Battle of Bukhara (709)
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changes Bukhara was captured by the Umayyads
| Battle of Bukhara (709) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Muslim conquest of Transoxiana | |||||||||
 Transoxiana in 8th century | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Umayyad Caliphate |
Sogdian city-states Gokturk Khaganate | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Qutayba ibn Muslim Waki' bin Hassan al-Tamimi | Unknown | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Heavy | ||||||||
The Battle of Bukhara was a military engagement between the Umayyads and the Sogdian-Turkish alliance in 709. The battle ended in Umayyad victory and the conquest of Bukhara.
In 706, the Umayyad general Qutayba ibn Muslim led the conquest of Transoxinia. He crossed the Oxus River and besieged Paykend. The Umayyads successfully occupied it.[1] Qutayba then led his armies for the conquest of Bukhara. The Umayyads launched two campaigns in 707 and 708, but both of them ended in failure. He was resisted by a local Bukharan ruler called Wardan-Khuda. The failure of the two campaigns led the Umayyad governor of Iraq, Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, to rebuke Qutayba for his failures. In 709, Qutayba once again marched to Bukhara, this time motivated by the death of Wardan Khuda.[2]
Battle
When the Umayyads reached Bukhara, the inhabitants of Bukhara called for help from other Sogdians and Turks. An army of Sogdian-Turkish arrived for help and engaged the Muslims in battle. The Umayyads charged against them; however, they were repelled and forced to retreat to the camp. The Sogdian-Turkish army managed to enter and rampage the Muslims' camp. According to one story, the women in the camp began fighting back by hitting the faces of the horses, which led the soldiers to rally and repel the enemy, but this account could be false.[3][4]
The fighting continued. The Turks were stationed on a hill on the other side of the river. The Umayyads were reluctant to cross the river and meet them. Qutayba began encouraging his men to fight. The chief of the Banu Tamim tribe, Waki' bin Hassan al-Tamimi, took the standard and began crossing the river. He began encouraging the cavalry commander to cross. Initially refusing, he began crossing the river. He led the cavalry up the hill. The infantry followed them. The cavalry attacked the Turks from the wings; the infantry charged and drove the Turks from the hill.[5]
After this victory, the Muslims occupied Bukhara for the first time. The inhabitants made peace with the Muslims and allowed a Muslim garrison to reside in the citadel. The Umayyads restored Tugh-shada, son of Khatun of Bukhara, as the ruler of the city.[6]