The History of al-Ṭabarī Vol. 37: The ʿAbbāsid Recovery: The War Against the Zanj Ends A.D. 879-893/A.H. 266-279

State University of New York Press, Jul 7, 2015 - Religion - 216 pages

This volume of Ṭabarī's annals deals almost exclusively with the final stages of the Zanj revolt, the most serious external challenge faced by the central authorities in the last half of the third/ninth century. The rebellion, which began as an 'Alid uprising, but soon gave way to Khārijite influences, was a movement that attracted the disenfranchised elements of society in lower Iraq. Their battle against the tested armies of the Caliphate continued over three decades. And while the Zanj were never able to translate their localized successes into any decisive victory, they caused widespread chaos and great concern for those who had a vested interest in political and economic stability.

In many respects, the Zanj resemble modern revolutionary movements that live off the countryside, and harass the authorities. They emerged occasionally for conventional battles, but, more often than not they resorted to unconventional warfare, taking advantage of the extremely difficult terrain in the marshy areas of the region that gave rise to them. To defeat them, the government armies had to improvise new tactics and a strategy based on the lessons of early defeats.

Contents

• The Events of the Year 266 August 23 879 August 11 880: 1
• The Events of the Year 267 August 12 880 July 31 881: 12
• The Events of the Year 268 August 1 881 July 20 882: 65
• The Events of the Year 269 July 21 882 August 9 883: 80
• The Events of the Year 270 June 11 883 June 28 884: 128
• The Events of the Year 271 June 29 884 July 28 885: 146
• The Events of the Year 272 June 18 885 May 7 886: 149
• The Events of the Year 273 June 8 886 May 27 887: 153
• The Events of the Year 274 May 28 887 May 15 888: 155
• The Events of the Year 275 May 16 888 May 5 889: 156
• The Events of the Year 276 May 6 889 April 24 890: 159
• The Events of the Year 277 April 25 890 April 14 891: 162
• The Events of the Year 278 April 15 891 April 2 892: 164
• The Events of the Year 279 April 3 892 March 22 893: 176
• Bibliography of Cited Works: 179
• Index: 183
• Back Cover: 196

Bibliographic information

• Title: The History of al-Ṭabarī Vol. 37: The ʿAbbāsid Recovery: The War Against the Zanj Ends A.D. 879-893/A.H. 266-279; SUNY series in Near Eastern Studies
• Translated by: Philip M. Fields
• Contributor: Jacob Lassner
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: State University of New York Press, 2015
• ISBN: 1438402732, 9781438402734
• Length: 216 pages
• Subjects: Religion / General