Babak, Mazyar, Afshin

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Babak, Mazyar, Afshin

          ï¿½ Dear Iranian friends

          ï¿½ I have tried here to give a summery of the events and not get into details.
          ï¿½ The events surrounding these three man are very interesting. When it comes to Afshin, I dont know, but it gives me a
          ï¿½ mix feeling reading him, it seems that we havent been told the whole truth about him. Nevertheless his acts (according
          ï¿½ to what we have today) do not put him in the same category as Babak and Mazyar.
          ï¿½ These three man entered the history together and left it together with the difference of few years.

          ï¿½ Babak Khorramdin ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ í“‘ï¿½ was born in Khorram, a village near Ardebil. He started a movement in Azarbayijan with
          ï¿½ the name "Khorram dinian", which their ideology was based on Mazdak and his thinking. His followers used to wear red shirt
          ï¿½ thats why they were called "soorkh jAmegAn" or "khoram diniyan". In year 210 Arab, Babak started the uprising against Arab
          ï¿½ caliphs and during the next 20 years he defeated many great Arab commanders sent by Maemon ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ and Moetasam ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½
          ï¿½ the Abbassi caliphs.
          ï¿½ During Moetasam rule, caliph get tired of Babaks successes and sent Abu Said to rebuild the roads and fortresses to
          ï¿½ prevent Babak to get more power. That helped, because Babak's tactic was to attack each Arab army before they get settle
          ï¿½ down. By building the roads and fortresses they had more protection this time and Babak in those first attacks lost a lot
          ï¿½ of soliders.

          ï¿½ At this time Afshin was living in court of caliph as one of his army commanders. His plan was to take over the northern
          ï¿½ part of Iran (Azarbijan, Tabarestan, Gilan and Khorasan) and then get ride of Arab invaders. He wanted to accomplish this
          ï¿½ task with the help of Babak and Mazyar.

          ï¿½ Mazyar was son of Gharen ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ , son of Vandad Hourmoz ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ . Mazyar came to power year 201
          ï¿½ during caliph Maemon. His goal was to free Iran from Arab invaders and renovate the white faith(as to opposite to black faith,
          ï¿½ Islam. This is the terms used by scholars and historian). He had direct contact with Babak from the day he came to power.
          ï¿½ Mazyar have had build a wall from Gilan to Gorgan. On that wall were many passages (Band) in certain places that people could
          ï¿½ pass through.
          ï¿½ So, Afshin was working from inside and Babak and Mazyar from outside, they also had some communication with Rome to put
          ï¿½ more pressure on Arabs. Afshin was in constant contact with Babak and Mazyar, it seems that the person who was taking
          ï¿½ care of his correspondence with the other two, was also reporting it to Moetasam. We dont know if Moetasam knew about
          ï¿½ their correspondence(at that time), nevertheless he sent Afshin with a large army to bring in Babak. According to Tabari,
          ï¿½ Afshin did not seem to be keen to arrest Babak and was just wasting time, from what I read about the details of Babak
          ï¿½ and Afshin's battles, I have to agree, because they were going around each other a lot, Babak knew always about Afshin's
          ï¿½ plan and so on.
          ï¿½ Any way, Babak was invited by Sahl Sambat ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ to his fortress and there he cheated Babak and arrested him and turn
          ï¿½ him over to Afshin. Babak's brother was also taken in the same way in another fortress while he was trying to gather soliders.
          ï¿½ In the year 223 Afshin took Babak and his brother to Samaria(SAmereh) to Moetasam. MoetAsam ordered to cut his hands and
          ï¿½ feet one by one and then cut his head of and let his body to be hanged outside of the city for people to watch. They say,
          ï¿½ when they cut of Babak's first hand, he put some blood with his other hand on his face. When they asked why he did that,
          ï¿½ he replayed:
          ï¿½ I dont want people to mistake my pale face as a sign of cowardice.

          ï¿½ At that time the ruler of Khorasan was a man by the name of Abdullah-Ibn-Taher, he was not happy with the treatment moslems
          ï¿½ were getting in Mazyar's territory, on the other hand Afshin was planing to take Taher's position as ruler of Khorasan,
          ï¿½ so Afshin wrote to Mazyar and encouraged him to stop paying the taxes. The deal was that Mazyar should send the taxes to
          ï¿½ Taher in Khorasan but he have had refused to do that for sometimes and sent the taxes directly to Samaria to Moetasam and
          ï¿½ Moetasam then sent them to Taher. Now, Mazyar stopped sending the taxes all together and with what had happened to Babak he
          ï¿½ prepared for war.
          ï¿½ Moetasam wrote to Taher and told him to move with his army to Tabarestan and arrest Mazyar. Afshin also informed Mazyar of
          ï¿½ this event and hoped himself that if Mazyar could defeat Taher or at least discredit Taher, Moetasam would send him(Afshin)
          ï¿½ to Tabarestan with troops, money or maybe a new position as the ruler of Khorasan.

          ï¿½ The end of Mazyar is full of betrayal and deception. Moetasam sent three different army from three different direction to
          ï¿½ surround Mazyar, one army sent to Shervin mountain, one to Damavands mountains and one to Roodbar and Rooyan and Taher's
          ï¿½ army from Gorgan (look at the map).

          ï¿½ Mazyar had also placed a part of his army under command of Sarkhastan in Tamishe(near Gorgan). Sarkhastan repaired the
          ï¿½ remaining wall (from Sassanid time) which went into the sea and added a long ditch to it. It happened that some soliders
          ï¿½ on one part of the wall opened the doors for the Taher's soldiers and thats was the end of Sarkhestan and his army.
          ï¿½ The last betrayal came from Mazyar's own brother (Kohyar) who convinced him that, he(Kohyar) can take him to Hassan one of
          ï¿½ the Taher's commander and then he could help him to save his life. Kohyar was killed shortly after by Mazyar's Daylami
          ï¿½ friends for this betrayal.

          ï¿½ Mazyar was taken to Samaria and suffered the same death (year 225) as Babak did. Afshin was also arrested at the same time
          ï¿½ of Mazyar's arrival for his secret connection with Babak and Mazyar and died in jail in year 226.

          ï¿½ And then for the first time Arabs directly controled Tabarestan and Gilan.

          ï¿½ Yazdgerd III

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