Unfertige Studien 7: Der Tod Marwāns II. und das Massaker von Mosul

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this article is to present two early examples of eye-witness-like reports found in Arabic historiography. The two events in question are the death of al-Marwān, the last Umayyad caliph, in 750 CE, and a massacre ordered or let happen by the new governor of Mosul, which took place in the same year. In the narration of the flight and killing of al-Marwān, the protection of the female family members is the main motive for al-Marwān’s actions. The Massacre of Mosul must have been a traumatic experience that endured in the collective memory, involving unprecedented atrocities against civilians. The historian al-Azdī (d. 945 CE) could base his account on the living tradition of the local families even 150 years after the event. There are reports from the perspectives both of victim and perpetrator. The prominent role of women is a characteristic feature of the narrations concerning both events. In the presentation of the texts, particular weight is given to details and nuances which communicate the emotional attitudes or the narrators towards the events and the moral lessons exemplified by them. This is the only way to recognize what could be called the “soul” of the text.