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The General Famine of 260 AH

الغلاء العام سنة ٢٦٠

c. 873 CE · 260 AH

In 260 famine gripped all the lands of Islam: Mecca's sojourners were evacuated to Medina and elsewhere and its governor withdrew; a kurr of wheat reached a hundred and fifty dinars in Baghdad for months. That year the Zanj leader killed 'Ali ibn Zayd, the Alid master of Kufa 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Early Abbasid Caliphate
Region
Levant & Iraq · Arabia
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In time

860870880890 c.
The Early Abbasid Caliphate · Abbasid Fragmentation

Overview

In 260 famine gripped all the lands of Islam: Mecca's sojourners were driven out by the dearth to Medina and elsewhere, its governor departed, and a kurr of wheat at Baghdad reached one hundred and fifty dinars for months; that year the Zanj commander 'Ali b. Zayd al-'Alawi of Kufa was killed 1.

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Had participant
Ali ibn Zayd al-Alawi

People and things also explored

Ali ibn Zayd al-Alawi

Sources

  1. al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi , p. 110
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The General Famine of 260 AH”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/great-famine-260/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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Ali ibn Zayd al-Alawi

An Alid who rose in Kufa in 255 AH together with Isa ibn Ja'far al-Alawi. Al-Mu'tazz sent Sa'id ibn Salih al-Hajib against them, and the two Alids were defeated as their followers scattered.