, 1915 CE
Establishment during Umar's era After the Arabian hegemony and the fall of Persian Empire, and its geographic proximity to the imperial capital, Ctesiphon) at
Battle of Al-Qadisiyyah in 636, Kufa was founded and given its name in 637–638 CE, about the same time as
Basra. Kufa and Basra were the two
amsar (garrison cities) of Iraq, serving as military bases and administrative centers. The
Companion of the Prophet Saʻd ibn Abī Waqqas founded it as an encampment adjacent to the
Lakhmid Arab city of
Al-Hirah, and incorporated it as a city of seven divisions. Non-Arabs knew the city under alternate names:
Hīrah and
Aqulah, before the consolidations of
ʻAbdu l-Mālik in 691. Umar, who assigned the land of the Jews in Arabia to his warriors, ordered the relocation of the Jews of
Khaybar to a strip of land in Kufa, in 640. In the 640s, the Kufan commons were agitated that Umar's governor was distributing the spoils of war unfairly. In 642 ʻUmar summoned Saʻd to
Medina with his accusers. Despite finding Sa'd to be innocent, Umar deposed him to avert ill feelings. At first, Umar appointed
Ammar ibn Yasir and secondly Basra's first Governor
Abū Mūsā al-Ashʻarī; but the Kufan instigators accepted neither. ʻUmar and the Kufans finally agreed on
Al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʻbah. The city was built in a circular plan according to the
Partho-Sasanian architecture.
Uthman's era Governorship of Al-Walid Following Umar's death (644), his successor
Uthman replaced Mughirah with
Al-Walid ibn Uqba in 645. This happened while the Arabs were continuing their conquest of western Persia under
Uthman ibn Abi al-As from
Tawwaj, but late in the 640s, these forces suffered setbacks.
Setbacks and governorship of Abu Musa Uthman in 650 reorganised the Iranian frontier; both Basra and Kufa received new governors (
Sa'id ibn al-'As in Kufa's case), and the east came under Basra's command while north of that remained under Kufa's. The few but noticeable trouble makers in Kufa sought in 654 and had Sa'id deposed and instead showed satisfaction with the return of
Abu Musa, which Uthman approved seeking to please all. Kufa remained a source of instigations albeit from a minority. In 656 when the Egyptian instigators, in co-operation with those in Kufa, marched onto the Caliph Uthman in
Medina, Abu Musa counselled the instigators to no avail.
Ali's era Upon Uthman's assassination by rebels, governor Abu Musa attempted to restore a non-violent atmosphere in Kufa. The Muslims in Medina and elsewhere supported the right of
Ali ibn Abu Talib to the
caliphate. In order to manage the military frontiers more efficiently, Ali shifted the capital from Medina to Kufa. The people of Syria and their governor,
Muawiyah, who seized the Caliphate for himself and his family by using the confusion caused by the assassination of Caliph Uthman and being disturbed by the brutal assassination of the Caliph Uthman, demanded retribution. As Muawiyah mounted his campaign to hold Ali responsible for the murder of Uthman, factions developed. In an already emotionally charged atmosphere, Muawiyah's refusal to give allegiance to Ali as the Caliph without Ali avenging Uthman first eventually, led to war. While praying in the
Great Mosque of Kufa, Ali was attacked by the
Kharijite Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam. He was wounded by ibn Muljam's poison-coated sword while prostrating in the Fajr prayer.
Umayyad era Governorship of Ziyad Muawiyah I appointed
Ziyad ibn Abihi Al the Governor of Kufa, after
Hasan's migration to Medina, which was a peace treaty which dictated he abdicate his right to caliphate to avoid an open war among Muslims. Some of Hasan's followers, like
Hujr ibn Adi, were unhappy with the peace treaty, and did not change their ways according to the edicts of the new Governor. This became increasingly noticeable, since it created a rebellion against the ruler. However, Ziyad ibn Abihi was an equally keen strategist and politician, and was able to put down all challenges posed by the rebels against his rule.
Revolts Throughout the Umayyad era, as was the case since the inception of the city by Umar ibn Khattab, there were those among Kufa's inhabitants who were rebellious to their rulers.
Yazid I was declared as the Second
Umayyad Caliph which led to a rebellion among Kufans and they turned to
Muhammad's grandson
Husayn for help and leadership. Yazid appointed
Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad as the new Governor to put down the rebellion, and kill Husayn if he did not acknowledge his Caliphate, culminating in the
Battle of Karbala. There was a period of relative calm during the short reign of
Al-Mukhtar's rulership, and the Umayyad-era Governorship of
Al-Hajjaj.
Abbasid era '' of
Bal'ami depicting
al-Saffah as he receives
pledges of allegiance in Kufa In 749, the
Abbasids under
al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba took Kufa and made it their capital. In 762, they moved their seat to
Baghdad. Under the Umayyad and early Abbasid decades, Kufa's importance gradually shifted from caliphal politics to Islamic theory and practice. The Kufan coins were the only non-European ones in the hoard, and testify to the very wide-ranging indirect trading links which Kufa had at one time. It is estimated the hoard was buried in the beginning of the 12th century, when Kufa was already long past the peak of its fortunes, but the coins might have arrived at the far north at a much earlier time. Kufa began to come under constant attack in the 11th century and eventually shrank and lost its importance. Over the last century, the population of Kufa began to grow again. It continues to be an important pilgrimage site for
Shi'ite Muslims. ==Geography==