Foreign Relations of the Buyids with Sultans of Oman (Banu Wajih and Zangids) During 340-362 A.H

Contemporaneous with the entry of the Buyid dynasty (334-447 A.H) into Baghdad, the Khawarij and Banu Wajih held power in Oman. Khawarij, under the rise of Jalandi ibn Masoud (132-134 A.H), had established the foundations of the first government based on a foreign religion in Oman. When the Buyids entered Baghdad, the Khawarij, who were in their third period of imamate and approaching a phase of dormancy, controlled the interior and mountainous regions such as Nizwa. Banu Wajih family (324-354 A.H), as the main rivals to the Buyids in Oman, along with the Zangids (356-362 A.H), ruled over the ports of Oman including Muscat and Sohar. Following the establishment of the Buyid state in Baghdad, hostile relations between them and the Omani sultans began with a delay of about 18 years. This was because the Buyid attack on Oman to seize control took place in 352 A.H under the order of Mu'izz al-Dawla (334-356 A.H). Although Mu'izz al-Dawla’s forces succeeded in conquering Oman in 355 A.H, the region slipped out of Buyid dominion again following his death and the lack of ministerial attention to maintain control. In 364 A.H, Adud al-Dawla (367-372 A.H), then ruler of Fars, sent an army to fight the Zangids, who had replaced Banu Wajih in Oman. A fierce battle ensued between Adud al-Dawla’s forces and the Zangids, resulting in Oman’s re-annexation to the Buyid realm. Thus, although the Buyid assault on Oman was delayed, until Bahāʾ al-Dawla (379-403 A.H) handed Oman over to Banu Mukarram family (390-448 A.H), the Buyid rulers consistently launched attacks on Oman to counter Khawarij, Banu Wajih, and Zangids. This study, employing a descriptive-analytical method based on the primary historical and geographical sources, seeks to answer the question on what factors influenced the hostile relations between the Buyids and the Omani sultans during 340-362 A.H. The research results indicate that the trade was the most significant factor shaping the antagonistic policy of the Buyids toward Banu Wajih and Zangids of Oman. Oman, located at the entrance of the Persian Gulf and along the trade routes to East Africa and East Asia, encompassed ports such as Sohar, Muscat, Julfar, Nizwa, and Jabal. Therefore, the hostile policy of the Buyids in Iraq towards Banu Wajih stemmed largely from securing the commercial safety of Basrah and the northern Persian Gulf ports like Siraf and Janabah, which faced continuous threats and attacks from Omani sultans. Basrah, being one of the most important ports of the Persian Gulf, connected Eastern and Western trade and was in competition with Omani ports, prompting Omani rulers to attempt to seize Basrah. Furthermore, Oman’s proximity to the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf enabled attacks on Fars and northern Persian Gulf trade ports such as Siniz, Siraf, and Janabah. On the other hand, due to Oman’s commercial importance and the need to control its ports, the Buyids adopted a hostile stance in their relations with the Omani sultans. Oman’s crucial role in East-West trade made it a regional commercial hub. Therefore, for the Buyid princes, who made great emphasis on commerce and trade, Oman was of high value. Medieval Islamic geographers clearly illustrate that contemporaneous with the Buyids in Iraq, the Persian Gulf’s commercial triangle consisted of Basrah, Siraf, and Oman, complementing each other in the movement of trading ships between East and West.