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Third season of the Kings and Generals animated historical documentary series on the Early Muslim Expansion starts with the aftermath of the battles against the Sassanid and Eastern Roman empires at Yarmouk and al-Qadisiyyah () and battles of Ctesiphon, Alexandria, Nikiou, Jerusalem, Sufetula, Heliopolis, and Nahavand (). We are going to cover the aftermath of the beginning of the First Fitna (Civil War) in the Rashidun Caliphate () and the battle of Siffin of 657, which led to the rise of the Umayyad Caliphate (), external expansion continued with the siege of Constantinople in 674-678, but this didn’t stop the Second Fitna from happening, leading to the battles of Karbala (680) and Marj Rahit (684) (). We also previously talked about the conclusion of the Second Fitna and the rise and fall of the Zubayrid Caliphate (). In another episode the armies of the Caliphate return to the frontiers, clashing with the crumbling Byzantine Empire in Armenia and North Africa. In the latter, they would not find opposition not just in the Roman remnant, as the rise of a new warrior queen among the Berbers posed a serious challenge to Hassan ibn al-Nu’man’s conquering army in the Maghreb. And even as the Umayyads won victories on the battlefield and expanded ever further, the cohesion and unity of their empire continued to deteriorate on their Eastern frontiers, planting the seeds of their eventual collapse. And we will also discuss how Carthage was razed once again (). This new episode will focus on the first Muslim incursion into India, as we discuss the Sindh campaign that allowed the Arabs to gain a foothold in the subcontinent.
Early Muslim Expansion Season 1:
Early Muslim Expansion Season 2:
Slavery in the Caliphate:
Muslim Schism:
Christian Schism:
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Narration: Officially Devin ( & )
Animation: Arif Azaman ()
Script: Ethan Symons-Ferraro
Illustrations: Nargiz Isayeva
Machinimas by Arif Azaman using on Total War: Attilla engine, using Anno Domini 768 mod:
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#Documentary #Muslims #India
Markus Skram
14.11.2022Great video
AKBAR KHALILY
13.11.2022Unproven theories do not belong to the 21st century.
Usman x Ertugrul
13.11.2022Always favorite ♥️ kings and generals
JJ
13.11.2022What a religion of peace indeed !!!! Spread by the love of sword and war
The struggle is all that matters
13.11.2022Alhamdillah ☪️🕋 could you possibly name your religion such a profound impact on the world the best warriors the best everything truly Islam is the truth. ☝️
Manik Roy
13.11.2022BBC is scratching their head. What videos to develop?
mrinal mishra
13.11.2022Next please do 1971 Indo-Pak war in your modern war series.
Anyone at the End of Time
13.11.2022Beta version of the Ghazwa-e-Hind.
john reese
13.11.2022Video quality was great..We would very much like to hear about the Caliphate conquests into central and northern India
ahad 16
13.11.2022as someone from the city of hyderabad sindh i have heard about the tales of muhammad bin qasim and raja dahir we still have the castle of raja dahir in our city called "pakka qila"
lifter
13.11.2022Will you cover ummayad campaigns in Zabulistan + Ibn al Ash'ath's revolt?
Sher Khan
12.11.2022Hey @kings and generals hyderabad is in South of pakistan and north of sindh
caniconc ananas
12.11.2022@Kings and Generals, no more anachronisms, please.
Nobody but the Greeks called Iberia to the country the Phoenicians and then the Carthaginians and the Romans called Hispania.
The modern use of "Iberia" and "Iberian peninsula" started in the 19th century when a French geographer used it as a short way to refer to both MODERN STATES of Portugal and Spain, who share the whole of Hispania. So, it's a bit anachronistic looking at a map of a place the Visigoths and their Hispano-Roman subjects called Hispania and read on it a name as Iberia, then already obsolete or not reinvented yet. Even the Byzantines (Greeks or Hellenised) under Justinian, who conquered the Southeastern portion of Hispania, called it "Spania" instead of Iberia.
Otherwise, you should do the same with other places, writing the name of the current states on ancient Khorasmia, Transoxiana, etc. Or ancient names like Tartessos and Gaul instead of al Andalus or the Frankish Empire.
Please, don't let that the current political culture spoils History and avoid anachronisms at all cost
Sadiq Rahman
12.11.2022Anatolia, Sindh, Transoxiana, and the Iberian Peninsula were simultaneously conquered. Alhamdulillah
Danny Hutchinson
12.11.2022My favorite channel!! You guys are awesome thank you for your superb content
The Awesome Man
12.11.2022Islam flourished well in India even before the military invasion. The religion had particular success among Indians who belonged in the lower Indian caste system and the "untouchables". The reasons for their mass conversion was their teaching of an all-powerful and inclusive god who cared for humanity and the concept of heaven and hell was appealing for those who cared about having an objective morality.
a r
12.11.2022Was the silk road in place at that time and was it utilised?
Were the arabs already sailing the Indian ocean ?
And the Persians trading via the kashgar & Xi'an ?
It seems they had settlements in coastal india and China from before
Ranjan Chaudhery
12.11.2022Please do cover ummayyad's
defeats in india
John Doe
12.11.2022How depressing. Thankfully foreign invasions into India will never be successful again.
scar op plays
12.11.2022Later a union of indian rulers defeated Arabs from further expansion
Junior
12.11.2022Always such great quality 👍
Dipankar Roy
10.11.2022Sir, please make a video about Indian King 'Bappa Rawal'.
Sanchit Agarwal
10.11.2022Great content 👍
ᗩTTᖇI ДΓΓЯI
10.11.2022Make video on battle of navasari.
shunya tva
10.11.2022jat muslim bhaichara 🙂
ISHAAN JETLY
10.11.2022Loved this video, please make a video following accounts where Arab expansion was halted for several centuries in India
Katana Of Hope.
10.11.2022I appreciate the hard work you guys put into your videos blessings from Alabama.
Diptarka Raay
10.11.2022This version of history is propagated by the Islamic apologists. The real reason for the invasion was the forcible spread of their religion through some alibi
Safeer Butt
10.11.2022Make a video about the war for independence in the subcontinent in the 1800s
Keshav Bihani
10.11.2022Hoping to continue the series and show us the reality and factual and tell us how Qasim conquest conceded till Sindh only and the defeats in the hands of Bappa Rawal, Nagabhatta and Vikramaditya II of Early India…
And why did there was no Muslim conquests in Indian subcontinent for next 3 centuries…
The iSheep
10.11.2022Moral of the story. Don't ever stick to outdated war tactics such as WAR ELEPHANTS…they are highly inefficient compared to HORSES
Soumyadipta Majumder
09.11.2022First Arab Invasion Of India By Land Thwarted At Seistan
By 643 A.D. the Arab imperialists had captured Persia and the eastern borders of the Islamic Caliphate had reached the boundaries of Kabul and Zabul. The province of Seistan (Sijistan-Sakastan) on the west of river Helmand was part of the kingdom of Zabul and bordered Khorasan on the north-west. The capital of Seistan was Zarang or Zaranj near Lake Zarah and was governed by the Satrap of the king of Zabul. The kings of Zabul were called Rutbil or Zunbil. The overlord or king of the Satrap was “probably an officer of the line of Indian princes who ruled in the Kabul and Helmund valleys and were variously known to the Arabs as Rutbil, Rantbil and Zunbil.” [The Dynastic History Of Northern India — Vol. 1, P 65 — H. C. Ray] The king was also known as Ranbal, the most common title used by the local populace. For the benefit of the readers, we shall use the epithet ‘Zunbil’.
The third ‘pious’ Caliph, Usman (644–656 A.D.) was fired with a religious zeal like his predecessor Umar. He was determined to conquer Hind and Sindh for Islam and uproot idolatory. Under his command, the governor of Basra, Abdullah-ibn-Amir sent his general Ar-Rabi-ibn-Ziyad to conquer Seistan. The first Arab attack on Zabul was carried out by Ar-Rabi in Seistan in 650 A.D. The Arab army was met with fierce resistance by the army of Abarwiz, the Satrap, and suffered huge losses, but eventually managed to defeat the Satrap after a grim and prolonged battle. [Kitab Futuh Al Buldan: Vol. 2, P 142–143 — Al Baladhuri Tr. By Francis Clark Murgotten] Ar-Rabi penetrated deep into Zabul all the way up to Bust. However, he was soon routed and forced out of Seistan by the brave locals, thereby losing all the territories he had gained. [Indian Resistance To Early Muslim Invaders Upto 1206 A.D., P 39 — Dr. Ram Gopal Mishra]
Arab Attack On Zarang And Desecration Of Temple Of Zun
Abdullah-ibn-Amir was determined to conquer the frontier provinces of Al Hind. He appointed Abdur-Rehman-ibn-Samurah as governor of Seistan in 653 A.D. to conquer Seistan and Kabul. Abdur-Rehman advanced to Zarang, the capital of Seistan, with a large army and laid siege to the castle of the Satrap of Zarang. The Satrap’s army and the inhabitants of Zarang gave Abdur-Rehman a tough fight and a fierce battle followed. After a long and intense battle, the Satrap was defeated, and Abdur-Rehman extracted a heavy tribute from him. Abdur-Rehman captured the city of Zarang and the territories surrounding it.
Within a year, the Arab general Abdur-Rehman advanced to the province of Zamindawar with a large army. There was a temple devoted to the Hindu mountain god Zun, believed to be a mountain version of Lord Shiva on top of a sacred mountain in Zamindawar to north of Kandahar. The Hindu god Zun was said to be “the northern mountain form of Shiva or ‘an adaptation of Shiva to a local god, introduced from India,’” [Al Hind: The Making Of The Indo Islamic World, Vol. 1 — Early Medieval India And The Expansion Of Islam — 7th-11th Centuries, P 118–119 — Andre Wink] and the temple of Zun was the most important pilgrimage site of the entire region. Abdur-Rehman surrounded the sacred mountain with the temple of Zun and subjugated the local people, levying a heavy tribute on them. However, his real purpose was iconoclasm, as he took perverse pleasure in desecrating the temple and disfiguring the golden idol of the Hindu god Zun with fanatical zeal. He “went into the temple of Zur (Zun), an idol of gold with two rubies for eyes, he cut off a hand and took out the rubies. Then he said to the Satrap, ‘keep the gold and gems. I only wanted to show that it had no power to harm or help.’” [Kitab Futuh Al Buldan: Vol. 2, P 144 — Al Baladhuri Tr. By Francis Clark Murgotten]
Abdur-Rehman had to withdraw from Seistan due to internal civil dissidence in the Caliphate of Usman, which resulted in the First Fitna or religious war of Islam and eventually led to the overthrowing of the Rashidun Caliphate and the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate. Abdur-Rehman appointed Umair-ibn-Ahmar in his place to govern the conquered territories of Seistan. However, soon after Abdur-Rehman departed to Arabia, the local inhabitants of Zarang rejected the Arab Islamic rule. “Subsequently the people of Zaranj expelled Umair and closed the town” to the Arabs. [Kitab Futuh Al Buldan: Vol. 2, P 144 — Al Baladhuri Tr. By Francis Clark Murgotten]
Arabs invade Kabul And Zabulistan
Early on in his reign, the first Umayyad Caliph, Muawiyah (661–680 A.D.) appointed Abdur-Rehman-ibn-Samurah as governor of Seistan once again with the aim of conquering Kabul and Zabul. Led by Abdur Rehman, a large Arab army laid siege to Kabul. After a long siege extending over a month, the Arab army stormed Kabul and finally managed to take possession of Kabul. But “the king of Kabul made an appeal to the warriors of India and the Musalmans were driven out of Kabul. He recovered all other countries and advanced as far as Bust.” [The History Of India As Told By Its Own Historians, Vol. 2 — The Muhammadan Period, P 415 — Elliot And Dawson] The king of Kabul, however agreed to pay an annual tribute to keep the Arabs at bay but over time he withheld the tribute to the Arabs. From Kabul, the Arab invaders marched on to Zabul and after a fierce battle, managed to defeat the people and get a foothold in Zabul.
The success of Zabul was also shortlived for the Arabs. Soon afterwards, Abdur Rehman was called back to Basra. Upon his departure, the Satraps of Kabul and Zabul rejected Islam and drove out the Arab Muslims from their kingdoms. The succeeding Arab governor attempted to subdue the region but failed and eventually made a treaty with the Satraps for a stipulated amount of money. [The History And Culture Of The Indian People: Vol. 3 — The Classical Age, P 167 — R. C. Majumdar]
Revolt Of Kabul And Slaughter Of Arabs At Junzah
In 683 A.D. the people of Kabul revolted under the leadership of the Kabul Shahi king as “Kabul Shah assembled a force to oppose the Moslems and drove out all of them that were in Kabul.” [Kitab Futuh Al Buldan: Vol. 2, P 147 — Al Baladhuri Tr. By Francis Clark Murgotten] Yazid-ibn-Ziyad, the governor of Seistan rushed in with his Arab army to restrain the revolt but his attempt at retribution was crushed by the Kabul Shahi army at the Battle of Junzah and his army was completely routed. Yazid-ibn-Ziyad was killed in battle along with many other prominent warriors of Arab aristocracy and his army was slaughtered in large numbers. Those Arab soldiers who escaped slaughter managed to flee. [The History And Culture Of The Indian People: Vol. 3 — The Classical Age, P 168 — R. C. Majumdar]
Around the same time, the Zunbil or king of Zabul also declared war on the Arabs and drove them out of Seistan. The Zunbil captured the Arab general Abu Ubaida and held him hostage and the Arabs had to pay large a very large sum of money to procure the release of Abu Ubaida from the king of Zabul. Yet, in spite of his victory over the Arab army, the Zunbil was defeated and killed in battle in 685 A.D. by Umair-al-Mazini. Zunbil’s son, also titled Zunbil (or Ranbal) continued the war with the Arabs to defend Zabul.
Soumyadipta Majumder
09.11.2022First Arab Invasion Of Sindh By Land Routed In Kikan
The third ‘pious’ Caliph who succeeded Umar was Usman ibn Affan (644–656 A.D.). Usman wanted to conquer Sindh and made up his mind to dispatch an expedition to invade Sindh. He appointed Abdullah to Iraq and commanded him to send an agent to gather information about Hind and Sindh. Abdullah deputed Hakim to go and acquire the desired information and upon his return, Hakim reported to the Caliph that, “Its water is dark; its fruit is bitter and poisonous; its land is stony and its earth is selfish. A small army will soon be annihilated there and a large army will soon die of hunger.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 59 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg] Hearing such a dismal report from Hakim, Caliph Usman abandoned his plan to attack Hind and Sindh.
It was during the reign of the fourth Caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib (656–661 A.D.) who was also the last of the Rashidun Caliphs, that the first invasion of Sindh by land was carried out in 660 A.D. A great expedition, which included many nobles and chiefs, and which was led by Haras, proceeded towards the mountainous region of Kikan or Kikanan unhindered. The state of Kikan was located in the mountainous region in the northern part of present day Balochistan near the Bolan Pass and is mentioned by Hieun Tsang as a region of pastoral people and great mountains and valleys. As the Arab army proceeded, they managed to overpower some of the towns on their way to Kikan, securing “many slaves and a large booty, until they arrived at the mountain Kikanan. Here the natives stood up to fight with them.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 59 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg]
Kikan was part of the central division of the kingdom of Sindh which was under the direct administration of the king, Raja Chach Rai and was inhabited by the hardy Jats and Meds. The brave Jats and Meds of Kikan put up a tough fight against the Arabian invaders and decisively repulsed the attack. The invading Arab army incurred severe losses and “he (Haras) and those who were with him, saving a few, were slain in the land of Kikan in the year 42 A.H. (662 A.D.).” [The History Of India As Told By Its Historians: Vol. 1 — The Muhammadan Period, P 116 — Elliot And Dawson] The four ‘pious’ Rashidun Caliphs thus died with their dream of victory over Hind and Sind remaining unfulfilled.
Six Arab Raids Of Kikan And The Brave Defence By Jats And Meds
After the rout of the Arabian army in Kikan in 662 A.D., the region became the chief target of Arab military crusades. The succeeding Caliph Muawiyah I (661–680 A.D.) rebelled against Ali ibn Abi Talib and after his death, wrested power from Ali’s son Hasan and established the Umayyad Caliphate. Although a major part of Muawiyah’s political expansionism was focused on the Byzantine provinces, he nevertheless sent six determined expeditions to conquer the frontier post of Kikan in Sindh over a period of twenty years. None of the expeditions, except the last succeeded and the Arabs failed to make any lasting impact in the region.
During all the six raids, there was great slaughter as the locals Jats and Meds fought fiercely to defend their land and repulsed the Arab armies. Caliph Muawiyah despatched Abdullah ibn Sawad to conquer the kingdom of Sindh, appointing him as the governor and chief administrator of Sindh. Muawiyah said to Abdullah, “In the country of Sind, there is a mountain, which is called Kikanan. There are big and beautiful horses to be found there… The people are very cunning, and, under the shelter of that mountain, have become refractory and rebellious.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 60 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg]
Abdullah proceeded to attack Kikan with a large contingent of 4000 Arab warriors. When they arrived in Kikan, Abdullah and his army were assaulted by the brave Jat and Med soldiers of the provincial chief and fierce battle took place between the two armies. The local people of Kikan also came out in large numbers to fight the marauders. They occupied the mountain passes and the battle raged furiously. Abdullah’s troops were defeated by the valiant and fearless army of Kikan and eventually the army of Islamic Arabs was made to flee to Makran as, “the whole mountainous region became alive with fighting men and the Mussulmans beat a hasty retreat.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 61 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg] In 664 A.D. another Arab expedition led by Muhallab ibn Abu Safra advanced upto Banna and Alahwar between Multan and Kabul and proceeded southwards to Kikan but was trounced by the Meds and Muhallab and his men were annihilated. [The History Of India As Told By Its Historians: Vol. 1 — The Muhammadan Period, P 116 — Elliot And Dawson]
Upon Muawiyah’s command, Ziyad ibn Abu Sufian, who was the governor of Iraq, appointed Sinan ibn Salamah for the conquest of Sindh. Sinan made his troops take an oath to divorce their wives to keep them from fleeing [Kitab Futuh Al Buldan: Vol. 2, P 211 — Al Baladhuri Tr. By Francis Clark Murgotten] and was able to subdue the Meds and conquer Makran partially in 668 A.D. He established a small garrison in Makran. Ziyad then sent Rashid ibn Amr for the conquest of Kikan but Rashid was slain in a fierce battle with the Meds. Thereafter, Ziyad ibn Abu Sufian appointed Sinan ibn Salamah as the commander of the Arab army for further raids into the frontier provinces of Sindh. Although Sinan had conquered parts of Makran, the local Meds rebelled and only after the raid of Al Bahilli ibn Al Harri, who was sent by Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad, that Makran could finally be conquered by the Arabs in 680 A.D. after a fierce campaign. [Kitab Futuh Al Buldan: Vol. 2, P 212–213 — Al Baladhuri Tr. By Francis Clark Murgotten]
There was a period of relative calm in Sindh after 680 A.D. as the Arabs did not dare attack Sindh again for 28 years. They had suffered huge losses and all their invasions barring the last had failed and even that victory was no more than a small foothold in Makran. After a persistent effort of nearly half a century, the world conquering Arabs had failed to make any impact in the frontier provinces of Sindh.
Soumyadipta Majumder
09.11.2022Humiliating Defeat Of Ubaidullah And Jaish Al-Fana
Caliph Abdal Malik ibn Marwan appointed Abdullah as the governor of Seistan in 692 A.D. Abdullah immediately resumed the raids on Kabul and Zabul. The clever Zunbil (Ranbal) did not obstruct the path of Abdullah’s forces and allowed them to advance deep into his territory in the mountains. He then blocked the mountain passes and trapped the enemy and made Abdullah enter into a treaty to secure liberation for himself and his troops. “Ranbal did not oppose his advance into the land until he had penetrated deep into it, when he seized the mountain paths and passes against him asking the Moslems to cease hostilities,” and “asked them to put it in writing, agreeing not to raid our lands… nor to burn nor lay waste.” [Indian Resistance To Early Muslim Invaders Upto 1206 A.D., P 40 — Dr. Ram Gopal Mishra] The king also agreed to renew the annual tribute, however the Caliph Abdal Malik was displeased with the treaty and dismissed Abdullah.
In 695 A.D., Al Hajjaj became the governor of Iraq. In 697–698 A.D., Hajjaj despatched Ubaidullah, his experienced general, to renew the raids against Kabul with the express orders to “lay waste the lands of Rutbil, destroy his forts, kill and enslave people.” [Afghanistan Revisited, P 4 — R. T. Mohan] Al Hajjaj commanded him to not linger at Seistan but to march to Kabul at the earliest, “and ordered him peremptorily not to return until he had subjugated the whole province.” [Indian Resistance To Early Muslim Invaders Upto 1206 A.D., P 40 — Dr. Ram Gopal Mishra] The Arab army led by Ubaidullah was titled ‘Jaish Al-Fana’ or ‘the army of destruction.’
Ubaidullah marched upto the neighbourhood of Kabul and camped there but his passage was blocked by the king’s armies and he was forced into submission. “In effect, the Muslim army which on this occasion marched into Zamindawar and almost as far as Kabul was virtually destroyed.” [Al Hind: The Making Of The Indo Islamic World, Vol. 1 — Early Medieval India And The Expansion Of Islam — 7th-11th Centuries, P 122 — Andre Wink] Ubaidullah was forced to retreat leaving his three sons as hostages with the Zunbil. He also made a treaty with the Zunbil to not fight as long as he was governor. However, the treaty was rejected by the other Arab leaders, including Shuraih who instigated Ubaidullah to fight. Shuraih was killed in the battle that ensued thence, and Ubaidullah’s army was completely routed in the desert of Bust by the brave troops of Zunbil. “Many of the men perished of thirst and hunger and Ubaidullah died of grief for what he had brought upon his men and the fate that had overtaken them.” [Kitab Futuh Al Buldan: Vol. 2, P 151 — Al Baladhuri Tr. By Francis Clark Murgotten]
Valiant Heroism Of Hindu Zunbil Against The Mightiest Of Arab Forces
Troubled by the humiliating defeat of Ubaidullah, Al Hajjaj raised a very powerful, mighty army to establish Arab dominance in Kabul and Zabul. Led by Abdur Rehman Ibn Al Ash’ath, the Arab army which was titled ‘Jaish Al-Tawawis’ or ‘peacock army’ had forty thousand men and additional troops from the province of Seistan. Around 700 A.D. Abdur Rehman attacked Zabul, but he was unsuccessful and so, had to suspend further raids. Despite the support of such a powerful army, Abdur Rehman could not consolidate the Arab position in Zabul. Al Hajjaj was extremely displeased with Abdur Rehman’s delaying any further attacks on Zabul and he castigated Abdur Rehman in strong terms, “for turning away from Jehad against the infidels.” [Afghanistan Revisited, P 5 — R. T. Mohan] Hajjaj sent Abdur Rehman an offensive letter, inciting him to attack the Zunbil without further delay and threatening to supersede him with his brother if he failed to do so. [Heroic Hindu Resistance To Muslim Invaders, P 16 — Sita Ram Goel] Displeased with the harsh tone of the letter and the idea of supersession, Abdur Rehman revolted against Hajjaj and made a treaty with the Zunbil. [Al Hind: The Making Of The Indo Islamic World, Vol. 1 — Early Medieval India And The Expansion Of Islam — 7th-11th Centuries, P 122 — Andre Wink] The pre-existing internal hostilities between the Iraqi-Arabs and Umayyads, and the reluctance of the Arab army to continue a sustained and rigorous campaign so far away from home were the major factors for the revolt. Abdur Rehman’s soldiers urged him to declare war against Hajjaj. Abdur Rehman led a strong army back to Iraq and the rebellion against Al Hajjaj and the Umayyads turned into a full-blown mutiny. [The First Dynasty of Islam: The Umayyad Caliphate AD 661–750, P 67–68 — G. R. Hawting] Both sides battled for many months. Eventually, Hajjaj and his Syrian troops won against Abdur Rehman and the Iraqi rebels in a final battle. Abdur Rehman escaped and sought refuge with the Zunbil in Zabulistan as per the treaty. However, the treaty did not last for long and Abdur Rehman committed suicide by throwing himself off a hill.
Zunbil continued the war and put up a valiant resistance against the Arab armies. As a result of Zunbil’s sustained campaign against the Arabs, the Arab expansion came to a standstill and they could not make any major impact in Zabul for the next 150 years. It would not be an exaggeration to state that Zunbil “had made Sistan an ‘ill-omened frontier’ for the Arabs.” [Afghanistan Revisited, P 5 — R. T. Mohan] This heroic and indomitable campaign of the Hindu Zunbil against the mightiest of the armies of the Caliphate earned him tremendous repute in all of Central Asia and he became the “hero of many Arab stories of the holy wars on the frontiers of Hind.” [Indian Resistance To Early Muslim Invaders Upto 1206 A.D., P 41 — Dr. Ram Gopal Mishra] The Arab historian Masudi in his Muruj Adh Dhahab, “makes mention of a prince who reigned in the valley of the Indus, and who after having subjugated Eastern Persia, advanced to the bank of the Tigris and Euphrates. The name of this prince was Ranbal under one of its various modifications.” [The History Of India As Told By Its Own Historians, Vol. 2 — The Muhammadan Period, P 418 — Elliot And Dawson]
Al Hajjaj was left with no choice but to make peace with the Hindu Zunbil after the disastrous debacle of Abdur Rehman’s military failure. Hajjaj agreed to keep away from the Zunbil’s kingdom in exchange for an annual tribute. The Zunbil agreed to pay the tribute but stopped payment during the reign of Caliph Sulayman (715–717 A.D.). The next Caliph, Al Mansur (745–775 A.D.) tried to subdue the Hindu Zunbil and force him to make the payments but he too did not succeed against the valour of the Zunbil. The Arab generals of the Caliphate tried their best to collect the financial tribute from the Zunbil as much as possible, but they never managed to make a lasting impact on the region, as “Seistan was never completely subjugated.” [Kitab Futuh Al Buldan: Vol. 2, P 153–154 — Al Baladhuri Tr. By Francis Clark Murgotten]
All the multiple attempts by the mighty Caliphs to dominate the Indian kingdoms of Kabul and Zabul in the north-west of India failed miserably, and the same lineage of the Kabul Shahis and the Zunbils continued to rule the two kingdoms till 867 A.D. Thus, the so-called mighty world-conquering Arabs failed to fully and finally conquer even a tiny principality of a small mountainous kingdom after an epic struggle that lasted for more than 200 years i.e. from 650 A.D. till 860 A.D.
Soumyadipta Majumder
09.11.2022Aggression Of Al Hajjaj And Renewed Attacks On Temple Town Of Debal (Devalaya)
After the end of Caliph Muawiyah’s reign, Sindh experienced peace and respite from Arab aggression for the next twenty years. However, with the appointment of Al Hajjaj ibn Yusuf as governor of Iraq in 695 A.D. by the succeeding Umayyad Caliph Abd Al Malik ibn Marwan (685–705 A.D.), the predatory Arab gaze turned back on Sindh. Al Hajjaj was a ruthless and tenacious imperialist and a loyal servant of Caliph Abd Al Malik, who had taken part in the Second Fitna or Islamic Civil War. He was appointed by Malik to oversee several Arab expansionist campaigns in the East including Central Asia and India.
Sindh was under the rule of Raja Dahir when Al Hajjaj took up the governorship of Iraq. Dahir and Dahirsiah were the two sons of the powerful king, Raja Chach Rai by Suhanadi, the widowed queen of Rai Sahasi II, whom Chach Rai had married upon ascending the throne. After the demise of Raja Chach Rai, his brother Chander acquired the throne. Chander’s son Duraj laid a claim on the throne upon his father’s death, but Dahirsiah ousted him and the kingdom of Sindh was divided between the two sons of Raja Chach Rai, Dahir and Dahirsiah. However, after Dahirsiah expired, Dahir became the sole ruler of the unified kingdom of Sindh. [The History And Culture Of The Indian People: Vol. 3 — The Classical Age, P 166 — R. C. Majumdar] Dahir was an able and powerful ruler like his father.
Debal (near present day Karachi) was an ancient seaport and was largely inhabited by sea-faring merchants, traders and artisans. Due to its importance as a trading hub, it was also home to bands of pirates like the Bawarij who sometimes raided ships passing off the coast of Debal. At the heart of Debal was a magnificent, iconic temple which could be seen towering above the coastline from the sea. The temple was dedicated to the Hindu god, Shiva. The main building of the temple was forty cubits in height and the dome was also forty cubits in height. Atop the dome was a flagstaff, also forty cubits high, from which fluttered a huge four-fold flag. [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 78 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg] “There was at Debal a lofty temple (budd) surmounted by a long pole, and on the pole was fixed a red flag, which when the breeze blew, was unfurled over the city.” [The History Of India As Told By Its Own Historians, Vol. 1 — The Muhammadan Period, P 120 — Elliot And Dawson] The port city was named after the temple, Dewal or Devalaya, which got corrupted in time to Debal. “The very name of Debal, or rather Dewal, ‘the temple,’ was doubtless acquired from the conspicuous position which that object must have occupied from the sea; where it was calculated to attract the gaze and reverence of the passing mariner, like its fellow shrines of Dwaraka and Somnat…“ [The History Of India As Told By Its Own Historians, Vol. 1 — The Muhammadan Period, P 375–376 — Elliot And Dawson] The Arabs had raided Debal by the sea route as early as 643 A.D. The governor of Raja Chach Rai had successfully defended Debal against the naval Arab raid after which they were forced to explore land routes further northwards to invade Sindh.
Sometime around 708 A.D., a ship from Serendib (present day Sri Lanka) carrying some gifts, slaves and local Muslim women being sent to the Caliph was captured by pirates off the coast of Debal. When Hajjaj learnt of the pirate attack, he wrote to Raja Dahir of Sindh to release the women but Raja Dahir expressed his inability to do so, saying “That is the work of a band of robbers than whom none is more powerful. They do not even care for us.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 69 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg] For an aggressive imperialist like Hajjaj, this was provocation enough to renew the Arab military campaign against Sindh, “a country which had so long defied the might of Islam.” [The History And Culture Of The Indian People: Vol. 3 — The Classical Age, P 170 — R. C. Majumdar] The Arabs had been vying to conquer Sindh for nearly seventy years and the incident at Debal merely provoked the pre-existing hostilities between the Arabs and Sindh and gave Al Hajjaj the pretext to declare a religious war on Sindh.
Jaisiah’s Strong Defence And Failure Of Ubaidullah And Budail At Debal
Al Hajjaj wrote to Caliph Al Walid ibn Abd Al Malik (705–715 A.D.), apprising him of the pirate attack and “asked his permission to declare a religious war against Hind and Sind.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 69 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg] Like his predecessors, Caliph Al Walid was wary of the heavy losses suffered by the Arabs in Sindh in the past and was reluctant to sanction such a high-risk expedition again. His wariness was not without reason, for “the Arabs who had been recognized by now as the masters of most of the civilized world, had so long fared disastrously in their attempt to conquer any of the frontier states of India, viz., Kabul, Zabul and Sindh.” [Indian Resistance To Early Muslim Invaders Upto 1206 A.D., P 21 — Dr. Ram Gopal Mishra] However, Hajjaj persisted and wrote to the Caliph again, convincing him of the need for such a religious war against India. Eventually, Caliph Al Walid gave in to the insistence of Hajjaj and gave his consent for a large-scale military expedition to Sindh.
Upon getting the sanction from the Caliph, Al Hajjaj despatched a large Arab army under the leadership of Ubaidullah to raid Debal. Ubaidullah attacked Debal but was defeated and killed in battle by the troops of Raja Dahir’s governor. When he learnt of Ubaidullah’s death, “Hajjaj wrote to Budail who was at Oman, directing him to proceed to Debal.” [The History Of India As Told By Its Own Historians, Vol. 1 — The Muhammadan Period, P 119 — Elliot And Dawson] Budail travelled with 6000 troops by sea and landed on the coast of Sindh. At Nerun, he received a reinforcement of another 3000 men from Mohammed Harun as per the instructions of Hajjaj. With a huge reinforced Arab army, Budail proceeded towards Debal.
In the meantime, the people of Debal had already sent a messenger to Raja Dahir at his capital Alor, informing him of the large Arab expedition that had landed at Nerun. Raja Dahir rushed his son Jaisiah with a 4000 strong army with horses and camels and elephants to defend Debal. Jaisiah’s army battled with the Arabs relentlessly for a full day from early morning till evening. During the battle Budail’s horse was frightened by the elephants of Jaisiah’s army and Budail was surrounded on all sides and killed. [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 69 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg] The Arab army was defeated overwhelmingly and the valorous prince Jaisiah defended Sindh gallantly.
The news of the crushing defeat of the Arab army in Sindh yet again left Caliph Al Walid crestfallen and despondent. When Al Hajjaj asked him for permission again to invade Sindh one more time, Caliph Al Walid discouraged Hajjaj by saying, “The people (of that country) are cunning and the country itself is very distant. It will cost us very large sums of money to provide a sufficient number of men and arms and instruments of war… This affair will be a source of great anxiety and so we must put it off; for every time the army goes (on such an expedition) (vast) numbers of Mussulmans are killed. So think no more of such a design.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 71 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg].
Eon Thinker • 100 yr ago
09.11.2022As a Pakistani,I wish my fellow Pakistanis luck in the comment section war with India that will soon begin.
kjejon
09.11.2022Expansion? Sounds cute, why not use the proper term conquest?
Zain Abedin
09.11.2022You meant to say Modern day Pakistan? There was no “India” back then nor Pakistan. In order to be politically correct use the terms such as Modern Day… @Kings and Generals.
varits
09.11.2022The caliphates main agenda was to conquer land and spread islam.The story of the ships been taken hostage Is a fable
Hilmi Prabowo
09.11.2022Thank you so i can understand this matter better
capnstewy55
09.11.2022Best tag line yet for a Keeps ad.
Bilal Manj
08.11.2022A little correction bro, it's Pakistan, not India, term India was coined by Europeans who visited this geographic territory. In reality, it was a compilation of multiple nations more than often hostile towards each other, later when the British conquered this land they named their ever-expanding territorial empire "India", the modern-day republic of India inherited that name, while some northwestern nations living under that massive geographical empire like Punjabis, Sindhis, Pashtuns, Balochis, baltis, Kashmiris, and gilgitis, etc, separated to form a country of their own (on basis of their shared religion) which is called Pakistan. Since you're discussing the conquest of Sindh, Sindhis are a part of Pakistan hence you should have mentioned Pakistan instead of India. You made the same error in your last video on Alexander when you were discussing territories of Pakistan you titled your video as Alexander in Afghanistan which didn't exist back then, so you were implying that those territories are situated in modern Afghanistan which is factually incorrect. Hope you correct this error in future videos and carry on with the good work you're doing.
ThankYou!
Regards, a big fan of K&G from 🇵🇰.
Abul Kalam
08.11.2022Good Work
Abul Kalam
08.11.2022The Great Good luck Of Walid Bin Abd Al Maliq May Allah Bless Him Jannah
Saqib Khan
08.11.2022Waiting for next video on Iberian conquest!
Senator
08.11.2022well done
Max Haro
08.11.20225:50 GG
Mohammed Bustany
08.11.2022Thanks!
Bhrigu Sharma
08.11.2022It was followed by conversion of native hindu population to Islam Arabs carried out large scale proselytisation forcible coversions destruction and desecration of hindu temples. They moved upwards also conquered Multan.
PIYUSH JAISWAL
08.11.2022You should make on defeat of Muhammad Ghori in gujarat.