Islam Museum Islam Museum islam.museum
Search ⌕ ARENUR
Accessibility
Text size 100%

Saved on this device only — nothing is sent anywhere.

The revolt of al-Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd in Kufa

ثورة المختار بن أبي عبيد بالكوفة

65 AH

Kufa

In 65 AH the Shi'a stirred in Kufa 1. Ibn al-Zubayr had sent al-Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd al-Thaqafi to Kufa; he settled in one of its quarters, showing weeping for the Talibids and urging vengeance for them, and the Shi'a inclined to him. He drove Abd Allah ibn Muti' out of the governor's palace and gained control of Kufa 2. In 66 AH Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar commanded the cavalry of Iraq on al-Mukhtar's behalf; he met Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad at al-Khazir and killed him 3. According to a report the book records, al-Mukhtar's head was brought before Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr 4.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Umayyad Period
Region
Levant & Iraq
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

In space

Kufa

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Overview

In 65 AH the Shi'a stirred in Kufa, as the book of Bakr on the Umayyad state relates. The movement was led by al-Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd al-Thaqafi. 5

Kufa

The book says that Ibn al-Zubayr sent al-Mukhtar to Kufa. He settled in one of its quarters, showed grief for the Talibiyyun, and urged vengeance for them, and the Shi'a inclined to him. He removed Abd Allah ibn Mut'i from the governor's palace and took control of Kufa. 6

Al-Khazir

In 66 AH Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar was in command of the cavalry of Iraq on behalf of al-Mukhtar. He met Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad at al-Khazir and killed him. 7

The book gives a report that al-Mukhtar's head was brought before Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr. 8

Connections

Explore the connections

Occurred at
Kufa
Had participant
al-Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd· Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar

People and things also explored

Mokhtarnameh· Great Mosque of Kufa· Ali burns people in Kufa who claimed he was God· Ali burns the village of Zarara where wine was sold· ʿAli's dispatch of his own governors to the garrison towns (36 AH)· Ali enters Kufa in 36 AH· Ali's judgment on a slap over a debased dirham in Kufa· Ali's rounds in the market of Kufa

Sources

  1. The Umayyad State — Bakr Muhammad Ibrahim Bakr (1st ed., Markaz al-Raya lil-Nashr wal-I'lam, Cairo 2002) , p. 206
  2. The Umayyad State — Bakr Muhammad Ibrahim Bakr (1st ed., Markaz al-Raya lil-Nashr wal-I'lam, Cairo 2002) , p. 194
  3. The Umayyad State — Bakr Muhammad Ibrahim Bakr (1st ed., Markaz al-Raya lil-Nashr wal-I'lam, Cairo 2002) , p. 209
  4. The Umayyad State — Bakr Muhammad Ibrahim Bakr (1st ed., Markaz al-Raya lil-Nashr wal-I'lam, Cairo 2002) , p. 220
  5. The Umayyad State — Bakr Muhammad Ibrahim Bakr (1st ed., Markaz al-Raya lil-Nashr wal-I'lam, Cairo 2002) , p.206
  6. The Umayyad State — Bakr Muhammad Ibrahim Bakr (1st ed., Markaz al-Raya lil-Nashr wal-I'lam, Cairo 2002) , p.194
  7. The Umayyad State — Bakr Muhammad Ibrahim Bakr (1st ed., Markaz al-Raya lil-Nashr wal-I'lam, Cairo 2002) , p.209
  8. The Umayyad State — Bakr Muhammad Ibrahim Bakr (1st ed., Markaz al-Raya lil-Nashr wal-I'lam, Cairo 2002) , p.220
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The revolt of al-Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd in Kufa”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/mukhtar-revolt-kufa/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

Improve this page on GitHub · Report an error · JSON

Wing

Time

Eras, timelines, this day in history, any year in the Islamic world. Related

Mokhtarnameh

Davoud Mirbagheri's Iranian series on al-Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd's uprising in Kufa to avenge Karbala; members of the Prophet's family are depicted on screen per Shia convention.