810, Yusuf ibn Zutt began a rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate which created semi-independent state in the Marshlands of Southern Iraq (Mesopotamian Marshes).

Isa ibn Yazid al-Juludi and Ahmad bin Qutayba would be sent by caliph Al Ma'mun to crush the rebellion, but would fail to do so.

[4] Under the tribal leader, Muhammad Ibn Uthman, rebellion continued when Kufa, Basra, Wasit, Al-Jazira and surrounding places of Baghdad came under his control.

Instead, other forces blocked off hundreds of reedy canals used by the Zutt for raids in small boats, and then methodically advanced into rebel-held territory.

After a series of successful military engagements and leveraging their control over the region's vital waterways and marshlands, the Zutts launched a assault on the city of Basra.