Khorasan is the historical region and realm comprising a vast
territory now lying in northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, and
northern Afghanistan. The historical region extended, along the north,
from the Amu Darya (Oxus River) westward to the Caspian Sea and,
along the south, from the fringes of the central Iranian deserts eastward to
the mountains of central Afghanistan. Arab geographers even spoke of its
extending to the boundaries of India. Khorasan was first named, however, by the
Sasanians (beginning in the 3rd century BC), who organized their empire
into four quarters (named from the cardinal points), Khorasan being
literally the "Land of the Sun." After the Arab conquest in AD 651-652,
the name was retained both as the designation of a definite province and
in a looser sense. At first the Arabs used the area as a march, or
garrisoned frontier, but soon large colonies of Arabs moved in, especially
around Merv, and a meld of Islamic and eastern Iranian cultures ensued.
Later Khorasan regained virtual independence under the Tahirid,
Saffarid, and Samanid dynasties (821-999). Successively it formed part
of the Ghaznavid, Seljuq, and Khwarezm-Shah kingdoms but was
overrun by Genghis Khan in 1220 and again by Timur (Tamerlane) about
1383. The Safavid kings (1502-1736) fought over it against
Uzbek invasions. It was occupied by the Afghans from 1722 to 1730.
Nader Shah, born in Khorasan, broke the Afghan supremacy and made
Meshed the capital of his empire.
Abu Muslim Khorasani(d. February 755), leader of a revolutionary movement in Khorasan
who, while acting as an agent for the 'Abbasid family, was instrumental in
the downfall of the Umayyad caliphate and in placing the 'Abbasids on
the throne. (see also Index: 'Abbasid dynasty)
There are numerous versions of Abu Muslim's background, but it seems
most likely that he was descended from a slave of Persian origin and was
therefore a mawali (non-Arab Muslim, accorded lowly status under the
Umayyads). The emissary of the 'Abbasid imam, who was briefly
incarcerated, met Abu Muslim while in prison (741) and later arranged
for his release. Abu Muslim was instructed by the imam and then sent to
Khorasan (745-46) to instigate a revolt.
Abu Muslim proved to be an energetic and capable leader. Overcoming
the initial resentment caused by his obscure origin, he took advantage of
the deep social divisions rife in Khorasan, where the 'Abbasids had
carefully intrigued and disseminated propaganda against the Umayyads
for 20 years. Recruiting from various discontented or dispossessed social
groups, Abu Muslim created a coalition of rebellious Arabs and Iranians;
the distinctions between Arab and non-Arab were blurred as he
managed to syncretize local tradition and Iranian culture with Islamic
religion.
On June 15, 747, Abu Muslim raised the banner of revolution, and the
revolt quickly spread throughout Khorasan and to other provinces, with
Abu Muslim as the chief military organizer. The revolt triumphed when
the last Umayyad caliph, Marwan II, was defeated and killed (750) and
as-Saffah became the first 'Abbasid caliph (749). Abu Muslim was given
the governorship of Khorasan in reward for his services. The 'Abbasids
still depended on him to keep order, and Abu Muslim served his patrons
well by defeating both internal and external enemies.
Although the 'Abbasids were in large part enthroned owing to Abu
Muslim's military victories and political prowess, they became leery of a
vassal with so much power and popularity. With the accession of the
second 'Abbasid caliph (754), the morbidly suspicious al-Mansur, Abu
Muslim's downfall was certain. After having Abu Muslim quell an uprising
led by a rebellious uncle, al-Mansur stripped away the governorship of
Khorasan from him. When Abu Muslim arrived at court, al-Mansur had
him treacherously put to death, thus eliminating a potential rival for the
throne. The unavenged death of Abu Muslim, already a legendary hero to
the population, inspired many later uprisings and revolts.
In AD 642, Arabs invaded the entire region and introduced
Islam. Arab rule quickly gave way to the Persians, who
controlled the area until conquered by the Turkic
Ghaznavids in 998. Mahmud of Ghazni (998-1030)
consolidated the conquests of his predecessors and turned
Ghazni into a great cultural center as well as a base for
frequent forays into India. Following Mahmud's short-
lived dynasty, various princes attempted to rule sections
of the country until the Mongol invasion of 1219. The
Mongol invasion, led by Genghis Khan, resulted in the
destruction of many cities, including Herat, Ghazni, and
Balkh, and the despoliation of fertile agricultural
areas.
Following Genghis Khan's death in 1227, a succession of
petty chieftains and princes struggled for supremacy
until late in the 14th century, when one of his descendants,
Tamerlane, incorporated Afghanistan into his own vast Asian
empire. Babur, a descendant of Tamerlane and the founder of
India's Moghul dynasty at the beginning of the 16th century,
made Kabul the capital of an Afghan principality.
