The Arab conquest of Kaikan (alternatively Kikan, Kiknan, Qaiqan or Qayqan) was a military campaign by the Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates aganist the Jats of Kaikan, in present-day Pakistan.[1] The Kingdom of Kaikan faced several invasions from the caliphate. During the reign of the Khalifa Al-Mutasim, the Arabs annexed this region successfully after defeating the Jats.
| Arab conquest of Kaikan | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Umayyad conquest of Sindh | |||||||||
 Kaikan mountain ranges | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Rashidun Caliphate Umayyad Caliphate | Jats of Kaikan | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Harith ibn Murrah al-Abdi | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
History edit
The first raid is noted by the historians Al-Baladhuri, Ibn Sa'd and Khalifah ibn Khayyat to have taken place in 658 AD. Kaikan was known as al-Qiqan to them and located near Quetta. Harith ibn Murrah al-Abdi and Sayfi ibn Fil al-Shaybani had participated in this raid.[2]
The fourth Caliph Ali sent the second expedition to Sindh under Harith ibn Murrah al-Abdi in 660 (according to Al-Baladhuri).[3] However, the Chach Nama states Saghar bin Zuar had been appointed, not Harith.[4]
After a successful raid in Sindh in 662, Harith turned his attention to Kaikan. Harith had outfitted a formidable Muslim army with nobles and chiefs. This army encountered no real opposition till it reached the treacherous terrain of Kaikan. The Jats and Meds fought against the Arab army and managed to defeat it.[5] Harith along with his followers was killed in this battle in the year 42 AH (662 AD).[5][6] This was a huge blow for the Caliph, and so, for the next twenty years, every successive Caliph made Kaikan a special target for conquest and sent as many as six expeditions, five of which failed to make any permanent impact in Sindh.[7]
Emir Abd Allah ibn Amir, or the Caliph Mu'awiya I himself, is said to have sent Abdallah ibn Sawwar al-Abdi to Sindh. He is said to have fought in Kaikan and captured some spoils, but is said to have been killed by the Turks.[8]
Ziyad ibn Abihi (also known as Ziyad ibn Abu-Sufian), during the reign of Mu'awiya I, appointed Rashid ibn Omar al-Judaidi, a member of the Azd tribe, to the frontiers of Sindh. al-Judaidi was the first Arab to win a battle against Kaikan, but was killed by the Meds.[7] Ziyad then appointed al-Manzar (also spelt al-Mundhir) ibn al-Jarud al-Abdi (also known as Abu-l-Ash’as) to Sindh. al-Manzar is said to have conquered Kaikan.[9]
When Muhammad bin Qasim (694 - 715) invaded Sindh, Kaikan was the possession of the Jats.[10] The country of Kaikan was triangulated to be to the south-east of Afghanistan, and was decisively conquered from the Jats by the Arab general Imran bin Musa al Barmaki (son of Musa ibn Yahya) during the reign of the Caliph Al-Mutasim-bi-llah (833-881). During his reign, another expedition was sent against the Jats who had seized the roads to Hajar. They were overcome after a bloody conflict lasting twenty five days.[11]
Aftermath edit
The Arabs called the Jats (Zutt) of Qiqan the Qiqaniyya. Many Qiqani Zutts had been taken captive between 659 and 664 by Abd Allah bin Sawwar al-Abdi to Iraq, who was appointed as the governor of the regions surrounding Sindh.[12] al-Abdi was himself killed in one of the wars against the Qiqani Zutts in 667 and Qiqan was re-conquered by them.[12] Always armed with arrows, whether cavalry or infantry, these Zutt Qayqaniyya units were considered the master archers of the caliphate, and acted as an auxiliary group for the shurta police.[12] The Qiqaniyya as well as the Bukhariyya, an Iranian unit of soldiers, were sent to suppress the revolt of Zayd ibn Ali in 740 by the Umayyad Caliphate.[13]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Barve, Shashikant V. (1995). Introduction to Classical Arabic: A Contribution to Islamic and Oriental Studies. S.V. Barve. p. 451.
- ^ Maclean, Derryl N. (1989). Religion and society in Arab Sind. Leiden, Netherlands / New York / København: E.J. Brill. p. 126. ISBN 978-90-04-08551-0.
- ^ Al-Baladhuri 1924, p. 210/728.
- ^ The Chachnamah An Ancient History Of Sind 1900. Translated by M K Fredunbeg. Karachi: Commissioners' Press. 1900. pp. 60/76.
- ^ a b D. Rao, Vasant; Gokhale, Balkrishna Govind; D'Souza, A. L. (1966). Ancient Indian History and Culture. A.R. Sheth. p. 323.
- ^ Siddiqi, Amir Hasan (1971). Decisive Battles of Islam. Jamiyatul Falah Publications. p. 107.
- ^ a b Islam, Arshad (1990). History of Sindh During The Pre-Mughal Period (PhD Thesis) (PDF). Aligarh: core.ac.uk.
- ^ al-Hamawi, Yaqut. Mu'jam al-Buldan [Dictionary of Countries] (in Arabic). p. 423.
- ^ Al-Baladhuri 1924, p. 213/731.
- ^ Dīn, Malik Muḥammad (2001). Bahawalpur State with Map 1904 (reprint ed.). Bahawalpur: Sang-e-Meel Publications. p. 392. ISBN 978-9-693-5-12366.
- ^ Barve, Shashikant V. (1995). Introduction to Classical Arabic: A Contribution to Islamic and Oriental Studies. S.V. Barve. p. 451.
- ^ a b c Zakeri 1995, p. 195.
- ^ Zakeri 1995, p. 196.
Bibliography edit
- Zakeri, Mohsen (1995). Sāsānid Soldiers in Early Muslim Society: The Origins of ʻAyyārān and Futuwwa. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3-447-03652-8.
- Al-Baladhuri (1924). Kitab Futuh Al-buldan: The Origins Of The Islamic State Vol 2. Translated by Murgotten, Francis Clark. New York: Columbia University.