Split in the ʿAbbāsid Political Structure : A Prelude to the Independence of Khorāsān

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.