Ahmad ibn Tulun (835?884) governed Egypt on behalf of the Abbasid dynasty for sixteen years. An aggressive and innovative actor, he pursued an ambitious political agenda, including the introduction of dynastic rule over Egypt, that put him at odds with his imperial masters. Throughout, however, he retained close ties to the Abbasid house and at no point did he assert outright independence. In this volume, Matthew Gordon considers Ibn Tulun's many achievements in office as well as the crises, including the betrayals of his eldest son and close clients, that marred his singular career.
Autorentext
Matthew S. Gordon is Professor of Islamic History at Miami University, and author of The Breaking of a Thousand Swords and The Rise of Islam.
Klappentext
Ahmad ibn Tulun (835-884) governed Egypt on behalf of the Abbasid dynasty for sixteen years. An aggressive and innovative actor, he pursued an ambitious political agenda, including the introduction of dynastic rule over Egypt, that put him at odds with his imperial masters. Throughout, however, he retained close ties to the Abbasid house and at no point did he assert outright independence. In this volume, Matthew Gordon considers Ibn Tulun's many achievements in office as well as the crises, including the betrayals of his eldest son and close clients, that marred his singular career.
Inhalt
Maps
Chronology
The Tulunid Household
INTRODUCTION
The Political and Military Setting
Ibn Tulun and Abbasid Politics
Governing Abbasid Egypt
1 THE FIRST DECADE IN OFFICE 868-877
The Appointment to Egypt
The Claim to Full Authority
Pacification and the Tulunid Military
The Imperial Stage
2 THE LAST YEARS IN OFFICE 877-884
The New Syrian Campaign
Father and Son
Tarsus and Damascus
The Question of Legacy
3 GOVERNING EGYPT
Representing Ibn Tulun
Egypt and the Samarran Military
Family and Household
The Tulunid Military and Security Forces
The Tulunid Economy and its Administration
4 CITY AND CEREMONY
Al-Qata'i`
The City as Stage
The Military Command
The Religious Establishment
Damascus, the Abbasid Court, and the Frontier
CONCLUSION: TULUNID FORTUNES
The Amir's Career
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Index