Caliphal Imperialism and Ḥijāzī Elites in the Second/Eighth Century

This article contributes to the debate over the effectiveness with which late Umayyad and early ʿAbbāsid caliphs negotiated their respective rights and duties with provincial elites during the second/eighth century. The focus is on the relationships that evolved between the caliphs and those elite families residing in the Ḥijāz whose ancestors had helped to establish the Muslim community and the early caliphal empire in the mid-first/seventh century. The article’s analysis centres on a series of four revolts in the Ḥijāz over the second/eighth century and examines developments in the enthusiasm with which local elites either supported or opposed those revolts. This discussion demonstrates that, aside from a brief period during the first decades of ʿAbbāsid rule, Umayyad and ʿAbbāsid caliphs during the second/eighth century were actually quite successful at inspiring loyalty among the local elites of the Ḥijāz.