghuz Turks
who were coming in from Iran
. The Oghuz once even managed to occupy and sack Mosul in 1044, although Qirwash was able to expel them with the support of the Mazyadids. In 1050 Qirwash was removed from power by his brother Baraka ("Za'im al-Daula"), who reigned until 1052 when he died. Baraka's son Quraysh ("'Alam al-Din") succeeded him and ruled for the next nine years. During his reign he acknowledged the supremacy of the Seljuks, although he later came into conflict with them and was temporarily expelled from Mosul. He accompanied the Turk Basasiri
when the latter took Baghdad at the end of 1058, but the Seljuks retook the city in the next year.
Quraysh died in 1061 and was followed by his son Muslim ("Sharaf al-Daula"). Sharaf al-Daula was a just ruler; the 'Uqailid domains were relatively stable for most of his reign. He furthermore gained Aleppo
from the Mirdasids
in 1080 when its inhabitants offered to hand the city over to him in the hopes that he could protect from Seljuk raids, and he took Harran
from the Numayrids in the following year. Soon, however, he ran into trouble with the Seljuks himself. He fought against Sultan Malik Shah's
forces and was defeated, but he was pardoned. In 1085 he was killed fighting the Seljuks of Süleyman b. Qutulmush
. Following Sharaf al-Daula's death, his brother Ibrahim, who had previously been imprisoned, was released and declared as his successor. Süleyman meanwhile had been killed by the Seljuk ruler of Damascus
, Tutush
, who went on to seize Aleppo from the 'Uqailids in 1086.
In 1089 or 1090 Ibrahim was summoned to the court of Malik Shah. When he arrived he was imprisoned and was kept close to Malik Shah's side. Mosul during this time was managed by the Seljuk vizier Fakhr al-Daula Ibn Jahir. When Malik Shah died in 1092 a fight between Sharaf al-Daula's sons Ali and Muhammad ensued. Ali was brought by his mother Safiyya to Mosul, but Muhammad attempted to take the city for himself. In a battle at Mosul he was defeated and forced to flee. Ibrahim, meanwhile, had been released by Malik Shah's widow so he returned to Mosul, and eventually convinced Safiyya to give up the city to him.
Ibrahim managed to keep his renewed power for only a short time. The emir of Damascus, Tutush, demanded that he recognize him as sultan in the khutba
and allow him passage through his territory. Ibrahim refused, prompting Tutush to move his army against him. The two sides met outside Mosul in April 1093, and in the ensuing battle he was defeated and captured by the Seljuk. Tutush had him executed before installing Ali and his mother Safiyya as his representatives in Mosul.
Muhammad b. Sharaf al-Daula continued to attempt gain Mosul. He recruited the Turkish commander Kür-Bugha and his brother, but Kür-Bugha imprisoned him. He then attempted to take Mosul from Ali but failed. Kür-Bugha then executed Muhammad and tried again to take Mosul. As the siege continued, Ali decided to flee to the Mazyadids. Kür-Bugha eventually gained control of the city in late 1096 and became its amir, ending 'Uqailid rule there.
(whose ruler, Gharib b. Muhammad once gave refuge to the Buwayhid amir Jalal al-Daula
when he found it necessary to leave Baghdad). Some of these lines were still extant after the overthrow of the 'Uqailids in Mosul, with one branch in Raqqa and Qal'at Ja'bar lasting until 1169 when it was ended by the Zengids.
After the Banu 'Uqail lost power in Iraq and Syria, they migrated to pasture grounds in Arabia.
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
dynasty with several lines that ruled in various parts of Al-Jazira
Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia
Upper Mesopotamia is the name used for the uplands and great outwash plain of northwestern Iraq and northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey which is known by the traditional Arabic name of Al-Jazira , variously transliterated into Roman script as Djazirah, Djezirah and Jazirah...
, northern Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in the late tenth and eleventh centuries. The main line, centered in 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...
, ruled from 990 to 1096.
Rise
The 'Uqailids were descended from the Banu UqaylBanu Uqayl
Banu Uqayl are an ancient Arab tribe that played an important role in the history of eastern Arabia and Iraq. They belonged to the Banu Ka'b branch of the large Banu 'Amir confederation....
and were Shi'a. They first came to power in Diyarbakr
Diyarbakir Province
Diyarbakır Province is a province in eastern Turkey. The province covers an area of 15,355 km² and the population is 1,528,958. The provincial capital is Diyarbakir...
when they were granted land there by the Buwayhids, who hoped that they would serve as a buffer against the Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
rebel Badh. Soon afterwards the 'Uqailids forged an alliance with the Hamdanids, who had been expelled from Mosul by the Buwayhids in 979. Together the two of them moved against the Buyids and Mosul was occupied in 989. The 'Uqailid leader, Muhammad b. Musayyib, then fought against Badh, which eventually resulted in the death of the Kurdish rebel. Following this, Muhammad turned against the Hamdanids and defeating them as well. He also forced the Buwayhid governor of Mosul to grant him half of his dependencies.
'Uqailids of Mosul
Muhammad b. Musayyib died in 996. He was succeeded by his brother Muqallad, who in that same year marched on Mosul, forcing its Buwayhid governor to flee. From there the 'Uqailids advanced into Iraq; they succeeded in overrunning much of the country and even raiding BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. Eventually the Buwayhid amir Baha' al-Daula
Baha' al-Daula
Baha' al-Daula was the Buyid amir of Iraq , along with Fars and Kerman . He was the third son of 'Adud al-Daula....
came to terms with Muqallad, whereby the Uqailid was invested by the caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
with the rule of Mosul, Kufa
Kufa
Kufa is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000....
and Jami'yan. He was also given the title of "Husam al-Daula." The treaty made Muqallad nominally subservient to the Buwayhids but in effect he was independent, refusing to pay the tribute that he owed.
Despite the treaty, Muqallad still desired to take Baghdad, and may have done so had he not been assassinated by one of his Turkish
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
slaves in 1001. This marked the beginning of the long reign of Muqallad's son, Qirwash. In 1002 Qirwash raided Buwayhid territory, prompting the Baha' al-Daula's governor of Baghdad to undertake an expedition against the 'Uqailids. Defeated at first, he eventually managed gain a victory over them near Kufa, but at this point was removed from his post as governor, preventing him from following up on this success. In 1005 Qirwash was confirmed in all of his possessions by the caliph, who gave him the title "Mu'tamid al-Daula."
Qirwash's major problem during the second half of his reign was finding a way to control the Oghuz Turks
Oghuz Turks
The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....
who were coming in from 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...
. The Oghuz once even managed to occupy and sack Mosul in 1044, although Qirwash was able to expel them with the support of the Mazyadids. In 1050 Qirwash was removed from power by his brother Baraka ("Za'im al-Daula"), who reigned until 1052 when he died. Baraka's son Quraysh ("'Alam al-Din") succeeded him and ruled for the next nine years. During his reign he acknowledged the supremacy of the Seljuks, although he later came into conflict with them and was temporarily expelled from Mosul. He accompanied the Turk Basasiri
Basasiri
Basasiri was a Turkish slave who rose to become a general in Iraq, and staged a revolt against the Seljuks.Basasiri had been a favorite of the Buwayhid amir al-Malik al-Rahim. When the Buwayhids were expelled from Iraq by the Seljuks in 1055, Basasiri began a rebellion against their authority...
when the latter took Baghdad at the end of 1058, but the Seljuks retook the city in the next year.
Quraysh died in 1061 and was followed by his son Muslim ("Sharaf al-Daula"). Sharaf al-Daula was a just ruler; the 'Uqailid domains were relatively stable for most of his reign. He furthermore gained Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
from the Mirdasids
Mirdasids
The Mirdasid dynasty was a dynasty that controlled the Amirate of Aleppo more or less continuously from 1024 until 1080.-General Description:...
in 1080 when its inhabitants offered to hand the city over to him in the hopes that he could protect from Seljuk raids, and he took Harran
Harran
Harran was a major ancient city in Upper Mesopotamia whose site is near the modern village of Altınbaşak, Turkey, 24 miles southeast of Şanlıurfa...
from the Numayrids in the following year. Soon, however, he ran into trouble with the Seljuks himself. He fought against Sultan Malik Shah's
Malik Shah I
Jalāl al-Dawlah Malik-shāh was born in 1055, succeeded Alp Arslan as the Seljuq Sultan in 1072, and reigned until his death in 1092....
forces and was defeated, but he was pardoned. In 1085 he was killed fighting the Seljuks of Süleyman b. Qutulmush
Süleyman I of Rûm
Suleiman ibn Qutulmish founded an independent Seljuq Turkish state in Anatolia and ruled as Seljuq Sultan of Rûm from 1077 until his death in 1086....
. Following Sharaf al-Daula's death, his brother Ibrahim, who had previously been imprisoned, was released and declared as his successor. Süleyman meanwhile had been killed by the Seljuk ruler of 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...
, Tutush
Tutush I
Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I was the Seljuq ruler of Damascus from 1079 to 1095, succeeding Abaaq al-Khwarazmi. He finished the construction of the Citadel of Damascus, a project that had begun under the direction of Abaaq al Khwarizmi...
, who went on to seize Aleppo from the 'Uqailids in 1086.
In 1089 or 1090 Ibrahim was summoned to the court of Malik Shah. When he arrived he was imprisoned and was kept close to Malik Shah's side. Mosul during this time was managed by the Seljuk vizier Fakhr al-Daula Ibn Jahir. When Malik Shah died in 1092 a fight between Sharaf al-Daula's sons Ali and Muhammad ensued. Ali was brought by his mother Safiyya to Mosul, but Muhammad attempted to take the city for himself. In a battle at Mosul he was defeated and forced to flee. Ibrahim, meanwhile, had been released by Malik Shah's widow so he returned to Mosul, and eventually convinced Safiyya to give up the city to him.
Ibrahim managed to keep his renewed power for only a short time. The emir of Damascus, Tutush, demanded that he recognize him as sultan in the khutba
Khutba
Khutbah serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition.Such sermons occur regularly, as prescribed by the teachings of all legal schools. The Islamic tradition can be formally at the dhuhr congregation prayer on Friday...
and allow him passage through his territory. Ibrahim refused, prompting Tutush to move his army against him. The two sides met outside Mosul in April 1093, and in the ensuing battle he was defeated and captured by the Seljuk. Tutush had him executed before installing Ali and his mother Safiyya as his representatives in Mosul.
Muhammad b. Sharaf al-Daula continued to attempt gain Mosul. He recruited the Turkish commander Kür-Bugha and his brother, but Kür-Bugha imprisoned him. He then attempted to take Mosul from Ali but failed. Kür-Bugha then executed Muhammad and tried again to take Mosul. As the siege continued, Ali decided to flee to the Mazyadids. Kür-Bugha eventually gained control of the city in late 1096 and became its amir, ending 'Uqailid rule there.
Other 'Uqailids
Several other 'Uqailid lines were established in various areas, including Jazirat ibn Umar, Takrit, Hīt, and UkbaraUkbara
‘Ukbarâ was a medieval city on the left bank of the Tigris between Samarra and Baghdad. The Tigris has changed course since, and its ruins now lie some distance from the river. Its name may possibly have inspired the "Uqbar" of Borges' short story Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius.According to the...
(whose ruler, Gharib b. Muhammad once gave refuge to the Buwayhid amir Jalal al-Daula
Jalal al-Daula
Abu Tahir Jalal al-Daula was the Buyid amir of Iraq . He was the son of Baha' al-Daula.In 1012 Jalal al-Daula's father died. His brother, Sultan al-Daula came to the throne and appointed him as governor of Basra. He ruled there up until Musharrif al-Daula, who had taken control of Iraq, died in...
when he found it necessary to leave Baghdad). Some of these lines were still extant after the overthrow of the 'Uqailids in Mosul, with one branch in Raqqa and Qal'at Ja'bar lasting until 1169 when it was ended by the Zengids.
After the Banu 'Uqail lost power in Iraq and Syria, they migrated to pasture grounds in Arabia.
See also
- List of Shi'a Muslims dynasties
- UsfuridsUsfuridsThe Usfurids were an Arab dynasty that in 1253 gained control of eastern Arabia, including the islands of Bahrain, They were a branch of the Banu Uqayl tribe of the Banu Amir group, and are named after the dynasty’s founder, Usfur ibn Rashid. They were initially allies of the Qarmatians and their...
- Jarwanid dynastyJarwanid dynastyThe Jarwanid Dynasty was a Shia dynasty that ruled the Province of Bahrain in the 14th century. It was founded by Jerwan I bin Nasser al-Maliki and was based in Qatif. The dynasty was a vassal of the Kingdom of Ormus....
- MirdasidsMirdasidsThe Mirdasid dynasty was a dynasty that controlled the Amirate of Aleppo more or less continuously from 1024 until 1080.-General Description:...
- KalbidsKalbidsThe Kalbids were a Shia Muslim dynasty in Sicily, which ruled from 948 to 1053 .In 827, in the midst of internal Byzantine conflict, the Aghlabids arrived at Marsala in Sicily, with a fleet of 10,000 men under the command of Asad ibn al-Furat. Palermo was conquered in 831 and became the new capital...
- Banu 'AmirBanu 'AmirBanu 'Amir ibn Sa'sa'ah or Banu 'Amir were a large and ancient Arab tribal confederation originating from central and southwestern Arabia that dominated Nejd for centuries after the rise of Islam. The tribe is of North Arabian stock, tracing its lineage to Adnan through Hawazin, and its original...