“Moubarak ben Abd al-Muttalib”… the leader of the golden era who drove out the Persian forces from all the cities of Al-Ahwaz.
Considering Moubarak ben Abd al-Muttalib’s tenure from 1588 onwards, it’s seen as the flourishing period of the Masha’sha’i State. He dominated all territories of the State and ousted the Safavid Persian army from the entirety of Al-Ahwaz.
His reign followed the establishment of the Arab Masha’sha’i State, founded in Al-Ahwaz in 1436. The city of Al-Huweizah was the heart of his empire.
This Arab State maintained its autonomy despite the invasion attempts by Ottoman forces.
Under the Masha’sha’i rule, sovereignty spread across Al-Ahwaz and its surroundings, while the Persians had no political grip. Persia remained, during the Middle Ages, a mere geographical term.
Coins were minted in the name of the Masha’sha’i in the cities of Tostar and Desful in Al-Ahwaz in the year 914H / 1516 AD.
However, in 1501, Isma’il Safavi established the Safavid State during the Masha’sha’i rule in Al-Ahwaz. This marked a pivotal point in the history of the region, with the rise of the Safavids challenging the Ottoman might, initiating a fierce rivalry with Al-Ahwaz as one of its battlegrounds.
During this conflict, Al-Ahwaz was besieged by the Safavid Persian forces, and the northern cities of Dezful and Tostar were briefly occupied. It was in this backdrop that Moubarak ben Abd al-Muttalib ben Badran, the Masha’sha’i ruler who governed from 1588 to 1616, stood out. His rule is regarded as a golden age for his emirate, as he managed to exert control over all of Al-Ahwaz, pushing back the invading Persians and reclaiming his northern cities from them.
When the Safavids sought to capture Baghdad, they requested military aid from Mansour, the Masha’sha’i leader of that time. He declined their request. Subsequently, the Safavids faced defeat and were forced to sign a peace treaty with Murad IV, the Ottoman sultan, in 1639.
The Masha’sha’i Empire gradually expanded, encompassing vast regions of Iraq, reaching as far as Baghdad.
