TAHIRID

Ṭāhir ibn Husayn played a prominent role in the war between the rival caliphs, al-Amin, and al-Ma'mun. In 821, Ṭāhir was appointed governor [i], yet died shortly after, so his son, Talha, ruled from 822–828. Ṭāhir's other son, Abdullah, became wali of Egypt, and when Talha died, he was named governor of Khorasan. Abdullah was a strong ruler and created agriculture initiatives in Khorasan. After Abdullah died in 845, Ṭāhir II governed, but the dynasty weakened due to his lack of experience, and the people of Tabaristan declared allegiance to Hasan ibn Zayd. Muhammad ibn Abdullah's rule declined until he was overthrown by the Saffarid Dynasty [ii].

The Tahirids served as governors of Baghdad. After leaving for Khorasan, Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ruled for over twenty-five years. When Ishaq died in 849, he was succeeded by two of his sons, and then by Tahir's grandson, Muhammad ibn Abdallah who commanded the defense of Baghdad when it was besieged by rival Caliph al-Mu'tazz. The following year he forced Caliph al-Mu'ta'in to abdicate and recognized al-Mu'tazz as caliph. Riots erupted during the final years of Abdallah's life, and the city remained tumultuous. Eventually, order was restored and the Tahirids governed the city for another two decades until the family lost its prominence [iii].

Culturally, the Tahirids shared everything in the Arab-Islamic civilization of their time. They were patrons of great figures of contemporary Arabic literature, such as Ali b. Jahm, Ishaq al-Mawsili and Ibn al-Rumi [iv]. Abd Allah's nephew, Mansur b. Talha, governor of northern Khurasan and Khwarizm [v], wrote books on philosophy, music, astronomy, and mathematics. Ubayd Allah b. Abd Allah is described as a leader in grammar and the knowledge of the ancient philosophers and authors on music, geometry, etc. The Persian language was also at least tolerated under Tahirid rule, while the Saffarids played a leading role in the revival of Persian literature [vi].

Tahirid’s ruling system detailed that taxes should not be hoarded in the treasuries but spent on the welfare of the subjects, on the provision of their just dues, and on removing burdens from them. The system dictated that land tax in particular must be collected and spent fairly; the army must be paid regularly and well, and the judges, qāżi) must apply the Shariʿa [vii] fairly. It also highlights the Tahirids' careful attention to taxation and the payment of troops. There are also two well-known examples of how the Tahirids supported religious scholars, ʿālim, [viii] and tried to base administrative practices on the Shariʿa.

Abdullah was one of the greatest Tahirid rulers, as his reign saw a flourishing of agriculture in his homeland of Khorasan, popularity in the eastern lands of the Abbasid caliphate, and growing influence due to his experience with the parties. During Ishaq's tenure as governor, he was responsible for implementing the Mihna [ix] in Baghdad. His administration also saw the departure of the caliphs from Baghdad, as they made the recently built city of Samarra their new capital. Muhammad ibn Abdallah played a pivotal role in the events of "Anarchy in Samarra" [x] in the 860s, as well as sheltering Caliph al-Musta' during the besiege of Baghdad.

Because of their aristocratic way of life and concern with maintaining the orthodox status quo, the Tahirids are treated with lukewarm approval. The government in Khorasan is described as enlightened absolutism, in which they try to provide a stable government, after the period of social, political, and economic upheavals in Persia following the Abbasid revolution. On the other hand, Tahir was always careful to choose honest and pious men like his friends or tax collectors, as he was interested in the restoration of agriculture and the preservation of peasants from undue exploitation; his tomb at Nishapur [xi] became a place of pilgrimage.

The main economic commodity was the trade of enslaved Turkish people, for which demand rose sharply over the course of the century. The Tahirids and Samanids controlled this which contributed to their wealth and the prosperity [xii] of Transoxiana and Khorasan. Those enslaved people formed part of the tribute sent to Baghdad by the Tahirids and climbed the ranks of the Caliph’s military guards. It was in the middle of the century that an undoubtedly fruitful expedition to eastern Afghanistan and Zabulistan was undertaken; it is recorded that in 250/864 Muhammad b. Tahir sent the Caliph two elephants, idols, and aromatic substances.