page_title: Iraq theater (Zanj Rebellion)
section_title: Campaign of Sa'id ibn Salih
hierarchical_section_title: Iraq theater (Zanj Rebellion) / 870-871 / Campaign of Sa'id ibn Salih
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of Iraq and Khuzestan, with inserts on the vicinities of Baghdad and Samarra, during the Abbasid period (8th-13th centuries)
context_page_description: The Iraq theater was one of two major areas of operations during the Zanj Rebellion, the other being the neighboring province of al-Ahwaz.
  The revolt, which began in September 869 in southern Iraq, was initially limited to the region around the port city of Basra, as well as the southern districts of al-Ahwaz to the east. Efforts by the Abbasid caliphs in Samarra to crush the rebellion proved ineffectual, and several towns and villages were occupied or sacked. Basra itself fell in September 871 following an extended blockade, after which the city was burned and its inhabitants massacred. A retaliatory campaign undertaken by the caliphal regent Abu Ahmad ibn al-Mutawakkil against the rebels in 872 ended in failure, and the Zanj remained on the offensive over the next several years.
  The continuing inability of the Abbasid central government to suppress the revolt, caused in part by its preoccupation with fighting against the Saffarid Ya'qub ibn al-Layth's advance into Iraq, eventually encouraged the Zanj to expand their activities to the north.
context_section_description: In mid-871, the Abbasid government desired to initiate a new offensive against the Zanj, and sent Bughraj to press Sa'id ibn Salih on the matter. Sa'id accordingly set out for the Tigris in June and advanced toward the headquarters of 'Ali ibn Muhammad, eventually reaching the Nahr Ma'qil. There he encountered a rebel army on a tributary canal, and despite being wounded he succeeded in routing the Zanj. The victorious government troops gained loot and freed a number of women who had been taken captive by the rebels.
  After the battle, Sa'id proceeded to set up a new camp and spent several days preparing for further engagements. While there, he received word of a nearby Zanj force, which he attacked and defeated. He next set out for the western side of the Tigris and engaged the Zanj in several skirmishes, after which he returned to his camp and began directing the activities of his army from there.
  In mid-July, 'Ali ibn Muhammad decided to strike back against Sa'id, and ordered his lieutenant Yahya ibn Muhammad al-Bahrani to send a contingent against him. The rebel force, which consisted of a thousand men and was commanded by Sulayman ibn Jami' and Abu al-Layth al-Isbahani, proceeded from the Nahr Ma'qil by night and managed to catch the government army unprepared. The Zanj inflicted a severe defeat on Sa'id, killing a large number of his men and setting fire to his camp.
  The attack succeeded in bringing an end to Sa'id's campaign. The government troops were extremely disorganized after the battle, and they were unable to make any further advances against the rebels. At the same time, a delay in a scheduled shipment from al-Ahwaz caused further problems, and Sa'id was forced to withhold the allotments for his soldiers as a result. Determining that Sa'id was incapable of continuing the operations against the Zanj, the central government decided to relieve him of his command. He therefore handed over his army to Mansur ibn Ja'far al-Khayyat and returned to Samarra, while Bughraj remained behind to protect Basra against the rebels.
caption: Iraq under the Abbasid Caliphate.
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