The Battle of the Barges or Day of the Barges ( ) was fought on October 24, 869 near Basra. It was one of the first major engagements of the Zanj Rebellion, taking place less than two months after the outbreak of the revolt.
The battle was the culmination of several weeks of fighting between the Zanj rebels and local defenders in the villages and canals of southern Iraq. A large army of volunteers from the city of Basra that had set out to quell the Zanj was ambushed and defeated by the insurgents. Almost all of the Basran soldiers, together with a number of civilians that had accompanied them, were killed during the fighting. The battle was a major victory for the Zanj, and it forced the Abbasid government to take a more direct role in the campaign against the rebels.
Background
The Zanj Rebellion had begun in early September 869, in the region of southern Iraq. It was led by one 'Ali ibn Muhammad, who had previously led failed attempts against the government in al-Bahrayn and Basra. 'Ali was able to quickly gather a major following, especially among the black slaves who had been employed to cultivate the lands in the area of the modern Shatt al-Arab. Soon after the proclamation of the rebellion, the Zanj spread out among the districts of the lower Tigris and Karun rivers and advanced against several of the villages in the region. Some villages secured agreements with the Zanj; others resisted and were attacked and plundered as a result.
In the early stages of the rebellion, the defense of the towns of lower Iraq was largely handled by provincial garrisons, local volunteers and slaves, with the central government in Samarra initially contributing little or no troops to stop the Zanj. Militia groups composed of men from Basra, al-Ubullah and other towns were soon organized, and set off to fight off the Zanj in an attempt to protect their communities and property. Over the course of late September and early October, these groups engaged the Zanj in several battles, but they were usually defeated by the rebels. At the same time, 'Ali ibn Muhammad's forces continued to grow, and soon numbered in the thousands.
Zanj advance toward Basra
By mid-October, the rebels had gathered sufficient strength to attempt an advance on Basra. Approaching the city from the southeast, the Zanj soon encountered two regiments consisting of soldiers, Arab tribesmen and men from the factions of Basra. 'Ali ibn Muhammad divided his forces, sending 'Ali ibn Aban with a large contingent to fight the first group near the Riyahi canal, while Muhammad ibn Salm was dispatched to fight the second regiment at the village of al-Ja'fariyyah. Both 'Ali ibn Aban and Muhammad ibn Salm engaged the enemy troops and emerged victorious; they forced the government loyalists to retreat and inflicted numerous casualties on them.
'Ali ibn Muhammad and the Zanj next advanced to the salt flats near al-Ja'fariyyah. On the morning of October 22 he gathered his followers and warned them not to make a premature attack on Basra. Despite this, several of his men enthusiastically pressed on ahead, but they were met by a large group of Basrans. Upon receiving this news, 'Ali sent reinforcements and set up camp near them. The Basran army then attacked the Zanj, and after some heavy fighting inflicted a severe defeat upon them. Many Zanj, including several commanders, were killed and the rest were forced to flee. Cut off from his men, 'Ali ibn Muhammad was unable to reestablish order and only narrowly avoided being killed himself.
Following the rout, 'Ali ibn Muhammad retreated to a place called al-Mu'alla on the Shaytan canal. There he took a headcount and discovered that only five hundred of his men had returned; the rest had fled. He stayed at al-Mu'alla overnight, and in the following morning he inspected the troops again, finding that a thousand more men had returned during the night. After reprimanding one of the men who had failed to immediately return to the camp, he dispatched Muhammad ibn Salm to speak to the Basrans and attempt to garner support among them. This proved to be unsuccessful; when Muhammad began to speak to the hostile Basran crowd, the latter immediately attacked and killed him.