emirate · Anatolia and the Levant

Emirate of Tarsus

787 CE – 965 CE (approx.) · capital Tarsus

The great frontier fortress of Cilicia, a base for holy war against Byzantium that drew volunteer fighters from across the Islamic world.

Origins

Tarsus lay abandoned in the frontier zone until the Abbasids rebuilt and garrisoned it in the late 8th century, a project completed under Harun al-Rashid. It became the chief city of the Cilician thughur, the line of fortified towns on the Byzantine border.

Rule and society

The city was governed by appointees of Baghdad and later of the Tulunids, Ikhshidids and Hamdanids, but its garrison and civic leaders acted largely independently. Volunteers came from Khurasan, Iraq and Egypt to live in ribats, fortified hostels, and join the annual raids. Commanders such as Yazaman al-Khadim and Thamal al-Dulafi led land and naval raids into Anatolia and the Aegean, and prisoner exchanges with Byzantium were held on the nearby Lamos river.

Decline and legacy

In 965 the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros II Phokas captured Tarsus after a long blockade. Its Muslim inhabitants were allowed to leave and the city was resettled with Christians, ending more than two centuries of Muslim rule in Cilicia.

Connections (3)

More states of Anatolia and the Levant →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Emirate of Tarsus. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/emirate-of-tarsus
MLA
“Emirate of Tarsus.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/emirate-of-tarsus. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Emirate of Tarsus.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/emirate-of-tarsus.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Emirate of Tarsus’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/emirate-of-tarsus (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻