Arslan Basasiri was a Turkish slave-soldier (mamluk) who rose to become a military commander of the Buwayhid dynasty in Iraq.
When the Buwayhids were defeated by the Seljuks in 1055, he transferred his allegiance to the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt, in whose name he conquered Baghdad, which he ruled for almost a year.
Al-Basasiri, joined with Arab tribesmen in 1058–59 to defeat the Abbasid caliph al-Qaim in favour of the Fatimids.
Ibrahim Yinal, the brother of Sultan Tughrul, made a deal with al-Basasiri and al-Mu’ayyad in the early months of 1058, asking them to help him in overthrowing Tughrul’s reign and he would proclaim the name of the Fatimid caliph in the khutba.
Ibrahim Yinal abandoned Mosul to al-Basasiri, who still had to spend four months besieging the citadel before it surrendered. After capturing the citadel, al-Basasiri retired to Rahba. But his victory did not last. Tughrul Bey soon retook Mosul.
On 27 December 1058, Basasiri entered Baghdad with 400 mamluk cavalry accompanied by Quraysh and his 200 cavalry.
The next Friday, 1 January 1059, the Shia call to worship (adhan) was announced in western Baghdad. On 8 January, al-Basasiri crossed the Tigris and occupied eastern Baghdad. The name of the Fatimid caliph was pronounced in the Great Mosque.
Baghdad was in the last agony of violence and fanaticism due to Arslan Basasiri. He also kept the Caliph Al-Qaim as his hostage and tortured him badly.
Abbasid Caliph Al-Qaim asked for help from Sultan Tugrul to recapture Baghdad from the Buyids.
Sultan Tugrul with his large army took the Abbasid capital of Baghdad from the Buyids and Basasiri was then killed by the clerk of the Seljuk vizier al-Kunduri. His head was brought to Tughrul at Baghdad.
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