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Tulunid invasion of Ifriqiya

| Date| 880

|

Location|

Ifriqiya

Result|  Ifriqiyan victory
Belligerents
Tulunids|  Aghlabids
Rustamids
Nafusa
Commanders and leaders
Al-Abbas ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun |  Ibrahim II
Muhammed ibn Qurhub
Illyas ibn al Mansur
Strength
10,000 Zanj
5,000 Camels|  12,000
Casualties and losses
Heavy|  Unknown

Al-Abbas’s campaign in Ifriqiya was a battle led by Al-Abbas ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun against the Ifriqiyan kingdom of the Aghlabids and the Rustamids, after he had claimed that the Caliph of the Abbasids named him governor of Ifriqiya, he failed on doing so and was beaten by Illays ibn Al Mansur, before being defeated by the troops of his Father in Alexandria leading to his Imprisonement, after that he was executed in May 840.

## Background[edit]

Al Abbas ibn Ahmad, Ahmed ibn Tulun's eldest son, staged a rebellion against his father, gathering his supporters and an army comprising 10,000 Zanjis and 5,000 camels. He set out for Ifriqiya, confident that his father would not pursue him there, being far from Egypt.[1] Additionally, he falsely claimed to have been appointed Governor of Ifriqiya by Caliph Al-Mu’tamid, and he demanded recognition from Aghlabid Emir Ibrahim II. Enraged by this audacity, Ibrahim II dispatched a cavalry force to Labda to confront him.[2]

## Campaign[edit]

Following Ibrahim II's army's retreat led by Muhammed Ibn Qurhub, who was intimidated by Al-Abbas, Labda fell as he surrendered, leaving it vulnerable to devastation as he fled to Tripoli.[3][4][5] Al-Abbas then Captured Barca in Cyrenaica[6] before besiegeing Tripoli in the winter of 880, In response, Ibrahim II sought aid from the Rustamids of Tahert, who dispatched the Ibadi leader of the Djebel Nafusa, Illyas ibn al Mansur, with 12,000 men. Illyas ibn al Mansur defeated Al-Abbas at Qasr Hatim, prompting Al-Abbas to realize the depletion of his routed forces and resources.[3][4][5][7] He hastily retreated to Egypt, where he engaged in battle with his father's troops in Alexandria. However, he was defeated by his father's loyal forces and captured, subsequently losing his claim to the Tulunid throne succession.[2]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Vonderheyden, M. (1927). La Berbérie orientale sous la dynastie des Benoû l-Arlab, 800-909 (in French). éditeur non identifié.
2. ^ a b encyclopedie de l'islam nouvelle edition etabtlie avec le concours des principaux orientalistes (in French). Brill Archive.
3. ^ a b Petry, Carl F. (2008-07-10). The Cambridge History of Egypt. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-06885-7.
4. ^ a b Journal asiatique (in French). Société asiatique. 1899.
5. ^ a b Hanotaux, Gabriel (1931). Histoire de la nation égyptienne (in French). Société de l'histoire nationale.
6. ^ Renault, François (1989). La traite des Noirs au Proche-Orient médiéval: VIIe-XIVe siècles (in French). Libr. orientaliste P. Geuthner. ISBN 978-2-7053-0351-8.
7. ^ Le moyen age (in French). Société Tunisienne de Diffusion. 1970.