Ukbara () was a medieval city in Iraq. It was located on the left bank of the Tigris between Samarra and Baghdad. The Tigris has changed course since, and its ruins now lie some distance from the river.
History
It was refounded by the Sasanian shah Shapur I under the name of Vuzurg-Shapur (3rd century CE) and settled with Roman captives. According to adh-Dhahabi, the Buwayhid Sultan Jalal ad-Dawla fled there in 1031 to escape a slave revolt.
Famous native sons include:
It is described in many Arabic geographical works, beginning with the famous 9th-century geography of Ibn Khordadhbeh, which mentions it four times, stating that:
- it was on the postal road from Samarra to Baghdad, nine stages from Samarra and six from Baghdad;
- it was on the road from Baghdad to Mosul, 9 parasangs from Baghdad (5 from the previous stop, al-Bardan, and 3 from the next, Bahimsha);
- it was on the westward road from Baghdad, 4 stages from al-Bardan (6 from Baghdad) and 7 from the next stop, Samarra.
(The seeming contradiction between points 1 and 3 is found in the text, as provided by http://www.alwaraq.com/ .)
However, the tenth-century al-Muqaddasi goes into a little more detail, saying that:
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ïÃÂÃÂé ùÃÂèñç ÃÂÃÂàÃÂèÃÂñé ùçÃÂ
ñéàÃÂëÃÂñé çÃÂÃÂÃÂçÃÂàìÃÂïé çÃÂçùÃÂçè óñÃÂé
And in front of Samarra is the town of Ukbara, which is large and populous, with abundant fruit and good grapes. (p. 42, al-Waraq online edition)
The twelfth-century geographer al-Idrisi is briefer, mentioning it twice.
The Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela (twelfth century) also mentions it, calling it "Okbara, the city which Jeconiah the King built, where there are about 10,000 Jews, and at their head are R. Chanan, R. Jabin and R. Ishmael."
The later Yaqut al-Hamawi (thirteenth century) goes into yet more detail, noting two alternate names, the "Arabized" form `Akburah and Buzurj-Sabur èòñì óçèÃÂñ, after the Persian name Vuzurg-Shapur mentioned above, calling it:
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àÃÂÃÂçÃÂàïÃÂìÃÂàÃÂñè õñÃÂÃÂÃÂàÃÂãÃÂÃÂçÃÂç èÃÂÃÂÃÂç ÃÂèÃÂàèúïçï ùôñé ÃÂñçóîàÃÂçÃÂÃÂóèé ÃÂ¥ÃÂÃÂÃÂç ùÃÂèñàÃÂùÃÂèñçÃÂÃÂàÃÂ
ÃÂÃÂç ôÃÂîÃÂç ÃÂ¥ÃÂ
çÃÂ
ùõñàÃÂ
ÃÂè çÃÂïÃÂàãèàçÃÂèÃÂçá ùèï çÃÂÃÂÃÂàèàçÃÂÃÂóÃÂàçÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂàçÃÂùÃÂèñàÃÂ
çê ÃÂàñèÃÂù çÃÂãÃÂàóÃÂé 616àÃÂÃÂñÃÂá ùÃÂàóçñÃÂé èìçÃÂ
ù ùÃÂèñç:
a little town in the area of Dujayl near Sarifin and Awana, 10 parasangs from Baghdad; its natives are called Ukbari or Ukbarawi, and include our Sheikh the Imam of his time, Muhibb ud-Din Abul-Baqa Abdallah ibn al-Husayn an-Nahwi al-Ukbari, who died in Rabi I, 616 AH.
and quotes two brief epigrams about the town.
The biographical dictionary of Ibn Khallikan (thirteenth century) calls it:
ÃÂÃÂàèÃÂÃÂïé ùÃÂàïìÃÂé ÃÂÃÂàèúïçï èùôñé ÃÂñçóî îñì ÃÂ
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çùé ÃÂ
àçÃÂùÃÂÃÂ
çá ÃÂúÃÂñÃÂÃÂ
a little town on the Tigris, 10 parasangs above Baghdad, from which a group of learned men and their like have emerged.
See also
References
Sources
- adh-Dhahabi, al-Ibar fi Khabar min al-Ghabar, al-Waraq edition, p. 193.
- al-Muqaddasi, Ahsan ut-Taqasim fi Ma`rifati l-'Aqalim, Al-Waraq edition, p. 42.
- Benjamin of Tudela, The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, translated by Macus Nathan Adler, London 1907, p. 35.
- Ibn Khallikan, Wafayat ul-'A`yan, Al-Waraq edition, p. 351.
- Ibn Khordadhbeh, al-Masalik wal-Mamalik, Al-Waraq edition, pp. 14, 21, 56, 61.
- Kohler, Kaufmann and Samuel Poznanski, Jewish Encyclopedia article on Ishmael of Akbara
- W. Schott, "Ocbara" and "Ocbari", in ed. Johann Samuel Ersch, Johann Gottfried Gruber, Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste, Leipzig 1818.
- Singer, Isidore and Broydé, Isaac, Jewish Encyclopedia article on "Meshwi al-âÂÂUkbari"
- — the Jewish Encyclopedia article "Okbara and Okbarites" is simply a cross reference to their article "Meshwi al-âÂÂUkbari".
- Yaqut al-Hamawi, Mu'jam al-Buldan, Al-Waraq edition, p. 1243
- ed. Ehsan Yarshater, The Cambridge History of Iran, vol. 3(2): The Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian Periods, NY: Cambridge UP, 1983, pp. 757âÂÂ760.
External links