Abu Taghlib

Who is Abu Taghlib?

Fadl Allah Abu Taghlib al-Ghadanfar ʿUddat al-Dawla, usually known simply by his kunya as Abu Taghlib, was the third Hamdanid ruler of the Emirate of Mosul, encompassing most of the Jazira.

His reign was troubled, being marked by conflicts with some of his brothers, antagonism with the various branches of the Buyids for influence in Baghdad, and attacks by the Byzantine Empire under John I Tzimiskes. His relations with the Buyid emir of Iraq, 'Izz al-Dawla Bakhtiyar, were initially hostile, but the two later concluded an alliance. In 978, the Jazira was occupied by the Buyids of Shiraz under 'Adud al-Dawla, and he fled to the Fatimid-controlled parts of Syria, where he tried to secure the governorship of Damascus, and became involved in local rivalries which resulted in his defeat in battle and execution on 29 August 979.