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At the height of the Abbasid Empire, thousands of East Africans, known as Zanj, were transported as slaves to work in the salt marshes near the town of Basra, in what is now southern Iraq. Led by Ali ibn Muhammad, the exploited Zanj—free and enslaved alike—rebelled in 869 CE. They successfully raided towns and villages and even expanded north and established a capital. It took 15 years for the Abbasids to suppress the revolt, in part because they were also struggling with what other group? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary