As-Saffah

Abu al - Abbas as- Saffah, Arabic أبو العباس السفاح, DMG Abū 'l- ʿ Abbās as- Saffah, (* 722, † June 10 754 in al - Anbar ) was the first Abbasid Caliph ( 749-754 ) and the founder of this dynasty.

Abu l - Abbas was born in 722. His father Muhammad ibn Ali was a great-grandson of al - Abbas, an uncle of the Prophet Mohammed. After his older brother Ibrahim had died in captivity 749 Umayyad, Abu al - Abbas took over the leadership of the Abbasid movement and led to the revolt of Abu Muslim in Khurasan the overthrow of the Umayyad dynasty a.

After the occupation of Mesopotamia, Abu l - Abbas made ​​749 in Kufa proclaimed caliph and thus founded the Abbasid dynasty. The Umayyads were almost completely wiped out after the battle of the Great Zab ( 750). Only the prince Abd ar -Rahman managed to escape to Al -Andalus, where he was able to continue the dynasty of the Umayyads (see: Emirate of Córdoba).

The short reign of as- Saffah is characterized by the confrontation with the Aliden who had made ​​the overthrow of the Umayyad Caliph hopes on the throne. ʿ Abd ibn al - Ḥasan, the former head of the Aliden was, however, treated him with great respect. In foreign policy, the victory over the Chinese in the Battle of Talas ( 751 ) is significant, the Muslims were able to secure their conquests in Transoxiana / Central Asia. However, died as- Saffah already 754 shortly after the founding of his new residence al - Anbar on the lower Euphrates. New Caliph Abu Jafar was his brother under the name of al - Mansur came to the throne ( 754-775 ).

The nickname Ace Saffah translated means The Bloodletter. Abu l - Abbas was the nickname by the bloody murder and oppression of the Umayyad Vorgängerdynaste and his political allies. Abu l - Abbas reached the nickname on in public speaking itself.

A famous successor of Abu al - Abbas, that the Caliph Harun al-Rashid, named the precious white elephant, he let Karl transmit the Great as a gift, after the founder of the Abbasid dynasty (see the article Abul Abbas ).