არაბთა მიერ სინდის დაპყრობა (711-712)

ანოტაცია

The expansion of the Arab-Muslim world, which had begun under the RightlyGuided Caliphs, reached its zenith during the Umayyad Caliphate (661-750). The eighth century marked one of the most dynamic stages of Islamic territorial and ideological growth. In this context, the Arab conquest of Sindh in 711-712 CE represents a formative event in the creation of a new Indo-Islamic cultural and political space. According to Arabic historiographical sources, the campaign was commanded by Muhammad ibn Al-Qasim Al-Thaqafi, a seventeen-year-old general sent by the governor of Iraq, Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, under the authority of the Caliph Al-Walid I. The invasion targeted the kingdom of Sindh, then ruled by the Brahman king Dahir. The conflict was provoked by the looting of Arab merchant ships near Debal by Sindhi pirates, which gave the Caliphate both a political and religious pretext for launching a retaliatory expedition. Primary information about this conquest is preserved in the works of Ahmad ibn Jabir Al-Baladhuri (Futuh Al-Buldan), Al-Yaqubi, Al-Tabari, Ibn Al-Athir, and the later Persian translation of the Arabic Chachnama by Ali ibn Hamid Al-Kufi. However, among these, only Al-Baladhuri and Al-Kufi offer detailed narratives of the events. Modern historians, such as Wink, Hitti, Gabrieli, and Sharma, have provided critical interpretations of these classical sources. The military campaign began in 711 CE with a force of approximately 30,000 soldiers, supported by siege machines and cavalry. After fierce fighting, Ibn AlQasim captured the strategic port city of Debal, often referred to in Muslim sources as Bab Al-Islam – “the Gate of Islam”. This victory enabled the incorporation of Sindh into the Umayyad Caliphate as a province, with its capital later established at Al-Mansurah. Although the military conquest was limited geographically, its cultural and historical impact was profound. The Arabs introduced Islam into South Asia, laying the foundations for subsequent Muslim polities. This study is based primarily on the accounts of Al-Baladhuri and Ali Al-Kufi, supported by modern scholarship. The scholarly novelty of the article lies in the fact that it is the first scientific treatment of the Arab conquest of Sindh presented in Georgian historiography, combining classical Arabic narratives with modern historical criticism.