Sunday, December 28, 2008

Fadl I

Al-Fadhl ibn Muhammad al-Shaddadi (also al-Fadl ibn Muhammad, Fadl ibn Muhammad, Fadlun ibn Muhammad, Fadhlun ibn Muhammad, or Fadl I was the Shaddadid emir of Arran from 985-1031. Of mixed Kurdish and Armenian ancestry, al-Fadhl was called "Fadhlun the Kurd" by ibn al-Athir and other Arabic historians. Al-Fadhl was the first Shaddadid emir to issue coinage, locating his mint first at Partav (Barda'a) and was later transferred to Ganja.

According to ibn al-Athir, al-Fadhl led an expedition against the Khazars around 1030 but was ambushed and had to flee. The Khazars reportedly killed 10,000 of his soldiers. Since the Khazar Khaganate had been destroyed in 969, it is unclear whether these Khazars were from a successor state or kingdom located in the Caucasus, were subjects of a Kipchak or Pecheneg ruler, or whether ibn al-Athir was mistaken or was using "Khazars" as a generic term for steppe people.

Al-Fadhl died in 1031 and was succeeded by Abu'l-Fath Musa.

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