The rule of al-Mu’tassim and al-Mutawakkil, the brother and nephew of al-Ma’mun, were the last periods of this great period of flourishing in the Abbasid caliphate. The political discontent that had started from the struggle of al-Amin and al-Ma’umun had escalated to a full-fledged power grab by the Turkic, Persian, and Arab commanders at the court. The highly militarized, and factional, caliphal court allowed for the rise of autonomous movements all around the Caliphate. In Egypt and Syria, a dynasty of Central Asian commanders declared virtual independence, while even Mosul, a short distance to the north of Baghdad, was coming under the rule of local dynasties and warlords. The eastern territories, the scions of Abbasid support but also increasingly autonomous regions due to their powerful military structure, also started their own struggles for autonomy and independence. It was out of these struggles that local dynasties such as the Tahirids or the Saffarids managed to carve their own spheres of influence, and eventually independence (Source: Iranologie).
Abbasid Caliphate: Amin and Mamun Race for Power
