Abu'l-Husain Abd-Allah ibn Ahmad Utbi (; died November 982), better known as Abu'l-Husain Utbi (; also spelled Otbi), was an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

statesman from the

Utbi family The Utbi family (also spelled Otbi), was a Persian family which served the Samanid Empire. The first mentioned member of the family was Abu Ja'far Utbi, who served as the vizier of Nuh I (r. 943–954) and Mansur I (r. 961–976). Another member o ...

, who served as the

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

of the

Samanid The Samanid Empire () was a Persianate society, Persianate Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, ruled by a dynasty of Iranian peoples, Iranian ''dehqan'' origin. The empire was centred in Greater Khorasan, Khorasan and Transoxiana, at its greatest ...

ruler

Nuh II Nuh II (, r. 13 June 976–22 July 997)'' Tabaqat-i Nasiri'' by Minhaj-i-Siraj, pg. 107, Lahore Sangmil Publications 2004 was amir of the Samanids (976–997). He was the son and successor of Mansur I. Beginning and Middle of Reign Havin ...

from 977 to 982.

Biography

Nothing is known about the early life of Utbi. He was a relative of Abu Ja'far Utbi, who had served as vizier of the Samanid Empire from 956 to 959. When the young Samanid prince

ascended the Samanid throne in 976, Utbi was one year later appointed as his vizier. Utbi, along with Nuh's mother, helped him in controlling the Samanid state. Sometime around Nuh's ascension, the

Karakhanids The Kara-Khanid Khanate (; zh, t=喀喇汗國, p=Kālā Hánguó), also known as the Karakhanids, Qarakhanids, Ilek Khanids or the Afrasiabids (), was a Karluks, Karluk Turkic peoples, Turkic khanate that ruled Central Asia from the 9th to the ...

invaded and captured the upper Zarafshan Valley, where the Samanid silver mines were located. In 980 they struck again, seizing

Isfijab Sayram ( ) is a rural locality located in eastern Shymkent on the Sayram Su River, which rises at the nearby 4000-meter mountain Sayram Su. In medieval times, the city and countryside were located on the banks of the Arys River, into which the Sa ...

. Utbi, however was focused on removing

Abu'l-Hasan Simjuri Abu Al-Hasan (), also transliterated Abu'l Hasan, is an Arabic ''kunya'' ('teknonym'). It may refer to: Notable people Politics and military * Ali ibn Abi Talib (600–661), the fourth caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate * Ali ibn Musa (766� ...

, the Samanid governor of

Khorasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West and Central Asia that encompasses western and no ...

. Utbi considered Abu'l-Hasan Simjuri to be too powerful; he managed to remove him from the post in 982. He replaced him with one of his own partisans, a Turkic general called Tash. Abu'l-Hasan Simjuri fled to his appendage in

Quhistan Quhistan () or Kohistan (, "mountainous land") was a region of medieval Persia, essentially the southern part of Khurasan. Its boundaries appear to have been south of Khorasan to north, Yazd to West, Sistan to South, Afghanistan to East. Quhistan ...

, to the south of

Herat Herāt (; Dari/Pashto: هرات) is an oasis city and the third-largest city in Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Se ...

. An expedition against the

Buyids 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 ...

was mobilized in Khorasan, also in 982; it was initially successful, but the Samanid forces were subsequently crushed. A Buyid invasion of the Samanid state was prevented only by the death of 'Adud al-Daula. Utbi attempted to regroup the army, but was assassinated by representatives of Abu'l-Hasan Simjuri and Fa'iq. His death was mourned by many Samanid officers, and even sparked a revolt in the Samanid capital of

Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...

. Utbi was considered by his relatives and medieval historians, including the author of the ''

Tarikh Yamini The Tarikh i Yamini, or Kitab i Yamini, written in Arabic in an embellished, flowery rhetorical rhymed prose, is a history of the reigns of Sebuktigin and Mahmud. Written by the historian Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad al Jabbaru-l 'Utbi (or ''a ...

'', Abu Nasr Muhammad Utbi, as the last great Samanid vizier.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abul-Husain Utbi 10th-century births 982 deaths 10th-century Iranian people Samanid viziers Utbi family