Bahman JÃÂdhà «yah/JÃÂdà «yah (also JÃÂdhà ÂÃÂ/JÃÂdà ÂÃÂ; New Persian: ), or Bahman JÃÂdhawayh (Middle Persian: Vahà «man ôÃÂdaggà Âw) was an Iranian general of the Sasanians. He is mostly known to have led the Sasanians to victory against the Arabs at the Battle of the Bridge. The Arab Muslims referred to Bahman as Dhul HÃÂjib ("owner of bushy eyebrows"). He had a reputation for being anti-Arab. He is often confused with Mardanshah, another Sasanian general.
Little is known about the early life of Bahman Jaduya (Middle Persian: Vahà «man JÃÂdaggà Âw; Persian: èÃÂààìçïÃÂÃÂÃÂâÂÂ, also transliterated Bahman JÃÂdhà «yah, Bahman JÃÂdhawayh). Some sources identify him as the son of the Sasanian general Hormozd Jadhuyih. By the 630s he was described as an older commander and a leading member of the Parsig (Persian) faction at court, led by Piruz Khosrow.
During this period the Sasanian Empire was weakened by internal rivalries while facing early Arab incursions into Mesopotamia (Sawad) .
Campaigns before the Battle of the Bridge
In 633 CE the Sasanian monarch ordered Andarzaghar, commander of the eastern front in Khorasan, to defend the western frontier against Arab raids. That same year, Andarzaghar and Bahman Jaduya jointly confronted Khalid ibn al-Walid at the Battle of Walaja, but the Sasanian army was defeated. Bahman withdrew to Ctesiphon, where the young king Yazdegerd IIIâÂÂthen illâÂÂcommanded him to launch a counterattack. Instead, Bahman delegated the task to his subordinate JÃÂbÃÂn, whose independent engagement at the Battle of Ullais also ended in defeat.
Battle of the Bridge (634 CE)
When the Arab general Abu Ubaid al-Thaqafi advanced into SuwÃÂd, the chief Sasanian commander Rostam FarrokhzÃÂd sent Bahman Jaduya and Jalinus to confront him with a force drawn from the powerful WuzurgÃÂn noble class, including elite ZhayedÃÂn units and war elephants. Rostam reportedly instructed Bahman: âÂÂIf Jalinus again returns defeated, cut off his head.âÂÂ
The two armies met on the Euphrates River near Marwaha (southern Iraq). The elephants terrified the Arabsâ horses, turning the battle in favor of the Sasanians. Abu Ubaid was killed, and roughly 4 000 Arabs drowned or were slain. This engagementâÂÂknown as the Battle of the BridgeâÂÂbecame the only early major confrontation of the Arab-Sasanian wars ending in a decisive Sasanian victory. Bahman did not pursue the survivors, possibly because of unrest in Ctesiphon or logistical constraints.
Death at the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah (636 CE)
Two years later, during the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah, Bahman again commanded Sasanian forces. According to al-Tabari, he was slain in single combat by QaÿqÃÂÿ ibn ÿAmr al-Tamimi, who sought vengeance for Abu UbaidâÂÂs death at the Bridge. BahmanâÂÂs death severely demoralized the Sasanian troops and contributed to the armyâÂÂs collapse, marking a decisive stage in the Muslim conquest of Iran.
Arabic sources often refer to Bahman as Dhul-HÃÂjib (âÂÂthe one with thick eyebrowsâÂÂ), though this may represent an official court rank rather than a nickname. Medieval chroniclers such as al-Tabari and Balÿami sometimes conflated Bahman with another general, Mardanshah, who also bore the title Dhul-HÃÂjib. Modern scholars including Theodor Nöldeke consider Dhul-HÃÂjib likely to have been a Sasanian military title rather than a personal epithet.
Bahman JaduyaâÂÂs victory at the Bridge was one of the final significant triumphs of Sasanian arms before the empireâÂÂs downfall. His death at Qadisiyyah came to symbolize the decline of the Sasanian military elite. Later Persian historiography remembered him as a valiant yet tragic commander, emblematic of IranâÂÂs last stand before Islam.
al-Tabari, History of the Prophets and Kings (TaâÂÂrikh al-Rusul wa âÂÂl-Mulà «k).