Battle of the Barges

Battle of the Barges
Part of the Zanj Rebellion
Map of lower Iraq and al-Ahwaz during the Zanj Rebellion.
Date October 24, 869 Location Shaytan canal, near Basra Result Zanj victory
Belligerents
Zanj rebels	Abbasid Caliphate Local Basran militia
Commanders and leaders
'Ali ibn Muhammad 'Ali ibn Aban Zurayq Abu al-Layth al-Isbahani Shibl ibn Salim Husayn al-Hammami	Hammad al-Saji
Strength
At least 1,500	Unknown

The Battle of the Barges or Day of the Barges (Arabic: يوم الشذا Yawm al-Shadhā)^[1] was fought on October 24, 869 near Basra. It was one of the first major engagements of the Zanj Rebellion, taking place less than two months after the outbreak of the revolt.

The battle was the culmination of several weeks of fighting between the Zanj rebels and local defenders in the villages and canals of southern Iraq. A large army of volunteers from the city of Basra that had set out to quell the Zanj was ambushed and defeated by the insurgents. Almost all of the Basran soldiers, together with a number of civilians that had accompanied them, were killed during the fighting. The battle was a major victory for the Zanj, and it forced the Abbasid government to take a more direct role in the campaign against the rebels.