Isa ibn Muhammad al-Nushari () or Isa ibn Musa al-Nushari was an

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

commander and governor of

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

in 896–900 and of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

from 905 to his death in spring 910. In 896, he was appointed governor of

, nominally as deputy of the

Dulafid The Dulafid or Dolafid dynasty () was an Arab dynasty that served as governors of Jibal for the Abbasid caliphs in the 9th century. During the weakening of the authority of the caliphs after 861, their rule in Jibal became increasingly independe ...

Umar ibn Ahmad ibn Abd al-Aziz but in reality as part of Caliph

al-Mu'tadid Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Ṭalḥa ibn Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn (), 853/4 or 860/1 – 5 April 902, better known by his regnal name al-Muʿtaḍid bi-llāh (), was the caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 892 until his death ...

's re-establishment of direct control over the autonomous Dulafid domains in the

Jibal Jibāl (), also al-Jabal (), was the name given by the Arabs to a region and province located in western Iran, under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. Its name means "the Mountains", being the plural of ''jabal'' ("mountain, hill"), highlight ...

. Isa participated in the hunt for the Dulafid Bakr ibn Abd al-Aziz, who led a guerrilla war against the

Abbasids The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes i ...

. Although driven to flight in a first encounter, in early spring 897 Isa inflicted a major defeat on the Dulafid, destroying his army and looting his camp. Bakr himself barely escaped with a few followers. On 26 January 898, Isa defeated another Dulafid, Abu Layla ibn Abd al-Aziz, near Isfahan. Abu Layla himself was killed in the battle. In July 900, Isa was recalled from Isbahan and appointed ''

sahib al-shurta ''Shurṭa'' () is the common Arabic term for police. Its literal meaning is that of a "picked" or elite force. The ''shurṭa'' or police force were established in the early days of the Caliphate, perhaps as early as the caliphate of Uthman (644� ...

'' in Fars. When the Abbasid commander-in-chief,

Badr al-Mu'tadidi Abu'l-Najm Badr al-Mu'tadidi was the chief military commander of the Abbasid Caliphate during the reign of Caliph al-Mu'tadid (892–902). Originally a military slave ('' ghulam'' or ''mawla'') who served under the future al-Mu'tadid in the supp ...

, fell victim to the machinations of the

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

al-Qasim ibn Ubayd Allah Abu'l-Husayn al-Qasim ibn Ubayd Allah () was a senior official of the Abbasid Caliphate who served as vizier from April 901 until his own death in October 904. Hailing from the Banu Wahb, a family of Nestorian Christian origin that had served in ...

in 902, Isa was among the close associates of Badr who abandoned him and instead sought clemency from the Caliph

al-Muktafi Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Ṭalḥa ibn Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Muktafī bi'Llāh (; 877/78 – 13 August 908), better known by his regnal name al-Muktafī bi-Llāh (), was the caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate f ...

. In the

Battle of Hama The Battle of Hama was fought some from the city of Hama in Bilad al-Sham, Syria on 29 November 903 between the forces of the Abbasid Caliphate and pro-Isma'ili Bedouin (called "Fatimids" or "Qarmatians"). The Abbasids were victorious, resultin ...

against the

Qarmatians The Qarmatians (; ) were a militant Isma'ili Shia movement centred in Al-Ahsa in Eastern Arabia, where they established a religious state in 899 CE. Its members were part of a movement that adhered to a syncretic branch of Sevener Ismaili ...

in November 903, Isa commanded the guard of the Abbasid baggage train under the overall leadership of

Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Katib Muhammad ibn Sulayman (), surnamed al-Katib, was a senior official and commander of the Abbasid Caliphate, most notable for his victories against the Qarmatians and for his reconquest of Syria and Egypt from the autonomous Tulunid dynasty. Life a ...

. In the next year, when Muhammad recovered Syria and Egypt from the autonomous

Tulunid dynasty The Tulunid State, also known as the Tulunid Emirate or The State of Banu Tulun, and popularly referred to as the Tulunids () was a Mamluk dynasty of Turkic origin who was the first independent dynasty to rule Egypt, as well as much of Syria, s ...

, Isa was appointed as governor of Egypt. His tenure in Egypt was troubled from the start: within months, he was forced to abandon Fustat and flee to

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

due to a secessionist rebellion under a certain Ibrahim al-Khalanji. He was possibly the same person as a certain Muhammad ibn Ali al-Khalij, who also led a pro-Tulunid revolt at about the same time. Reinforcements arrived from Baghdad, but in late 905 an army under

Ahmad ibn Kayghalagh Ahmad ibn Kayghalagh () was an Abbasid military officer of Turkic origin who served as governor in Syria and Egypt. He was ousted as governor of Egypt by Muhammad ibn Tughj in 935. Life In November 903 he participated in the victorious Battle ...

was defeated by the rebel at

al-Arish ʻArish or el-ʻArīsh ( ' ) is the capital and largest city of the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt, as well as the largest city on the Sinai Peninsula, lying on the Mediterranean coast northeast of Cairo and west of the Egypt–Gaza border. T ...

before the rebel was defeated. Isa died in May 910, and was buried in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. He was succeeded by

Takin al-Khazari Takin al-Khassa Abu Mansur Takin ibn Abdallah al-Harbi al-Khazari (; died 16 March 933) was an Abbasid commander of Khazar origin who served thrice as governor of Egypt. He grew up and became an officer under Caliph al-Mu'tadid (). He was appointe ...

References

Sources

* * {{s-end 9th-century births 910 deaths Abbasid governors of Jibal History of Isfahan province 9th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate 10th-century Abbasid governors of Egypt