Esayi Abu-Musa ( or ; in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

sources: ''Isa ibn-Istifanus'') was an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

prince of southern Artsakh who ruled over a significant part of Arran (called Ałuankʻ in Armenian sources) in the mid-9th century and is considered the founder of the Principality of

Dizak Dizak (), also known as Ktish after its main stronghold, was a medieval Armenian principality in the historical province of Artsakh and later one of the five melikdoms of Karabakh, which included the southern third of Khachen (present-day Nago ...

Arakel Babakhanian Arakel Grigori Babakhanian ( hy, Առաքել Գրիգորի Բաբախանյան; – 14 November 1932), commonly known by his pen name Leo ( hy, Լեո), was an Armenian historian, writer, critic and professor of Yerevan State University. ...

(Leo). ''Երկերի ժողովածու'' (''Collected Works''). vol. ii. Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Sovetakan Grogh, 1967, pp. 446–49.

Name and Origins

''Abu-Musa'' means "father of Musa" (Moses) in

, in Armenian sources he is surnamed "the Priest's son". Arabic sources also call him ''Isa ibn-Yusuf'' (son of Hovsep) or ''Isa ibn-ukht-Istifanus'' (nephew of Stepanos), the latter being a reference to his maternal uncle Stepanos-Ablasad, who according to the historian Leo was a

Mihranid The Mihranids were an Iranian family which ruled several regions of Caucasus from 330 to 821. They claimed to be of Sasanian Persian descent but were of Parthian origin. History The dynasty was founded when a certain Mihran, a distant relative o ...

whose fiefs succeeded to Esayi Abu-Muse after his murder in 831. Leo identifies Esayi Abu-Muse as a member of the local Arran dynasty of Aranshahik.

Reign

Esayi's succession took place in ca. 841 and he remained in power for 13 years. V. Minorsky. ''Caucasica IV.'' Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 15, No. 3. (1953), pp. 512–14. Most of his domains included the cantons of Artsakh, which previously had offered a strong resistance against

Babak Khorramdin , native_name_lang = , birth_date = 795 or 798 , birth_place = Ardabil, Abbasid Caliphate , spouse = Banu , death_date = probably 7 January 838 (age 40 or 43) , death_place = Samarra, Abbasid Caliphate , years_active ...

. Esayi's seat was Ktish (Dogh), another important stronghold was Goroz. The ruins of this castles today lie near the villages Toumi and Togh in the disputed region of

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked country, landlocked region in the Transcaucasia, South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik, and covering the southeastern range o ...

. Makar Barkhudarian, ''Artsakh''. "Amaras Publishing", Yerevan 1996, pp. 52–7. The Armenian historian

Movses Kaghankatvatsi Movses Kaghankatvatsi ( hy, Մովսէս Կաղանկատուացի ''Movses Kaġankatvac’i''), or Movses Daskhurantsi ( ''Movses Dasxuranc’i'') is the reputed author (or authors) of a tenth-century Classical Armenian historiographical work on ...

, who described Esayi Abu-Isa as a "man of peace", wrote that he ruled the following cantons:

. ''History of Aghuank''. Critical text and introduction by Varag Arakelyan. Matenadaran" Institute of Ancient Manuscripts after Mesrop Mashtots. Yerevan, Armenian SSR:

Armenian Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետության գիտությունների ազգային ակադեմիա, ՀՀ ԳԱԱ, ''Hayastani Hanrapetut’yan gitut’yunneri az ...

, 1983, 3.19-20. * Verin-Vaykunik,

Berdzor Lachin ( az, Laçın, , ; hy, Բերձոր, translit=Berdzor; ku, Laçîn) is a town in Azerbaijan and the administrative center of the Lachin District. It is located within the strategic Lachin corridor, which links the disputed region of Nag ...

, Sisakan — western cantons of Artsakh bordering Syunik to the west. * Haband,

Amaras Amaras is a village ''de jure'' in the Khojavend District of Azerbaijan, ''de facto'' in the Martuni Province of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh () or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic ...

, Pazkank, Mkhank — southern cantons of Artsakh bordering the river Araxes to the south. * Tri-Gavar — a south-eastern canton of

Utik Utik ( hy, Ուտիք, also known as Uti, Utiq, or Outi) was a historic province of the Kingdom of Armenia. It was ceded to Caucasian Albania following the partition of Armenia between Sassanid Persia and the Eastern Roman Empire in 387 AD. Most ...

bordering the river

Kur The ancient Mesopotamian underworld, most often known in Sumerian as Kur, Irkalla, Kukku, Arali, or Kigal and in Akkadian as Erṣetu, although it had many names in both languages, was a dark, dreary cavern located deep below the ground, where ...

to the north-east.

Resistance at Ktish

In 854, Dizak was invaded by an

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

army, commanded by

Bugha al-Kabir Bugha al-Kabir (), also known as Bugha al-Turki (), was a 9th-century Khazar general who served the Abbasid Caliphate. He was of Khazar origin, and was acquired along with his sons as a military slave (''ghulam'') by al-Mu'tasim in 819/820.Gordo ...

al-Sharabi, who previously had captured princes Atrnerseh of

Khachen The Principality of Khachen ( hy, Խաչենի իշխանություն, Khacheni ishkhanutyun) was a medieval Armenian principality on the territory of historical Artsakh (present-day Nagorno-Karabakh). The provinces of Artsakh and Utik were ...

, Ktrij of

Gardman Gardman ( hy, Գարդման), also known as Gardmank, was one of the eight cantons of the ancient province of Utik in the Kingdom of Armenia and simultaneously, together with the canton of Tuchkatak, an Armenian principality. It roughly corre ...

and Kon-Stepanos Sevordiats of

Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi ( hy, Յովհաննէս Դրասխանակերտցի, John of Drasxanakert, various spellings exist), also called John V the Historian, was Catholicos of Armenia from 897 to 925, and a noted chronicler and historian. He i ...

, ''A History of Armenia'' (Հովհաննես Դրասխանակերտցի, «Հայոց Պատմություն»). Yerevan State University, 1996, pp. 130-131. Esayi was besieged in his castle of Ktish, but remained victorious in 28 battles. According to the historian

Tovma Artsruni Tovma Artsruni ( hy, Թովմա Արծրունի; also known in English-language historiography as Thomas Artsruni; precise birth date and date of death unknown) was a ninth-century to tenth-century Armenian historian and author of the ''History o ...

, the Abbasid army had a strength of 200,000 men. He described Esayi's heroic resistance against Bugha al-Kabir's storming of Ktish. Mushegh Bagratuni (the son of Smbat Sparapet, who was forced to join the Abbasid army) recited a poem to this battle, comparing it with the

second coming of Christ The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messi ...

and Anon, ''History of the House of Artruni'', Yerevan 1985, pp. 297–98. The resistance of Ktish endured for more than a year. Esayi wrote to the caliph protesting against the attack and after receiving a guarantee of safe passage from him, he went to Bugha for peace talks. Bugha however treacherously captured him. In 855, Esayi Abu-Muse, along with him all the princes of Armenia who were captured by Bugha, were exiled to

Samarra Samarra ( ar, سَامَرَّاء, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The city of Samarra was founded by Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim for his Turkish professional army ...

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

Offspring

*1. Esayi Abu-Muse *1.1 Movses-Muse *1.1.1 King Gagik of Dizak *1.1.2 Princess Sophy *1.1.3 Lord Vachagan of Goroz (''Vashaqan ibn-Muse'' in Arab sources) Princess Sophy left an

inscription in the "Red Church" of Toumi, which dates back to 1000, presently preserved in the Artsakh State Museum.

References

{{reflist, 2 House of Aranshahik Monarchs of Hereti

Name and Origins

Reign

Resistance at Ktish

Offspring

See also

References