Mansur ibn al-Mahdi

Mansur ibn al-Mahdi was an Abbasid prince, son of Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi, brother of caliph al-Hadi and Harun al-Rashid. Mansur was governor of Syria during his nephew caliph al-Amin's reign.

Life Mansur was the son of al-Mahdi and his mother was al-Bahtariyah, the noble-born daughter of the Persian rebel, Masmughan of Damavand, against whom Mahdi was first sent to Khurasan. Her mother was Bakand, the daughter of Isbahbadh, Farrukhan the Little. She had a sister named Smyr. She bore al-Mahdi a son named for his grandfather, Mansur, and two daughters, Sulaimah and Aliyah.

His father, nominated his two elder sons; Musa al-Hadi and Harun al-Rashid as heirs. Mansur maintains good relations with all his siblings.

Mansur was appointed as governor of Syria in 809. He remained in office until al-Amin reappointed Sulayman to govern Syria around 809–810 in response to unrest in Damascus emanating from the theft of a prized crystal pitcher from the Umayyad Mosque by the incumbent governor, Sulayman's nephew Mansur. The outrage of the Damascenes prompted them to refuse prayer under Abbasid leadership.

After his dismissal from the office, Mansur returned to Baghdad in 810.

Siblings Mansur was contemporary and related to several Abbasid caliphs, princes and princesses. He had total ten half-siblings and he had two full sisters named Aliyah and Sulaimah.