Monthly Archives: October 2021

Crossing into Spain, 711-5

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Ruth

The Iberian Peninsula has a wide coastal plain facing the Atlantic Ocean sloping up to central plateau and some mountains. To the north, it’s very mountainous. Three major river systems come out of the central hills, draining into the Atlantic. … Continue reading →

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Gypsies from Sind?

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Ruth

Hugh Kennedy in Great Arab Conquests says that there’s one more ethnic footnote to the Muslim conquest of Sind. It may be the origin of some of Europe’s gypsies. The Zutt tribesmen, who joined Muhammad ibn Qasim’s upriver invasion, also … Continue reading →

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Buddhists and Hindus, 710-5

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Ruth

In 710, the Umayyad governor of Iraq, al-Hajjaj, heard that some Muslim women had been captured by pirates in Sind (modern Pakistan). He sent word to its Brahman Hindu king demanding their release, but when the king disavowed any control … Continue reading →

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Across the Oxus River, 705-750

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Ruth

Hugh Kennedy in his book The Great Arab Conquests notes that it’s at this point that we start to have real contemporary history that we can trust. Two Abbasid-era historians collected everything they could find from this wave of invasion, … Continue reading →

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