Zutt Rebellion was a rebellion by the Zutt (Jats) Who were inhabitants of lower

Indus Valley The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the disp ...

(

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

), between 810 and 835 in Iraq during the reign of

al-Ma'mun Abū al-ʿAbbās Abd Allāh ibn Hārūn al-Maʾmūn (; 14 September 786 – 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name al-Ma'mun (), was the seventh Abbasid caliph, who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. His leadership was marked by t ...

and continued to the era of

al-Mu'tasim Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd (; October 796 – 5 January 842), better known by his laqab, regnal name al-Muʿtaṣim biʾllāh (, ), was the eighth Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid caliph, ruling from 833 until his death in 842. ...

Background

The Rebellion began from the Zutt tribe of Jats, who had migrated into

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

several centuries ago. They supplied mercenary soldiers for the Ummayyad and

Abbasid Caliphate 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 ...

. These soldiers would settle in nowadays

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and marry amongst local Arab women. Thus forming the Az-Zutt tribe also known as Banu Zutt.

Rebellion

During circa. 810, Yusuf ibn Zutt began a rebellion against the

which created semi-independent state in the Marshlands of Southern Iraq (

Mesopotamian Marshes The Mesopotamian Marshes, also known as the Iraqi Marshes, are a wetland area located in southern Iraq and southwestern Iran as well as partially in northern Kuwait. The marshes are primarily located on the floodplains of the Euphrates and Tigris ...

). Isa ibn Yazid al-Juludi would be sent by caliph Al Ma'mun to crush the rebellion, but would fail to do so. Isa ibn Yazid al-Juludi and Ahmad bin Qutayba would be sent by caliph Al Ma'mun to crush the rebellion, but would fail to do so. Under the tribal leader, Muhammad Ibn Uthman, rebellion continued when

Kufa Kufa ( ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates, Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Along with Samarra, Karbala, Kadhimiya ...

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

Wasit Wasit (, ) was an early Islamic city in Iraq. It was founded in the 8th century by the Umayyad viceroy of Iraq, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, to serve as the region's seat and as the garrison of the Syrian troops who enforced Umayyad rule there. It was ...

Al-Jazira Jazira, al-Jazira, Jazeera, al-Jazeera, etc. are all transcriptions of Arabic meaning "the island" or "the peninsula". The term may refer to: Business * Jazeera Airways, an airlines company based in Kuwait Locations * Al-Jazira, a traditional ...

and surrounding places of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

came under his control. This caused a major disruption of resources and food to Baghdad, putting the Abbasids in danger.

Naval raids

Mu'tasim's army employed similarly meticulous tactics to suppress a Zutt rebellion in

southern Iraq The geography of Iraq is diverse and falls into five main regions: the desert (west of the Euphrates), Upper Mesopotamia (between the upper Tigris and Euphrates rivers), the northern highlands of Iraq, Lower Mesopotamia, and the alluvial plain ...

. However, the new Turkish troops were not involved, as their strategies were ill-suited for the marshes and densely cultivated palm groves. Instead, other forces blocked off hundreds of reedy canals used by the Zutt for raids in small boats, and then methodically advanced into rebel-held territory.

Capture of Basra

The Capture of Basra was a significant event in the Zutt Rebellion. After a series of successful military engagements and leveraging their control over the region's vital waterways and marshlands, the Zutts launched a assault on the city of

. Their guerrilla tactics and their strategic advantage in navigating the waterways allowed them to isolate the city and launch surprise raids. The

forces, struggling against the challenging terrain and the Zutt tactics, failed to mount an effective defense.

Capture of Wasit

The Capture of Wasit was an important moment in the Zutt Rebellion. The Zutts, using their dominance over the marshlands and waterways between

and

, launched a coordinated attack on

. Their intimate knowledge of the terrain and reliance on guerrilla tactics enabled them to overwhelm Abbasid defenses and seize control of the city. The Abbasid forces, commanded by

Al-Mu'tasim Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd (; October 796 – 5 January 842), better known by his laqab, regnal name al-Muʿtaṣim biʾllāh (, ), was the eighth Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid caliph, ruling from 833 until his death in 842. ...

, suffered heavy casualties as they struggled to counter the Zutt's ambushes in the marshes. The fall of Wasit allowed the Zutts to establish temporary rule over the city and destabilized Abbasid authority in the region.

End of Rebellion

After the passing of

becomes Caliph of 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 ...

. With a reformed military, he took charge of the dire situation of the rebellion, sending Ujayf ibn Anbasa to successfully crush the rebellion in 835. He then dispersed the Zutt population to different parts of the Caliphate to prevent another rebellion. Muhammad Ibn Uthman still retained the position of tribal leader after rebellion, however with a weaker force.

External sources

*Houtsma, M. Th. (1993). E. J. Brill's first encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936, Volume 4. Brill Page 901 & 1030. *Kennedy, H. (2004). The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the 6th to the 11th Century (2nd Edition). Routledge. *Lewis, B. (1991). The Political Language of Islam. University of Chicago Press. *Marozzi, J. (2004). The Way of Herodotus: Travels with the Man who Invented History. Da Capo Press. *The History of Al-Tabari Vol. 33, Page 7 * Outlines of Islamic History From the Rise of Islam to the Fall of Baghdād By Mafizullah Kabir. Page 14, Page 218 * A Short History of Iraq(2014) By Thabit Abdullah *Warfare in the Dark Ages By Kelly DeVries *The uropeanOther in Medieval Arabic Literature and Culture Ninth-Twelfth Century AD(2012) By Nizar F. Hermes *Arab-Byzantine Relations in Early Islamic Times(2004) Page 172 *Al-Tabari's "History of the Prophets and Kings" *Al-Masudi's "The Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems" *Ibn Khaldun's "The Muqaddimah

References

{{Reflist Rebellions against the Abbasid Caliphate 9th century in the Abbasid Caliphate Iraq under the Abbasid Caliphate 9th-century rebellions Rebellions in Iraq Fourth Fitna