Arab dynasty
Wajihids
????? ???????
|
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|
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Capital
| Suhar
|
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Official languages
| Arabic
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Religion
| Islam
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Government
| Monarchy
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Emir
|
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|
? 926?945
| Yusuf ibn Wajih
(first)
|
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? 950?965
| 'Umar ibn Yusuf
(last)
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Historical era
| Early Middle Ages
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? Established
| 926
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? Disestablished
| 965
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Today part of
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The
Wajihids
(
Arabic
:
????? ???????
,
romanized
:
Ban? Waj?h
) were an
Arab
dynasty that ruled in coastal
Oman
in the early and mid-10th century AD. Their capital was the town of
Suhar
, after moving there from
Al-Buraimi Oasis or Tawam
, where they had been in the 9th century.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
The origins and history of this dynasty are obscure.
[2]
They may have been of either Omani or
Bahraini
origin, and they were possibly related to
Ahmad ibn Hilal
, a previous governor of Oman on behalf of the
Abbasid Caliphate
.
[3]
In any event, by about 929,
[4]
the
coastal regions
of Oman were under the control of Y?suf ibn Waj?h (
Arabic
:
??????? ???? ???????
), the first member of the dynasty.
According to the archaeologist Timothy Power, the origins of the Wajihids can be found in an account by the tenth-century chronicler
al-Tabari
. The latter source reported that in 893 or 894 during the
Abbasid
era, there was a dispute about who should rule Oman among the local factions. A faction that approached the Abbasids was the Bani Sama, who were based in Al-Buraimi or Tawam (which includes the modern Omani town of
Al-Buraimi
and the
UAE
city of
Al Ain
), before moving to Sohar. The Bani Sama also referred to themselves as the "Wajihid Dynasty", and assumed leadership over the region.
[1]
The Wajihids did not enjoy undisputed control of Oman. In the mountainous interior of the country, the
Ibadi
imams centered at
Nizwa
opposed Wajihid rule and were intent on maintaining their independent status. In addition, the neighboring
Qarmatians
of
al-Hasa
sought to gain possession of Suhar, and Qarmatian raids into Oman were common during this period. The Wajihids were able to neutralize these threats by using a mixture of force and diplomacy against both the Ibadis and Qarmatians. Wajihid policy in its relations with the neighboring powers was opportunistic, and they recognized the suzerainty of both the Qarmatians and Abbasids at different times during their rule.
[5]
Suhar during Wajihid rule was an extremely prosperous town and, along with
Siraf
, was one of the main seaports of the
Gulf of Oman
and the
Persian Gulf
. Its development during the tenth century turned it into a major center of international commerce and the chief city of Oman.
[6]
The Wajihids were able to take control of the Suhari trade
[7]
and they actively worked to maintain the town's economic status.
The Wajihids were chiefly known in the medieval sources for their two attacks on
Basra
. The first campaign occurred in 943, in response to excessive Basran customs dues on Omani shipping. The Wajihid military moved up the
Tigris River
and took possession of
al-Ubullah
, but the expedition failed when the
Baridi
rulers of Basra managed to destroy much of the Wajihid fleet.
[8]
The second campaign, of 951-2, saw the Wajihids and their Qarmatian allies again advancing against Basra, which was now controlled by the
Buyid
amir
Mu'izz al-Daula
. The latter's vizier
Abu Muhammad al-Hasan al-Muhallabi
went to defend the town, and the Wajihids were once again defeated.
[9]
Yusuf ibn Wajih was succeeded by his son Muhammad, who was in term followed by his brother 'Umar.
[10]
Wajihid rule was suddenly brought to an end in around 962 when 'Umar was killed by Nafi', a longtime
mawl?
of the dynasty. Nafi' then attempted to rule in 'Umar's place, and for the next several years Oman entered a period of anarchy, which ended only with the arrival of the Buyids and the establishment of a
Buyid province in Oman
.
[11]
Rulers
[
edit
]
The exact chronology of the Wajihid dynasty is difficult to determine.
[7]
Coins that they minted during their reign are important in creating a ruler list. Based on available
numismatic
data, the Wajihids ruled as follows:
[12]
- Yusuf ibn Wajih (926/929?945)
- Muhammad ibn Yusuf (945)
- 'Umar ibn Yusuf (950?962/965)
Abdulrahman al-Salimi, in attempting to reconcile the numismatic data with information provided by written sources, came up with an alternative chronology:
[13]
- Ahmad ibn Hilal (
c.
898?929)
- Yusuf ibn Wajih (926?952)
- Muhammad ibn Yusuf (942?951; as a co-ruler with his father)
- 'Umar ibn Yusuf (952?962; but posthumously recognized as ruler until 965)
[14]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Leech, Nick (2015-10-22).
"The long read: has a lost Arab capital been found on the Oman-UAE border?"
.
The National
. Retrieved
2019-01-20
.
- ^
Bates, p. 171
- ^
Wilkinson, p. 333; al-Salimi, pp. 375-6. Miles, pp. 102-3, offered a different theory about the Wajihids, stating that Yusuf b. Wajih was a Turkish officer who was sent to Oman on behalf of the Abbasid government; this idea has not been adopted by more recent historians
- ^
Wilkinson, p. 333
- ^
Wilkinson, pp. 333-5; al-Salimi, pp. 375-8
- ^
Piacentini, pp. 198-200
- ^
a
b
Al-Salimi, p. 377
- ^
Wilkinson, p. 333; al-Salimi, p. 377; Miskawaihi, pp. 51-2
- ^
Al-Salimi, p. 377; Miskawaihi, pp. 150-2
- ^
Bates, pp. 173-4; Wilkinson, p. 333
- ^
Wilkinson, pp. 343-5; al-Salimi, p. 378
- ^
Bates, pp. 173-4; Wilkinson, p. 333. Al-Salimi, p. 376, citing R. E. Darley's
History of Currency in the Sultanate of Oman
(1990), has a slightly different numinastics-based chronology
- ^
Al-Salimi, p. 379
- ^
Nafi' recognized Buyid suzerainty in this year in a failed attempt to maintain his rule. Al-Salimi, p. 378
Sources
[
edit
]
- Bates, Michael L. "Unpublished Wajihid and Buwayhid Coins from 'Uman in the American Numismatic Society."
Arabian Studies I.
Ed. R.B. Serjeant and R.L. Bidwell. Totowa, N.J.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1974.
ISBN
0-87471-482-6
- Miles, S. B.
The Countries and Tribes of the Persian Gulf.
1919. Reading, UK: Garnet & Ithaca Press, 1997. 187393856X
- Miskawaihi.
The Eclipse of the Abbasid Caliphate: the Concluding Portion of the Experiences of the Nations, Vol. II.
Trans. & ed.
H. F. Amedroz
and D. S. Margoliouth. London, 1921.
- Piacentini, Valeria Fiorani. "Sohar and the Daylami interlude (356?443/967?1051)."
Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 35: Papers from the thirty-eighth meeting of the Seminar for Arabian Studies held in London, 22?24 July 2004.
Oxford: Archaeopress, 2005.
ISBN
0-9539923-7-3
- Al-Salimi, Abdulrahman. "The Wajihids of Oman."
Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 39: Papers from the forty-second meeting of the Seminar for Arabian Studies held in London, 24?26 July 2008.
Oxford: Archaeopress, 2009.
ISBN
978-1-905739-23-3
- Wilkinson, John C. (2010).
Ibadism: Origins and Early Development in Oman
. New York:
Oxford University Press
.
ISBN
978-0-19-958826-8
.