Sa'id 'Hudhayfa' over Khurasan and Sawra's Defeat

ولاية سعيد حذيفة خراسان وهزيمة سورة

Under Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik, Maslama gave Khurasan to his son-in-law Sa'id ibn Abd al-Aziz — nicknamed 'Hudhayfa' when a dahqan saw him saffron-dyed with combed hair and called him effeminate. His man Sawra ibn al-Hurr retook Ishtikhan from the Turks and routed them, then lost the second battle with heavy loss; the obscene lampoon on Sa'id survives. Khurasan's notables complained to Maslama and he was deposed — al-Jarrah meanwhile had kept weighed silver and gold pieces under his carpet, tossing each visitor his due.

The long-form text for this entry has not been written yet. The facts and connections below come from the museum's data.

The Sibayn Reclamation and Maslama's Estates

In al-Baladhuri: when breaches burst in al-Hajjaj's days he wrote al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik that he had costed their damming at three million dirhams; al-Walid found it excessive. Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik said 'I will pay, if you grant me the lowlands that still hold water after the three million is spent by your trusted adviser al-Hajjaj.' Granted, Maslama acquired adjoining tasasij lands, dug al-Sibayn, drew peasants and cultivators, brought the lands under tillage and annexed many estates to fortify himself. When the blessed dawla came and Umayyad wealth was seized, all al-Sibayn was granted to Dawud ibn Ali ibn Abdallah ibn al-Abbas, then bought from his heirs with its rights and bounds — becoming caliphal estates.

Sa'id 'Hudhayfa' over Khurasan and Sawra's Defeat

At a glance

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

People

The Sibayn Reclamation and Maslama's Estates