Abu Ja'far Muhammad, better known by his regnal title al-Muntasir bi-llah was the caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 861 to 862, during the "Anarchy at Samarra". The power struggle between al-Muntasir and his brother, al-Mu'tazz, backed by different factions, climaxed with the Turkic leaders plotting the murder of his father al-Mutawakkil. Following the assassination in 861, al-Muntasir assumed the caliphate with Turkic support.
Dirham of al-Muntasir minted in Samarra in 862
The tomb of al-Muntasir near Samarra in Iraq; this is also the resting place of his grandfather al-Mu'tasim and his brother al-Mu'tazz
The Anarchy at Samarra was a period of extreme internal instability from 861 to 870 in the history of the Abbasid Caliphate, marked by the violent succession of four caliphs, who became puppets in the hands of powerful rival military groups.
Harem wall painting fragments from 9th-century Samarra
Silver dirham of al-Muntasir
Gold dinar of Caliph al-Mu'tamid (r.870—892), minted in c. 884/5, with the names of Commander in chief al-Muwaffaq and the Vizier Sa'id ibn Makhlad (Dhu'l-Wizaratayn), The Zanj Rebellion was active during al-Mu'tamid's reign from 870s until c. 883