Amṣar (Arabic:أمصار), refer to civilised cities and large areas in whichhouses,markets,schools and otherpublic facilities are located.[1] The plural form also sometimes referred to 'garrison towns' or structures that were established by Muslim warriors in conquered lands, in the first centuries ofIslam.[2]
In the early years of Islamic expansion, the termmisr was applied to new settlements founded by Muslim troops in conquered territories.[3] The originalSemitic meaning was "frontier" or "border", and took the meaning of "frontier outpost" when used by early Arab geographers.[3] An administrative territorial unit led by an appointee of the caliph also became known as amisr.[3] From the common noun for "garrison city",Misr became the name of Egypt's new Arab capital, and with time the entire country became known under this new Arabic name.[4] The firstmisrs were created under CaliphOmar during his reign from AD 634 to 644.[5] Many of these garrisons attracted civilians and became towns.
In the frontier area of theArabic expansion, military forts (al-amsar, pl.Arabic:أمصار, amṣār), orribat (Arabic:رباط ribāṭ, fortress) were founded. Militarily speaking, the structure and function ofamṣār are similar toancient Romancolonia.[6] Like a frontier colony, the fortress served as a base for further conquests. Arabian military forts of themisr type were frequently built in the vicinity of existing older towns. They frequently were of square format.[7]
Rather than maintaining their original purpose to serve as a military base, manyamṣār developed into urban and administrative centers. In particular, this happened in the case of theIraqi cities ofKufa andBasra, which became known as"al-miṣrān" ("the [two] forts"), but also withFustat andKairouan in North Africa.
Ibn al-Kalbi reported,Arfajah ibn Harthamah were the first who built Amsar, that accommodated the settlements of Muslim soldiers in the annexed territories permanently and also setting up the public facilities and mosques in the city.[8] Due to instruction from caliph Umar, Arfaja Al-Bariqi set up a garrison (Amsar) inMosul,[9] and was appointed Wali (governor) there,[10][11] particularly managing the revenue.[12] The area of Mosul was very sparsely populated after conquered by the Muslims. After the area was settled and a mosque was erected,Umar ordered the resettlement of the 4000 settlers toMosul. The new buildings were constructed from mud bricks, instead of reeds, a material that was popular in the region and other already populated areas were greatly expanded. AtMosul, Harthama, at the command of Umar, constructed a fort, few churches, a mosque and a locality for the Jewish population. He used it as his headquarters for the northern military operations. Utba consolidated his position in Tikrit and later advanced to Bajurmi and Shahrazour where his troops settled there. AtMosul Arfaja at the command ofUmar, constructed a fort, few churches, a mosque and a locality for the Jewish population.[13] After a short tenure of his governance, Arfajah instructed by caliph Umar to march with his 700Azd soldiers to march towards the location which will be known in the future asBasra, while delegate the governance of Mosul to al Harith ibn Hassan.[14] Arfajah and Utbah then founded the Amsar(garrison city) which named as Basra, where the military encampment in the location gradually supported with further permanent structures and growing into large settlement,[15] The Amsar built by Arfajah has feature of seven tribal complexes which can fit the 700 garrison troops,[16] and built houses of mud bricks, plaster and mud to replace the camps.[17] As the buildings stands, Arfajah along with Hudhayfah ibn Muhsin and Mujazah ibn Thawr as-Sadusi, started to fill the complex with tribes of Azd, Tamim, and tribe ofSadus ibn Shayban.[18] Arfajah then designed seven dams of adobe in Basra, two in the settlement of Al-Khuraybah, one in az-Zabuqah, two inBanu Tamim, and the last two in al-Azd tribe settlement[19]
Another earliest Amsar built wereKufa which founded bySa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, when he also instructed by caliph Umar to found new headquarters in Iraq for his army, so he moved towards a location that will known in the future as Kufa. here, he transported and dismantled walls and military structures from al-Mada'in to build new Amsar.[20] the new Amsar were formally calledJund al-Kufah with features of seven divisions of complex that outfitted the Muslim soldiers who settled in that area permanently along with their family Sa'd madeKufa as his permanent headquarters.[20]
Misr Sing. of Arabic amsar. (1) In early Islam, referred to settlements that were established by Muslim warriors in conquered lands. The term is Semitic in origin; the original meaning is "frontier" or "border." For early Arab geographers, misr was a frontier outpost. Misr also referred to an administrative territorial unit run by an appointee of the caliph. The first such misrs were Kufa and Basra. (2) The land of Egypt. ...
... Arabic term for garrison city, and so the name by which the capital of Egypt and its main Arab settlement and by extension the country as a whole became known. In Syria and Palestine the Arabs settled mainly in existing centres with a pre-Islamic Arab presence, while elsewhere they established new garrison towns (e.g.Kufa,Basra,Kairouan,Fustat). ...
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