Non-Muslim Provinces under Early Islam: Islamic Rule and Iranian Legitimacy in Armenia and Caucasian Albania

289 Pages·2017·4.7 MB·English

by  Alison Vacca

Non-Muslim Provinces under Early Islam
Eighth- and ninth-century Armenia and Caucasian Albania were
largely Christian provinces of the then Islamic Caliphate. Although
they formed a part of the Iranian cultural sphere, they are often
omitted from studies of both Islamic and Iranian history. In this
book, Alison Vacca uses Arabic and Armenian texts to explore
these Christian provinces as part of the Caliphate, identifying
elements of continuity from Sasanian to caliphal rule, and more
importantly expounding on significant moments of change in the
administration of the Marwanid and early Abbasid periods. Vacca
examines historical narrative and the construction of a Sasanian
cultural memory during the late ninth and tenth centuries to place
the provinces into a broader context of Iranian rule. This book will
be of benefit to historians of Islam, Iran, and the Caucasus, but
will also appeal to those studying themes of Iranian identity and
Muslim–Christian relations in the Near East.
Alison Vacca is an Assistant Professor of History at the University
of Tennessee, Knoxville. A recipient of the Fulbright Islamic
Civilization Initiative award and the Dolores Zohrab Liebmann
Fund fellowship, her research focuses on intercultural transmission
of historical texts, the use of Arabic sources to tell Armenian history,
the relationship between the South Caucasus and Central Asia, and
inter-communal conflict between Muslims and Christians under
early Islamic rule.

Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization
Editorial Board
Chase F. Robinson, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York
(general editor)
Michael Cook, Princeton University
Maribel Fierro, S panish National Research Council
Alan Mikhail, Y ale University
David O. Morgan, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Intisar Rabb, Harvard University
Muhammad Qasim Zaman, P rinceton University
Other titles in the series are listed at the back of the book.

Non-Muslim Provinces under Early Islam
Islamic Rule and Iranian Legitimacy in
Armenia and Caucasian Albania
ALISON VACCA
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
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www.cambridge.org
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DOI: 10.1017/9781316979853
© Alison Vacca 2017
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2017
Printed in the United Kingdom by Clays, St Ives plc
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Vacca, Alison, author.
Title: Non-Muslim provinces under early Islam: Islamic rule and
Iranian legitimacy in Armenia and Caucasian Albania / Alison Vacca.
Description: New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2017. |
Series: Cambridge studies in Islamic civilization |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017003653 | ISBN 9781107188518 (hardback)
Subjects: LCSH: Islamic Empire – History – 661–750. | Islamic Empire –
History – 622–661. | Islam – Iran – History. | Islam – Armenia – History. |
Islam – Albania (Ancient Kingdom) – History. |
BISAC: HISTORY / Middle East / General.
Classification: LCC DS38.5.V33 2017 | DDC 956/.013091732–dc23
LC record available at h ttps://lccn.loc.gov/2017003653
ISBN 978-1-107-18851-8 Hardback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy
of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication
and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain,
accurate or appropriate.
ﻰ ﺴ ﻨ ﻋ ﻦ ﺋ ﺍ ﺪ ﻤ ﻟ ﺍ ﺾ ﻴ ﺑ ﺃ ﻰ ﻟ ﺇ ﺖ ﻬ ﺟّ ﻮ ﻓ ﻡ ﻮ ﻤ ﻬ ﻟ ﺍ ﻰ ﻠ ﺣ ﺭ ﺕ ﺮ ﻀ ﺣ ۱ ۱
ﺱ ﺭ ﺩ ﻥ ﺎ ﺳ ﺎ ﺳ ﻝ ﺁ ﻦ ﻣ ﻞّ ﺤ ﻤ ﻟ ﻰ ﺳ ﺁ ﻭ ﻅ ﻮ ﻈ ﺤ ﻟ ﺍ ﻦ ﻋ ﻰّ ﻠ ﺴ ﺗ ﺍ ۱ ۲
ﻰ ﺴ ﻨ ﺗ ﻭ ﺏ ﻮ ﻄ ﺨ ﻟ ﺍ ﺮ ﻛ ﺬ ﺗ ﺪ ﻘ ﻟ ﻭ ﻰ ﻟ ﺍ ﻮ ﺘ ﻟ ﺍ ﺏ ﻮ ﻄ ﺨ ﻟ ﺍ ﻢ ﻬ ﻴ ﻨ ﺗ ﺮ ﻛّ ﺫ ۱ ۳
ﻰ ﺴ ﺨ ﻳ ﻭ ﻥ ﻮ ﻴ ﻌ ﻟ ﺍ ﺮ ﺴ ﺤ ﻳ ﻕ ﺮ ﺸ ﻣ ﻝ ﺎ ﻋ ﻞّ ﻅ ﻰ ﻓ ﻥ ﻮ ﻀ ﻓ ﺎ ﺧ ﻢ ﻫ ﻭ ۱ ٤
ﺲ ﻜ ﻣ ﻭ ﻁ ﻼ ﺧ ﻰ ﺗ ﺭ ﺍ ﺩ ﻰ ﻟ ﺇ ﻖ ﺒ ﻘ ﻟ ﺍ ﻞ ﺒ ﺟ ﻰ ﻠ ﻋ ﻪ ﺑ ﺎ ﺑ ﻖ ﻠ ﻐ ﻣ ۱ ٥
ﺲ ﻠ ﻣ ﺲ ﺑ ﺎ ﺴ ﺒ ﻟ ﺍ ﻦ ﻣ ﺭ ﺎ ﻔ ﻗ ﻰ ﻓ ﻯ ﺪ ﻌ ﺳ ﻝ ﻼ ﻁ ﺎ ﻛ ﻦ ﻜ ﺗ ﻢ ﻟ ﻞ ﻠ ﺣ ۱ ٦
ﺲ ﺒ ﻋ ﻭ ﺲ ﻨ ﻋ ﺓ ﺎ ﻌ ﺴ ﻣ ﺎ ﻬ ﻘ ﻄ ﺗ ﻢ ﻟ ﻰّ ﻨ ﻣ ﺓ ﺎ ﺑ ﺎ ﺤ ﻤ ﻟ ﺍ ﻻ ﻮ ﻟ ﻉ ﺎ ﺴ ﻣ ﻭ ۱ ۷
Anxieties attended my lodging, therefore I turned my sturdy
she-camel in the direction of the white (palace) of Ctesiphon 11
Consoling myself for what chances had come (upon me),
and grieving for a decayed abode of the House of S ā s ā n . 12
Successive vicissitudes reminded me of them – and vicissitudes
are apt to make a man remember, and forget – 13
When they dwelt at ease in the shadow of a tall (palace)
overlooking (the surrounding land), wearying and weakening
the eyes (that gazed at it), 14
Its gate locked against the mountain of al-Qabq [Caucasus ] ,
as far as the broad lands of Khil ā ṭ [Xlat‘] and Muks [Mokk‘] – 15
Abodes that were not like the traces of the encampment of [the
Bedouin] Su ʿ da in the smooth-swept wastes of wildernesses, 16
And (high) endeavours which but for partiality on my part, the
endeavor of [the Arab tribes] ʿ Ans and ʿ Abs could not match. 17
Abū l-Wal ī d b. ʿ Ubayd Allā h al-Buḥ turī
(Arab poet, d. 897) 1
1 A RBERRY 1965, 74–7; see also ALI , 2006, 62.

Contents
List of Illustrations page x
Acknowledgments x i
Situating Places, People, and Dates x iii
1 Non-Persian Provinces of Iran, Non-Muslim
Provinces of Islam: An Introduction to the Umayyad
and ʿ Abbā sid North 1
2 Whence the Umayyad North?: Byzantine, Sasanian,
and Caliphal Administrative Geography of the North 4 3
3 Lost Greek Kings and Hoodwinked
Khazars: Sasanian and Byzantine Legacy in the
Construction of Caliphal Frontiers in the North 7 8
4 The So-Called Marzbā ns and the Northern
Freemen: Local Leadership in the North from
Sasanian to Caliphal Rule 1 12
5 Caliphs, Commanders, and Catholicoi: Mechanisms
to Control the North under Byzantine, Sasanian, and
Caliphal Rule 1 51
6 Taxing the Dead and Sealing the Necks of the
Living: Sasanian and Caliphal Treaties and Taxation
in the North 180
7 Collective Historical Amnesia: The Case for a
Parthian Intermezzo 2 10
Bibliography 2 25
Index 253
ix
Illustrations
1.1 Map of the Iranian oikoumene in the tenth century page 6
1.2 Sculptural relief of Smbat Bagratuni on the
monastery of Hałpat. Photo courtesy of Christina
Maranci 9
2.1 Map of Armenia and Caucasian Albania 4 4
2.2 Map of Armenia, Caucasian Albania, and Azerbaijan
found in I ṣ ṭ akhrī ’s tenth-century geography.
The manuscript dates to 1193. Leiden University
Library, ms. Or. 3101 7 1
4.1 Sculptural relief of Gagik Arcruni on the Church
of Ałt‘amar, ca. 914. Photo courtesy of Thomas Klobe 1 46
4.2 Medallion of the B ū yid am ī r Rukn al-Dawla, 962.
Photo from Miles 1964, reproduced with the
permission of the American Numismatic Society 1 46
4.3 Coin of Ḵ osrow II, 612/3. Photo courtesy of the
Princeton University Numismatic Collection,
Department of Coins and Medals, Firestone Library 1 47
x