Banditry and its ole in political life in the first Abbasid era (132 -232 AH/750 -847 AD)

Document Type : Original Article

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Abstract

The Abbasid society witnessed  a variety of banditry clusters and strata who emerged at various points in time. Due to political, social, and economic factors, they sprawled and congregated. Each class has a distinctive name, as well as social groups and traditions which set it apart uniquely from others where they manifested in various areas and engaged in looting and rioting against the Abbasid caliphate for the same economic, social, and political reasons and they also joined the rebellious movements and tribal fanaticism, and entered into a long conflict with the sons and grandsons of  Kharsani soldiers who received great attention from the central authority which prompted the Abbasids caliphs to seek  to polarize them and draw close to them in order to eliminate the causes of their discontent and the problem of their unemployment by involving them in the army, and consequently, they took part in the civil war between the two brothers, Al-Amin and Al-Mamoun, in a hazardous manner and in protecting the frontiers and the capital, Baghdad.
Many significant facts which demonstrate the significance of this class as well as the fact that thieves in the first Abbasid era (132 AH - 232 AH) formed a society of their own with distinct customs, organizations, and culture astound the student studying thieves and their role in political life.
The study being dealt with will lay emphasis on the function of the gangs of thieves that emerged during the first Abbasid era and their effects on political life during that period in particular.

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