War, Peace and a Marriage: The Relationships between Tulunid Ruler Khumarawayh (270-282 A. H.) and the Abbasid Caliphate

This article examines the relationship between the Tulunid, an autonomous dynasty in Egypt and Syria (270-282 A. H.) and the Abbasid Caliphate that was commenced with a war and continued with peace and a marriage. When al-Muwaffaq, brother of Abbasid Caliph and the main enemy of Tulūnids, couldn’t succeed to defeat Ibn Tulun by threats and even psychological warfare, a war sparked with his son Khumārawayh. The outcome was the Abbasids failure that consequently returned the Tulunids domination over Shām(Syria) and the expansion of their territory on the Jazira (Northern Mesopotamia). By absolute authority of Khumārawayh over Shām and Jazira, the Abbasids were forced to accept the peace and affirmed their recognition of the Tulunids as legitimate rulers of the territories between the Euphrates and the Nile. Before the murder of Khumārawayh, which was the beginning of Tulunids decline, his daughter's marriage to Al-Muʿtaḍid caliph strengthened the relationship between the Tulunids and Abbasids.