Table Of ContentThe
History of a1-Tabari
The Conquest of Iran
The Conquest of Iran
volume X1V
Translated by G. Rex Smith
This volume covers the years 21.23/641.43 of the caliphate of ' Umar
b. al-Khntttih, It can be divided into two distinct and almost equal parts:
The first concerning the Muslim conquests in Iran and the east,and the
second concerning 'Umar himself, his assassination, and an assessment
of the caliph and the man.
The volume begins with the caliphal order to the Muslim troops, re•
cently victorious at the famous battle of Nihiwand in 21/641, to pen-
etrate farther into infidel lands in the east. The might of the Persian
empire had been broken. and a golden opportunity offered Itself to the
Muslim community to expand Its territories. The territorial gains thus
achieved are recounted In this volume. Moving out of the garrison towns
of al-Kufah and al-easrah, the Muslim forces' conquests of Isfahan,
Hansadhin,al-Rayy, Qirmia,Jurjin, Tabaristin, Azerbaijan,Khuraaut,parts
of Firs province, Kirmgn. Silist3n and Makrin as far as the Indus, are all
described in these pages
Contained in these accounts of far-reaching conquests are the peace
documents, which are of considerable historical importance. They are
typically the documents issued by the victorious Muslim commanders
on the ground to the subjugated local inhabitants, laying out in precise
terms the obligations of the latter toward their Muslim conquerors in
return for safe conduct.
Leaving the Muslim forces on the bank of Indus. Tabars switches his
account to Medina, when in 23/643 cUmar b. al-KKhattib was assassi-
nated by a Christian slave. After full accounts of this deed, the reader
is provided with details of the caliph's genealogy, his physical descrip-
tion. his birth date and age, the names of his children and wives, and
the period of time he was a Muslim.A lengthy section follows, in which
the deeds of ; Umar are recounted in anecdotal form. There are also
quotations from his addresses to his people and some poetic eulogies
addressed to him.
The volume ends with ' Umar's appointment of the electoral council,
five senior figures in the Islamic community.to decide on his successor,
and the fascinating and historically greatly important account of the
workings of the council with all the cut and thrust of debate and the
politicking behind the scenes. Thus was 'Uthmin b. 'Affan appointed to
succeed 'Umar.
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THE HISTORY OF AL-TABARI
AN ANNOTATED TRANSLATION
VOLUME XN
The Conquest of Iran
A.D. 641 - 643 /A.H. 21 -23
e
The History of al-Tabari
Editorial Board
Ihsan Abbas, University of Jordan, Amman
C. E. Bosworth, The University of Manchester
Franz Rosenthal, Yale University
Everett K. Rowson, The University of Pennsylvania
Ehsan Yar-Shater, Columbia University (GeneralEditor)
Estelle Whelan, Editorial Coordinator
Center for Iranian Studies
Columbia University
SUNY
SERIES IN NEAR EASTERN STUDIES
Said Amir Arjomand, Editor
ci
The preparation ofthis volume was made possible in part by
a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities,
an independent federal agency.
Bibliotheca Persica
Edited by Ehsan Yar-Shater
The History of al-Tabar!
(Ta'rikh al-rusul wa'1-muluk)
VOLUME XIV
The Conquest of Iran
translated and annotated
by
G. Rex Smith
The University of Manchester
State University of New York Press
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
® 1994 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews.
For information, address the State University of New York Press,
9o State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207
Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data
Tabari, 838?-923.
)Ta'rikh al-rusul wa-al-muluk. English.Selections)
The conquest of Iran /translated and annotated by
G. Rex Smith.
p. cm.-(The historyof al-Tabari =Ta'rikh al-rusul
wa'l-muluk) v. 14) (Bibliotheca Persica( (SUNY series in Near
Eastern studies)
Translation of extracts from: Ta'rikh al-rusul wa-al-muluk.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ( and index.
ISBN0-7914-1293-8 (alk. paper).-ISBN0-7914-1194-6
(pbk. : alk.paper)
r. Iran-History-64o-1 z56. z. Islamic Empire-History-
6zz-66x. 3. 'Umar ibnal-Khaltib, Caliph, d.644.
4. Caliphs-Biography. I. Title. 11. Series. III. Series:
Tabari, 838?-923. Ta'rikh al-rusul wa-al-muluk. English; r4.
IV. Series:Bibliotheca Persica (Albany, N.Y.)
DS38.z.T313 1985 vol. 14
(DS287.3)
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46
Preface
0
THE HISTORY OF PROPHETS AND KINGS (Ta'rikh al-rusul wa'1-
muldk) by Abu Ja far Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari (839-923),
here rendered as The History of al-Tabari, is by common con-
sent the most important universal history produced in the world
of Islam. It has been translated here in its entirety for the first
time for the benefit of non-Arabists, with historical and philo-
logical notes for those interested in the particulars of the text.
Al-Tabari's monumental work explores the history of the
ancient nations, with special emphasis on biblical peoples and
prophets, the legendary and factual history of ancient Iran, and,
in great detail, the rise of Islam, the life of the Prophet
Muhammad, and the history of the Islamic world down to the
year 915. The first volume of this translation contains a
biography of al-Tabari and a discussion of the method, scope,
and value of his work. It also provides information on some
of the technical considerations that have guided the work of the
translators.
The History has been divided here into thirty-nine volumes,
each of which covers about zoo pages of the original Arabic text
in the Leiden edition. An attempt has been made to draw the
dividing lines between the individual volumes in such a way
that each is to some degree independent and can be read as such.
The page numbers of the Leiden edition appear in the margins
of the translated volumes.
Al-Tabari very often quotes his sources verbatim and traces
the chain of transmission (isndd) to an original source. The
vi Preface
chains of transmitters are, for the sake of brevity, rendered by
only a dash-) between the individual links in the chain. Thus,
"According to Ibn Humayd-Salamah-Ibn ishaq" means that
al-Tabari received the report from Ibn Humayd, who said that he
was told by Salamah, who said that he was told by Ibn Ishaq,
and so on. The numerous subtle and important differences in
the of iginal Arabic wording have been disregarded.
The table of contents at the beginning of each volume gives a
brief survey of the topics dealt with in that particular volume.
It also includes the headings and subheadings as they appear in
al-Tabari's text, as well as those occasionally introduced by the
translator.
Well-known place names,such as,for instance,Mecca,Baghdad,
Jerusalem, Damascus, and the Yemen, are given in their English
spellings. Less common place names, which are the vast majority,
are transliterated. Biblical figures appear in the accepted English
spelling. Iranian names are usually transcribed according to their
Arabic forms, and the presumed Iranian forms are often discussed
in the footnotes.
Technical terms have been translated wherever possible, but
some, such as dirham and imam, have been retained in Arabic
forms. Others that cannot be translated with sufficient precision
have been retained and italicized, as well as footnoted.
The annotation aims chiefly at clarifying difficult passages,
identifying individuals and place names, and discussing textual
difficulties. Much leeway has been left to the translators to in-
clude in the footnotes whatever they consider necessary and
helpful.
The bibliographies list all the sources mentioned in the annota-
tion.
The index in each volume contains all the names of persons
and places referred to in the text, as well as those mentioned in
the notes as far as they refer to the medieval period. It does not
include the names of modern scholars. A general index, it is
hoped, will appear after all the volumes have been published.
For further details concerning the series and acknowledgments,
see Preface to Volume 1.
Ehsan Yar-Shater
0
Contents
OP
Preface / v
Abbreviations / xi
Translator's Foreword / xiii
Map 1. The Area of the Conquests of Iran, 11-23/641-44 / xxi
The Events of the Year 21 (cont'd) (641-642) / i
What Happened in This Year, zx-'Umar's Previously
Mentioned Orders to the Two Armies / 2
I$fahan / 6
The Account of [the Attack on I§fahan] / io
The Events of the Year 22 (642-643) / 17
The Conquest of al-Rayy / 24
The Conquest of Qumis / 27
The Conquest of Jurjan / z8
The Conquest of Tabaristan / 30
The Conquest of Azerbaijan / 31
The Conquest of al-Bab / 34
Information on ['Umar's Division of the Conquered
Lands] / 43
Description:This volume covers the years 21-23/641-43 of the caliphate of 'Umar b. al-Khattab. It can be divided into two distinct and almost equal parts: the first concerning the Muslim conquests in Iran and the east, and the second concerning 'Umar himself, his assassination, and an assessment of the caliph a
