Ayn Zarbah
| The author of this article is Laxman Burdak. |
Ayn Zarbah or Anazarbus (med. Ain Zarba; mod. Anavarza) was an ancient Cilician city, situated in Anatolia in modern Turkey, in the present Çukurova (or classical Aleian plain) about 15 km west of the main stream of the present Ceyhan River (or classical Pyramus river) and near its tributary the Sempas Su.
History
A lofty isolated ridge formed its acropolis. Though some of the masonry in the ruins is certainly pre-Roman, the Suda's identification of it with Cyinda, famous as a treasure city in the wars of Eumenes of Cardia, cannot be accepted in the face of Strabo's express location of Cyinda in western Cilicia.
Under the early Roman empire the place was known as Caesarea, and was the metropolis of Cilicia Secunda. Rebuilt by the emperor Justin I after an earthquake in the 6th century, it became Justinopolis (525); but the old native name persisted, and when Thoros I, king of Lesser Armenia, made it his capital early in the 12th century, it was known as Anazarva.
Its great natural strength and situation, not far from the mouth of the Sis pass, and near the great road which debouched from the Cilician Gates, made Anazarbus play a considerable part in the struggles between the Byzantine Empire and the early Muslim invaders. It had been rebuilt by Harun al-Rashid in 796, refortified at great expense by the Hamdanid Sayf al-Dawla (mid-10th century) but was then sacked by the Crusaders and returned to the Armenians. Most of the remaining fortifications including the Curtain walls and Keep date to this period and were built by the Armenians. The Mamluk Empire of Egypt finally destroyed the city in 1374.
The present wall of the lower city is of late construction. It encloses a mass of ruins conspicuous in which are a fine triumphal arch, the colonnades of two streets, a gymnasium, etc. A stadium and a theatre lie outside the walls to the south. The remains of the acropolis fortifications are very interesting, including roads and ditches hewn in the rock; but beyond ruins of two churches, a gatehouse, and a fine keep built by Thoros I There are no notable structures in the upper town. For picturesqueness the site is not equalled in Cilicia, and it is worthwhile to trace the three fine aqueducts to their sources. A necropolis on the escarpment to the south of the curtain wall can also be seen complete with signs of illegal modern excavations.
A visit in December, 2002 showed that the three aqueducts mentioned above have been nearly completely destroyed. Only small, isolated sections are left standing with the largest portion lying in a pile of rubble that stretches the length of where the aqueducts once stood. A powerful earthquake that struck the area in 1945 is thought to be responsible for the destruction.
A modest Turkish farming village lies to the southwest of the ancient city. A small outdoor museum with some of the artifacts collected in the area can be viewed for a small fee. Also nearby are some beautiful mosaics discovered in a farmers field. Inquire at the museum for a viewing.
Anazarbus/Anavarsa was one of a chain of Armenian fortifications stretching through Cilicia. Sis Castle (modern Kozan, Adana) lies to the north while Tumlu Kale (Tumlu Castle) lies to the southwest and Amouda Castle to the Southeast.
Jat History
Suppression of the Jat Rebellion under Caliph Mu'tasim
Prof. Abdul Ali[1]tells us that The eighth Abbasid Caliph Mu'tasim (ruled 833-42 AD), son of Caliph Harun al-Rashid by a Turkish slave and step-brother & Caliph
The Jats, Vol. 2: End of p.21
Mamun, was fully seized of the problem caused to the Abbasid Empire by the Jats. He made elaborate arrangements and preparations before despatching a strong contingent of force under the command of 'Ujayf Bin 'Anbasah. First, he refurbished the postal service by the relays of swift-running horses, as a result of which the news sent by 'Ujayf could reach the caliph in the capital the same day. Likewise, the commander used to get the regular military instructions and reinforcements from the capital through the same channel of postal service.[2]
When 'Ujayf at the head of the contingent comprising 5000 soldiers reached Wasit, he encamped at a village called al-Safiyah situated on the bank of an off-shoot of the Tigris river. Then he besieged the Jats on all sides by sending troops in all possible hideouts of them, about which he had gathered intelligence in advance. Having done all that, he launched the decisive attack, in which 300 Jats were killed and 500 arrested, all of whom were beheaded. Finding no outlet of escape, the Jats led by their leader Muhammad Bin 'Uthman and their commander Samlaq surrendered and appealed for amnesty which was granted. An idea of the formidable force mustered by the Jats may be had from the fact that it took the mighty Abbasid army under the command of 'Ujayf as many as nine months to finally break their power -and- defeat them.[3] When they surrendered in the month of Dhul in1ih 219 AH/840 AD, they numbered about 27000, out of whom 12000 were fighting soldiers and the remaining were old men, women and children.[4]
All the captured Jats were ship-loaded and brought to Baghdad for Caliph Mu'tasim to have look at them. Then they were transported and settled at 'Ayn Zarbah where some Jats had already been rehabilitated in the time of the Umayyad Caliph, Hisham in Abdul Mafik. It is said that when the Romans attacked the Muslim territories in Asia Minor under Caliph Mutawakkil (847-61 AD), they made all the Jats including their women and children captives and went- away with them. It has also been reported that they were killed to the last by the Romans.51 And with that history Jats as a separate, distinct Indian tribe in West Asia Came to an end. As regards the remaining Jats settled in different parts of West Asia, they continued to live and prosper. They were not at all affected by the sad plight of their rebellious brethren of Iraq. But in the course of time they became so thoroughly assimilated and dissolved in Arab-Muslim culture that now it is difficult to delineate their history as a distinct Indian tribe.
The Jats, Vol. 2: End of p.22
External links
References
- ↑ The Jats, Vol. 2: Socio-Political and Military Role of Jats in West Asia as Gleaned from Arabic Sources, p.21-22
- ↑ Tarikh al-Tabari, Op. cit., Vol. IX, p. 8.
- ↑ Tarikh al-Tabari, Op. cit., Vol. IX, p. 9-10
- ↑ Tarikh al-Tabari, Op. cit., Vol. IX, p. 10.
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