Ashinas

Abu Ja'far Ashinas (Arabic أبو جعفر أشناس) was a general of the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim, possibly of the sacred clan of the First Turkic empire, transcribed in Chinese as Ashina 阿史那. While a folk etymology of his name is given in al-Tabari, al-Mu'tasim gave him the first rank among his Turkish generals and a text of al-Mas'udi described him as a great noble. The name Ashinas is only known for princes, it is quite certain that he was a late member of the imperial clan of the Turks.

According to al-Tabari, he was purchased by al-Mu'tasim in Baghdad during the reign of al-Ma'mun, along with Itakh al-Khazari and Wasif. He was in charge at Samarra, the Abbasid capital at the time, of the Turkish troops of al-Mu'tasim. When he died in 844 he was governor of Egypt, and the most powerful general serving the Abbasids.