Occupation of al-Ahwaz (870)

The First Zanj occupation of al-Ahwaz was an event of the Zanj Rebellion, occurring on August 13, 870. A Zanj army sent by 'Ali ibn Muhammad marched north into the province of al-Ahwaz, eventually reaching the capital city of the same name and entering it. Although the Abbasid government had troops stationed in the city, they fled without offering resistance, allowing the rebels to take al-Ahwaz with little difficulty.

This was the first of three times during the rebellion that al-Ahwaz was captured by the Zanj. The city soon reverted to government control, but both it and the surrounding province would remain a disputed territory for much of the next decade.

Background
For almost a year following the outbreak of the Zanj revolt in September 869, the rebels had mostly remained confined to the districts of southern Iraq, in the vicinity of Basra. In mid-870, however, the Zanj succeeded in overrunning al-Ubulla and receiving the submission of 'Abbadan, and the rebels sought to follow up these victories with further attacks. The Zanj leader 'Ali ibn Muhammad decided to expand to the northeast and make al-Ahwaz the target of his next campaign, and an army was ordered to proceed to the province.

The Zanj advance
The Zanj troops that set out for al-Ahwaz were enthusiastic about their mission, and they were reinforced with slaves and weapons that had been confiscated from 'Abbadan. Their first target was Jubba, to the east of the Karun river. The residents of the town offered no resistance and fled, allowing the Zanj to enter Jubba and pillage it. From there, they spread through the environs of Jubba, which were laid waste. The rebels then continued marching north, and at last arrived before the city of al-Ahwaz.

News of the Zanj approach was met with great trepidation in the city. The military governor of al-Ahwaz at the time was Sa'id ibn Yaksin, who had a contingent of troops at his disposal. Sa'id, however, decided to withdraw from the city, taking his soldiers with him, and the residents of al-Ahwaz also fled. Consequently, when the Zanj army reached al-Ahwaz they were able to enter and occupy the city, with almost no one offering resistance. The fiscal governor Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn al-Mudabbir, who had remained in al-Ahwaz with his pages and servants, was captured by the rebels, and his money, furnishings and slaves were seized.

Aftermath
The Zanj occupation of al-Ahwaz lasted only temporarily, and by the following year the Abbasids reestablished their military presence in the region. The occupation, however, succeeded in opening a new front in the war against the government. The Zanj would occupy al-Ahwaz twice more during the rebellion, first in 873 and again in 875, and after the latter occasion they would retain a hold over the city for several years. The capture of al-Ahwaz, together with that of al-Ubulla less than two months prior, also helped spread to fear among the residents of the surrounding regions; many people of Basra, for example, fled their city for safer areas after learning of the Zanj's victory.

Al-Ahwaz remained a contested region following the Zanj entry. In the following year, a rebel army under the command of 'Ali ibn Aban al-Muhallabi attempted to reenter the province; this time, however, the Zanj were met by Ibrahim ibn Sima al-Turki, who successfully engaged them and forced the Zanj to retreat back to Jubba. Sa'id ibn Yaksin was then removed from his post, and Ibrahim was appointed to conduct the war against the Zanj in al-Ahwaz. When he attempted to follow up on his victory, however, 'Ali routed his forces twice in quick succession. Ibrahim was therefore unable to clear the Zanj from Jubba, and 'Ali remained encamped there until he was recalled by the Zanj leader in order to take part in the Zanj attack on Basra.