Naṣr ibn Sayyār

governor of Khorāsān
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Died:
748

Naṣr ibn Sayyār (died 748) was the governor of Khorāsān (now part of Iran) and other eastern provinces from 738 to 748, under the last of the Umayyad caliphs.

Naṣr distinguished himself by his military leadership and clever, humane diplomacy. Having led a campaign against two rebellious tribes, Naṣr was appointed governor of Khorāsān by the caliph al-Malik at the age of 74. Naṣr waged a vigorous war against his Turkish neighbours, certain dissident tribes and, at the last, the ʿAbbāsid family who later seized the caliphate. Besides al-Malik, he also served the Umayyad caliphs Hishām, al-Walīd II, and Yazīd III. He introduced the system of land taxation for Muslims and poll taxes for non-Muslims and did much to reduce Arab intertribal hostilities.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.