The Chaliphate - Muir - The Search For Mecca

A.D. 833-47] ARAB PLOT 517
dispersed them. The plot came prematurely to light by the A.H. 218-
talk of some drunken confederates. The Caliph disbelieved 'J^
the existence of so widespread a conspiracy, till Al-'Abbas Barbarous
himself, plied with wine, confessed to him the whole. He conspSorl.
was made over to Afshin, who, withholding water to drink,
thus killed him, and 'Ojeif met the same fate. For another,
carried into Syria, a well was dug, into which he was cast,
and the pit filled in upon him while yet alive. Thus, with
signal pains and penalties, the chief conspirators were all
destroyed. The conspiracy had, moreover, the disastrous Turkish
effect of throwing the Caliph altogether into the hands of supersede
his Turkish captains, and of gradually ousting the alienated Arabian
Arab and Persian leaders from all chief commands. Among
the Turks themselves there was but little love or loyalty
to lose; envy and hatred, greed and lust of power made the
East but the theatre of intrigue, treachery, and violence, in
which there was respect neither for life nor right. And they
who suffered most were the Caliphs themselves, who, as long
as the Court remained at Samarra, became the miserable
puppets of their Turkish generals or the helpless victims of
military outrage. About the same time Turks begin to drift
into the service of the Emperor.
.\fshln himself was soon to fall. Mazyar, the native .Vfshin's
prince of Tabaristan, withholding tribute, ravaged the south- ""^ "^j*'
east coast of the Caspian, and rebelled against 'Abdallah
ibn Tahir, now the acknowledged chief of Khorasan. Afshm
hated 'Abdallah because he had exposed his appropriation
of Babek's spoil, and he also coveted his government. He
therefore secretly encouraged Mazyar, in the hope that he
might himself be sent with a force to suppress the rising,
and so supplant 'Abdallah. But 'Abdallah was able without
help to defeat Mazyar, who, taken captive, was sent to
Samarra; and there, confronted with .\fshin, accused him
of abetting the rebellion.
Misdeeds of misappropriation were also charged against His fall,
Afshin. The attitude of the Caliph now changed towarils
him. In alarm he attempted to escape to the Caspian
shores, but failing, was arrested and cast into prison. A
court was constituted of the chief Kadi, the W'azir, and other
Courtiers. But, strange to sa\', the charge was neither for
treachery nor enibe/./deiiient. lie was arraigned for holding
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