Abu Ja'far al-Hajjaj ibn Ustadh Hurmuz was a

Buyid The Buyid dynasty or Buyid Empire was a Zaydi and later Twelver Shi'a dynasty of Daylamite origin. Founded by Imad al-Dawla, they mainly ruled over central and southern Iran and Iraq from 934 to 1062. Coupled with the rise of other Iranian dyna ...

general and governor. Hajjaj's father had served the Buyid emir

Adud al-Dawla Fannā (Panāh) Khusraw (), better known by his laqab of ʿAḍud al-Dawla (; 24 September 936 – 26 March 983) was an emir of the Buyid dynasty, ruling from 949 to 983. At the height of his power, he ruled an empire stretching from Makran ...

as a high official, while his brother

Hasan Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scotti ...

initially served Adud al-Dawla's son

Samsam al-Dawla Abu Kalijar Marzuban, also known as Samsam al-Dawla (; c. 963 – December 998) was the Buyid amir of Iraq (983–987), as well as Fars and Kerman (988 or 989 – 998). He was the second son of 'Adud al-Dawla. The Abbasids recognized his success ...

. Hajjaj himself entered the service of

Baha al-Dawla Abu Nasr Firuz Kharshadh (; died December 22, 1012), better known by his ''laqab'' of Baha al-Dawla () was the Buyid amir of Iraq (988–1012), along with Fars and Kerman (998–1012). His early reign was dominated by struggles with his rival rel ...

, another son of Adud al-Dawla. In 991/2 he led an army to defeat the

Uqaylids The Uqaylid dynasty () was a Shia Arab dynasty with several lines that ruled in various parts of Al-Jazira, northern Syria and Iraq in the late tenth and eleventh centuries. The main line, centered in Mosul, ruled from 990 to 1096. History Ri ...

, becoming governor of

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

in the aftermath, until he was evicted by the Uqaylid

al-Muqallad ibn al-Musayyab Abu Hassan al-Muqallad ibn al-Musayyab (), known with the honorific Husam al-Dawla (), was an Uqaylid chieftain. He succeeded his older brother, Muhammad, as ruler of Mosul, succeeding in expelling the Buyid governor from the city. His attempts to ...

in 996. Thereafter Hajjaj was appointed as governor of

Khuzistan Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...

, but his rule was marked by such arbitrariness that Baha al-Dawla replaced him in April/May 1001 by his brother, Hasan. Baha al-Dawla then appointed him as and governor of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

, and charged him with the city's defence against an Uqaylid– Asadid alliance advancing on it under the command of

Qirwash ibn al-Muqallad Qirwash ibn al-Muqallad (), also known by the honorific Muʿtamid al-Dawla (), was the third Uqaylid emir of Mosul, and ruler of other towns in Iraq, from 1001 to 1050. An ambitious ruler, like the other petty rulers of the region he was engaged i ...

. With the assistance of the

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

tribe of Banu Khafaja and the Kurdish

Annazids The Annazids or Banu Annaz, Ayyarids, Banu Ayyar (990/991–late 12th century) was a Kurdish Sunni Muslim dynasty which ruled an oscillating territory on the present-day frontier between Iran and Iraq for about 130 years. The Annazids were relat ...

, Hajjaj managed to rout the allies at Baziqiya. The allied army divided, and the tribes were then defeated individually. In October 1002, Hajjaj was again succeeded as governor of Baghdad by his brother, Hasan. This angered Hajjaj, who defected with his followers to the Kurdish ruler

Badr ibn Hasanwayh Badr ibn Hasanwayh was the second ruler of the Hasanwayhids from 979 to 1014. He was the son and successor of Hasanwayh (). Biography During the civil war between the two Buyid brothers Adud al-Dawla () and Izz al-Dawla (), Hasanwayh had sup ...

, and marched with him to lay siege to Baghdad in summer 1004. When the Buyids defeated Badr's ally Abu'l-Abbas ibn Wasil, who had seized control of

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

, Badr gave up the attack on Baghdad and withdrew north. Hajjaj then reconciled with Baha al-Dawla. He died in October/November 1009 at

Ahwaz Ahvaz (; ) is a city in the Central District of Ahvaz County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is home to Persians, Arabs and other groups such as Qashqai and Kurds. Languages spok ...

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hajjaj 10th-century births 1009 deaths Buyid generals Buyid governors Emirs of Mosul 10th century in Iraq 11th century in Iraq Year of birth unknown