Capture of Wasit

Capture of Wasit
	Part of Zutt Rebellion
Date	834 CE
Location	Wasit, Abbasid Caliphate (modern-day Iraq)
Result	Zutt victory Temporary Zutt control over Wasit;
Belligerents
Zutts	Abbasid Caliphate
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Al-Mu'tasim
Strength
5,000 foot soldiers	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Heavy losses

The Capture of Wasit occurred in 834 CE when the Zutt seized the strategic city of Wasit in Iraq during their rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate. The Zutt, originally from the Indus Valley region, had established dominance over the marshlands between Wasit and Basra.^[3]^[4]

Background

The Zutt were a Jat tribe of lower Indus Valley (Pakistan) origin who migrated to Iraq and initially served as mercenaries under the Umayyads and Abbasids. Over time, they gained control over the marshlands between Wasit and Basra, using the region as a base for raids. Their rebellion escalated during the reign of al-Ma'mun.^[5]

The Capture

In 834, the Zutt launched an offensive and captured the city of Wasit, overpowering Abbasid defenses. They effectively controlled the surrounding marshes and fortified their position against Abbasid counterattacks. The Zutt exploited their knowledge of the terrain, using the marshes to ambush Abbasid forces.^[6]^[7]

Aftermath

The capture of Wasit by the Zutts had significant long-term consequences for the region and the Abbasid Caliphate. After their victory, the Zutts established an independent rule in Wasit and the surrounding areas. The Abbasids, while initially caught off guard by the speed and effectiveness of the Zutt offensive, eventually responded with efforts to reclaim the lost territories.^[8]^[9]

References

^ Ṭabarī (1951). The Reign of Al-Muʻtasim (833-842). American Oriental Society. p. 5.
^ Ṭabarī (1951). The Reign of Al-Muʻtasim (833-842). American Oriental Society. p. 5.
^ al-Baladhuri, Ahmad b. Yahya (2022). History of the Arab Invasions: The Conquest of the Lands. I.B. Tauris. p. 185. ISBN 9780755637416. Zutt, who had taken over the Marshes between Wāsīt and Basra, to Ayn Zarba and they were made use of there.
^ E.J. van Donzel (1994). Islamic Desk Reference: Compiled from The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Brill. ISBN 9789004505056. Zutt, who had settled in the marshes between Wasit and Basra in great numbers, rose in rebellion during the reign of the Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mun, but submitted in 834 on condition that their lives and property were spared.
^ al-Baladhuri (2022). History of the Arab Invasions: The Conquest of the Lands. ISBN 9780755637416.
^ Ṭabarī (1951). The Reign of Al-Muʻtasim (833-842). American Oriental Society. p. 5. Wasit he pitched his camp with five thousand foot soldiers in a village ... Zutt used to go back and forth and thus he surrounded them on all sides ... Zutt for fifteen days and captured a great many more.
^ Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā al-Balādhurī (1916). The Origins of the Islamic State. p. 264.
^ Redhouse, Sir James William (1884). كتاب معانئ لهجه: A Turkish and English Lexicon : Shewing in English the Significations of the Turkish Terms. American Presbyterian Mission Press. p. 1009.
^ Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb (2001). The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. 11, Parts 181–182. p. 168.

[1] Ṭabarī (1951). The Reign of Al-Muʻtasim (833-842). American Oriental Society. p. 5.

[2] Ṭabarī (1951). The Reign of Al-Muʻtasim (833-842). American Oriental Society. p. 5.

[3] -Baladhuri, Ahmad b. Yahya (2022). History of the Arab Invasions: The Conquest of the Lands. I.B. Tauris. p. 185. ISBN 9780755637416. Zutt, who had taken over the Marshes between Wāsīt and Basra, to Ayn Zarba and they were made use of there.

[4] E.J. van Donzel (1994). Islamic Desk Reference: Compiled from The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Brill. ISBN 9789004505056. Zutt, who had settled in the marshes between Wasit and Basra in great numbers, rose in rebellion during the reign of the Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mun, but submitted in 834 on condition that their lives and property were spared.

[5] -Baladhuri (2022). History of the Arab Invasions: The Conquest of the Lands. ISBN 9780755637416.

[6] Ṭabarī (1951). The Reign of Al-Muʻtasim (833-842). American Oriental Society. p. 5. Wasit he pitched his camp with five thousand foot soldiers in a village ... Zutt used to go back and forth and thus he surrounded them on all sides ... Zutt for fifteen days and captured a great many more.

[7] Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā al-Balādhurī (1916). The Origins of the Islamic State. p. 264.

[8] Redhouse, Sir James William (1884). كتاب معانئ لهجه: A Turkish and English Lexicon : Shewing in English the Significations of the Turkish Terms. American Presbyterian Mission Press. p. 1009.

[9] Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb (2001). The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. 11, Parts 181–182. p. 168.

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