And even as the Umayyads won victories on the battlefield and expanded ever further, the cohesion and unity of their empire continued to deteriorate on their
Eastern frontiers, planting the seeds of their eventual collapse. This new episode will focus on the first Muslim incursion into South Asia, as we discuss the
Sindh campaign that allowed the Arabs to gain a foothold in the subcontinent.
just say Pakistan or Sindh dude...
- Sindh was home to extensive trade networks and pirates controlled/influenced by King Dhahir
- Bin Qasim came from Iran (fars), Baluchistan through a land route
- King accepted Ssasanid loyalists into his court fleeing from the arabs in Persia which Ummiyads didn't appreciate
- A ship full of gifts for the caliph from Sri lanka were seized by Sindh-based pirates - this triggered hostility
- First incursion was through sea by a different general
- He was defeated
- Kingdom was deeply internally divided with as a result little central authority
- Caliphate's greatest asset was the internal support hey received from within the kingdom
- Tribes lived Semi autonomously
- Jutts and Meds from Baluchistan lived along the coast as traders, pirates and fishermen
- The Jutt people were repressed wearing of silk clothing banned, and banned from carrying swords for fears of a rebellion, to enforce these rules the children of Jutt clan leadership were held, hostage
- By the time MBQ was planning an attack coastal regions of Jutts and meds were in a state of turmoil/ rebellion with little central authority left
- After the first defeat, army reassembled, gathered new troops from syria, Fars and marched through land from Makran Baluchistan
- first attack on a Baloch coastal city
- Diebal was besieged, trenches dug in by MBQ and Hajaj bin Yousaf sent siege equipment through sea
- City conquered and sacked
- Jutt and meds people joined his campaign for revenge
- Sehwan attacked, Leader retreated, decided to do a night raid with thousand soldiers and some jutt people who were still loyal to sindh
- failed
- sindh west of the indus became part of caliphate
- Sehwan revolts and kicked out its arab garrison - later repressed
- Hijaj orders a retreat to thata unable to cross the indus
- from thatta crossed the indus
- in the north near nawabshah a great battle was fought, first sindhi were winning but than tide turned resulting in MBQ victroy
- Dhahirs priest kept advising him BS
- Final battle 20k dhahir, 15k MBQ
-elephants charge, initially battle favored dhahir, arab forces were pushed back, great damage but as levied/ peasantry started retreating leaving only the noble horsemen to protect dhahir resulting in MBQ victory