Bishr ibn Marwan

Bishr ibn Marwan
Umayyad governor of Kufa
In office 690/91–694
Monarch	Abd al-Malik
Preceded by	Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr (non-Umayyad)
Succeeded by	Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf
Umayyad governor of Basra
In office 692/93–694
Monarch	Abd al-Malik
Preceded by	Khalid ibn Abd Allah ibn Asid
Succeeded by	Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf
Personal details
Born	Circa 650s
Died	694 (aged mid-40s) Basra
Parents	Marwan I (father) Qutayya bint Bishr (mother)

Abū Marwān Bishr ibn Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam (died 694) was an Umayyad prince and governor of Iraq during the reign of his brother, Caliph Abd al-Malik. Bishr fought at Marj Rahit with his father, Caliph Marwan I (r. 684–685). The latter later posted Bishr to Egypt to keep his brother Abd al-Aziz company. In 690/91, Bishr was made governor of Kufa and about one year later, Basra was added to his governorship, giving him full control of Iraq.

During his governorship of Iraq, Bishr was known to be highly accessible and relatively merciful. Fond of poetry, he had many Arab poets, including Jarir, al-Farazdaq and al-Ra'i, in his entourage and was elegized in many panegyrics. He eliminated the remaining partisans of Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr in Basra and was officially in command of the war effort against Kharijite rebels in the province. However, he was forced to hand over command of the Iraqi army to al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra. He died in office of an unknown illness and was buried in Basra.

Bishr's father was Marwan ibn al-Hakam of the Banu Umayya and his mother was Qutayya bint Bishr of the aristocratic clan of the Banu Kilab, the Banu Ja'far. Bishr killed a chieftain of the Banu Kilab during the Battle of Marj Rahit in 684. The Umayyad victory at Marj Rahit consolidated Marwan ibn al-Hakam's Syria-based caliphate.

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