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The Kukar (Khokhar) revolt against the Ghurids (602 AH)

ثورة بني كوكر على الغوريين

1206 CE · 602 AH

On the false rumour of Shihab al-Din's death at the Qara Khitai rout, the Khokhar tribes of the Lahore–Multan hills — once his tributaries — rose, cut the road to Ghazna and seized a great caravan; Daniel of Jabal al-Judi apostatised and joined them. When the sultan's envoy — his own mamluk Aybak — demanded their submission, Ibn Kukar's answer was a challenge: 'why did the sultan not send to us himself?' 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks
Region
South Asia
Review
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In time

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

Civil wars and revolts

Overview

In 602 AH, when news spread that Shihab al-Din al-Ghuri had been lost in the battle of the Khita, those whom Ibn al-Athir calls "the corrupters" rose up on the borders of the land. Daniyal, lord of the mountain of Judi, apostatised from Islam and followed the Banu Kukar. 1

The Banu Kukar

Their dwellings were in fortified mountains between Lahore and Multan. They had obeyed Shihab al-Din and paid him tribute, then they rose, cut the road from Lahore and elsewhere to Ghazna, and seized a large caravan. 1

The envoy

Shihab al-Din sent his mamluk Aybak, commander of the Indian armies, calling them to obedience. Ibn Kukar asked the envoy: why has the sultan not sent a messenger to us? He answered: and what is your standing that he should send to you? Then what happened, happened. 1

Ibn al-Athir's account ends here, and what follows needs an additional source. See the killing of Shihab al-Din al-Ghuri.

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. 300-301
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The Kukar (Khokhar) revolt against the Ghurids (602 AH)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/kukar-revolt-602/. 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.