Political efforts of the Tahirids to restore power in Khorasan (262-280 AD)

Asadi, Mahdi; Jazinizadeh, Sahar

doi:10.30466/jhf.2024.55617.1013

Political efforts of the Tahirids to restore power in Khorasan (262-280 AD)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mahdi Asadi ¹
Sahar Jazinizadeh ²

¹ Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran.

² Master's student, Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Sistan and Baluchistan, Zahedan, Iran.

10.30466/jhf.2024.55617.1013

Abstract

The power of the Tahirids in Khorasan, Baghdad and their harmonious relations with the Abbasid caliphate caused Muhammad ibn Tahir to receive control of the Khorasan government from the caliph after the battle of Deir al-Aqul. During the two decades, the Tahirid struggled to revive their government in Khorasan, but they did not have enough military power. With the arrival of Hossein ibn Tahir in Nishapur, it became clear that Khojastani only used the name of Tahirid to gain legitimacy and not only did not join the forces of Tahirid, but even defeated them in several battles. The weakening of Hussain ibn Tahir caused Muhammad ibn Tahir to accept Rafi bin Harthama’s governing. Rafi ruled on behalf of the Tahirid in Khorasan for several years, but with the change of the Caliph's approach, he dropped the name of Muhammad ibn Tahir from the sermon. The present study, with a descriptive and analytical approach, seeks to find an answer to this question: What measures did the Tahirid take to restore their power in Khorasan? The findings of the present research show that the legitimacy of the Tahirid and the context of their relationship with the Abbasid caliphs caused the extension of their rule in Khorasan, however, the inefficiency of the members of the Tahirid, the power and independence-seeking nature of the influential forces in Khorasan, and their lack of union around Hussein ibn Taher, besides the caliph's expedient policy with the Saffarid, which led to the approval of Amr, caused the failure of the Tahirid in reviving their rule in Khorasan.

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