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Baghdad's quarter-wars of 601 AH

فتن محلات بغداد سنة 601

April 1205 CE · Sha'ban 601 AH

601: Baghdad's quarters went to war over dead lions — Bab al-Azj's people killed a lion and meant to parade it triumphantly; the Ma'muniyya barred the procession and swords came out at the Great Orchard. Another lion sparked Qattafa against al-Qariyya; a quarrel set Suq al-Sultan against al-Ja'fariyya in the cemetery — until a great caliphal mamluk patrolled the city killing suspects and the quarters quieted 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks
Region
Levant & Iraq
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

In time

1190120012101220
The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks · The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era

Civil wars and revolts

Overview

Ibn al-Athir, in "al-Kamil", relates that strife broke out in the quarters of Baghdad in 601 AH, in Sha'ban and Ramadan. 1

The strife

On the 17th of Sha'ban fighting broke out between the people of Bab al-Azaj and the people of al-Ma'mūniyya. The people of Bab al-Azaj had killed a man and wanted to carry his body around, and the people of al-Ma'mūniyya prevented them. Many were wounded and a number killed. 1

On the 20th of Sha'ban strife broke out between the people of Qatufta and of al-Qarya for a similar reason. On the 9th of Ramadan the people of the Sultan's market and the people of al-Ja'fariyya quarrelled and fought in the cemetery of al-Ja'fariyya. 1

Keeping order

As the strife multiplied, the diwan appointed a senior amir from among the caliph's mamluks with a company. He went round the city and killed those who were suspected, and the people calmed down. 1

People and things also explored

Abu Muslim Enters Marw and His Partisans Fall upon Mudar· The Akhlat fitna and massacre (604 AH)· Ali declines to keep Muawiya in office· Letters between Ali and Muawiya after the Camel· Ali moves the capital to Kufa· Ali refuses to lead prayer while the caliph is besieged· The breach of the Granada terms and the revolt of the Alpujarras· Amr ibn Ma'dikarib's apostasy after the Prophet's death

Sources

  1. al-Kamil fi'l-Tarikh of Ibn al-Athir , p. 297-298
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Baghdad's quarter-wars of 601 AH”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/baghdad-quarter-wars-601/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Abu Muslim Enters Marw and His Partisans Fall upon Mudar

In 130 Abu Muslim entered the wall of Marw and took up residence in the governor's house on Thursday, 9 Jumada I. The cause was that Sulayman ibn Kathir objected to Ali ibn al-Kirmani's reconciliation with Nasr ibn Sayyar: 'Are you not ashamed to make peace with Nasr, when he killed your men and your companions only yesterday?' Ali ibn al-Kirmani was seized by anger, reversed his position, and the truce among the Arabs broke. Nasr ibn Sayyar sent to Abu Muslim asking him to join Mudar, and Rabi'a and Qahtan sent the same request. Abu Muslim ordered that envoys of both sides come before him to choose between them, and told the Shi'a to choose Rabi'a and Qahtan, since authority lay with Mudar, who were Marwan's agents and the killers of Yahya ibn Zayd. When his letter was read to the seventy assembled, Mazid ibn Shaqiq al-Sulami stood and said: 'Mudar are the killers of the Family of the Prophet and helpers of the Umayyads and partisans of Marwan al-Ja'di; our blood is on their necks and our wealth in their hands, and Nasr ibn Sayyar, Marwan's governor in Khurasan, has the khutba given for him from his pulpit and calls him amir al-mu'minin; we are innocent of that before God.' The seventy agreed with him; he rose, and humiliation and dejection came upon Mudar, while Ali ibn al-Kirmani and his companions returned glad and victorious. Abu Muslim had stayed at Alin for twenty-nine days, then moved on to al-Makhwan, stayed three months at Khunda, and then entered the wall of Marw.