Considering the religious composition of the Iranian plateau in the early 9th century, and the pervasiveness of the Khurramdin movement, the great majority, if not all of the Khurramdin militants were of Zoroastrian background. Their misidentification as Mazdakis, and the popularity of the movement among people of modest social classes, supports Madelung’s argument that the Khurramdins belonged to the ‘Low Church’ of Zoroastrianism. Babak’s popularity among the Iranians prompted the Abbasids to chose an Iranian prince, Afshin as the governor of Azerbaijan. This was an attempt to legitimize their position in the eyes of the local inhabitants. Afshin held discourses on his attachment to Iran and Zoroastrianism in order to acquire the allegiance of the people. Afshin’s authority over Western Iran had for the Muslims the desired result. In 835, the battle ended disastrously for Babak’s militants with a death toll surpassing the defeat of Ustadhsis. Babak’s capture afflicted many. Those among his partisans who survived fled to Byzantium, or went into hiding. The Khurramdins manifested themselves a few other times until 913 but they were militarily exhausted and were not able to destabilize the caliphate again. They participated on the side of Byzantines in their war against the Arabs in 838; however, their leader was killed and their name disappeared from the historical annals. Babak’s defeat put a de facto end to the Iranian revolts ‘conducted in the name of the old national religion’ (Source: the Fire, the Star and the Cross).
Khuramdins and Rise of a New Resistance Front in Newly Converted Persia
