Abstract

The Shiʿites, who saw the ʿAbbāsids as indebted to their structural resources, began an uprising against the ʿAbbāsids. Although the ʿAbbāsid Caliphate tried to repress the Shiʿites, the power structures of the ʿAlawites became more cohesive and stable with the physical elimination of their agents. To appease them, Maʾmun, the ʿAbbāsid caliph, elected ʿAli ibn Musā, one of the well-known Shiʿite figures, as the crown prince. Maʾmun chose Khorāsān as his throne and from there ruled the vast territory of the caliphate, but Baghdad's ʿAbbāsid opposition to the caliph's decisions, including ʿAli ibn Musā's election and the transfer of power to Iran, pushed Maʾmun to the brink of losing power. Eventually, Maʾmun left Khorāsān for Baghdad, sending Tāher to Khorāsān to form the first Iranian government.

Keywords: ʿAbbāsids, Khorāsān, Baghdad, Maʾmun, Tāher

When ʿAli ibn Isā ibn Māhān brought gifts from Khorāsān to Rashid and Rashid saw the many gifts, he was surprised. He said to Yahyā, “Where was the wealth of Khorāsān before today?” This comment insulted him since Khorāsān had been in the hands of his son for a few years. Fazl and Yahyā said, “This wealth belongs to the subjects and those dervishes whom ʿAli ibn Isā has suppressed. And if it was worth it, we could go to ʿOwn ibn ʿAbdollāh, the sarrāf [money changer], and some other sarrāfs and provide more gifts in an hour.”