Rashiq al-Nasimi () was the governor of
Tarsus for the
Hamdanid
The Hamdanid dynasty () was a Shia Muslim Arab dynasty that ruled modern day Northern Mesopotamia and Syria (890–1004). They descended from the ancient Banu Taghlib tribe of Mesopotamia and Arabia.
History Origin
The Hamdanids hailed ...
emir
Sayf al-Dawla
ʿAlī ibn ʾAbū'l-Hayjāʾ ʿAbdallāh ibn Ḥamdān ibn Ḥamdūn ibn al-Ḥārith al-Taghlibī (, 22 June 916 – 8 February 967), more commonly known simply by his honorific of Sayf al-Dawla (, ), was the founder of the Emirate of Aleppo, ...
and
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 ...
caliph from 962 until the city's surrender to the
Byzantine emperor
The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...
Nikephoros II Phokas
Nikephoros II Phokas (; – 11 December 969), Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas, was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His career, not uniformly successful in matters of statecraft or of war, nonetheless greatly contributed to the resurgence of t ...
in 965. He then took over
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...
, and launched a failed attack on the Hamdanid capital,
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
in early 966. He took the lower city and besieged the
citadel
A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
...
for over three months, but was killed and his men fled back to Antioch.
Life
Rashiq is first mentioned in late 961, as commanding a Tarsian army sent to confront the invasion of the
Byzantines under the command of
Nikephoros Phokas
Nikephoros II Phokas (; – 11 December 969), Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas, was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His career, not uniformly successful in matters of statecraft or of war, nonetheless greatly contributed to the resurgence of t ...
, who were besieging
Ayn Zarba
Anazarbus, also known as Justinopolis (, medieval Ain Zarba; modern Anavarza; ), was an ancient Cilician city. Under the late Roman Empire, it was the capital of Cilicia Secunda. Roman emperor Justinian I rebuilt the city in 527 after a stro ...
. Rashiq tried to break the siege, but was defeated with heavy loss: according to
Yahya of Antioch
Yahya of Antioch, full name Yaḥya ibn Saʿīd al-Anṭākī (), was a Melkite Christian physician and historian of the 11th century.
He was most likely born in Fatimid Egypt. He became a physician, but the anti-Christian policies of Caliph Al ...
, 5,000 Tarsians fell and 4,000 were taken prisoner, while Rashiq managed to flee. As a result, Ayn Zarba surrendered (December 961/January 962). Then the governor of Tarsus,
Ibn az-Zayyat, who had tried to break free from
Hamdanid
The Hamdanid dynasty () was a Shia Muslim Arab dynasty that ruled modern day Northern Mesopotamia and Syria (890–1004). They descended from the ancient Banu Taghlib tribe of Mesopotamia and Arabia.
History Origin
The Hamdanids hailed ...
control, confronted the Byzantines but was also defeated. The Tarsians turned once more to
Sayf al-Dawla
ʿAlī ibn ʾAbū'l-Hayjāʾ ʿAbdallāh ibn Ḥamdān ibn Ḥamdūn ibn al-Ḥārith al-Taghlibī (, 22 June 916 – 8 February 967), more commonly known simply by his honorific of Sayf al-Dawla (, ), was the founder of the Emirate of Aleppo, ...
for protection from the Byzantines, and Ibn az-Zayyat committed suicide, whereupon Sayf al-Dawla appointed Rashiq as his successor.
In 963, Rashiq led a summer raid () into Byzantine territory, and captured the Byzantine commander of
Heraclea (possibly to be identified with
Eustathios Maleinos). Such feats were not able to change the tide of the conflict, however. Following the sack of Sayf al-Dawla's own residence,
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
, in December 962, the Byzantines under Nikephoros Phokas, who became emperor in 963, firmly held the upper hand, while the Hamdanid ruler, whose prestige was sorely shaken by the sack of his capital, was debilitated by internal revolts. Having already diminished the military strength of Tarsus by his previous victories, the removal of the Hamdanid threat allowed Nikephoros to concentrate on the conquest of
Cilicia
Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...
:
Adana
Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...
fell in 963, while al-Masissa (
Mopsuestia
Mopsuestia ( and Μόψου ''Mopsou'' and Μόψου πόλις and Μόψος; Byzantine Greek: ''Mamista'', ''Manistra'', ''Mampsista''; Arabic: ''al-Maṣṣīṣah''; Armenian: ''Msis'', ''Mises'', ''Mam(u)estia''; modern Yakapınar) is an a ...
, modern Misis) was attacked in 964 and the Byzantines raided widely across the region.
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
was taken by a Byzantine fleet in early 965, while in the summer, Nikephoros moved his army once more against al-Masissa, which capitulated on 13 July. Tarsus was next, and after a brief siege, the city surrendered on 16 August.
Rashiq fled to
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...
, where he managed to exploit the power vacuum to become governor and launch an attack on Aleppo, although the sources differ on the exact course of events. According to the hagiography of Patriarch
Christopher of Antioch
Christopher (Arabic: خريسطوفورس, ''Kharīsṭūfūrus'') was Chalcedonian Patriarch of Antioch from 960 to 967.
Biography
A native of Baghdad who was originally named ʻĪsá, he moved to Syria under the rule of Sayf al-Dawla, the Ham ...
, he promised tribute and hostages to Nikephoros, while gaining the support of the populace. Along with the Hamdanid tax official al-Hasan ibn al-Ahwazi, he then ousted Sayf al-Dawla's appointed governor, Abu Thamal Fath al-Yamki.
Ibn Shaddad on the other hand reports that it was Ibn al-Ahwazi who incited Rashiq to revolt, and that the latter played a double game, promising tribute both to Sayf al-Dawla and Nikephoros Phokas. Sayf al-Dawla accepted his offer of an annual sum of 600,000 ''
dirham
The dirham, dirhem or drahm is a unit of currency and of mass. It is the name of the currencies of Moroccan dirham, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates dirham, United Arab Emirates and Armenian dram, Armenia, and is the name of a currency subdivisi ...
s'', but, citing the imminence of the Byzantine threat, Rashiq deposed the governor Abu Thamal, seized control of the city (October 965) and offered the money promised to Sayf al-Dawla to the Byzantine emperor instead. All sources agree that Rashiq's coup was followed by a treaty between the Antiochenes and Nikephoros, which obliged the former to pay an annual tribute. Rashiq then (on 31 January 966, according to Ibn Shaddad) launched an attack on Aleppo. His troops and the Hamdanid loyalists under
Qarghuyah
Qarghuyah or Qarquya was an important Arab administrator in the Hamdanid Dynasty under Sayf al-Dawla, who would go on to control Aleppo himself and even sign the Treaty of Safar with the Byzantine Empire as the ruling emir of Aleppo.
On January 7 ...
gave many battles, but Rashiq succeeded in capturing the lower city and laid siege to the citadel for three months and ten days, until he was killed in a skirmish and his men fled back towards Antioch.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rashiq al-Nasimi
10th-century births
966 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Abbasid governors of Tarsus
People from the Hamdanid emirate of Aleppo
Arab people of the Arab–Byzantine wars
Medieval Antioch
Sayf al-Dawla
10th-century Arab people