(1/2) الفتح الإسلامي لما وراء النهر
After Nahavand's victory in 642, the Muslim armies moved east to Khorasan and Sistan, the ancient city of Merv fell to Abdallah ibn Amir in 651. During the decade, the only military actions can be summarized as raids to pick up loot. A first expedition led by Ahnaf ibn Qays in 652, is countered by the troops of the Thorkarian peoples. A second led by al-Aqra ibn Habis allows the taking of Afghanistan's current city like Balkh and Faryab. But the first fitna allows the uprising of conquered peoples and even the loss of khorassan. After the civil war, Abdallah ibn Amir restored control of the region. We must wait for the appointment of Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan as governor of Iraq to launch a real campaign of pacification. He even installed in 50000 Arabs of southern Iraq in 671 in Merv thus creating a solid base for future conquests. When he died, his son Ubayd Allah became governor in 673. The following year he crossed the Amudarya River and invaded the principality of Bukhara. When Sa'id ibn Uthman became governor in 676 he launched a large campaign in Sogdiana. He reaffirms sovereignty over the cities already conquered and even takes Semerkand. However the second fitna (683-692) will make lose the Caliphate territories located on the other side of the river. The following governors will attempt a reconquest but will be repelled by the transoxian princes. But these will remain disunited what the Caliphate will exploit after 705 ...
