Pacification of Fars and Kerman Following his appointment, Ibn Amir’s first major objective was the final subjugation of
Fars, which remained a bastion of Sasanian resistance. The city of
Istakhr (Persepolis) served as a focal point for the uprising; after a fierce battle and subsequent siege, the city was captured. Early historical traditions, notably cited by al-Baladhuri, claim that approximately 40,000 defenders, including many members of the Sasanian high nobility, were killed during the city's fall. This victory effectively ended organized Persian resistance in the heartland of Pars and forced the last Sasanian king,
Yazdegerd III, to flee toward
Kerman. Despite the fall of the capital, other cities in the province continued to resist. Ibn Amir advanced on Gor (modern
Firuzabad), where he defeated Sasanian remnants and established a peace treaty contingent on the payment of
Jizya. Shortly thereafter, he successfully suppressed secondary revolts in Darabgerd and Persepolis, executing the leaders responsible for instigating the uprisings. To stabilize the region, he appointed new administrative officials and oversaw the establishment of early Islamic missions intended to integrate the province into the Caliphate. With the fall of Persepolis, other cities in
Fars also surrendered unconditionally. With Fars secured, Ibn Amir turned his attention to the re-conquest of Kerman. Between 651 and 652, he dispatched a force under the command of Mujashshaʿ ibn Musā al-Sulami. The province, which had revolted in the wake of Yazdegerd III’s flight, was brought back under Caliphal control with minimal resistance.
Expansion into the Eastern Frontier Conquest of Khorasan In 651, following the death of the last Sasanian Emperor
Yazdegerd III, Caliph Uthman ordered Ibn Amir to suppress widespread revolts and finalize the conquest of the eastern provinces. Ibn Amir marched from Basra with a large force and was eventually joined by a Kufan contingent that included prominent figures such as
Husayn ibn Ali and
Hasan ibn Ali. To prevent Sasanian remnants from regrouping, Ibn Amir divided his army into several columns, striking multiple targets simultaneously across
Greater Khorasan. The Muslim army captured the city of
Nishapur after a long siege, followed by the peaceful surrender of
Herat. Under his direction, generals such as
Ahnaf ibn Qais subdued
Marw al-Rudh and
Balkh by 654. After the
First Fitna, Ibn Amir was reappointed by
Mu'awiya I to quell a second major uprising centered in Herat and Balkh; during this campaign, the famous Zoroastrian temple of Nobahar was destroyed.
Campaigns in Sistan and Afghanistan Parallel to the northern push, Ibn Amir oversaw the subjugation of
Sistan (Sakastan) and the frontiers of modern-day
Afghanistan. An initial expedition led by Mujashi ibn Mas'ud suffered a heavy defeat after crossing the
Dasht-e Lut desert, forcing a retreat. In response, Ibn Amir dispatched
Rabi ibn Ziyad al-Harithi in 651. Rabi successfully captured the border town of Zaliq and the fortress of Karkuya before besieging the provincial capital,
Zaranj. The local governor,
Aparviz, surrendered after witnessing Rabi's fierce reputation and witnessing him using the bodies of fallen soldiers as a chair during negotiations. Aparviz agreed to a peace treaty involving a heavy tribute of one million
dirhams and 1,000 young slaves bearing golden vessels. Ibn Amir later sent
Abd al-Rahman ibn Samura to consolidate these gains, who pushed the frontier further east, reaching as far as
Kabul. == Death of Caliph Uthman and its aftermath ==