The Thughur (Frontier Marches)

الثغور

The Thughur — in al-Baladhuri: the Muslims' Syrian marches in Umar's and Uthman's days were Antioch and the cities al-Rashid later called the 'Awasim, the Muslims raiding beyond them as they now raid beyond Tarsus; between Alexandretta and Tarsus lay Byzantine forts and watchposts that their people sometimes abandoned in flight or filled with fighters, Heraclius reportedly removing their people with him on leaving Antioch so the Muslims could not settle the land between; the Umayyads raided the Byzantines with the people of Syria and the Jazira summer and winter, posting coastal watchmen and keeping raiding ships, then Abu Ja'far al-Mansur went through the coastal fortresses and cities, restoring, fortifying and building what needed building and doing likewise for the march cities, al-Mahdi completed what remained and reinforced them, Harun carried fortification and raiding to a pitch unmatched before him and disbursed funds through the marches, and al-Mutawakkil in year 247 ordered ships stationed on every coast manned with fighters; among its famous strongholds are Masisa, Tarsus, Mar'ash, al-Hadath, Sis and Qanqara.

Overview

Thughur (frontier posts) in al-Baladhuri: the Muslims' Syrian frontier posts in the days of Umar and Uthman were Antioch and other cities which al-Rashid later called the 'awasim (capitals). The Muslims used to raid beyond them just as they raided beyond Tarsus. ¹

The fortresses

Between Alexandretta and Tarsus there were Byzantine fortresses and garrisons, which their people sometimes abandoned in flight and sometimes were filled with fighters. It was said that Heraclius moved the people of those fortresses with him when he left Antioch, so that the Muslims would not resettle what lay between them and the lands of the Romans. ¹

From the Umayyads to al-Mutawakkil

The Umayyads raided the Romans with the people of Syria and the Jazira in summer and winter, and they arranged guards on the coasts and kept ships ready for raiding. When Abu Ja'far al-Mansur came to power, he followed the fortresses and cities of the coasts, rebuilt and fortified them, and built what needed building in them, and did the same with the cities of the frontiers. Then al-Mahdi completed what remained and increased their garrisons. Harun carried out more of the craft and the raiding than had been done before him, and he divided the wealth among the frontiers and the coasts. In the year 247 al-Mutawakkil ordered that ships be arranged on all the coasts, and that they be garrisoned with fighters. ²

Famous capitals

Al-Massisa, Tarsus, Marash, al-Hadath, Sis, and Qanqara. ³

Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan

Caliph of the Umayyads; al-Hajjaj was his governor, and the companions of Ibn al-Ash'ath deposed him, saying that deposing al-Hajjaj meant deposing Abd al-Malik. He died in 86. According to al-Mas'udi, he was given the oath of allegiance on the night of Sunday, the first of Ramadan 65, and died at Damascus on Saturday, fourteen days into Shawwal 86, aged sixty-six. He loved poetry, boasting and panegyric; avarice predominated in him, and he was ready to shed blood. When he kept company with al-Sha'bi, he said to him: 'Do not help me in what is ugly, and do not correct my error in my assembly. Show me your understanding through your glance and your hearing, and know that the rightness of listening is greater than the rightness of speech'. He killed Amr ibn Sa'id al-Ashdaq in 70, after letters had passed between them seeking power. The chamberlain shut the door on Amr, leaving his companions outside; Abu al-Za'za'a was ordered to strike his neck, and his head was thrown to his companions, who scattered. It is also said that a chain was put on him, and then he ordered his brother Abd al-Aziz to slaughter him; Amr said to him: 'Betray, O son of al-Zarqa'!' and he threw dinars among the people, who busied themselves with them and stopped fighting. He wrote to al-Hajjaj asking him to describe the strife to him. Al-Hajjaj wrote that strife is kindled by secret talk, reaped by complaint and produced by sermons. He wrote back that he had hit the mark and described it well; if he wanted his subjects to be straight with him, he should subdue them with unity, give them the gifts of division, and attach need to them. When news of Ibn al-Ash'ath's deposition reached him, he went up the pulpit and said: 'O God, do not give us power over one better than us, nor give those better than us power over us. O God, unleash the sword of the people of Syria against the people of Iraq until it reaches Your pleasure; and when it reaches it, do not pass beyond Your wrath with it'. In one of his years of pilgrimage he ordered gifts distributed to the people; a purse was brought out, inscribed 'from the alms', and the people of Medina refused to accept it, saying that their gift came from the fay'. He struck them on the pulpit with the parable of the serpent guarding its treasure, and said: 'O assembly of Quraysh, you had Umar as your governor; he was harsh and rough, and you listened to him and obeyed. Then you had Uthman, who was gentle and mild, and you attacked him and killed him. Then we sent Muslim ibn Uqba against you on the day of al-Harra, and you killed him. We know that you will never love us, and you remember the day of al-Harra, and we will never love you, and we remember the killing of Uthman'. The book mentions that he was the first to set aside a day for examining grievances, set four hundred dinars as the upper limit for dowries, and ordered that the judgments of Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr be enforced without reversing them. The book also says that he urged his commanders to beware of night raids and sent spies ahead of every army; that he consulted people before sending an army to the land of the Romans; that in his advice to his sons he told them to act on the opinion of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz and consult him; and that he advised al-Walid to honour al-Hajjaj, because he had paved the way for him. It also says that he died in Damascus in 86 AH; al-Walid led the funeral prayer over him, and he was buried between Bab al-Jabiya and Bab al-Saghir.

The Thughur (Frontier Marches)

At a glance

Overview

The fortresses

From the Umayyads to al-Mutawakkil

Famous capitals

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Ideas

Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan