وقعة البساسيري والخطبة للمستنصر العبيدي ببغداد
وقعة البساسيري والخطبة للمستنصر العبيدي ببغداد
c. 1058 CE · 450 AH
Arslan al-Basasiri grew so mighty he was preached on the minbars and the caliph decided nothing without him; when his ill creed proved out and his plan to sack the palace surfaced, al-Qa'im wrote secretly to Tughrul Beg at Rayy. Tughrul came in 447; al-Basasiri fell back to Rahba, took the Egyptian al-Mustansir's money and the treacherous brother Inal's distraction. In 450 he entered Baghdad under Egyptian banners — the khutba went to al-Mustansir at the Mansur mosque, 'hayya ala khayr al-amal' entered the adhan — and seized the caliph in Dhu'l-Hijja, jailing him at Ana; the caliph's letter to God was hung on the Ka'ba. Tughrul killed Inal, had the caliph returned in honour on 25 Dhu'l-Qa'da 451, and al-Basasiri's head reached Baghdad 1.
At a glance
- Era
- The Early Abbasid Caliphate
- Region
- Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
In time
Overview
The author of "Tarikh al-Khulafa" relates that the power of Arslan al-Turki al-Basasiri grew, and prayers were said for him from the pulpits. Then news reached the caliph al-Qa'im of what he took to be the man's corrupt belief and his resolve to plunder the caliphal palace, so he called on Tughril Beg for help. 2
Entry into Baghdad
al-Basasiri came to Baghdad in 450 AH with the Egyptian banners. Prayers were said there for the ruler of Egypt, al-Mustansir, in the mosque of al-Mansur, and "come to the best of works" was added to the call to prayer. The fighting lasted a month, then the caliph was seized and imprisoned at Anah. 2
The return
Tughril Beg defeated al-Basasiri's brother, and in Dhu al-Qa'da 451 AH ordered the caliph returned with honour to his house. He then equipped an army that defeated al-Basasiri. The data also names among the participants Quraysh ibn Badran, Ibn al-Muslima and Miharish ibn al-Majli, according to "al-Muntazam". 3
Connections
People and things also explored
تزويج بنت الخليفة لطغرل بك· Banu Uqayl· غلاء مصر العظيم في أيام المستنصر· استيلاء السلاجقة على خراسان وهزيمة مسعود الغزنوي· دخول طغرل بك بغداد· مسلم بن قريش شرف الدولة· أرسلان البساسيري التركي· المستنصر بالله معد بن الظاهر
Sources
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition), p. 642-643
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition), p. 642
- al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “وقعة البساسيري والخطبة للمستنصر العبيدي ببغداد”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/basasiri-coup-450/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.