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al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba al-Ta'i

الحسن بن قحطبة الطائي

al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba al-Ta'i of Kufa, commander of the Khurasani army and da'i of the Abbasid da'wa; in al-Baladhuri: he raided Byzantine lands in year 162 with the men of Khurasan, Mosul and Syria, Yemenite reinforcements and the volunteers of Iraq and the Hijaz, fighting so well and harrying the Byzantine land until they named him the Shaytan, with him Mandal al-Anazi al-Haddathi al-Kufi and Mu'tajir ibn Sulayman al-Basri; coming out he camped at Tarsus's meadow, circled its ruined city and reckoned its capacity at a hundred thousand, describing it to al-Mahdi and so rousing him to build it — the origin of its settlement.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Early Abbasid Caliphate
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Overview

Al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba al-Ta'i al-Kufi, a commander from the army of Khurasan and a summoner of the Abbasid state. 1

The raid on the Byzantines

Al-Baladhuri says that he raided the lands of the Byzantines in 162 AH with the people of Khurasan, Mosul and Syria, with reinforcements from Yemen and volunteers from Iraq and the Hijaz. He fought well and subdued the land of the Byzantines, so that they called him "the devil". With him were Mandal al-Anazi of Kufa and Mu'tajir ibn Sulayman of Basra. 2

Tarsus

On his expedition he camped at the plain of Tarsus, went round its ruined city, and estimated its population at a hundred thousand. He described it to al-Mahdi, who was encouraged to rebuild it. Al-Baladhuri considers this the origin of its building. 2 See the founding of Tarsus.

Connections

Explore the connections

Participated in
The Building of Tarsus· Armenia's Rising under al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba

People and things also explored

The Thughur (Frontier Marches)· Muhammad al-Mahdi· Abu Ja'far al-Mansur· Faraj ibn Sulaym· هرثمة بن أعين· Harun al-Rashid· Mushay'il the Armenian· Armenia

Sources

  1. Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition) , p.231
  2. Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition) , p.231-232
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba al-Ta'i”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/al-hasan-ibn-qahtaba/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Wing

People

Prophets, companions, scholars, rulers, scientists, poets, travelers: women and men who shaped the story. Related

The Thughur (Frontier Marches)

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.