Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

Translated from Syriac

by E. A. Wallis Budge

(London, 1932)

This work is presented solely for non-commercial educational/research purposes.
Preface

The Patriarchs from Adam to Moses. I.
The Judges from Joshua to Samuel. I.
The Kings of the Hebrews. III.

The Chaldean (Babylonian) Kings. IV.
The Kings of the Medes. V.

The Kings of the Persians. VI.

The First Kingdom of the Greeks. VII.
The Roman Emperors. VII.

The Second Kingdom of the Greeks. IX.

The Kings of the Arabs. X.

The Kingdom of the Saljuks in Persia.

The History of the Crusades.

The Taking of Edessa from the Franks.

The Kingdom of the Mughlaye (Mongols), who are the Tataraye (Tartars).
The Sons of Chingiz Khan.

The Laws of Chingiz Khan.

How the Mongols Cleaved to the Worship of Images.

The Cause of the Enmity between the Mongols and the Persians.
The Capture of Constantinople by the Franks.

The Capture of Samarkand by the Tatars.

The Capture of Khawarazm the Tatars.

The Murder of Amin ad-Dawlah Taoma.

The Death of Chingiz Khan.

The Enthronment of a Mongol Khan [Ogedei].

The Kingdom of Badr ad-Din Lulu.

The Enthronement of Ghoyuk [Guyuk] Khan

The Enthronement of Munga [Mongke]_Khan
The Capture of Baghdad

The Kings of the Huns. XI.

The Enthronement of Kublai [Qubilai] Khan.

'Abaka [Abagha/Abaqa], the Successor of Hulabu (Hulegu).
The Capture of Antioch.

Takudar [Teguder] 'Ahmad

[The history of the last ten years in the Chronography was not written by Bar Hebraeus, who died in 1286;
the writer was probably his brother, Bar Sawma Safi.|

The pagination of the present edition is that of Paul Bedjan's Syriac text, which Budge indicates in
brackets within his English translation.

Chronological tables are available on another page of this site:Chronological Tables.
Maps of the ancient and medieval world are available on the Maps Page

HTML formatting by Robert Bedrosian, 2009.

Historical Sources Page
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Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

[1] The Book of the Chronicle of the Generations [of Kings]

WE, invoking the help of the Holy Trinity, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, One veritable God, begin to
write the 'Book of the Chronicle of the Generations [of Kings]' which was composed by MAR GREGORY,
the Maphrian, the Light of the East and of the West, who is ABU'L-FARAJ, the son of AARON, the
physician, who [came] from the city of MELITENE, who is commonly called 'BAR 'EBHRAYA' (1.e. 'the son
of the Hebrew’).

Firstly. The Preface

GOD, help my feebleness!

Blessed be Thou, Lord, and Lord of the Universe, the BEGINNING and the END;

Thou art the First, and Thou art the Last. With Thee every course of action is prepared, and unto Thee all
praise is rightfully due;

And to the Son, the Word, the strength of Thy wisdom,

And to the Holy Spirit, the Life of Thy Being,

From everlasting, and now, and for ever.

And as this our rational being was created so that it might know righteousness, so that it might glorify it, and
goodness that it might find it; and as knowledge in the first place becometh rich through thoughts of a
theoretical nature, and it in the second place profiteth through practical (i.e, actual) hearings, the calling to
remembrance of the things, both good and bad, which have happened in each and every generation conferreth
no small benefit on all those who care greatly to acquire what is good, and who take pains to hate what is bad,
and it urgeth a man to demonstrate pointedly the things which are excellent related thereby, and inciteth him
to reject the disgraceful happenings which it narrateth.

For a period of eighty years none of our people have given any thought to this object, and to the doings of
this none of our people has devoted himself thereto (that is to say, from the time of the blessed old man
MICHAEL, the deceased Patriarch, who compiled that great threefold historical chronography), and to the
[information] afforded by the old and antiquated historical chronographies of EUSEBIUS, I mean him of
CAESAREA, and SOCRATES, the scholastic, and ZACHARIAH, the rhetorician, and JOHN of ASIA, and
DIONYSIUS of TALL MAHRE, together with what he himself quickened. It hath [2] seemed to me that a
similar breach and a gap which inviteth [filling] existeth in respect of us and our people, and that the famous
events in the affairs of the world, and also in those of the Church which have happened in the period which
precedeth us which will fall into oblivion and be no longer found in our own times after the lapse of much
time will be sought for. Therefore, according to what time hath brought I, having entered the Library of the
city of MARAGHAH of 'ADHORBIJAN, have loaded up this my little book with narratives which are
worthy of remembrance from many volumes of the SYRIANS, SARACENS (ARABS), and PERSIANS
which are [preserved] here. And those which concern the government of the world I have set in order from
the Patriarchs, the first of whom was ADAM, and from them I proceed to the JUDGES of the HEBREWS,

then to their kings, then to the CHALDEANS, then to the MEDES, then to the PERSIANS, then to the pagan
GREEKS, then to the RHOMAYE (i.e. BYZANTINES), then to the Christian GREEKS, then to the ARABS,
and then conclude with the HUNS who [live] in our own days, order after order. And these I have committed
to the First Part of the CHRONOGRAPHY. In the matter of ecclesiastical affairs I have begun with AARON,
the first high priest, and as I end, to those who stand at the head today in the Second Part of the Ecclesiastical
History. This last I have sealed in two discourses; the first treateth of the Western high-priesthood which is of
ANTIOCH, and the second treateth of our own Eastern high-priesthood.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

I
The Patriarchs. From Adam to Moses.

The First Series of generations, which beginneth with the Patriarchs.

[3] (1) ADAM, the first man, the king of those who are on the earth, according to the opinion of the Divine
Book, was created on Friday, the sixth day of the month of NISAN, the first month of year one of the
existence of the world, which began on the first day of the week (Sunday), the first day of the month of
NISAN. Now 'ANYANOS (2) (ANIANUS) the monk, adducing testimonies from the Book of ENOCH,
saith, that seventy years after the expulsion from PARADISE, ADAM knew EVE, and she brought forth
CAIN. And after seven (or, seventy) year, she brought forth ABEL. And after fifty-three years CAIN slew
ABEL, and ADAM and EVE mourned for him one hundred years. And then ADAM knew EVE again, and
she brought forth SETH. And according to METHODIUS (3) thirty (or, three) years after they had gone forth
from PARADISE [ADAM] begot CAIN together with KLIMYA (or KLIMA, or EKLIMA) his sister. And
after another thirty years [ADAM] begot ABEL together with LABHUDHA (or, 'ABHUDHA) his sister. And
when ADAM was one hundred and thirty years old ABEL was killed, and when he was two hundred (4) and
thirty years old he begot SETH. [4] All the years that ADAM lived were nine hundred and thirty years.

After ADAM [came] SETH his son. In the time of SETH, when his sons remembered the blessed life [which
they had led] in PARADISE, they went up into the mountain of HERMON, and there they led a chaste and
holy life, being remote from carnal intercourse (or, marriage); and for this reason they were called 'IRE (i.e.
"Watchers', and 'Sons of 'ALOHIM' (=Sons of God) ). Now SETH, being two hundred and five years old,
begot 'ANOSH,; and all the years that SETH lived was nine hundred and twelve years.

After SETH [came] 'ANOSH his son. He announced that he would call upon the Name of the Lord. Now,
although he submitted to marriage, he was not neglectful in pleasing God, and he did so more than those who
chose a life of virginity and who went up into [the mountain of HERMON] but who did not abide in (i.e.
keep) their covenant. 'ANOSH was one hundred and ninety years old when he begot KAINAN, and all his
years were nine hundred and five. After 'ANOSH [came] KAINAN his son, who at the age of one hundred
and seventy years begot MAHLALA'IL; and all the years of his life were nine hundred and ten years.

And after KAINAN [came] MAHLALA'IL his son, who at the age of one hundred and sixty-five years begot
YARD; and all the years of his life were eight hundred and ninety-five years.

And after MAHLALA'IL [came] YARD his son, who, when he was one hundred and sixty and two years old
begot HANOKH (ENOCH); and all the years of his life were nine hundred and sixty and two years. And in
the fortieth year [of the life] of YARD, that is to say in the year one thousand of the world, the Sons of God,
about two hundred souls, came down from the mountain of HERMON, because they had lost all hope of a
return to PARADISE. And because they lusted for carnal intercourse with women, their brethren the sons of
SETH and ANOSH despised them, and regarded them as transgressors of the covenant, and they refused to

give them their daughters. And because of this they (i.e. the men from HERMON) went to the children of
CAIN, and took wives, and begat mighty men of names, that is to say, men notorious for murders and
robberies. Moreover, they set up over them the first king, a man whose name was SAMYAZOS, and when
they began to quarrel with their brethren the children of SETH, they forced them also to set up a king over
them, and they set up a king.

The first was a man whose name was 'ALOROS.

And the second was 'ALPAROS.

And the third was 'ALMILON.

And the fourth was 'AMMANON.

And the fifth was MIGHALAROS.

And the sixth was 'AONOS, the shepherd.

[5] And the seventh was 'AODHORANBOS.

And the eighth was 'AMPESIS.

And the ninth was 'AOTYARTIS,

And the tenth was KSISOTHROS (or KSISORTHOS) his son, in whose days the FLOOD took place.

All these were KHALDHAYE, that is to say ANCIENT SYRIANS, according to the tradition of the early
writers. And because the greater number of [these] writers were GREEKS, they changed the sounds of the
Chaldean names and did not pronounce them as they were pronounced in Chaldean fashion. For behold, also,
in the case of 'NOH' (NOAH), which is a pure Syrian name, and is derived from nawha, yet they (i.e. the
Greeks) call it 'NOACHOS"'. And it is not only the ancient [writers] who do this, but people who are living in
our own days are in the habit of changing the pronunciation [of words], thus YA'KOB, which [is derived]
from 'Ekbha is called 'AIAKOBHOS', and BAR-SAWMA they call 'SOMOS'; and many others.

And after YARD [came] HANOKH (ENOCH), who at the age of one hundred and sixty-five years begot
MATHUSHLAH (METHUSELAH). And having pleased God for three hundred years he was translated to
the place where God wished him [to be], and it is said, to Paradise, the place where the first ADAM was
when he transgressed the command in days of old. Now this ENOCH made manifest before every man the
knowledge of books and the art of writing. The ancient GREEKS say that ENOCH is HARMIS (HERMES)
TRIS-MAGHISTOS (5) (the "THRICE GREAT’), and it was he who taught men to build cities; and he
established wonderful laws. And in his days one hundred and eighty cities were built; of which the smallest is
URHAI (EDESSA). And he invented the science of the constellations and the courses (orbits?) of the stars.
And he ordained that the children of men should worship God, and that they should fast, and pray, and give
alms, and [make] votive offerings, and [pay] tithes. And he rejected the foods [which produced] impurities,
and drunkenness. And he ordered festivals for the entrance of the sun into each Sign of the Zodiac, and for
the New Moon, and for every star (planet?) when it entereth its house or when it riseth. And he commanded
[men] to present offerings of perfumes (sweet incense?), and beasts for slaughter sacrificially, and wine, and
offerings of first-fruits of every kind. And they say that he received all this doctrine (or, learning) from
'AGHATHODAHMON (AGATHODAIMON), and they also say that 'AGHATHODAHMON was SETH, the
son of 'ADHAM, that is to say, the priest of the priest of ENOCH. And they also say that 'ASKLAIPIDIS
(AESCULAPIUS), the wise king, was a disciple of HERMES, that is to say, of ENOCH.

And when God translated [6] ENOCH to Himself, 'ASKLAIPYADIS (AESCULAPIUS) was greatly afflicted
because the earth and the inhabitants thereof were deprived of his blessings and his wisdom. And he painted
his picture in most marvellous fashion, as one who is being taken up into heaven, and he set up an image of
HERMES in the temple in which he used to pray and worship God. And when went into that temple he used
to sit down before it as he used to sit before him when he was alive, and he was blessed thereby. And it is said
that this thing which had been made was the cause of the worship of images in the world. Now after many

generations the Greeks imagined that that image was the image of 'ASKLAIPYADIS (AESCULAPIUS), and
for this reason they magnified it greatly, and they swore oaths by it before Christianity [existed]. For
HIPPOCRATES said, 'My disciples, I adjure you by the creator of death and life, and by the father of your
father, 'ASKLAIPYADIS'. And he said, 'His name is derived etymologically from beauty , and light, and
healing, and therefore it is right that every physician should be like unto him in purity, and chasteness, and
holiness’. And GALEN said, 'It is not seemly to deny the healing which cometh to the sick when they go into
the temple of 'ASKLAIPYADIS'. And HIPPOCRATES saith, 'His staff on which he supported himself was
the netaphta (i.e. marshmallow = hibiscum, or althaea ficifolia or offcinalis)'. And GALEN saith, 'It
indicateth moderation, which is the most excellent thing, because the marshmallow is half-way between heat
and cold’.

After ENOCH [came] MATHUSHLAH (METHUSELAH) his son. When he was one hundred and sixty and
seven years old he begot LAMKH (LAMECH),; all his days were nine hundred and sixty and two years.

After METHUSELAH [came] LAMECH his son. When he was five hundred years old he begot SHEM; all
the days of his life were nine hundred and fifty years.

In the six hundredth year of his [life] the FLOOD took place on the twenty-seventh day of [the month of]
TYAR. There was heavy rain for forty days, and the waters increased and floated the ARK which NOAH had
made, and he and his wife, and his three sons and their wives went into it by the command of God. And the
waters rose up above the high mountains to a height of fifteen cubits. Then the wrath subsided, and on [7] the
twenty-seventh day of the month of IYAR of the year following, they went forth from the ARK, which they
left in APAMAEA, the metropolis of PISIDIA.

According to what JOSEPHUS said: the years from ADAM to the FLOOD added together are two thousand,
and two hundred, and forty and two.

And then NOAH divided the earth among his three sons:

The Border of SHEM: From PERSIA and BHAKURTOS to HENDO (INDIA) and RINOKURA, [where are]
the ASSYRIANS, the CHALDEANS, the LYDIANS (the LORIANS?), the SYRIANS, the HEBREWS, and
the PERSIANS.

The Border of HAM: From RINOKURA to GADHIRON. And his sons are, the INDIANS, the HITAYE
(HITTITES), the YABHOSAYE (the JEBUSITES), the HAWAYE (the HIVITES), the AMORITES, the
GIRGASITES, the 'ARODHAYE (the ARVADITES).

The Border of YAPHT (JAPHET): From MEDIA to GADHIRON, the north side. And his sons are the
MACEDONIANS, the ARMENIANS, the MEDES, the GREEKS, the LATINS, the BYZANTINES, [and]
the 'IBHERAYE.

After NOAH [came] SHEM his son. When he was one hundred and one years old he begot 'ARPACHSHAR
(ARPHAXAD); all [the days of] his life were two hundred years.

After SHEM [came] ARPHAXAD his son. When he was one hundred and thirty years old he begot
KAINAN; all [the days of] his life were four hundred and sixty and five years.

After ARPHAXAD [came] KAINAN his son. When he was one hundred and thirty years old he begot
SHALAH; all [the days of] his life were four hundred and thirty years. Now EUSEBIUS doth not reckon this
KAINAN and his years in his table of years; neither doth the Hebrew Book (i.e. the Bible: see Genesis xi. 12-

14), and our Syrian Book doth not. But LUKE (see chap. iii, v. 36) mentioneth him in the Gospel. And
according to what is said, it was he who invented CHALDAYUTHA (i.e. Astrology and the Art of Magic).
His sons worshipped him as a god, and set up an image of him; thence began the worship of idols. And he
built the city of HARRAN in the name of HARAN his son. After KAINAN [came] SHALAH his son. When
he was one hundred and thirty years old he begot 'ABHAR (EBER); all [the days of] his life were four
hundred and sixty years.

After SHALAH [came] 'ABHAR (EBER) his son. He was one hundred and thirty and three years old when
he begot PALAGH (PELEG)), all [the days of] his life were three hundred and forty-three years. And it is said
that the HEBREWS derive their name from him.

After 'ABHAR (EBER) [came] PALAGH his son. He was one hundred and thirty years when he begot 'AR'O
(REU)); all [the days of] his life were three hundred and forty-three years.

And in the one hundred and first year of his [life] PANOPIS, the first king of EGYPT, reigned sixty-eight
years.

And in the one hundred and fortieth year of PALAGH the earth was divided a second time, between the sons
of NOAH. And to the sons of SHEM [8] came the inheritance from the middle of the inhabited world to the
limit thereof on the east, [including] PALESTINE, ARABIA, and PHOENICIA, and the country of SYRIA,
and all the country between the Two Rivers (MESOPOTAMIA), and HYRCANIA, and 'ATHOR
(ASSYRIA), and the country of SEN'AR (SHINAR), and BABIL, and KARDO, and all PERSIA, and
NORTHERN INDIA and BACTRIANA. And to the sons of HAM [came the inheritance], the whole of the
south, from east to west, INDIA (Central, Outer, and Southern), KUSH, SHEBHA, EGYPT, LYBIA,
THEBAIS, AFRICA, and towards the north CILICIA, PAMPHYLIA, PISIDIA, MYSIA, PHRYGIA,
LUKYA (LYCIA), LYDIA, and of the Islands [of the MEDITERRANEAN] CYPRUS, CHIOS, SICILY, and
twenty others. And to the sons of JAPHET [came the inheritance], the whole of the north from east to west,
the country of the 'ALANAYE (GERMANS, RB: Alans?), the TURKS, MEDIA, ARMENIA,
CAPPADOCIA, GALATIA, ASIA, MYSIA, TARKI (THRACE?), 'ILADHA (HELLAS), the land of the
GREEKS (IONIANS), the RHOMAYE (BYZANTINES), the SARMATIANS, the 'ASKLABHE (SCLAVS),
the BULGARS, the GALLAYE (GAULS?), the SPANIARDS as far as GADIRA.

And after PALAGH died and the sons of JAKTAN, his brother, saw that they had no inheritance, they set up
three governors, SHEBHA, and 'ASHER, and HAWILA, and they seized [other] countries. And men began to
build fortresses (or, citadels) whereunto they might go and take refuge from the armour (or, weapons) of the
sons of JAKTAN, for they were the first to begin to arm themselves. And when the sons of CANAAN, the
son of HAM, the son of NOAH, saw that the land of PALESTINE and the land of LEBHNAN (LEBANON)
were good, they sat down there and they did not wish to go to their inheritance, which was the western
maritime regions of EGYPT.

After PALAGH [came] 'AR'O (REU) his son. When he was one hundred and thirty-three (?) years old he
begot SEROGH (SERUG); all [the days of] his life were three hundred and thirty and seven years.

And in the seventieth year of REU the building of the Great Tower in the land of SEN'AR (SHINAR) began,
and NEMRODH (NIMROD), the son of KUSH, fed the builders on the beasts which he hunted. And forty
years after the Tower was finished God sent a wind and the Tower was overturned, and NEMRODH died in
it. It was he who after the FLOOD reigned in BABIL. Now his royal crown was of woven work, even as
‘ASAPH wrote. And NEMRODH built three cities 'ARACH (ERECH), 'AKHAR (AKKAD), and KALYA
(CALACH), that is to say 'URHAI (EDESSA), NISIBIS, and SALIK (SELEUCIA). And the speech of them

(i.e. the builders of the Tower) was divided into seventy languages. And the land of SEN'AR (SHINAR) was
called '"BABHEL' that is to say, 'Confusion'. And Saint [9] BASIL and MAR 'APRIM (EPHREM) have
decided that the first (i.e. oldest) language which existed before the division of tongues was SYRIAC, even as
the word 'BHOLBALA' itself testifieth. But the pious JACOB and JOHN of YATHREB think that HEBREW
was the first (i.e. oldest) language—the HEBREW which was preserved with 'ABHER (EBER), for he was a
righteous man and did not agree to the building of the Tower. Others think that the word 'Hebrew' is so called
from 'ABHRAHAM, who crossed the rivers (TIGRIS and EUPHRATES), and crossed the divided pieces (see
Genesis xv. 17), and passed from the paganism of his father to the Faith which is in God.

After REU [came] SERUGH his son. When he was one hundred and thirty years old he begot NAHOR, and
all [the days of] his life were three hundred and thirty years. Now in his days money and [womens'] chains
(i.e. jewellery) appeared from OPHIR. And men made idols for the devils, and they relied for help upon
demons.

And after NEMRODH arose the second king in BABEL, KAMBIROS; he reigned eighty-five years in the
days of SERUGH. And he made war on the people who are called 'KALTO', and conquered [them], and he
set their boundary in the mountains that were in their midst.

And after KAMBIROS rose up SAMIROS, the third king of the CHALDEANS; [he reigned] seventy and
two years. And he made war on the GREEKS (IONIANS) and the CANAANITES and conquered them, and
he built cities for the PARTHIANS and CHALDEANS. And he was the first among them to make weights
(or, measures) and scales, and in his day silk and dyed fabrics appeared. And it is said that he had three eyes
and horns. And at this time there rose up a second governor 'APIPHANYOS [who reigned] for forty and six
years. And he was the first who constructed a ship and rode (1.e. sailed) the sea.

And after him rose up the third governor in EGYPT, ATHANOPYOS (AITHIOPS?), and it was because he
made war on the CUSHITES and conquered them that he was called by this name, whereof the interpretation
is 'CUSHITE'. And he slew SHEBHA. And after SHEBHA his daughter reigned forty years, and
henceforward women began to reign over the CUSHITES.

And after 'APIPHANYOS a fourth king rose up in EGYPT, PER'ON BARSANOS, [and he reigned] thirty
and five years. From this time the name of 'PER'ON' (PHARAOH) [came into use].

After SERUGH [came] NAHOR his son. He was seventy-nine years old when he begat TARH (TERAH);
and all [the days of] his life were two hundred and one years. At this ttme KASARONOS (BASARONOS)
the PARTHIAN made war on SAMIROS (?) and killed him, [10] and he lifted (1.¢. carried off) his horns and
set them on his crown. And 'ARODH, the CANANITE, saith, 'In the twenty-fifth year of NAHOR the agony
of JOB, the righteous man, took place. JOB was a rich man of BETH YAKTAN, and seven times by himself
alone he contended with SATAN and conquered.’ ASAPH saith, 'His agony took place after sixty years', and
others say that [the agony] was that of YOBHABH, the son of ZARH, of the children of ESAU (Genesis
XXXVI. 33).

And at [this] time a fifth king rose up in EGYPT, PHARAOH KARIMON; [he reigned] four years. And at
this time two sons came to 'ARMONIS, the CANAANITE, SEDHOM (SODOM) and 'AMORA
(GOMORRAH), and he built a city in the name of each of them, and he also built SA'AR (ZOAR) in the
name of their mother.

And there rose up also a sixth king in EGYPT, PHARAOH 'APINTOS; [he reigned] thirty and two years.
This king sent to KASARONOS, the Parthian king, and he brought the writings and the doctrine (religion?)

of the CHALDEES to EGYPT. And 'APINTOS also built a city on the river NILE, and he named it
"BABHULON', that is to say BABEL. And ASAPH also saith that in the days of TARH the EGYPTIANS
learned Chaldeeism, and they made an image of gold in honour of KINOS, the idol.

After NAHOR [came] TARH his son. When he was seventy years old he begot ABRAHAM; and all [the
days of] his life was two hundred and seventy-five years. And in the fifth year of TARH a fifth king rose up
in BABHIL, ARPAZADH; [he reigned] eighteen years, and then the kingdom of BABHIL came to an end for
seven years, until BILOS (BELUS), the ASSYRIAN, rebelled against the CHALDEANS. And he made war
upon them and upon the MEDES and conquered them, and he reigned over ASSYRIA and BABHIL, and
over the whole of ASIA, with the exception of INDIA, for sixty and two years.

And in the fifth year of TARH the seventh king reigned over EGYPT, PHARAOH 'AURONKOS, for thirty
and three years. And after this [king] the eighth king of EGYPT, PHARAOH SIMONOS, reigned for twenty
years. And after this [king] the ninth king of EGYPT, 'ARMINOS, reigned for twenty and seven years, and
twenty years before 'ABRAHAM was born DARMASUK (DAMASCUS) was built by MORFOS, and
JOSEPHUS saith that 'UZ, the son of 'ARAM, built it.

After TARH (TERAH) [came] ABRAHAM his son. He was one hundred years old when he begot ISAAC;
all [the days of] his life were one hundred and seventy-five years. And when ABRAHAM was fifteen years
of age he entreated [11] God and drove away the karkase (ravens? locusts?) which were destroying the
country of the CHALDEANS and eating up their crops. At this time BILOS (BELUS) died, and a second
king rose up in ASSYRIA, viz. his son NINOS (NINUS), [who reigned] for fifty and two years, and built
NINEVEH. After that city RATIHBUTH (REHOBOTH) and RASAN and KALNAI (CAB'AH), that is to say,
'ARBIL, and RISH 'AYNA (RAS'AIN), and SALIK (SELEUCIA), were built. And JERUSALEM also was
built by MELCHISEDEK, the CANAANITE.

And ABRAHAM burned the temple idols which was in UR OF THE CHALDEES, and HARAN his brother
went to quench the fire, and he was burned to death therein. And for this reason ABRAHAM, when he was
sixty years old, fled to HARRAN with TARH his father, and NAHOR his brother, and LOT, the brother of
HARAN, who was burnt to death; and he dwelt therein for fourteen years. And then he departed from his
father: from HARRAN and came to the land of CANAAN. And in his seventy-first year the war of
KARDL'MAR (CHEDARLAOMER) took place. And when he was eighty and five years old, that is to say in
the first year of the promise concerning EGYPT, he begot ISHMAEL by HAGHAR. ISHMAEL lived one
hundred and thirty and seven years. And the fortieth year of the promise, reckoning from ADAM, was the
year three thousand three hundred. And at that time SHAMIRAM (SEMIRAMIS) the wife of NINOS
(NINUS) reigned over the ASSYRIANS forty-six (or, forty-five) years. And she built mounds because of the
FLOOD.

And a tenth king rose up in EGYPT, PARANDOS, the THEBAN; he reigned forty and three years. And after
him rose up in EGYPT the eleventh king, PHARAOH PANOS. This king snatched from ABRAHAM his
wife SARA, and he returned her to him afterwards with gold, and silver, and stuffs, and sent him away from
EGYPT. And after him the twelfth king, PHARAOH 'ISOKOS, reigned over EGYPT twenty-one years. And
after him the thirteenth king, PHARAOH SOSONOS, [reigned] forty-four years. And after him the
fourteenth ktng, PHARAOH TARKOS (TARAKOS), [reigned] forty-four years.

And after SHAMIRAM (SEMIRAMIS) a fourth king reigned over the ASSYRIANS, viz. ZMAROS, for
thirty-eight years. And in his days rose up the first king of the KRITAYE (CRETANS) [called] KARIS, who
builded KRITI (CRETE).

After ABRAHAM [came] ISAAC his son. When he was sixty years old he begot JACOB; all the [days of]
his life were one hundred and eighty years. And when he was fiffteen years old his father offered him [as a]
[12] sacrifice. In his thirty-eighth year his mother SARA died, being one hundred and twenty-seven years
old. And after one year he took RAPKA (REBECCA) to wife, and in his sixtieth year she conceived, and she
went to MELCHISEDEK to inquire of the Lord concerning what she had conceived. And he said unto her,
'There are two peoples in thy womb, and the one people shall be greater than the other’, viz. ESAU, who is
'ADOM (EDOM) from whom [sprang] the EDOMITES, and JACOB from whom [sprang] the ISRAELITES.
ABIMELECH was a friend to those of the house of ISAAC, and he it was who in the year one hundred of
[the life of] ABRAHAM made war; and the Bible calls him King of GHADHAR (GERAR in Genesis xx. I)
from the name of his city, and here [he is king] of the PHILISTINES, because of the many peoples over
whom he reigned.

And in the days of ISAAC the fifth king of the ASSYRIANS rose up—'ARIS; [he reigned] thirty years. And
the fifteenth king of the EGYPTIANS, SETIS; [he reigned] nineteen years. This was the first king of the four
kings who were called 'SHEPHERDS'.

After ISAAC [came] JACOB his son. When he was eighty-two years old he begot LEVI; all [the days of] his
life were one hundred and forty-seven years. When he was seventy-seven years old ISAAC blessed him and
sent him to HARRAN. And in the tenth year of LEVI, JACOB went up to ISAAC his father. In the third year
of LEVI, JOSEPH was born, and in the twentieth year of LEVI, JOSEPH was sold, being seventeen years
old. He was a slave for ten years and was in the prison house for three years, and [he stood] before
PHARAOH for thirty years, and he was in authority in EGYPT for eighty years, and he died at the age of one
hundred and forty years. And after ISAAC died the children of ESAU were subject to MOAB and 'AMMON,
and 'ARAM, and they came to war against JACOB and his sons in HEBRON; and JACOB prevailed, and he
smote ESAU with an arrow and killed him, and the children of ESAU were broken before the children of
JACOB, and their allies fled. When JACOB was one hundred and thirty years old he went down to EGYPT,
in the second year of the famine.

After JACOB [came] LEVI his son. When he was forty-seven years old he begot KAHATH; all his life was
one hundred and thirty and seven years. In his days the FLOOD which [came] in the days of 'AGOGOS took
place, when BILOS (BELUS) was reigning in ASSYRIA; and MAPOS (MEMPHIS) in EGYPT was built.
And STASIKOROS [13] (or, STIKOROS) brought acrobatic dancing and games into the world, for his
bringing up (or, education) had been among women. And MANOS (HUMANOS) the king displayed
luxuriousness in his own person (?).

And that fourth Shepherd king, 'APAPOS, reigned in EGYPT fourteen years. He it was who dreamed dreams
and who made JOSEPH ruler, according to the histories of the CHALDEANS, and it seemeth likely that the
'SHEPHERDS' were called 'KINGS' because of JOSEPH'S brethren.

After LEVI [came] KAHATH (KOHATH) his son. When he was sixty years old he begot 'AMRAM; all [the
days of] his life were one hundred and thirty-three years.

After KAHATH [came] 'AMRAM his son. He was seventy-five years old when he begot MOSES in the three
hundred and fiftieth year of the promise; all [the days of] his life were one hundred and thirty and seven
years. And in his days MAPROS reigned in EGYPT twelve years; and then TOMOTHOS (THOTHMES?)
eighteen years; and then 'AMONPATHIS (AMENOPHIS?) forty-three years. It was this king who began to
strangle (i.e. drown) the children of the HEBREWS in the NILE.

After 'AMRAM [came] MOSES his son. He ruled over the children of ISRAEL when he was eighty years
old, and he led the people in the wilderness forty years. When he was born he was cast into the river, and the
daughter of 'AMONPATHIS (AMENOPHIS?), whose name was TREMOTHISA, who is RA'OSA
(RA'MOSO) whom the HEBREWS call 'DAMARIS', the wife of KANPARA, the king of MAPAS
(MEMPHIS), found him and saved him from the waters, and brought him up as a son of hers. And when he
was ten years old YANES and YAMBRES taught him wisdom, as 'ARTAMONIS showeth in his Epistle; this
[fact] is not written in the Book of the Law, but the Apostle PAUL (Acts vii. 22) mentioneth it.

And in his twenty-second year PHARAOH 'AMONPATHIS began to compel the HEBREWS to throw (i.e.
cast or mould) bricks and to build the city of, ARMOPOLIS (sic) (HERMOPOLIS?). And he also conquered
the CUSHITES, and he took RA'OSA, the daughter of SOROS (ZOROS?) their king to wife. And the people
were ascribing this victory to MOSES, and saying, 'he hath taken this RA'OSA to wife’. And because of this
KANPARA (?) was jealous of him, [because he wished to marry RA'OSA, but] was unable to do so until
DAMARIS his wife was dead. Then he sent a certain KHANOTHIS to kill him. But MOSES prevailed and
killed [14] this man, and fled into ARABIA, to RA'U'IL, the MIDIANITE. And when he was forty years old,
he took to wife ZEPORA (ZIPPORAH), the daughter of YATHRON (JETHRO) the son of RA'U'IL, the
MIDIANITE, the son of DARAN, the son of YAKSHAN, the son of ABRAHAM by KENTORA his wife.
The expositors say that YATHRON (JETHRO) is RA'U'IL.

And at this time a flood took place, the third, in THESSALY in the days of DOKALYON (DEUCALION);
and a great conflagration in KUSH in the days of PARATON; and the famous war of the CHALDEANS with
the PHOENICIANS; and EUNOMIUS invented the art of signs (i.e. the alphabet?); and MENANDER
invented comedy; and KHYARON and 'ASCLEPIADIS [the art of] healing.

And when MOSES was eighty years old, that is to say, in the four hundred and thirtieth year of the promise,
he was commanded by God to take the HEBREWS out from EGYPT. And when the HEBREWS had passed
over in the middle of the sea on dry land, PHARAOH PSONOS, who rose [as king] after 'AMONPATHIS,
and all his army were drowned in the SEA OF SUPH. Now when those EGYPTIANS who had not sallied
forth with PHARAOH saw the destruction of those who had sallied forth, each one with the labour which
was found in his hands made an [object of] fear for himself and worshipped it, as if forsooth by means of it
he had been prevented from the going forth [which was] the cause of the disaster. And in that year MOSES
watred with 'AMALIK (AMALEK). And he went up into the mountain in the third month and received the
LAW and the JUDGEMENTS for ISRAEL. And from the time when God said unto ABRAHAM, 'Know well
that thy seed shall be dweller[s] and sojourner[s] in a country which is not theirs', must be counted the four
hundred and thirty years of the subjugation, as it is written in the BOOK OF EXODUS, and this also PAUL
testifieth, although in the first Book, GENESIS, four hundred years only are written. And from ADAM to the
death of MOSES is three thousand eight hundred (or, four hundred) and fifty years, according to ANIANUS
the monk, and this computation agreeth with his. According to the Septuagint, however, it is three thousand
eight hundred (or, four hundred) and eighty-two years, and according the Syrian and Hebrew [Books] it is
two thousand four hundred and twenty [years]. MOSES lived in EGYPT forty years, and in MIDIAN forty
years, and in the desert forty years.

(1) The numbers in brackets refer to the pages of Bedjan's [Syriac] text.
(2) The writer of a Chronicle now lost.

(3) Bishop of Tyre; martyred about A.D. 300.

(4) A GENERAL WARNING by BEDJAN. Various statements will be found in this HISTORY which do not
agree with the Book of the Law of the Syrians which is called 'peshitta', especially those which refer to the
number of the years of the world, the lives of the Patriarch, and so on. It is not seemly for us to stumble over
these because our author made use of the Book of the Law according to the Seventy (i.e. the Septuagint), and
the Book of the Law according to the SAMARITANS, and other ancient [versions of the] Scriptures, and he
wrote down in historical fashion the opinion of each one of them even as he found it.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

II
The Judges. From Joshua to Samuel.

Here beginneth the Second Series, from the Patriarchs to the Judges.

[15] AFTER MOSES the prophet, ISHO' (JOSHUA) the son of NON, his disciple, ruled the people,
according to EUSEBIUS and ANDRONICUS, twenty-seven years, and according to ANIANUS twenty-five
years. And when JOSHUA was eighty-three years old he received the rod of rule from MOSES the Great,
and he brought the people into the land of promise; and he destroyed seven peoples of the CANAANITES.
And in his tenth year, that is to say of his rule, he divided the inheritance for the people. He died at the age of
one hundred and ten years.

After JOSHUA, the son of NON, the priests (or, elders) governed the people. Now the Book doth not show
the number of their years, but AFRICANUS saith that they ruled for thirty years. And ANIANUS saith that
PHINEHAS, the Zealot, the son of ELIEZAR, the priest, governed the people for twenty-four years.
KUSHAN the wicked had dominion over the peoples of the people for eight years, and he was killed by
'ATHNI'EL (OTHNIEL).

After KUSHAN, OTHNIEL judged the people forty years, and in the days of OTHNIEL cities were built in
BETHUNIA (BITHYNIA), MALOS, PAPOS, TASOS, KALISTA, [and] MARONDA.

After OTHNIEL, 'EGLON, the MOABITE, ruled the people after the manner of a tyrant for eighteen years,
and he was killed by 'AHOR (EHUD), the son of GIRA.

After 'EGLON, 'AHOR (EHUD) the son of GIRA judged the people for sixty-two years; those who say
eighty years include with them the eighteen years of [the exile of] 'EGLON. In the time of 'AHOR the 'Beth
Din' (i.e. temple) of 'ARIOS PAGHOS (AREOPAGUS) was built in ATHENS; and LACEDEMONIA was
built, and HALAB (ALEPPO) was built by BALKOS, the Assyrian king.

After 'AHOR (EHUD), SHAMGHAR the son of 'ANATH judged the people for eighteen years. This man
killed sixty men of the PHILISTINE chiefs with a goad for bulls—in [another] manuscript [we read] six
hundred.

After SHAMGHAR, NABHIN (JABIN), king of HASOR, [judged the people for] twenty years. The name of
the captain of the host of this NABHIN was SISRA, and he had ninety (nine hundred in Judges iv. 3) chariots
of iron; his head was smashed in by DEBORAH the prophetess and he perished.

After NABHIN (JABIN) came DEBORAH and BARAK, [they ruled for] forty years, DEBORAH and
BARAK sang the song of [16] praise for the deliverance of the Lord.

After DEBORAH and BARAK, the MIDIANITES ruled the people in a cruel manner for seven (or, seventy)
years—until GED'ON (GIDEON) destroyed them.

After the MIDIANITES, GIDEON judged the people for forty years. Unto GIDEON were born seventy sons.
In [his] time there reigned in THEBES 'APOLON (APOLLO?), who by the music of his lyre used to coax the
stones, that is to say, the hearts that were heavy and cruel.

After GIDEON [came] ABIMELECH his son, who was born of a concubine. And he slew his seventy
brethren and judged the people for three years.

After ABIMELECH, TOL'A the son of POA [judged] the people for twenty years. And in the twentieth year
of his [rule] the city of TARSOS (TARSUS) was built by PRISOS (PARSOS) the son of DANA, and
KARKIDON (CARTHAGE) also was built and ILION (ILIUM) was reduced to subjection, but others say
that it was subjugated in the days of SHEMSHON (SAMSON).

After TOL'A, YAIR, the GILEADITE, judged the people twenty-two years. After YAIR the AMMONITES
ruled the HEBREWS in a cruel fashion for eighteen years, and they oppressed the HEBREWS sorely until
they were conquered by NAPHTAH (JEPHTHAH).

After the AMMONITES, JEPHTHAH [ruled the people] for six years. Those [who say] twenty-four years
include the eighteen years of the AMMONITES with the six years. Now when the HEBREWS were sorely
oppressed by the AMMONITES the dwellers in GILEAD went to JEPHTHAH, after they had driven him out
from among them, and brought him [back] and he became their governor. It was he who having fought and
conquered offered up his daughter as a sacrifice, according to his vow which cannot be applauded.

After JEPHTHAH, 'ABHISAN [ruled] seven years. Some of the writers of histories never mention this name
at all.

After 'ABHISAN, 'ALON, the ZEBULONITE [ruled] ten years. JOHN of YATREB says seven [years], and
this [name also] is not [found] in the commentary of the Septuagint.

After 'ALON , 'AKHRON [ruled] eight years. In the seventh year of this man there rose up 'ANIAS
(AENEAS) the first king of the LATINS, that is to say, the RHOMAYE (Byzantine GREEKS), who were the
FRANKS; [according to some he reigned] three years, and according to others eight.

After 'AKHRON the PHILISTINES ruled the people cruelly for forty years. EUSEBIUS doth not admit
these, but 'ANIANUS sets down forty years and ANDRONICUS says twenty years only.

After the PHILISTINES, SAMSON the NAZARITE, of the tribe of DAN, judged the people twenty [17]
years. And in his third year he began to wage war against the PHILISTINES, and in his fifth year took place
the affair of RA'OTH (RUTH), the MOABITESS.

After SAMSON the ELDERS ruled the people for forty years, according to what AFRICANUS stateth,
because there was peace and quietness, and there was no need for a man to stand at the head of an army.
ANDRONICUS says ten years, and twenty years is written in the Septuagint, and others have written twelve.

After the ELDERS, ELI the priest judged the people for twenty years, according to what the Septuagint saith,
but the HEBREWS say forty years. And in the eighteenth year of his rule SAMUEL the prophet was born.
And in the twentieth year of ELI, SAMUEL was brought before ELI as a votive offering.

After ELI the priest, SAMUEL the prophet judged the people for twenty years. After the death of ELI the
priest, the Ark of the Lord was in the house [of] 'AMINADABH (‘ABHINADABBH). In the twentieth year of
the rule of SAMUEL the children of ISRAEL asked for a king.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

Il
The Kings of the Hebrews.

Here beginneth the Third Series, The Kings of the Hebrews.

AFTER SAMUEL the prophet [came] SAUL, the first king. He reigned over the children of ISRAEL,
according to EUSEBIUS, forty years, and according to ANIANUS twenty years. And in his third year SAUL
conquered AMALEK, and in his thirty-first year a festival took place in YONATH, which is in RAMA, and
SAUL also prophesied with the prophets. In the thirty-fifth year of SAUL, SAMUEL the prophet died. And
after five years SAUL and JONATHAN his son were killed in the war.

After SAUL, DAVID, the son of JESSE, reigned forty years, seven in HEBHRON and thirty-three in
JERUSALEM; all [the days of] his life were seventy years. He built SEHYONON (SION or ZION). And in
his tenth year he took up the Ark into the tabernacle which he had constructed for it. DAVID was born in the
tenth year of the kingdom of SAUL, and he was anointed [king] in the twenty-third year of SAUL, being
thirteen years old. And he slew [18] GULYADH (GOLIATH) in the thirtieth year of SAUL. And in the thirty-
ninth year of the kingdom of DAVID he divided the tribes of the LEVITES, and he appointed from among
them one (two?) hundred and eighty and eight 'praisers' (i.e. singers). And he separated them into twenty-four
divisions, and he appointed twelve in each division to sing. And DAVID warred with the peoples round about
him and conquered them. And in the twenty-eighth year of DAVID the king EPHESUS was built, and also
SAMOS.

[In other manuscripts [it is written]: It was he who acted deceitfully in respect of URIAH, the captain of his
host in the war. And through the fraud which he perpetrated upon him he took from him BATHSHEBA his
wife, whilst URIAH was engaged in the war of the peoples, and from her was born SOLOMON, his unlawful
son, and he sinned. (1)] And in his time lived EMPEDOCLES, the great philosopher, who was one of the five
pillars of wisdom, viz. he and PYTHAGORAS, SOCRATES, PLATO, and ARISTOTLE. And there is
attributed to him a certain book which abolished the new life after death which [men] were wont to assign to
the rational soul, and it agreed with the opinion of SOLOMON in the Book of KOHLATH (2)
(ECCLESIASTES). And he was the first to think that in the Divine Nature there is not a plurality of names,
even though it is said that He is wise, and good, and all mighty. He doth not possess the various senses to
which these names apply, but He is One, Simple, Lord-like, and not One who doth accept division, neither in
sense nor in fact.

After DAVID [came] SOLOMON his son when he was twelve years old, and he reigned forty years; and all
[the days of] his life were fifty-two years. In the fourth year of his kingdom he began the building of the
Great Temple, and he finished it in seven years, in the mountain of the AMORITES, that is JERUSALEM, in
the threshing-floor of 'ARAN, the JEBUSITE. Its length was sixty cubits, its width twenty cubits, and its
height was thirty cubits. In the thirty-fourth year of his kingdom he forsook the God of ISRAEL, and he
builded a high place in the mountain in front of Jerusalem to CHEMOSH [a god] of MOAB, and to

MALKUM [a god] of the children of AMMON. Its length was one hundred cubits, and its breadth fifty
cubits, and its height thirty cubits. And he made for it shields of gold, and a sea of brass, and bulls. [19] And
at the beginning of his kingdom 'TROMOS (HIRAM) ruled over TYRE, and he sent to SOLOMON to help
[him] in building the temple eighty thousand men. And according to some men HOMER and HESIOD were
renowned at that time. SOLOMON uprooted 'ANTIOCHYA and built seven cities, viz. PALMURA
(PALMYRA), which is TEDHMUR (TADMOR), MALO, HASOR, MAGHDO, GHAZAR, Lower BETH
HAWRAN, [and] BA'LUTH. And from the Exodus from EGYPT to the building of the Temple was six
hundred and thirty-four years. In other manuscripts [it is written] six hundred and ten, and in the Book of
KINGS four hundred and eighty is written, leaving out the years of the domination of enemies. And thus also
PAUL, the Apostle, saith, 'He gave them Judges for four hundred and fifty years' until SAMUEL [came]. And
from ADAM to the building of the Temple was four thousand, one hundred, and sixty-eight years.

After SOLOMON, REHOBOAM his son reigned over JUDAH in JERUSALEM seventeen years.

And at the beginning of his kingdom JEROBOAM reigned with rectitude over ISRAEL for twenty-two years.
And he made two calves of gold, one in DAN, and one in BETHEL. And he said, 'Behold thy gods, O
ISRAEL, who brought thee up out of the land of EGYPT'. And SHAMA'YA the prophet came from JUDEA,
and rebuked him for the sin which he had committed, and [for making] ISRAEL to sin. And he prophesied
and said, 'Altar, Altar, hear the word of the Lord. Behold a son shall be born to the house of DAVID, JOSIAH
[shall be] his name, and he shall sacrifice heathen priests upon thee, and he shall burn the bones of men upon
thee.' And because of this JEROBOAM stretched out his hand to slay him; and his hand withered. And when
JEROBOAM entreated the prophet it was healed. And EPIPHANIUS saith that the name of this prophet was
YOYADA, from SHAMRIN (SAMARIA). It was he whom the lion killed, because he heard 'ABHITON the
prophet, an old man to whom he had lied. And he ate bread and transgressed the command. And he took a
garment and tore it into twelve pieces, and he gave ten to JEROBOAM.

And in the fifth year of REHOBOAM, SHISHAK, the king of EGYPT, through the treachery of
JEROBOAM, went up against JERUSALEM, and he took away the shields of gold which SOLOMON had
made, and REHOBOAM made shields of brass to take their place.

After REHOBOAM, 'ABHYA his son reigned three [years]. And JEROBOAM gathered together about him
eighty [20] thousand [men], and the sons of JUDAH were gathered together, four thousand men of war, and
JEROBOAM was defeated and fifty thousand [men] of ISRAEL fell. 'ABHYA took fourteen wives, and he
had twenty-four sons and sixteen daughters. And 'AHITYA and SHAMA'YA prophesied.

After 'ABHYA, 'ASA his son reigned forty-one years. And in his tenth year ZARAH, the Kushite king,
having taken with him IOBAS (LIBWAS or 'ALIBWAS), came with a thousand thousand [men] and six
hundred thousand KUSHITES and LIBYANS to fight against JUDAH. And'ASA went forth and smote them
in GADHAR and conquered [them]. And in the fifteenth year of his reign he burned the idols, and he cast out
of the kingdom his mother who used to celebrate a festival [in honour] of 'ASHTORETH, and he burnt her
graven image (or, idol) and he expelled fornicators from the land; And in the twenty-ninth year of 'ASA,
'ALA reigned over ISRAEL two years, and then ZAMRI, having killed 'ALA, the son of BA'SHA his lord,
reigned seven days. Then ISRAEL was divided; some [went] with TABHNI and some with 'AMRI. And
when 'AMRI waxed strong TABHNI died. And when ZAMRI saw that the people were content with 'AMRI
he burnt his palace and himself. And when, AMRI had reigned righteously for six years, he bought the
mountain of SHAMRIN from SHAMIR his lord, and built a city on it and called it 'SHAMRIN'. This city
was afterwards called 'SEBASTIA’, and it is that which is NABHOLOS (NABLOS). 'AMRI reigned twelve
years.

After 'ASA, YOSHAFAT (JEHOSAPHAT) his son [reigned] twenty-five years. And in his second year
AHAB, the son of 'AMRI, reigned over ISRAEL for twenty-three years. This king took to wife JEZEBEL,
the daughter of 'THB'EL (ETHBAAL), king of TYRE and SIDON. And he [Hiel?] built JERICHO, which
JOSHUA, the son of NON, cursed; he finished it with 'ABHIRAM his firstborn, and in SHAKHUB, his
youngest, he set up its gates. At this time ELIJAR, and OBADIAH, and ABHIHUDH, and 'OZAIL, and
MICAH, the son of YAMSHI, were prophesying; and ZEDEKIAH and ELIAZAR and four hundred others
were lying prophets. ZEDEKIAH, the lying prophet, made horns of iron and set them upon his head and said
to AHAB, 'With these thou shalt gore the EDOMITES and make an end of them.’ And in the twenty-ninth
year of JEHOSAPHAT, AHAZIAH, the son of AHAB, reigned [21] over ISRAEL one year; and after him
JORAM, his brother, [reigned] twelve years.

After JEHOSAPHAT, JORAM his son reigned eight years. This [king] took ATHALIAH. the sister of
AHAB, to wife, and he slew all his brethren, the sons of JEHOSAPHAT; therefore was he smitten by the rod
of justice, and his bowels came down and he died.

After JORAM, AHAZIAH his son [reigned] one year, and in it he sent ELISHA the prophet, and he anointed
YAHO (JEHU), the son of YAMSHI [NIMSHI], over ISRAEL, and he reigned twenty-eight years; and he
slew seventy sons of AHAB and the priests of idols, and he destroyed the temple of BAAL. After ELISHA
had anointed JEHU, the son of YAMSHI, JEHU slew JORAM, the son of AHAB, and AHAZIAH, the king
of JUDAH, and JEZEBEL, the Sidonian woman, the wife of AHAB.

After AHAZIAH, his mother ATHALIAH [reigned] seven years; her son AHAZIAH having been killed she
destroyed all the royal progeny, and YOASH the son of AHAZIAH alone escaped. YOSHBA', the sister of
AHAZIAH, hid him—now she was the wife of YOYADHA' (JEHOIADA), the chief of the priests of idols.
And that JEHOIADA gathered together JUDAH and slew ATHALIAH. And he set up [as king] YOASH,
who was seven years old, and he also sent the men of JUDAH to the house of BAAL, and he destroyed
MATHAN, the pagan priest.

After ATHALIAH, YOASH the son of AHAZIAH, her son [reigned] forty years. And in the twenty-fifth year
of YOASH, YAHOAHAZ the son of JEHU reigned over ISRAEL seventeen years. And in the thirty-sixth
year of YOASH, ELISHA the prophet died; and after [this] YOASH was killed by his slaves.

After YOASH, 'AMOSYA his son [reigned] twenty-nine years; this king conquered EDOM and SEIR (or,
SHAMIR?), and brought their gods to JERUSALEM, and served them. And in the tenth year of 'AMOSYA,
YOASH reigned over ISRAEL sixteen years. And he went out to war against BAR HADADH (BEN
HADAD), king of SYRIA, and he brought back the cities which HAZA'IL had brought back, and he smote
the EDOMITES thrice, according to the word of the Lord which was to ELISHA. At that time HOSHA', and
'AMOS, and NAHAM, and YONATHAN (YAWNAN or JONAH) were prophesying. And in the eighteenth
year of 'AMOSYA, YORABH'AM reigned over ISRAEL forty years. And 'AMOSYA, king of JUDAH,
fought with YOASH, king of ISRAEL, and the children of ISRAEL went up against JUDAH and destroyed
three hundred of its men, and 'AMOSYA was struck by a spear and died. [22] And according to certain
[writers] his slaves stabbed him when he fled to LACHISH. And the children of ISRAEL came to
JERUSALEM, and they broke down its wall for four hundred cubits, and they took the gold and the silver,
and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and in the house of the king, and they returned to
SHAMRIN (SAMARIA).

After 'AMOSYA, 'AZARYA his son reigned fifty-two years: he is 'OZIA. And in the twenty-fourth year of
his kingdom he made bold and went into the temple of God that he might place (1.e. offer) incense, and being
restrained by 'AZARYA (‘'OZIA) the priest, and refusing to go away, suddenly his whole body became

covered with leprosy, and from that ttme YOTHAM his son judged [the people]. Up to this time ISAIAH the
prophet prophesied for twenty-four years. And having seen that the king dared [to offer incense], because he
did not rebuke him [the gift of] prophecy was taken away from him for twenty—eight years-until 'OZIA died.
And then the righteous man prophesied for sixty-one years. And in the twenty-ninth year of 'OZIA,
ZACHARIAH reigned over ISRAEL six months. Here the four sons of YAHO (JEHU) came to an end.

And after ZACHARIAH, SHALOM reigned for one month; and after him MAHNIM ten years. It was he
who smote TAPHSAH because they (i.e. its people) did not open its gates [to him], and he destroyed it, and
he ripped up the women who were with child. And in the thirty-fourth year of 'OZIA, POL, the king of
BABHIL (BABYLON), went up against SHAMRIN, and he took from MAHNIM, the king of ISRAEL, one
thousand talents of silver and returned. And in the fortieth year of 'OZIA, PEKAHYA reigned over ISRAEL
ten years. And in the forty-eighth year of 'OZIA, TIGLATH-PILESER, the king of the ASSYRIANS, went
up and captured JUDAH and ISRAEL, and carried off into captivity a very large number of the people. This
'OZIA uprooted the wall of GATH, and 'ASOTOS (ASHDOD) and YAMNIA. Now he made war on the
ARABS who dwell in PATARA (PETRA?). And PORPHYRIOS saith that at this time HOMER and
HESIOD were famous.

After 'OZIA, YOTHAM his son [reigned] sixteen years. This king built a large portion of the wall of
JERUSALEM; and he conquered the AMMONITES and laid them under tribute.

After YOTHAM, 'AHAZ his son [reigned] sixteen years. This king likewise served the gods of the heathen,
and he did what was evil. PEKAH, king of ISRAEL, [23] brought RASAN, the king of SYRIA. And he went
up against JUDAH and destroyed twelve thousand myriads [of men]. Now 'AHAZ, king of JERUSALEM,
sent to TIGLATH-PILESER, the king of ASSYRIA, and he came and killed RASAN, and made war on
DAMASCUS, and captured the EDOMITES (ARAMEANS’?); and he took a vast quantity of silver from
them and departed to his own country. And in the second year of 'AHAZ, HOSHA' rebelled against PEKAH
and killed him, and he reigned over ISRAEL nine years. And in the eighth year of 'AHAZ,
SHALMANESER, king of ASSYRIA, went up against ISRAEL, and HOSHA' became subject to him and
gave him tribute, and afterwards he rebelled. And he sent to 'ADHARMLECH, the KOSHITE, who was
dwelling in 'GHUPTOS (EGYPT) to come to his help. And when SHALMANESER heard [this] he went up
again against SHAMRIN, and he camped about it three years, and he captured it and carried away captive to
BABYLON the children of ISRAEL, ten tribes. Now this was the first Captivity.

Now from ADAM to this year, which is the eleventh year of the kingdom of 'AHAZ, was four thousand,
seven hundred, and thirty years.

And 'AHAZ took down the sea of brass from the oxen of brass, the which SOLOMON had constructed. At
this time the island of RHODES was fortified, and it remained [thus] for one thousand, four hundred, and five
years—until the ARABS uprooted it. And also in SIKILIA the city of SALINOS was built, and SAKALI and
TRAPIZONTA in PONTOS, and KUZIKOS (CYZICUS) in BITHYNEA, and KALONON and LYCANIA
in ITALY. And in the seventh year of 'AKHAZ, ROMULUS reigned, and in ITALY he built that great and
famous [city of] ROME (RHOMI) and dwelt therein. Now up to this time the kings of ITALY were called
LATINS (LATINAYE), but from this time onwards they were called ROMANS (RHOMAYE), that is to say,
FRANKS.

After 'AHAZ, HEZEKIAH [reigned] twenty-nine years. The country of SHAMRIN and all the dominion of
the ISRAELITES was in the hands of the ASSYRIANS, and subject to them. And HEZEKIAH was reigning
over JUDAH in JERUSALEM. HEZEKIAH alone remained independent.

And in the eighth year of HEZEKIAH, SHALMANESER, the ASSYRIAN, sent men to keep guard over
JUDAH. And because the Lord made him to have dominion over them SHALMANESER commanded that
they should keep the judgement of the God of the land. And he sent to them a certain priest, whose name was
'AZARYA, that he might teach them the Law of MOSES. And he wrote for them the 'ORAITA
(PENTATEUCH) in Hebrew, [24] and for this reason the SHAMRAYE (SAMARITANS) accept the
Pentateuch only. And it is said that this 'AZARYA, by the help also of an Aramean book, that is to say,
Syrian, wrote the 'ORAITA, and this is the PESHITTA edition which is in the hands of the SYRIANS.

And in the sixth year of HEZEKIAH, SENNACHERIB, who went up against JERUSALEM, reigned over
the ASSYRIANS, and through the prayer of HEZEKIAH he was vanquished, now fifteen years were added
to the life of HEZEKIAH, and the angel of the Lord slew in the camp of SENNACHERIB one hundred and
eighty-five thousand men. And he heard that TARHAK (TIRHAKAH), king of the KUSHITES, had gone
forth to fight with him, and straightway he departed to NINEVEH, and there his sons killed him. And
HEZEKIAH made a lake of water, and he made a canal to the city of JERUSALEM, and he brought in water
by aqueducts. And having shown to the ambassadors of the king of BABYLON everything which was in his
house, the Lord was angry with him, and it was said to him, 'Everything which they have seen in thy house,
[shall be his], and thy sons shall become eunuchs in the house of the king of BABYLON.’ And HEZEKIAH
said, 'Fair is the word of the Lord; O that there may be peace in my days!’ And in his days the righteous man
TOBIT, who was of the captivity of ISRAEL, and was dwelling in NINEVEH, was fed by the angel
RAPHAEL, and the blindness of his eyes was cured by the gall of that fish which was given to him by the
angel. And at that ttme SYRACUSE, and KATANA, and LEONTINO, and MAGHLARA, and
MARTONIYA (TAORMINA?). and CHRERONESUS were built in SIKILIA (3) And SENNACHERIB built
TARSUS of CILICIA.

After HEZEKIAH, MENASSEH his son [reigned] fifty-five years. And in his thirteenth year he killed
ISAIAH the prophet by sawing him in twain with a wood saw. Because of this God rejected him and
delivered him over into the hands of the ASSYRIANS. And having taken him captive they bound him in
strong iron fetters and set him in a brass cage for beasts in NINEVEH. And when affliction waxed sore on
him, he turned to the God of his fathers, and offered [Him] true repentance and prayed that famous prayer,
and God answered him, and he was released and returned to JERUSALEM. And that image with four [25]
faces which he had made he cast out of the temple and smashed it, and he threw away the idols. And he built
the south wall of JERUSALEM, and stablished JUDAH. And in PONTOS were built the cities MITHIA,
'ISTRIS, 'AKANTHOS, 'AKARDIA, and 'ESTAGHIRA, and SALINOS was built in SIKILIA (SICILY).
And in the twenty-first year of MENASSEH the city of CHALCEDON was built, and THALIS (THALES)
the MILESIAN, the first phusikos (physicus), that is to say, natural philosopher, was known (i.e. famous).
And the SCYTHIANS seized the country as far as PALESTINE. And in the thirty-sixth year of MENASSEH,
SENNACHERIB THE LESS reigned over the ASSYRIANS, and after one year he sent MENASSEH away.
And in the fortieth year of MENASSEH, TULLOS reigned over the RHOMAYE (Byzantines) thirty-three
years; the same is HOSTILIOS, who was the first to wear purple apparel and to use royal rods (sceptres).
And BOZANTIA, the first building, was built by BOZOS; and after [nine hundred] and ninety-seven years
CONSTANTINE restored it and enlarged it, and called it CONSTANTINOPLE.

After MENASSEH, AMMON his son [reigned] twelve years—according to the Hebrew [Bible], and
ANIANUS two years. Now this AMMON served strange gods, that is to say, the liar-gods of the heathen, and
he offered sacrifices to idols. He was smitten by his slaves and died by the sword.

After AMMON, JOSIAH his son [reigned] thirty-one years. He had four sons, YOKANYA, YOYAKIM,
YAHOAHAZ, and ZEDEKIAH. YOKANYA begot DANIEL the prophet; and YOYAKIM begot ANANIAS,
AZARIAS, and MISAEL. And ZEPHANIAH, the son of KOSHI the SIMEONITE, was prophesying; and in

his thirteenth year JEREMIAH the prophet began to prophesy; and in his eighteenth year HULDHI the
prophetess was prophesying. And at that time he displayed care for the Temple of the Lord, and he
commanded HILAKYA (HILKIAH) to give money from the treasure of the House of the Lord to workmen.
And whilst they were digging [in the foundations] they found a Book of the Law.

And when JOSIAH read it, and learned what things God had commanded, he burned with zeal, and rent his
garments, and devoted himself to keeping the whole Law. And he cast out the idols of AMMON his father,
and he purified the temple, and he smashed the statues, and uprooted the altars, and slew all the priests, and
he burnt their bones [26] on the altar of BAAL. and thus the words of the prophet who came from JUDAH to
JEROBOAM were fulfilled. And in the thirty-first year of JOSIAH, NAKHAUTH (NECHO), the same is
PHARAOH THE LAME, reigned in EGYPT. He came down on the river FRATH (EUPHRATES) against
MABBUGH (MANBI)), to fight with the king of ASSYRIA, and when JOSIAH went to attack him, he was
slain there by NAKHAUTH. And his slaves brought him [back] and buried him in JERUSALEM.

After JOSIAH, YAHOAHAZ his son [reigned] three months. When PHARAOH THE LAME came back he
carried this king off as a captive, and he set up in his stead JEHOIAKIM, the son of JOSIAH, his brother.

After YAHOAHAZ, JEHOIAIKIM his brother [reigned] eleven years. It was he who is called 'ELYAKIM,
and PHARAOH THE LAME set him in the place of his brother, and laid it upon him to give each year one
hundred talents of gold. And in the third year of 'ELYAIKIM, NEBUCHADNEZZAR, the CHALDEAN, the
son of NABHUPALSAR (NABOPOLASSAR), reigned over the ASSYRIANS forty-four years. And he went
up against JERUSALEM and brought down captives and the vessels of the Temple; and he laid tribute on
"ELYAKIM and departed. In this captivity DANIEL and his companions went down to BABYLON. This was
the first Captivity which was to BABYLON. PHARAOH THE LAME, having destroyed MABBUGH and
slain JOSIAH, returned [to EGYPT]; but he came a second time and camped on the EUPHRATES and there
he killed NEBUCHADNEZZAR (sic). And in the eighth year of YOYAKIM and NEBUCHADNEZZAR in
his fifth year he went up again against JERUSALEM, and he laid tribute on YOYAKIM and returned. And in
the eighth year of NEBUCHADNEZZAR, YOYAKIM died.

After YOYAKIM, his son YOYAKHIN, who is called in the Gospel of MATTHEW, YOKANYA, and who is
also called by his father's name YOYAKIM, [reigned] three months. His heart turned aside from the Lord,
and for the third time NEBUCHADNEZZAR went up and carried him, and his mother, and his chief men
captives to BABYLON, and he remained there a prisoner for thirty-seven years. And NEBUCHADNEZZAR
set up in his stead ZEDEKIAH his uncle, the son of JOSIAH.

After YOYAKHIN, his uncle ZEDEKIAH reigned eleven years. And in the fourth year of ZEDEKIAH,
"ESTIGHOS (ASTYAGES) reigned over the MEDES thirty-eight years. And in the nineteenth year of his
kingdom, that is, in the eleventh year of ZEDEKIAH, NEBUCHADNEZZAR went up a fourth time against
JUDAH. And NABHUZARDAN, [27] the captain of his host, burnt the Temple and the city of
JERUSALEM. And ne took captive ZEDEKIAH, and blinded his eyes, and with the exception of a few he
carried away captives all the JEWS. And the kingdom of JUDAH, which had flourished after the ending of
the kingdom of the children of ISRAEL for one hundred and fifty-five years, came to an end. Now when
JEREMIAH knew of the burning of the Temple, he hid in a cave the Tabernacle of Witness, and the Ark, and
no man knoweth the place. And CLEMENS reckons from the burning [of the Temple] the seventy years of
the Captivity until the second year of DARIUS, the son of HYSTASPES. And the prophets HAGGAI and
ZECHARIAH bear witness, saying, 'Lord, how long before Thou wilt show mercy upon JERUSALEM and
on the cities of Judah? For Thou hast been angry with them for seventy years.' And EUSEBIUS and
ANDRONICUS also hold this opinion. And others say from the third year of 'ELYAKIM until the nineteenth
year of CYRUS [was seventy years]; and DANIEL the prophet from the thirteenth year of JOSIAH, that is to

say, from the beginning of the prophesying of JEREMIAH; and AFRICANUS from the beginning [of the
reign of] ZEDEKIAH. The years of the Kings, twenty and three, until the burning [of the Temple] were five
hundred and twenty and five; and from ADAM is four thousand, five hundred, and sixteen years.

(1) The passage within square brackets is a note by Bedjan.

(2) On this Bedjan says: 'This was not the opinion of Solomon, who confesseth the new life in
ECCLESIASTES and said, The soul shall return to the earth as it was; the spirit shall return to the Lord who
gave it (chap. x11. 7). Therefore Bar Hebraeus, who thought thus about Solomon, erreth.'

(3) The vocalization of these names was corrected by Bedjan from the work of Dionysius of Tall Mahre; see
his note on p. 24.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

IV
The Chaldean (Babylonian) Kings.

The Fourth Series, the Chaldean (Babylonian) Kings.

AFTER ZEDEKIAH, NEBUCHADNEZZAR, the CHALDEAN, reigned twenty-four years after he burnt the
Temple, and had made the kingdom of the JEWS to come to an end, and before this he had reigned nineteen
other years, so that all the years of his kingdom were forty-three years. And once again, for the fifth time,
after the burning [of the Temple] he went up and laid siege to TYRE, and he built a bridge of stone [from the
mainland] to the city. And the sons of TYRE becoming terrified cast everything into the sea and fled, and
they (the BABYLONIANS) surrounded HIRAM and killed him. Now HIRAM had lived five hundred years,
the whole of the time of the kings of JUDAH. And the land of EGYPT was given to tbe army of
NEBUCHADNEZZAR [28] as a reward for the labour on the bridge (or, causeway) which they had built in
the sea of TYRE; then NEBUCHADNEZZAR returned to BABYLON. And he made a kremastos, that is to
say suspended paradise, and he made it that it might be one of the Seven Wonders [of the World]. And in the
thirteenth year of the Captivity he made an image of gold sixty cubits high, because of which those of the
house of HANANYA (ANANIAS) triumphed. Then he became an animal, according to the prophecy of
DANIEL, and he grazed with the beasts on the grass of the desert. At this time the contest [which is called]
‘gumnastikos' (gymnastic), because it was fought by naked men, began to be known in ATHENS. And in the
time of this NEBUCHADNEZZAR, HIPPARCHUS, the philosopher and mathematician, was also famous.
He more than all the wise men who were before him made most careful study with watchings and
observations of the courses of the constellations [and planets]. And PTOLEMY, CLAUDIUS, the lord (i.e.
author) of the Book MAGISTI, which he called 'SUNTAKSIS', was enlightened and made exceedingly strong
(or, wise) by his writings. And of all the multitude of books of HIPPARCHUS, only one book is extant today.
[I mean] the 'Mysteries of the Luminaries' (or, shining orbs of the heavens), whereby is made known the
renewal of the various kingdoms in the world. (1)

After NEBUCHADNEZZAR his son EVIL MERODACH [reigned] three years after, the death of his father
and not after he went mad. Whilst this king was reigning he brought YOYAKIM, who is YOYACHIN, that is
to say YOCANYA, the son of YOYAKIM, who is 'ELYAKIM, out of prison and paid him honour. And he ate
bread at the table of EVIL MERODACH in the thirty-seventh year of his captivity, that is to say the twenty-
sixth year [after] the burning of the Temple.

After EVIL MERODACH, BELTSHAZAR (BELSHAZZAR) his brother [reigned] two years, according to
the CHALDEANS five. In the first year of this king DANIEL saw the vision of the four beasts, which
symbolized four kingdoms. BELSHAZZAR in the second year [of his kingdom] made a great feast for his
nobles. And he was drinking wine [as he reclined] opposite a thousand, that is to say they could see him, but
he was not alongside of them. And when he dared greatly, and drank out of the vessels [used in] the service
[of the Temple], which his father had carried off [from JERUSALEM], the figure of a hand went forth and
wrote the decree of his doom on the wall; and that same night came DARIUS the Mede and killed him.

(1) Bedjan says in a note, 'There are no mysteries in the Luminaries, and it cannot be known from them what
the Lord wished to do', and he quotes Daniel iv. 17.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography
V
The Kings of the Medes.

Here beginneth the Fifth Series, which passeth from the Chaldean Kings to the Kings of
the Medes.

[29] AFTER BELTESHAZAR, DARIUS the MEDE, who is NABHORHIDOS (NABONIDUS), reigned for
one year after he had killed BELTESHAZAR;; now he had then been king for sixteen years. And in that year
he set up DANIEL above all his nobles, and therefore DANIEL was envied and cast into the den of lions for
the first time; and when he was delivered they (i.e. the men who envied him) perished.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

VI
The Kings of the Persians.

Here beginneth the Sixth Series, which passeth from the Kings of the Medes to the
Kings of the Persians.

AFTER DARIUS the MEDE, CYRUS the PERSIAN [reigned] thirty-one years; some manuscripts have
[thirty ]-nine and others [thirty]-three years. This CYRUS having slain DARIUS the MEDE made an end of
the kingdom[s] of the CHALDEANS, and the ASSYRIANS, and the MEDES, and set up the kingdom of the
PERSIANS. And he made BABYLON the place of his abode (i.e. capital), and he also appointed DANIEL,
the upright man, administrator of his kingdom. And DANIEL was full of zeal and he smashed the idol of
BEL, the god of the BABYLONIANS, who was the first king of the CHALDEANS, the father of NINOS,
who built NINEVEH. And DANIEL also slew the SERPENT, and became hated by the BABYLONIANS,
and he was cast a second time into a cave (or, cage) wherein there were seven lions. And the prophet
HABAKKUK was sent from JUDAH and brought food to him, and he was also delivered from the lions and
his enemies perished.

Now DANIEL in reckoning up the years of the Captivity, thought that the seventy years which had been
decreed for the people by the word of the Lord by the hand of JEREMIAH, had already been fulfilled, and he
fasted and prayed for twenty-one days, making supplication for the return of the people. Then he saw a
terrifying vision by the rrver DEKLATH (TIGRIS), namely that of a man clothed in byssus, and he said unto
him, 'Behold, I have to contend for twenty-one days against the governor of the PERSIANS [30] for the
sending away of the people'. And in the first year of his kingdom he sent away five myriads (but not all of
them, because the seventy years were not as yet fulfilled) by the hands of ZURBABHEL and ISHO' BAR-
YOZADAK. And he commanded them to build the Temple of JERUSALEM according to the prophecy of
ISATAH; but the building was obstructed by the peoples who were round about them, for forty-six years, as
JOHN the Evangelist wrote, until the sixth year of DARIUS, the son of HYSTASPES. After CYRUS the
PERSIAN, CAMBYSES his son reigned for eight years; the HEBREWS say that he was called
NEBUCHADNEZZAR.

And in his time JUDITH, who slew HOLOPHERNES, the man of MAGHOGH, that is to say the TURK.
And in the sixth year of his reign they overthrew TYRE wholly.

After CAMBYSES two brothers who were MAGIANS [reigned] for seven months, and these months are
reckoned with the years of CAMBYSES.

After the two brothers who were MAGIANS, DARIUS, the son of HYSTASPES, [reigned] for thirty-six
years. In his second year the seventy years of the Captivity came to an end, according to CLEMENS, and
EUSEBIUS, and ANDRONICUS, and the testimony of [the prophets] HAGGAI and ZECHARIAH. And in
his sixth year the HOUSE (i.e. Temple) was finished in the month of 'TYAR. Its height was sixty cubits, its

breadth was twenty cubits. The years from the first building of SOLOMON to this year of the completion of
the second building added together are five hundred and eight years. At this time PYTHAGORAS the
philosopher died, having lived ninety-five [years]. And DEMOCRITUS and DIOGENES, the philosophers;
and ANAXAGORAS, the physicist, and PINDAR and SIMONIDES, the musicians; and HIPPOCRATES,
the physician; and PROTAGORAS and ISOCRATES, the sophists; and ARISTOPHANES and 'APCALIS
(EUPOLES?), the introducers of comedy, were known (or, famous).

Of all these he who was the most triumphant in the world was HIPPOCRATES, the master and teacher of
physicians until the present day. He used to live in the city of EMESA, and from time to time he would go to
DAMASCUS and live in those gardens, the site of which is known at the present day, and is called the 'Porch
of HIPPOCRATES'. He was a godlike man, and he healed the sick gratuitously. It is related that
'ARDASHiR, the king of the PERSIANS, was sick and he sent a message to him [31] saying that he must
come and heal him; and that he would give him the half of his kingdom; but HIPPOCRATES would not go,
because of the fee which [the King] had promised him. The following works of his are extant: The Book of
Aphorisms, the Book of Prognosis, the Book of Peeled Barley, the Book of Humours, the Book of the
Kastrom (i.e. Belly), the Book of Water and Air, the Book of the Nature of Man, the Book of Headaches (7),
and the Book of Diatiki (Covenant).

Ater DARIUS, his son 'AHSHIRASH (AHASUERUS) [reigned] twenty-one years. In his second year he
subjugated EGYPT. In his eleventh year he came to ATHENS and burnt it with fire. In his ttme HAMAN, the
AMALEKITE, sought to make an end of the JEWS who remained from the Captivity. ESTHER and
MORDECAI put on sackcloth, and the Lord made the wickedness of HAMAN to recoil on his own head.
And certain people say that if this story had been current in the time of EZRA, who wrote about everything
which happened at this period, he would not have kept silence about it, and would have mentioned it.

After AHASUERUS, ARTABANUS his own son reigned seven months, and these months are reckoned with
the years of AHASUERUS.

And after ARTABANUS, 'ARYOCH, that is ARTAXERXES LONGIMANUS, [reigned] forty-one years.
And in his ninth year he commanded 'AZRA (EZRA) the scribe to go up and build JERUSALEM, that is to
say the city, after the Temple was built. And a vision of God appeared unto EZRA the scribe, and he made a
copy of [the Book of] the Prophets from memory, because their Books were burnt when [the city] was
captured. And in his twentieth year NEHEMIAH, the cup-bearer (shakya), was sent to build JERUSALEM.
Now although this man was a Hebrew by race, he was a eunuch, and the cup-bearer of ARTAXERXES; and
he persuaded the king and the queen and went up. Now the Jews who were in JERUSALEM had no holy fire,
because they had cast it into a pit when they were carried away captives. And NEHEMIAH commanded and
they brought some of the clay (or, soil) from that pit and cast it upon the wood of the altar, and it burst into
flame after it had been extinguished for one hundred and forty-six years. And NEHEMIAH remained in
JERUSALEM for twelve years. And from this time of ARTAXERXES one reckoneth the seventy weeks
which are written in DANIEL, and which make four hundred and ninety years, and they agree with the year
three hundred and sixty-six of the GREEKS, in the second year of NERO, in whose days JERUSALEM was
besieged. Hitherto [32] writers have collected the [numbers of the years] from the Books of the Prophets and
EZRA, but from this time onward [they have taken them] from the Book of the MACCABEES, and from the
historians JOSEPHUS and AFRICANUS. In the third year of this ARTAXERXES, SOCRATES the
philosopher was born, and he was poisoned at the end of his days.

After 'ARYOCH another ARTAXERXES [reigned] for two months.

After this other ARTAXERXES, SAGHDIANOS [reigned] for seven months, and these months are added to
the two preceding months.

After SAGHDIANOS, DARIUS NOTHUS [reigned] nineteen years. In his fifteenth year EGYPT rebelled
against the PERSIANS, and the EGYPTIANS set up a native king after one hundred and twenty-four years
[of foreign rule]. And after NEHEMIAH had finished [building] the whole of the wall of JERUSALEM he
returned to BABYLON. And PLATO promulgated [his] opinion about the three uncreated beings, viz. God,
Matter, and Silence. And he taught the migration of souls from bodies to bodies, even for insects and reptiles;
and he advised that women be common property. EPICURUS clung to his teaching, and ARISTOTLE, at the
age of seventy, listened to wisdom from PLATO.

After DARIUS NOTHUS, ARTAXERXES the Governor [reigned] forty years. And in his fifteenth year
AFRICANUS, the Dictator of the ROMANS, laid waste CARTHAGE (?), and he called that country
"AFRIKI after his own name. The HEBREWS call this ARTAXERXES 'ASVIROS', and because of this
JOHN thought that the [events of] the story of ESTHER took place [in his reign]. In the translation of the
SEVENTY he is called 'ARTAXERXES'.

After ARTAXERXES the Governor, ARTAXERXES OCHUS [reigned] twenty-seven years. This [king] was
a man of power and he reigned over EGYPT, and once again the IGHUPTAYE (EGYPTIANS) became
subject to the PERSIANS; the king of EGYPT, whose name was NAKTANABOS (i.e. NEKHT-HER-
HEBIT), fled to ETHIOPIA. He saw by means of magical incantations that very many armies were
advancing against him; and it is said that he was the unlawful father of ALEXANDER [the Great]. OCHUS
also conquered the JEWS and made them bearers of tribute to him; and he settled them by the side of the
CASPIAN SEA, in the city of HYRCANIA. And at this time PHILIP, the father of ALEXANDER, reigned in
MACEDONIA twenty-seven years. And in the thirteenth year [33] of OCHUS the Persian, and the eighth
[year] of PHILIP, ALEXANDER [the Great] was born in HELLAS, and the name of his mother was
OLYMPIAS.

After OCHUS, PARSIS (‘ARSIS) his son [reigned] four years. At this time SOCRATES, and PLATO, and
ARISTOTLE, the philosophers, were famous. PLATO died at the age of eighty-two years, and SPOSIPOS
(SPEUSIPPUS), the son of his uncle, and not ARISTOTLE, stood in his place, even though he was his
disciple, but he did not agree with his opinion, especially on the subject of the migration of souls from bodies
to bodies, which he opposed strongly.

At this time MANASSEH, the brother of ONIAS (?), the high priest of the JEWS, built a great temple in
MOUNT GARZIM (GERIZIM), which was like that which was in JERUSALEM, and ALEXANDER, the
son of King PHILIP, became a disciple of ARISTOTLE. SOCRATES and PLATO received wisdom from
PYTHAGORAS the Great. After the death of SOCRATES, PLATO became famous. THEON, the
ALEXANDRIAN, estimates that PLATO composed thirty-three books, among them being the Book of
'POLITIKON', and the Book of LAWS, and the Book of PHAEDO, and the Book of TIMAUS. PLATO was
of noble origin both on his father's and mother's side, for his father was descended from POSIDION, and his
mother from SOLON, the lawgiver of the ATHENIANS. Others say that when PLATO was a youth he was
greatly skilled in the poetic art, and that when he was being trained under SOCRATES and he saw that [his
master] held the poetic art in contempt, he burnt the books of poetry which he possessed, and cleaved to
SOCRATES, and was a disciple of his for fifty years; and from him he learned pythagorean wisdom. And
when he died he left many estates (or, gardens), and two slaves, and a cup and a pinax, and an ornament
which he used to put in his ear in his childhood as a mark of the nobility of his race. And the rest of his
possessions he spent in providing dowries for his brother's daughters; and he also divided some of his goods
among his friends. Over his grave is written, 'Here is laid a godlike man, who was superior to all men in

wisdom, and in modesty , and in righteous habits. Therefore, every one who praiseth wisdom, [34] it is
PLATO whom he praiseth, because in him was the greater part of wisdom.' And on the other side of the grave
is written, 'O thou Earth, though thou hidest the body of PLATO, thou canst never draw nigh to his soul,
because it never dieth’.

ARISTOTLE was the son of NICOMACHUS, the physician from STAGIRA, a village in the country of
MACEDONIA, and his race (i.e. pedigree), both through his father and mother, went back to the
ASKLEPIADES; and for a period of twenty years he was an auditor of PLATO. And on a certain occasion
when he was with the rest of the disciples, and was still uninitiated, PLATO said unto those who were
initiated, 'Mind (or, understanding) hath not come, the philosopher is remote from the truth, deaf are his
hearers'. ARISTOTLE was held in very great honour by kings and ALEXANDER administered the affairs of
his kingdom under his direction. And when he went to war with the kings of the earth, ARISTOTLE held his
peace, and he began to write books on linguistics, and natural objects, and divine (i.e. celestial) objects, and
the care (i.e. study) of customs. His stature was handsome, [his complexion] fair (or, white), the eyes and
mouth small, the cheek broad, the beard crisp, the nose broad, his eyes were light blue (?). When he was
walking by himself his gait was hurried, and when he was with other people he walked leisurely. And with
the reading of books he sometimes, it seems, abolished sleep. He put restraint on every word, and inquired
carefully into the force thereof. Being asked a question, he did not answer quickly, but only after a time. He
loved songs (ballads or, metrical poetry). And when a man was disputing (or, debating) with him, he never
cared whether he (i.e. the man) gained the victory or not, all that concerned him was the truth. And if he was
in the wrong he admitted it, and when the truth [lay] with his fellow debater, he testified to the correctness
thereof willingly. And his apparel, and his food, and his drink, and his marriage, and his motions were
praiseworthy. He died at the age of sixty-eight years, and he left a son, and a daughter, and a wife, and slaves
and maidservants, and many possessions.

And there rose up in doctrine in his stead THEOPHRASTUS, his brother's son. And when he died he made a
beautiful (i.e. wise) will with directions for the members of his household and his disciples.

And of SOCRATES it is said, 'This man beggared himself completely. He loved labours, and hated the
delights and gratifications of the body. He used to live in a pit (or, well) [35] and not in a house. And a certain
man said unto him: 'If the pit becometh broken what wilt thou do?' And he replied, 'If the pit be broken, the
place which is in the pit will not be broken’. He used to say, 'The external beauty of the body maketh known
the interior beauty of the soul'. And when the ATHENIANS saw that he always selected good-looking youths
to instruct, they thought that he was a lover of boys. And because he blamed and severely rebuked the king
for his luxurious life, he instructed his sons ANITOS and MILITOS, and they accused him of sodomy; so he
killed him with poison. St. GREGORY, the Theologian, mentions this SOCRATES in the second part [of his
work], saying, 'The love of beauty of SOCRATES! Though I am ashamed I must say "the love of boys",
though he was modest (or, chaste) in things which are to be praised! (?).

After PARSIS, DARIUS the son of 'ARSHACH (‘ARSHAM) [reigned] six years. And in the first year of his
reign, ALEXANDER [the Great], who was twenty years old, was reigning. He was three cubits in height, and
he was much greater than any of the kings who were before him. He conquered many countries, and he
destroyed thirty-five kings and his camp contained twelve myriads of men. And in the sixth year of DARIUS,
and also of ALEXANDER, they joined in battle at ISSUS in CILICIA, and ALEXANDER conquered and
DARIUS was slain, and the kingdom of the PERSIANS came to an end.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

Vil
The First Kingdom of the Greeks.

Here beginneth the Seventh Series, which passeth from the Kings of the Persians to the
pagan Greeks.

AFTER DARIUS, ALEXANDER reigned six years, after he killed DARIUS, and the prophecy of DANIEL
concerning the he-goat which came and killed the ram (Daniel viii) was fulfilled. Now ALEXANDER,
having brought to an end the kingdom of the BABYLONIANS and PERSIANS, [36] seized BABYLON, and
subjugated 'TORIPOS (PERSEPOLIS?), and 'ERKONIA (HURKANIA?) and MURIA (MEDIA?). And he
took all GREATER ASIA, and he also crossed the river HENDOS (INDUS), and he conquered INDIA and
SHEBHA (SABA?). And he took to wife RUSHNAK (ROXANA), the daughter of DARIUS, and he carried
off SHEBHA her sister with her. And he built twelve cities and made a door of Iron that the HUNS might not
go forth. The height thereof was twelve cubits and the width thereof eight cubits. He took the JEWS and they
welcomed him, and he sacrificed to GOD. And when the SHAMRAYE (SAMARITANS) slew
ALEXANDER the priest, whom he had left with them, he came from EGYPT and destroyed them, and he
settled MACEDONIANS in SHAMRIN. And having come to BABYLON after he had reigned twelve years
and seven months, one of his nobles put him to death by poison. And the Great Horn was broken, and under it
there rose up four horns [Daniel, chaps. vii and viii], viz. his servants who reigned after him. The total of the
years from ADAM to the death of ALEXANDER, according to ANIANUS the monk, is five thousand and
sixty and nine-years. And in the time of ALEXANDER lived ANDROMACHUS the physician, who added
the flesh of vipers to the antidote METHRODITOS (i.e. of MITHRIDATES), and recovery from the bites of
vipers took place.

Ater ALEXANDER, PTOLEMY, his servant, [reigned] forty years; he was the son of LOGHOS (LAGUS),
that is to say the 'son of 'ARNEBHA'". He rose up after ALEXANDER, and he brought his body [to EGYPT]
and buried it there. And in the year in which he [began to] reign, he captured JERUSALEM by guile, and he
carried the JEWS into captivity, and he settled [them] in EGYPT in the days of HUNIA (ONIAS), the chief
of the priests. And from him the kings (of EGYPT) were known as 'PTOLEMIES'. PHILIP ARRIDAEUS
reigned over the MACEDONIANS, and ANTIOCHUS reigned in SYRIA. And he had a partner in the
kingdom, SELEUCUS NIKATOR, i.e. the 'Conqueror’. Now in CILICIA, and in ASIA, and in CARIA, and in
HELLESPONT, and in THRACE, and in PAPHLAGONIA, and in EPIRUS (var. 'EURIPI), seven other kings
rose up. Now in all there were ten [kings]; and the word of DANIEL (chaps. vii and viii) agreeth, viz. 'The
beast had ten horns'. [37] And in the thirteenth year of PTOLEMY [LAGUS], twelve years after the death of
ALEXANDER, ANTIOCHUS died. And SELEUCUS reigned alone over SYRIA, and over all GREATER
ASIA, and BABYLON as far as INDIA, for twenty-one years. And with him began the reckoning by the
years of the GREEKS (i.e. the Era of the Greeks) which we SYRIANS use, even though it be called after
ALEXANDER. SELEUCUS built ANTIOCH, and SELEUCIA, and LATAKIA, and APAMEA, and URHAI
(EDESSA), and BEROEA, and PILAS, and GERMANIKI, which is MAR'ASH.

From ADAM to SELEUCUS, according to EUSEBIUS, is 4,889 years;

From ADAM to SELEUCUS, according to ANDRONICUS, is 5,083 years;

From ADAM to SELEUCUS, according to GIWARGI (GEORGE) the most excellent Elder, is 5,085 years;
From ADAM to SELEUCUS, according to AFRICANUS, is 5,083 years;

From ADAM to SELEUCUS, according to THEOPHILUS of EDESSA, is 5,197 years;

From ADAM to SELEUCUS, according to JACOB of EDESSA, is 5,49 years;

From ADAM to SELEUCUS, according to GEORGE, bishop of the Arab peoples, is 4,929 years;

From ADAM to SELEUCUS, according to ANIANUS, is 5,180 years and 10 months.

And with this last the Greek Septuagint agreeth. The reckoning which the Greeks use in our time agreeth with
that of THEOPHILUS of EDESSA. Now if we add to 5,197 years the complete years of SELEUCUS, and
one month to the complete months of the incomplete year, which beginneth with the FIRST TESHRIN
(OCTOBER), there are gathered together for us the complete solar years from ADAM, and the months from
the incomplete year which beginneth with 'ILUL (SEPTEMBER). What then in respect of the day which
remaineth (?), the tenth of 'ILUL [of the] year of the GREEKS 1587? Let us add five thousand one hundred
and ninety-seven to one thousand five hundred and eighty-six, and their total is six thousand seven hundred
and eighty-three; then add to the eleven months one month and they become twelve months. Let us add then
one year to the complete years, and they become six thousand seven hundred and eighty-four. And we say
that the tenth of 'ILUL belongeth to the incomplete year, that is to say, the year six thousand seven hundred
and eighty-five.

After LAGUS, PHILADELPHUS. ce. 'loving his brother’, reigned thirty-eight years. And in his fifth year
ANTIOCHUS SOTER reigned over SYRIA after his brother SELEUCUS. And in his sixth year
PHILADELPHUS gave freedom [38] to the JEWS who were in captivity in EGYPT. And he sent gifts to
ELT'AZAR, the high priest, and asked him for [copies of] the Holy Scriptures and translators. Then he (i.e.
the high priest) wrote the Books in gold [ink], and sent [them] together with seventy-two learned men who
were well acquainted with the two languages Greek and Hebrew; and there were six men from each tribe.
And PHILADELPHUS settled them on the Island of FARO (PHAROS), and he built thirty-six cells, one cell
for every two men; and he admonished them that they were to change nothing [in the text]. And they
translated the Books in seventy-two days, each two men of the whole number [seventy-two], and there were
thirty-six copies. And when they were collated with each other they were found to agree, as if one man only
had translated them [i.e. all the copies]. And the king placed them in his library in ALEXANDRIA.

And after ANTIOCHUS SOTER, ANTIOCHUS, who was called God ['Allaha], reigned over SYRIA fifteen
years. And in the thirty-fourth year of his reign the PARTHIANS, that is to say the 'ARMENAYE, rebelled
against the MACEDONIANS, that is to say, GREEKS (YAWNAYE), and they set up over them a king whose
name was 'ARSHAK, and from that time they were called 'ARSHAKAYE. And at that time the RHOMAYE
slew of the GALLAYE (GAULS), and the KALAYE (KALTAYE, CELTS?) up to four myriads. And
RHODES and all the countries round about them were so much shaken [by an earthquake], that the great
COLOSSUS fell. And they afflicted SYRACUSE with war, and they also laid waste KAFU (CORFU?), and
SICILY became subject unto them, and likewise very many Iberian (i.e. Spanish) cities.

After PTOLEMY PHILADELPHUS, PTOLEMY EUERGETES (that is, handicraftsman') [reigned] twenty-
six years. And in that year SELEUCUS KALONIKUS reigned in SYRIA twenty years. And he built
KALONIKUS, that is, RAKKAH, and KARKISON (CIRCESIUM). And after him SELEUCUS KRONOS
[reigned] three years, and after him ANTIOCHUS THE GREAT thirty-six years. Now ONIAS, the high
priest, being unwilling to pay his customary tribute to the king of EGYPT, PHARAOH was wroth with him,
and made ready to destroy the JEWS utterly. Then JOSEPHUS, the wise and strong man, was sent to him by

the JEWS, and favour was shown to him, and he pacified the anger of EUERGETES, and received from him
an authority (or, Patent), and from that time a general [39] appeared in JUDEA who was over all the cities.

After PTOLEMY EUERGETES, PTOLEMY PHILOPATOR (that is, loving his father") [reigned] seventeen
years. This [PHARAOH] afflicted the JEWS. And at the end of his kingdom ANTIOCHUS THE GREAT, of
SYRIA, conquered him and also took possession of EGYPT. And he also came to JUDEA and subjugated it.
And then there happened the events which are described in the holy history of the MACCABEES.

After PTOLEMY PHILOPATOR, PTOLEMY EPIPANES (that is, the 'purifier', or perhaps 'the dispenser of
justice’) [reigned] twenty-one years, though other codices say twenty-four years. This PHARAOH sent
SCOPAS his general, and he subdued JUDAH and SYRIA. Against him went forth ANTIOCHUS THE
GREAT, and he conquered the army of the EGYPTIANS and took from them all their cities. Now the JEWS
submitted themselves with alacrity to ANTIOCHUS, and he honoured them with gifts. And he paved the
roads and passages over which the soldiers marched, and he built bridges of stones over the rivers. And in his
eleventh year ANTIOCHUS THE GREAT was conquered by the RHOMAYE at THERMOPYLAE, and he
covenanted to give to them annually one thousand talents of gold, and he also gave EPIPHANIUS, the son of
ANTIOCHUS, to the RHOMAYE as a hostage. And from that time the kingdom of the GREEKS
(YAWN'AYE) was in subjugation to the authority of the RHOMAYE. For this reason the GREEKS and
EGYPTIANS became allies, and ANTIOCHUS stopped the war with PTOLEMY EPIPHANES, and made a
covenant of friendship with him. And ANTIOCHUS THE GREAT took CLEOPATRA, the daughter of
PTOLEMY EPIPHANES, to wife, and gave to her as her dowry SYRIA, PHOENICIA, SAMARIA, and
JUDAH. And in the seventeenth year of PTOLEMY EPIPHANES, ANTIOCHUS THE GREAT went down
[by sea?] against 'ILAM, the royal city (or, capital) of the PERSIANS, and there he died. As DANIEL said,
"In a few days he shall be broken, neither by wrath nor war' (Daniel xi. 20).

And SELEUCUS reigned over SYRIA. In his ttme HELIODORUS, his trusty deputy, was chastised with a
stroke from God because he persecuted the JEWS mercilessly. And in the twenty-first year of PTOLEMY
EPIPHANES, ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES, the son of ANTIOCHUS THE GREAT, ruled over SYRIA; [40]
he had lived as a hostage in ROME for eleven years. As soon as he began to reign he went to EGYPT to
PTOLEMY, and although he was forbidden [to do so] by the RHOMAYE, he returned to JUDAH. And when
he came to JERUSALEM he plundered the Temple of God, and set up in it an image of ZEUS. And he laid
hold of ELIEZER the priest to make him offer up sacrifices, and when he refused, after [suffering] tortures,
he died. And after him they brought SHAMONI, the wife of SHALOM, together with her seven sons, before
ANTIOCHUS. And they cut out the tongue of the first one, and the chief of all his members, and cast him
into a pan to be roasted. Of the second they ripped off the skin of his head. They cut out the tongue of the
third, and so on with the other four, and at last they murdered their mother. They were crowned (i.e.
martyred) in JERUSALEM, but afterwards their bodies were brought to ANTIOCH.

After PTOLEMY EPIPHANES, PTOLEMY PHILOMETOR (this is, 'loving his mother’) [reigned] thirty-five
years. In his sixteenth year ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES died in the land of the PERSIANS of a severe
sickness [caused by] a stroke which was from God. And ANTIOCHUS EUPATOR reigned two years, and
this king also multiplied evil acts towards the JEWS. In his time MATITHA, son of JOHN, son of SIMEON
the priest, one of the sons of YONADHABH, dwelt in MUR'IM and he had five sons, viz. JOHN GADDAIT,
SIMON TARSAI, JUDAH MAKBAIT, ELIEZAR HAWRAN, and JONATHAN HAPOS. When these men
saw a certain JEW who was offering up a sacrifice they were filled with indignation, and they killed him, and
also the governor who was forcing him to sacrifice, and they swept away the offering. Now these brethren,
together with other zealous men of the Law, fled to a mountain. And when ANTIOCHUS EUPATOR heard
[this] he sent a force of one hundred thousand men to JERUSALEM. And whilst they were fighting,
ELIEZAR HAWRAN saw a great elephant, and he thought that the king was sitting upon it. And he went

under the elephant and stabbed it in its belly with a sword. And the elephant staggered about and fell upon
him and he died. And when the fighting ceased and they were collecting the dead bodies for burial, they
found under the apparel of every man of them some of the gold of idols. Then JUDAH sent three thousand
pieces of silver to the priests in JERUSALEM, so that they might make an offering on behalf of those who
had died, and might make propitiation for them for the sake of the [41] hope of the resurrection. At this time
was built the first temple to the Lord among the heathen. HUNIA (ONIAS) built it at 'LIOSPANTAS, (or,
HELIPOLIS?) which is in EGYPT, and he performed in it the service according to the custom of the JEWS.

And in the eighteenth year of PTOLEMY PHILOMETOR, DEMETRIUS SOTER, who was the son of
SELEUCUS, reigned over SYRIA twelve years. Now he came from RHOME, and he seized the kingdom of
his ancestors and slew ANTIOCHUS EUPATOR and his deputy LUSIA. And in the twentieth year of
PTOLEMY PHILOMATOR rose up the first governor of the JEWS, viz. JUDAS MACCABAEUS, and from
that time he held for three years equally (or, both together) the office of high priest and that of king. He drove
the general of ANTIOCHUS out from JUDAH, and he purified the Temple, and he was killed by the captain
of the host of DEMETRIUS during the war. And after him rose JONATHAN, his brother, for nineteen years
—thus the high priest was a general, and he fought during the war with great valour. And in the twenty-ninth
year of PTOLEMY PHILOMATOR, ALEXANDER reigned over SYRIA ten years. He slew DEMETRIUS,
and he also went to EGYPT and seized the country, and PHILOMETOR gave him CLEOPATRA, his
daughter, and made peace with him. And HIPPOLYTUS saith,'This agreeth with what DANIEL saith, "The
daughter of the king of the south shall be given to the king of the north" , [compare Daniel xi. 17]. And
THEODORET saith, 'With CLEOPATRA, the daughter of PTOLEMY EPIPHANES, who was given to
ANTIOCHUS THE GREAT, the prophecy [of Daniel] was fulfilled’. And this is probably [correct].

After PTOLEMY PHILOMETOR, PTOLEMY EUERGETES I, the son of HABHUBHA (7?), [reigned]
twenty-nine years. In his fifth year, there reigned over SYRIA, after ALEXANDER, DEMETRIUS II, three
years. And in the seventh year of this EUERGETES there rose up, after JONATHAN, SIMON, the high
priest, who was a general eight years. This king sent a gold shield to RHOME, and the RHOMAYE made a
treaty of love with him [which was written] on a tablet of brass. And he also sent his son JOHN against
KANDABIS, the captain of the host of ANTIOCHUS DEMETRIUS, and he conquered him and destroyed
all his host, [42] and thus the JEWS were freed from [the payment of] tribute. And in this year the second
history of the MACCABEES came to an end.

And in his eighth year PTOLEMY, the son of HABHUBHA, deposed DEMETRIUS, and ANTIOCHUS
SIDITOS reigned over SYRIA in his stead, and he came to make war on JERUSALEM. And certain slaves
rebelled in SICILY, and being besieged in one of the towns on the island because of their hunger, they ate
each other. And there was a great eruption of fire on the Island of IWALOS (AEOLUS). And in the fifteenth
year of PTOLEMY, the general of PTOLEMY who was in JERICHO, killed SIMON, the high priest. And
after him rose up JOHN, who was called 'HYRCANUS', because he gathered together an army against
HYRCANIA, and he went to war—twenty-six years. And in the seventeenth year of this PTOLEMY,
DEMETRIUS returned to [his] kingdom, and he reigned over SYRIA four years more. And after him there
rose up over SYRIA, ANTIOCHUS AGRIPPA—twelve years. And he came to JERUSALEM, and he
afflicted it sorely. Then HYRCANUS, being in sore straits, opened the grave of DAVID and brought out
therefrom three thousand talents of gold which had been laid up there by the ancients. And he gave three
hundred of them to ANTIOCHUS, and he departed from him. And at this ttme HYRCANUS laid waste
SHAMRIN (SAMARIA).

After PTOLEMY EUERCETES, the son of HABHUBHA, PTOLEMY SOTER, who was also called
'PHYSKON', [reigned] seventeen years. In his fourth year ANTIOCHUS KUDIKOS (sic) reigned over
SYRIA—eighteen years. And in the eleventh year of SOTER, JOHN HYRCANUS died. And

ARISTOBULJUS, the son of JONATHAN, rose up—one year. This man bound on [his head] a crown, and
with guile he slew his brother ANTIGONUS. And another brother, JOHN, also slew this man; this JOHN is
IWANNIS, and he was also called 'ALEXANDER'. And he reigned twenty-seven years. This man governed
the people in a cruel manner. And in his time PTOLEMY SOTER was driven out by CLEOPATRA his
mother, and he fled to the Island of CYPRUS.

After PTOLEMY SOTER, PTOLEMY ALEXANDER, his brother, [reigned] ten years. [43] In his fourth
year he burned alive KUZIKOS (sic) king of SYRIA, and he himself reigned over SYRIA for one year. Then
rose up PHILIP over SYRIA—two years. And he was deposed by the people as being one who assisted in the
burning of KUZIKOS (sic), and thereupon the people cleaved to the subjugation of the RHOMAYE. In the
sixth year of this PTOLEMY ALEXANDER the kingdom of the GREEKS came to an end finally in SYRIA
and ASIA. ANTIOCH became subject to the RHOMAYE in the year of the GREEKS two hundred and
twenty.

After PTOLEMY ALEXANDER, SOTER his brother returned, and he reigned eight years. This SOTER
came back from CYPRUS, whither he had fled from his mother. He fought with his brother, and expelled
him, and he resumed his former rank. And SOTER, who was called 'PHYSKON'’, reigned in ALEXANDRIA
and over all EGYPT.

After PTOLEMY SOTER, his son PTOLEMY DIONYSUS reigned a second time—thirty years. In the fifth
year of his reign JOHN ALEXANDER died, and his wife ALEXANDRA, who was named SELINA, rose up
for nine years. She observed the Commandments very strictly, and she punished those who abrogated them.
But the affairs of the JEWS fell into a great state of confusion because she made HYRCANUS her son high
priest, and ARISTOBULUS her other son was offended, and they quarrelled greatly with each other. And
after very much trouble HYRCANUS was confirmed as high priest, and ARISTOBULUS [became] king.
After a little [time] POMPEY, the captain of the host of the RHOMAYE, came and captured
ARISTOBULUS, and carried him off in fetters to ROME, and he established his brother HYRCANUS [as
king]. And he stood for thirty and four years, and he [re]built the walls of JERUSALEM which POMPEY
had thrown down. For this POMPEY had laid the JEWS under tribute, and he subjugated also GREAT
ARMENIA, and IBERIA and ISAURIA. And he increased greatly [in power] and was called
'AUTOCRATOR'. And in the year in which PTOLEMY DIONYSUS of EGYPT died there began in ROME,
the Consulship of the three Consuls whose names are GAIUS JULIUS, MARK ANTONY, and CRASSUS.

After PTOLEMY DIONYSUS, [44] CLEOPATRA, his daughter, [reigned] twenty-three years. And in her
third year the RHOMAYE made GAIUS JULIUS, one of the three Consuls, king. And he was named
‘CAESAR’, because when his mother was dying they made an opening in her and brought him out from her
womb. And he went down to EGYPT and confirmed the sovereignty of CLEOPATRA. And in the year in
which he reigned the month of KUNTILIS was called 'JULIUS'. And when JULIUS had reigned four years
he died. and AUGUSTUS CAESAR reigned after him fifty-seven years. And in his sixth year, HYRCANUS,
the high priest, was carried off captive to the country of the PARTHIANS, that is to say, PERSIANS. And for
this reason HEROD, the son of ANTIPATER, the son of HEROD the priest of the house of idols of
APOLLO, which is near the wall of ASCALON, went up to ROME. And thence he received sovereignty over
the JEWS, and he reigned thirty-seven years. And when HYRCANUS returned from captivity he slew
HEROD and his son JONATHAN in the eleventh year of AUGUSTUS. And here was fulfilled the word of
the prophecy, 'The rod shall not depart from JUDAH until He to whom sovereignty belongeth shall come'.
For in the time of this HEROD the birth of our Redeemer took place, and the seven weeks and the sixty-two
weeks of DAVID were fulfilled. These make the four hundred and eighty-three years which began with the
sixth year of DARIUS, the son of HYSTASPES.

Now when that HEROD came from ROME the JEWS would not receive him, and he fought and conquered
them, and laid waste the two walls of JERUSALEM, and he destroyed many. And he took the vestment of
priesthood under his hands, and with the exception of one year he did not release the high priest. And having
slain HYRCANUS he sent to BABYLON and brought from thence a man whose name was HNANA'IL, who
did not belong to the grade of priests, and he made him high priest for a year, and then dismissed him. And he
made ARISTOBULUS, the son of HYRCANUS, who was a brother of the wife of HEROD, [high priest].
And after a little while he killed him, and MARY, his sister, who was his wife, and their mother, and each and
every one, without any exception, who belonged to the family of the high priests. And again he appointed
HNANA'LL [high priest]. And in the thirteenth year of AUGUSTUS ANTONINUS (ANTONY), the captain
of his host rebelled against them, [45] and he loved CLEOPATRA, Queen of EGYPT. And AUGUSTUS
marched against him and conquered him. And after a consultation of the SENATE AUGUSTUS made friends
with ANTONINUS (Antony). Then CLEOPATRA asked ANTONINUS (ANTONY) for dominion over the
kingdom of the JEWS and the ARABS, and he agreed to her request. And because of this AUGUSTUS was
offended, and he marched again against ANTONINUS (ANTONY) and conquered him; and he also subdued
EGYPT. And he took the two sons of CLEOPATRA, who were called 'Sun' and 'Moon', and slew them. Then
CLEOPATRA and ANTONINUS (ANTONY) killed themselves.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

Vil
The Roman Emperors.

Here beginneth the Eighth Series, which passeth from the Kings of the pagan Greeks to
the Kings of the Rhomaye.

THE sovereignty of the PTOLEMIES, that is to say GREEKS, having come to an end in EGYPT also, the
whole of EGYPT and the whole of SYRIA came under the dominion of the RHOMAYE.

After CLEOPATRA [came] AUGUSTUS CAESAR, and whilst reigning over EGYPT he was named
'SEBASTUS'; and also [the month] of SEKSTILIS was called 'AUGUSTUS'. And in [his] eighteenth year
AUGUSTUS sent TIBERIUS, the captain of [his] host, to ARMENIA, and he subjugated it. And HEROD
built SHAMRIN (SAMARIA), and in honour of SEBASTUS called it 'SEBASTIA". And he also built the
Tower of 'ESTRATON (TURRIS STRATONIS) and named it 'CAESAREA', and he also built GABHALA in
GALILEE. And in the forty-third year of AUGUSTUS, which is the thirty-third year of HEROD, and the
three hundred and ninth year of the GREEKS, on the twenty-fifth day of the month of the FIRST KANON
(DECEMBER), on the night of the dawn of the third [day of the week], our Lord JESUS CHRIST, the Son of
God, was born in the flesh of the VIRGIN MARY, the daughter of DAVID; and that year entered (1.e. began)
on the second day of the week. And in that year KEURINOS (CYRENIUS), the governor, was sent by the
Senate of ROME to levy poll-tax of the JEWS because GALILEAN JUDAH had rebelled, and many of the
JEWS said, [46] 'It is not right to pay poll-tax to Caesar’, and, 'to make for ourselves lords who are mortal.

And thirty years after this, on the fourth day of the week, on the sixth day of the LATTER KANON
(JANUARY), Christ was baptized by JOHN in the JORDAN. And when our Lord in the flesh was two years
old, and JOSEPH and MARY were going up from NAZARETH to JERUSALEM and they came to
BETHLEHEM, the MAGI came, and there they bowed down in homage to Him. And by night they departed
to Egypt, and they lived there for two years, until HEROD died, and then they returned. Now when the Holy
Virgin gave birth to Him she was thirteen (or, fifteen) years old, and she died when she was fifty-one (or,
sixty-three) years old. LONGINUS, the Roman sage, wrote to CAESAR concerning the coming of the
MAGI, saying, 'PERSIANS from the east have travelled and come to thy kingdom, and they have brought
offerings to a child who hath been born in JUDAH, but who he is, and whose Son he is, we have not yet
heard'. And AUGUSTUS sent [an answer saying], 'HEROD, the Satrap, whom we have left there, shall make
known to us who he is’. And as for the year of the birth of our Lord, although writers (or, historians) have
stated it differently, we find that it was only the three hundred and ninth year of the GREEKS (1), which
began on the second day of the week—besides the other things which they wrote. And HEROD having slain
the children of BETHLEHEM and the borders thereof, the Lord smote him; he suffered sorely for two years
and died aged seventy years.

And AUGUSTUS set up ARCHELAUS his son, who reigned nine years. And having committed an act of
folly he was banished to BHINAN (VIENNA), a city of the GALSINE (GAULS). And then AUGUSTUS set

up the four governors, TETRARCHS, HEROD, and ANTIPATER, and PHILIP—these then were brothers of
ARCHELAUS—and the fourth was LYSANIUS, the alien. And in the same year AUGUSTUS died.

After AUGUSTUS CAESAR, TIBERIUS CAESAR [reigned] twenty-three years. And in his fourteenth year
PILATE, the governor, was sent to the JEWS, and he was Prefect over them. And he introduced the statue of

CAESAR into [47] the Temple, and [thus] stirred up the JEWS to revolt. And besides this he expended all the
treasure of the priests when the aqueduct came into [the city], which became the cause of the second revolt.

And in the nineteenth year of TIBERIUS, ABHGAR, king of URHAI (EDESSA), sent a certain painter,
whose name was JOHN, the tabellarius, and he painted a portrait of our Lord JESUS upon a tablet, and
brought [it] to ABHGAR. And ABHGAR also sent [a letter] to our Lord by the hands of HANANYA, saying,
'| have heard that mighty deeds flow from thee, and that thou effectest healings without medicines. Therefore
thou must either be God Himself, who hath come down from heaven, or the son of God. Because of this I
have written [and] I have asked thee to trouble thyself to come to me and heal the sickness which is in me.
Moreover I have also heard that the JEWS are jealous (or, envious) of thee, and that they murmur
complainingly concerning thee, and are very wishful to do thee an injury. Now have a small and beautiful
city, and it will suffice for the two [of us].'

And our Lord made answer to him, saying, ‘Blessed is he who hath believed in me, though he hath not seen
me! And as concerning what thou hast written, that I should come to thee. A course of life and action is [laid]
upon me, and it is meet that I should fulfil in this place that on account of which I have been sent, and I shall
be taken up to Him who hath sent me. But I will send unto thee immediately one of my disciples who shall
heal thy sickness, and shall give life unto thee and unto those who are with thee’.

And in the nineteenth year of TIBERIUS Our Redeemer suffered, and died, and was buried, and rose up
again, and ascended into heaven. And on the day of Pentecost a great quaking seized the priests of the JEWS,
who heard a voice from the inside of the Temple, saying, 'We must depart from this place’. And ABHGAR of
EDESSA, wrote to TIBERIUS concerning everything Which the JEWS did to Christ. And the Emperor
replied, 'Behold, because of this I have dismissed PILATE in disgrace, and I will take vengeance on the
JEWS'. And HEROD the Tetrarch, who was also named 'ANTPATOS (ANTIPATRUS)—now, he was the son
of HEROD, the slayer of the children—killed JOHN. And he took to wife HERODIAS, the wife of his
brother, whilst her husband was still living. And he was sent into exile with HERODIAS, and both he and she
were killed in the city of BAWINNA (WINNA?).

The years from ADAM to the year in which our Redeemer suffered, make a total of five thousand five
hundred and thirty-nine years, and that year began on the First Day of the Week (Sunday). According to
HIPPOLYTUS, and JOHN, and MAR JACOB, the total is five thousand five hundred and fifty years;
according [48] to EUSEBIUS five thousand two hundred, and thirty-two; according to the SYRIANS four
thousand one hundred and fifty-six; according to AFRICANUS, five thousand five hundred and thirty-two;
and according to others five thousand three hundred and twenty years; and in the chronology which many
hold to, five thousand five hundred and nine (nineteen?); and according to ANDRONICUS, it was in the year
three hundred and forty-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 31).

After TIBERIUS CAESAR, GAIUS CAESAR [reigned] four years. That AGRIPPA, who was called
"HEROD", was the son of ARISTOBULUS, the son of HEROD, the slayer of the children, by MARY, the
daughter of HYRCANUS, the chief of the priests. When in the days of TIBERIUS he went up to ROME to
lay an accusation against HEROD the Tetrarch, that is to say, ANTIPATOS (ANTIPATRUS), he was put in
prison. And whilst he was fettered he used to pray that GAIUS might become king. Therefore when GAIUS
reigned he gave him the principalities of PHILIP and of LUSANIA, and because of this HERODIAS cursed

HEROD ANTIPATOS (ANTIPATRUS), saying that, because she had not gone to Caesar 'thou hast been
deprived of governorship. For if AGRIPPA, who was of the common folk, became a governor, how much
more ought thou, who wast of the tetrarchship, to become one?' And because of this, when GAIUS went up
to ROME to receive the kingdom, he was wroth, and he drove him forth into exile with his wife, and there
they died. And when this AGRIPPA reigned, in his first year, he slew JAMES, not the brother of our Lord
[but the son of ZABHDAI (ZEBEDEE)], of whom PAUL maketh mention [I Cor. xv. 7]; and he was crowned
(i.e, martyred) on a cork tree, and not by the sword of AGRIPPA.

And at that time FELIX, the Eparch of EGYPT, was sent, and he afflicted the JEWS for seven years. and
because of this ambassadors were sent to GAIUS that they might break him, namely JOSEPHUS, the wise
man, and PHILO the Hebrew philosopher, who was from ALEXANDRIA. And GAIUS in his fourth year
commanded PATRONUS, the Eparch of SYRIA, to set up images of himself in the Temple and in the
synagogues of the JEWS, and thus was fulfilled what DANIEL [wrote] concerning the polluted sign which
stood in the Holy Place [Daniel xi. 31]. And when AGRIPPA had reigned in his kingdom for three full years
he came to CAESAREA, and made a festival of theatricals representing the life of CAESAR. And on the
second day of the theatricals he put on a garment in which was sewn silver [threads], and he came in the
dawn to the theatre, and when the first rays of the sun fell [49] upon the silver it sparkled in a most wonderful
fashion, whereupon his adulators called him 'God'. And because he did not restrain them he was smitten with
a stroke, and after five days he came to an end.

After GAIUS CAESAR, CLAUDIUS CAESAR [reigned] fourteen years. In his time a revolt took place in
JERUSALEM, on the day of the feast of the Passover. And whilst the people were crowded together in a
dense mass at the exits of the Temple three myriads of JEWS were trampled under foot, each by the other,
and died. And a great famine took place throughout the inhabited world, and the prophecy of 'AGHABHOS
(Agabus), which is in the Book of PRAXIS [Acts xi. 28; xxi. 10], was fulfilled. And the disciples who were
in ANTIOCH, according to the sufficiency which was in their hands, divided up their possessions and sent
[gifts] to the poor who were in JERUSALEM. And PHILO, the wise man, met the apostle PETER when he
was preaching in ROME, and he wrote about those who became disciples of the Faith which is in our Lord,
and who had stripped themselves of the possessions and anxiety of [this] world. None of them ate food before
the sun set. They adjudged the cultivation of wisdom to be like unto the light, and the necessary care and use
of the body to be like unto darkness. Some among them only ate food every second day, and some only every
third day, and there were others who only ate every sixth or seventh day.

At this time a certain EGYPTIAN, a lying prophet, came to JUDEA, and he led astray after him three
myriads of men. And having marched them round in the desert he brought them to the MOUNT OF OLIVES,
and he wished to take JERUSALEM. Then came FELIX and a battle took place, and the EGYPTIAN fled
and his force perished. And because of this it was said to PAUL by the Chiliarch, 'Wert not thou thyself that
Egyptian?' [Acts xxi. 38], &c.

After CLAUDIUS CAESAR, NERO CAESAR [reigned] fourteen years. He sent FESTUS and dismissed
FELIX. And he was the first one who set up the persecution of the Christians in which PETER and PAUL
testified in ROME and were crowned (i.e. suffered martyrdom). In the thirteenth year of NERO the JEWS
rebelled, and NERO sent [against them] VESPASIAN and TITUS his son. And in one year, in the month of
HAZIRAN (JUNE), TITUS captured the city of YOTOPATA (IOTOPATA) because he heard that
JOSEPHUS, the scribe, the son of MATTAI the priest, who was the captain of the host of the JEWS, was
there. And when he was taken he prophesied concerning the death of [50] NERO and who was going to reign
after him. Therefore TITUS did not kill him. Now this JOSEPHUS was not KAYAFA (CAIAPHAS), as some
men have thought, for CAIAPHAS was also called JOSEPHUS.

And after these things the ROMANS encircled JERUSALEM, and whilst VESPASIAN was occupied in the
war against JERUSALEM, the report of the death of NERO arrived, and of the tyrant OTHO, who stood for
three months, and he killed him, and of VITALLIANUS, the tyrant, who stood for elght months. Him the
ROMANS slew in the middle of the city. Then the Roman troops who were with VESPASIAN proclaimed
him king, and he committed the war against JERUSALEM to TITUS his son, who went to ALEXANDRIA
and subjugated it, and [then] departed by sea to ROME.

After NERO CAESAR, VESPASIAN CAESAR [reigned] ten years. It was he who built the CAPITOLIUM.
And he made the CIRCUS in ALEXANDRIA, the length of which was one hundred and twenty-five feet.
And TITUS his son, on the fourteenth day of the month of NISAN (APRIL), in the three hundred and eighty-
second year of the GREEKS (i.e. A.D. 71), encamped against JERUSALEM; he captured it on the eighth day
of the month of ILOL (SEPTEMBER), and destroyed it completely in the second year of VESPASIAN. He
burnt the Temple on the tenth day of the month of 'AB (AUGUST), before the city was captured, the same
day on which the Temple was burnt in the days of ZEDEKIAH. From ADAM to this final overthrow was five
thousand four hundred and thirty-seven years, but according to others five thousand two hundred and three
years. And from the building of the Temple to the destruction thereof was ten hundred and ninety-five years,
and from the year of the PASSION forty years. And, according to others, five thousand five hundred and
eighty-five years, and after the PASSION thirty-three years, in the year of the GREEKS three hundred and
twenty-three (2).

And if, as JOSEPHUS saith, the Passover took place on the twelfth day of NISAN (APRIL), and the
Resurrection on the fifteenth day, it must be the three hundred and eighty-first year of the GREEKS. And
how many people perished therein! This same JOSEPHUS saith, 'On the day of the Passover they offered up
two hundred and fifty thousand rams, and around each ram twenty men were gathered together. And these
were people ceremonially pure, for the unclean, and the people with fluxes, and the children did not eat. Sixty
thousand men were killed in the war, and one million one hundred thousand perished through hunger, [51]
and one hundred thousand people were sold as slaves, and the rest were distributed about as menials for
service. This is the terrible calamity which came to the JEWS in JERUSALEM. As concerning the great
tribulation which took place in the city, and the calamities which the JEWS suffered in bondage, JOSEPHUS
describes very many of them, the which a small treatise like this cannot contain.

After VESPASIAN, TITUS his son [reigned] two years. The Senate proclaimed this man to be 'God', and
having accepted the proclamation which thus styled him, he died suddenly.

After TITUS CAESAR, DOMITIAN CAESAR, his brother, [reigned] sixteen years. This Emperor drove the
CHALDEANS and the philosophers out of ROME, and he commanded that no vine should be planted in the
city, and he prohibited the castration of the male. CORNELIA, the priestess, a virgin, was accused ot
unchastity, and she was buried alive. And as the Gospel of CHRIST was increasing mightily, PATROPILOS
(PATROPHILUS) the philosopher said unto URSINOS his master, 'What is this? THEODORE, the chief of
the sages in ATHENS, and AFRICANUS, the Alexandrian philosopher, and MARTINUS from BADU
(BARDU?), and many others worship a man who was crucified, and though they are not rewarded with
riches, they are mighty in word and deed.' And he replied, "Yea, even the gods and their priests become
disciples of His. The fact that His disciples do not give themselves up to the hateful habits of sin testifieth
that their doctrine is the best of all doctrines.’ And when DOMITIAN heard these things he marvelled, and he
brought the persecution to an end. At this ttme APOLLONIUS, that is PILARE (PHILARIUS), exhibited
talismatas (i.e. the art of magic), and he performed everything by means of devils, and he used to say, 'Woe is
me! For the Son of MARY hath obtained pre-eminence over me" (or, anticipated me).

After DOMITIAN CAESAR, NERVA CAESAR [reigned] one year. Then he fell sick, and his body rotted,
and he died in the garden of SALLUST.

After NERVA CAESAR, TRAJAN CAESAR [reigned] nineteen years. He stirred up the persecution of the
Christians in which SIMON, the son of CLEOPHAS of JERUSALEM, and JOHN the Apostle, and
IGNATIUS of ANTIOCH were crowned (i.e. suffered martyrdom), and PLINIUS SECUNDUS, the Eparch,
killed many Christians. And when he saw how many they were, he was greatly troubled, and he wrote [52] to
TRAJAN, saying, 'No other offence can be urged against the Christians except that they do not wish to offer
sacrifice to idols; they abhor adultery and murder and every disgraceful act'. And when CAESAR learned
these things he commanded that they should not be searched for, but that whenever anyone of them was
discovered he should be proceeded against until he offered sacrifice. And in the tenth year of TRAJAN,
GALEN the physician was born, and at the end of his reign the JEWS who were in CYPRUS uprooted the
city of SALOMONI (SALAMINA), and slew the GREEKS (YAWNAYE) who were therein. And the JEWS
also who were in LYDIA stirred up to revolt the GREEKS who were therein, and thus also did the JEWS who
were in CYRENAICA, and in THEBES (THEBAID?), and in ALEXANDRIA and in BETH NAHRIN
(MESOPOTAMIA). And the JEWS who were in EGYPT rebelled, and set up for themselves a king whose
name was LUMPIS, and he governed them and came to JUDEA. Now the JEWS conquered in every place.
And BASILIDES, the head of the heresy of the GNOSTICS, that is to say, the worshippers of the serpent,
became celebrated.

After TRAJAN CAESAR, HADRIAN CAESAR [reigned] twenty-one years. When he reigned, he abolished
liability for debts, and he remitted many tributes to many peoples, and he burnt the documents on which the
debts (or, liabilities) of cities were recorded. In the fourth year of his reign the sovereignty of EDESSSA
ceased, and governors administered affairs there as in every other place. And in his fifth year he brought the
river PISOS (KEPISOS) to 'ALOSINA, and made for it a bridge, and he wintered in ATHENS.

And in his time there became famous CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY the astronomer, who made the Book of
MAGISTI and called it 'SYNTAXIS'; and GALEN, the physician, who learned and taught, and SECUNDUS,
the silent philosopher. [At the last named] HADRIAN marvelled, and wished to break his silence, but
SECUNDUS maintained it until his death.

And a certain Jew , whose name was BAR KAWKEBHA, rebelled in JUDEA, and he used to carry off and
kill those who would not agree with him. The Emperor sent troops and destroyed the JEWS; and he uprooted
JERUSALEM thoroughly. And they built there a city and called it 'HELIOS HADRIANUS', and they settled
aliens therein. And he bound the ears of the JEWS, and he made a law that they were not to look upon that
place, even from a distance. [53] And the Christian philosophers KURTOS (QUADRATUS?) and
ARISTIDES, the ATHENIANS, wrote an Apologia for the doctrine of the Christians. And SAYRAINOS
(SERENUS) the governor wrote to the Emperor [saying], 'It is not right to kill them merely because of the
name Ch;istian, without any blameworthy act’; and the Emperor wrote, 'Unless there is a reason for
condemnation they shall not die’. And in his days the First Council in NICEA was gathered together, namely
forty-three bishops; and they excommunicated SABELLIUS, who said, 'One Person of the Trinity', and
VALENTINUS, who confessed that our Lord brought a body for Himself from heaven.

After HADRIAN CAESAR, TITUS ANTONINUS CAESAR, who was called EUSEBIUS, and was named
'Righteous' and 'Father of the Country'—he and his sons [reigned] twenty-two years. This Emperor
commanded that the Christians should not be persecuted. And in his ttme GALEN flourished. And that he did
not live in the time of our Lord, as some men think, is known from GALEN'S own words. For he saith in the
beginning of the First Chapter, which treateth of fissures (or, wounds), 'I composed the first book of fissures
when I went up. to ROME the first time'. And he saith also in his exposition of PLATO'S Book of PEDON

(PHAEDO), 'We have seen these men who are called "NAZRAYE" (NAZARENES), who found their Faith
upon Divine indications (or, inspirations) and miracles, and they are in no wise inferior to those who are in
truth philosophers. For they love purity (or, chastity), and they are constant in Fasting, and they are zealous in
avoiding the committal of wrong, and there are among them some who during the whole course of their lives
never indulge in carnal intercourse. I say that this is a sign of the monastic life which became famous after
the Ascension of our Lord, during the period of one hundred years'. Now the total of the years from the
Ascension of our Lord to the death of GALEN, according to the accurate opinion of chronographers, is one
hundred and sixty years.

Now this GALEN came from the city of PERGAMUS, and he wrote many books on the craft of the
physician, and of these about one hundred works are extant. He revived the Hippocratic system of medicine
which had fallen into disuse (or, become antiquated). And when he was told about the mighty deeds and
healings which [54] CHRIST, our Lord, used to do, he said, 'I have no doubt whatsoever that He doeth these
things by means of the Divine Power". And he asked, 'Doth any man of His disciples still remain?' And it was
told him, 'Such remaineth in JERUSALEM'; and he rose up to go to JERUSALEM. And when he arrived in
SICILY he died there at the age of eighty-eight years. And at the beginning [of his career] GALEN became a
pupil of 'ELYANOS (AELIANUS) the physician, who, a pestilence having broken out among the people of
ANTIOCH, took 'theriake' and went there, and made the people drink it. And of those who drank it after they
had fallen sick some were saved and some of them perished; and of those who drank before the sickness
[attacked them] all of them escaped.

CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY [wrote] many books on the science of astronomy, and of these the most famous are
the great Book of SYNTAXIS, and the Book of GEOGRAPHY, and the Book of FRUIT, and the Book of
ASTROLOGY in four discourses. He was the first who made the planisphere, i.e. the brazen sphere which
was the similitude of the heavens. At this time flourished ALEXANDER, the APHRODISITE, who
translated the books of ARISTOTLE; now his translations were very famous among the GREEKS, and they
still are among the SYRIANS and SARACENS (or, Arabs). And many disputatioris, and debates, and
investigations are attributed to him and to GALEN. And he gave GALEN the nickname of 'mule-head’,
because of the strength of his head at the time of disputation and debate. THEON, the geometrician, the
ALEXANDRIAN, also lived at this time. He was the author of some books which are famous throughout
nearly the whole world, viz. the Book of the WORKING OF THE BRAZEN CIRCLES, by means of which
the observations of stellar motions are perfected, and the Book of the CANON, by means of which one
placeth the observations of the changing reckoning of the tropical positions face to face with those which
cleave thereto every eighty years one degree, up to eight divisions and then come back. This was not thought
possible by PTOLEMY because, with the exception of this addition. the reckonings (or, computations) agree
with the indications which are made by means of the instruments for observations. [And THEON also wrote]
the Book of ISAGOGE, that is to say, an introduction to the Syntaxis of PTOLEMY.

After TITUS ANTONINUS CAESAR, MARCUS AURELIUS CAESAR, and his sons, [reigned] [55]
nineteen years. In the beginning of his reign WALGASH, king of the PARTHIANS, laid waste many of the
provinces of the ROMANS, and the sons of MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS and LUCIUS went and
brought the PARTHIANS into subjection. And the ROMANS made war on the GARMANAYE, and the
KWARAO (KODAYE?), and the SARMATAYE (SARMATIANS), and the DAKAS, and LUCIUS
triumphed over them and was called 'Autocrator'; and after nine years he died. Then ANTONINUS his
brother associated his son COMMODUS with him in the kingdom; and ANTONINUS fell sick in
PANNONIA and died. And his son COMMODUS, having ruled thirteen years, was strangled in the house of
VESTILIANUS. And lightning fell on the Capitolium, and burnt up the Library, and the Palace, and the
House of the Virgins.

After MARCUS CAESAR and his sons PERTINAX [reigned] six months, and was killed.

After PERTINAX CAESAR, SEVERIANUS CAESAR [reigned] eighteen years. In the first year of his reign
a fierce war between the JEWS and the SAMARITANS took place, and from the ninth year of his reign to the
end of his life he persecuted the Christians cruelly and continually, and many of them bore witness and were
crowned (i.e. suffered martyrdom). And whilst marching against a barbarous people, who lived on the skirts
of the mountains to the west [and] north, and who harried greatly the ROMANS who were on their borders,
he died. In other manuscripts [it is said that] he was killed.

After SEVERIANUS CAESAR, ANTONINUS CAESAR his son [reigned] four (seven?) years. This
Emperor removed the ban of exile on those who had been banished because of their Faith: he was killed in
BETH NAHRIN (MESOPOTAMIA) between HARRAN and EDESSA.

After ANTONINUS CAESAR, MACRINUS CAESAR [reigned] one year; and in that year the CIRCUSES
of IPASTIA (HEPHAISTIA) which were in ROME were, burnt down, and he was killed in'ARKELAIS
(ARCHELAIS).

After MACRINUS CAESAR, ANTONINUS CAESAR, who was from ALYOGALA (ALYOGABAL?),
[reigned] four years. In his time NIKOPOLIS of PALESTINE, that is to say EMMAUS, was built; it stood on
the building of JULIUS AFRICANUS the chronographer.

After ANTONINUS CAESAR, ALEXANDER CAESAR BAR MARNA [reigned] thirteen years. This
MARNA believed on Christ, and helped the Christians greatly. In his third year, which is the year [56] five
hundred and forty-two of the GREEKS, 'ARDASHIR the son of PABAK, reigned over PERSIA, and another
kingdom of the PERSIANS which is called BETH SASAN began, and it continued for four hundred and
eighteen years, until the kingdom of the Arabs arose and ended it.

After ALEXANDER CAESAR, MAXIMINUS CAESAR [reigned] three years. This Emperor, because of his
hatred of his predecessor, stirred up a persecution of the Christians, and SERGIUS and BACCHUS, who had
been sent to MESOPOTAMIA, and CYPRIAN the bishop and many others, bore witness and were crowned
with martyrdom. [This went on] until MAXIMINUS was killed in KWENA (AQUILEIA?).

(Continued on Next Page)
(1) Bedjan's note reads, 'Doctors agree generally in stating that our Lord Jesus Christ was born in the three
hundred and eleventh year of the Greeks, and we keep to this date throughout this book".

(2) Bedjan does not accept these figures, for he considers them incorrect; he thinks that the correct number is
either 373 or 383 years.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

VU

The Roman Emperors (continued).

After MAXIMINUS CAESAR, CORDIANUS CAESAR [reigned] six years, and he was killed on the
borders of PERSIA. In his days MANI (MANES) was born.

After GORDIANUS CAESAR, PHILIP CAESAR [reigned] seven years. In his time the persecution of the
Christians was stayed. And in his first year SHABHOR (SAPOR), the son of 'ARDASHIR, reigned over the
PERSIANS thirty-one years. And in his time the one thousand years from the building of ROME was
completed. And beasts were slaughtered in the Great Circus during the celebration of the contest of One
Thousand Years. And plays of a warlike character were performed at nights, there was a vigil of three days,
and forty athletes (or, heroes), as in the nativity of ROME, ran. And the theatre of POMPEY and the
'AKATOSTOLON, that is to say [the building of] six pillars, were burnt down. Now PHILIP his lord was
killed by DAKYOS (DECIUS).

After PHILIP CAESAR, DECIUS CAESAR [reigned] one year. This Emperor persecuted the Christians
greatly. And in his time the Seven Young Men fled from EPHESUS and hid themselves in a cave. And many
[Christians] through fear of DECIUS denied CHRIST, and when he was killed and wrath died down, those
who had apostatized came to ROME, and sought restoration to communion; but NABHATIS (NOVATUS?)
used to say, 'There is no forgiveness'; and he was called the head of the KATHARO' (the PURISTS).

After DECIUS CAESAR, the CAESARS CALLUS and VOLUSIANUS [reigned] two years, and they were
killed in the Flamminian Way. At this time a destroying sickness broke out in the world, [57] especially in
EGYPT.

After the CAESARS GALLUS and VOLUSIANUS, the CAESARS VALERIANUS and GALLINUS
[reigned] fifteen years; they persecuted the Christians. And SAPOR, the son of 'ARDASHIR, the king of the
PERSIANS, laid waste SYRIA, and CILICIA and CAPPADOCIA. And the GHOTHAYE (GOTHS), having
crossed the river of MABHYANOS (MABIOS?, DANUBE), carried off many of the governors into captivity.
And VALERIANUS having been carried off into PERSIA, GALLINUS gave the Christians rest.

After GALLINUS CAESAR, CLAUDIUS CAESAR [reigned] two years. At [that] time BRAK YON was
imprisoned in ALEXANDRIA. And being oppressed by the war CLAUDIUS died in SERMYON
(SERMION), and the similitude of a crown was seen (or, appeared) in the heavens.

After CLAUDIUS CAESAR, AURELIAN CAESAR [reigned] six years. In his first year he defeated the
PALMYRENIANS and subjugated the GALLAYE. And in his time MANI (MANES) became famous. And
AURELIAN gave his daughter to SAPOR, and made peace with him. And SAPOR built for himself in
PERSIA a city which was like CONSTANTINOPLE. And its name was GUNDISHABHOR and he made his
Roman wife to live therein. And there came with her distinguished Greek physicians, and they sowed the
system of medicine of HIPPOCRATES in the East. And there existed also excellent Syrian physicians, e.g.

SERGIUS of RISH 'AYN, who was the first to translate philosophical and medical works from Greek into
Syriac; and 'ATANOS (ATHANASIUS?) of AMID, and PHILAGRIUS, and SIMON the monk, whose
goodness is well known, and GREGORY the bishop, and THEODOSIUS the Patriarch, and the excellent
HUNAIN, the son of ISAAC. And there were many other physicians their successors, until the present day,
and they were all 7 SYRIANS. AARON the priest, however, was not a SYRIAN, but GHOSIOS (GOSIUS),
the ALEXANDRIAN, translated his book from Greek into Syriac. AURELIAN CAESAR built the wall of
ROME, and whilst persecuting the Christians was struck by lightning and died.

After AURELIAN CAESAR, TAKITOS (TACITUS) CAESAR [reigned] six months, and was killed in
PONTUS. At this time HORMIZD reigned in PERSIA.

After TACITUS CAESAR, FLORIANUS CAESAR [reigned] two months, and he also was killed—at
TARSUS in CILICIA.

After FLORIANUS CAESAR, [58] PROBUS CAESAR [reigned] seven years. And in that year
WARHARAN [reigned] in PERSIA three years, and after him his son reigned seventeen years. And
SATURNINUS, the Eparch, wishing to rebel and to rule over the ROMANS, began to build ANTIOCH, and
he was killed in APAMEA. And PROBUS CAESAR was also killed—in SERMION.

After PROBUS CAESAR, CARUS CAESAR [reigned] two years. CARUS died in BETH NAHRIN of
SYRIA, and his son NUMERIANUS was killed in the country of AFRICA, and CARINUS, another son of
his, was killed in the war with the GARMANAYE accidentally.

After CARUS CAESAR, DIOCLETIAN CAESAR [reigned] twenty years, and three others also reigned with
him, viz. MAXIMINUS, who gave his daughter to DIOCLETIAN, and was surnamed 'HAIRKULYOS', and
the two of them ruled together in the East. And MAXENTIUS, the son of MAXIMIANUS, who ruled in
ROME; and CONSTANTINTUS (CONSTANTIUS?) ruled in GALLIA and BRUTONIA. And the first year
of DIOCLETIAN, which is the five hundred and ninety-fifth year of the GREEKS ( = A.D. 284), is the five
thousand seven hundred and seventy-fifth year from ADAM—and with this [year] the reckoning of the
EGYPTIANS beginneth.

At this time EGYPT rebelled, and the ROMANS went and subjugated it, and slew many. And in the eleventh
year of DIOCLETIAN, NARSAI reigned in PERSIA seven years; and after him his son HORMIZD [reigned]
five years. And in the nineteenth year of DIOCLETIAN, when the great Feast of the Passover was nigh at
hand, he commanded that the churches of the Christians should be pulled down to [their very] foundations,
and that the SCRIPTURES should be burnt in the fire, and that every one who would not offer sacrifice [to
the gods] should die. And many chosen and mighty martyrs finished their course, [among them being]
SERGIUS and BACCHUS. And he cut out the tongue of ROMANUS. And in his days NICOLAUS, the
martyr, and 'AZAZ'IL of SHAMISHAT (SAMOSATA), the splendid martyr, [were crowned].

Now DIOCLETIAN was smitten by the Lord, and his genital organs rotted. He perceived that it was a stroke
from God, and therefore he wrote to every place [saying] that the Christians should continue to follow the
usual course of their lives publicly, and should build their churches. [59] Now MAXIMIANUS, though
unwilling, stopped the persecution. And after a short time he made a false proclamation, saying 'that the gods
had revealed to him that it was right for the Christians to be expelled from the towns into the villages’; and
the persecution was stirred up again. God admonished the earth with famine and pestilence [so severely] that
a modius of wheat was sold for two hundred and fifty menin, and ten corpses were cast into one grave. And
whilst MAXIMIANUS was occupied in the war with the ARMENIANS, the rod of justice overtook him, and
he was smitten with severe sickness, and he also died with DIOCLETIAN.

After DIOCLETIAN CAESAR and his associates, CONSTANTIUS [CHLORUS] THE GREAT (who in the
days of DIOCLETIAN was king in GALLIA, and he was the father of CONSTANTINE the victorious
conqueror) [reigned]. When he reigned he had two wives; the one was HELENA, the mother of
CONSTANTINE, the victorious conqueror, and the other was THEODORA, the daughter of the tyrant
MAXIMIANUS. And SYLVESTER, the bishop of Rome, converted this Emperor, for he was a leper, and he
believed and was baptized and was healed (1). Now, he reigned twelve years, and in the eighth year of his
reign he associated his son CONSTANTINE with him in his kingdom.

After CONSTANTIUS THE GREAT, CONSTANTINE, the Conqueror, his son, [reigned] thirty-two years,
besides the three years wherein he reigned conjointly with his father. He reigned in the six hundred and
twenty-third year of the GREEKS (= A.D. 312), which from ADAM was five thousand eight hundred and
seventeen years, but other manuscripts say five thousand eight hundred and thirteen years. And in his second
year SAPOR, the son of HORMIZD, reigned over the PERSIANS sixty-nine years. When this
CONSTANTINE went to make war on the tyrant MAXENTIUS, he saw at midday a cross in the form of a
pillar of light in the air, and on it were written letters which said, 'By this thou shalt conquer’. And also in the
night our Lord appeared to him, [60] and said, 'Make for thyself according to the similitude which thou hast
seen, and thou shalt conquer’. And having done [so] the tyrant MAXENTIUS was vanquished, and was
drowned in the river DUNBIS (TIBRIS?). Then he was strengthened the more in his Faith, together with his
wife, DIOKLAITYANA (2), the daughter of DIOCLETIAN the pagan.

In his third year he renewed (or, restored) the building of [the city of] BYZANTIA, and added four miles to
it, and he removed the kingdom from ROME to this BYZANTIA. And he built therein a church to EIRENE,
and another to the Twelve Apostles. And he made all the inhabitants thereof free men, and he swept away the
idols, and he permitted no man who was pagan to serve. And Queen HELENA, his mother, went up to
JERUSALEM and made search for the Cross of our Lord and found it; one portion of it she deposited in the
Temple which she built over the Tomb [of our Lord], and the remainder she sent to the Emperor. And in the
time of CONSTANTINE the Victorious, the IBERIANS believed on CHRIST, and they sent to the Emperor,
and received (or, welcomed) bishops and elders (or, priests), and they believed and were baptized. And the
SARMATIANS, and the GOTHS, and the SCYTHIANS, after the Emperor had conquered them, believed
and were baptized. And he built a great church over the BALUTA TREE (oak?) of MAMRE, where
ABRAHAM received the revelation. And he also built a church in B'ELBAK (BAALBEK) of PHOENICIA,
because the sons thereof lived in a state of great error. They had their wives in common, and the father of
every one of them was unknown; but as soon as the bishop brought order among them, little by little they
corrected their ways. And he built in ANTIOCH an octagonal Temple. He built a bridge over the river
DUNBIS, and his troops passed over it, and he subjugated the SCYTHIANS, and brought [them] into the
Faith.

He gathered together the World Council of Three Hundred and Eighteen [bishops, at NICEA], and they
established the Faith in the six hundred and seventy-seventh year of the Greeks (3), and the Canons of the
Fast and the Passover were set in order by him.

In his days SAPOR, king of PERSIA, persecuted the Christians who were in his dominions, and he also went
up against NISIBIS, and returned therefrom [61] having been put to shame through the prayers of MAR
JACOB and MAR APHREM, and in his wrath he took BETH NAHRIN and departed. CONSTANTINE,
having gone forth to wage war against the PERSIANS arrived at NICOMEDIA and fell sick, and there he
died. He made a Will and bequeathed the kingdom to his three sons, and he committed the Will to the hands
of a certain priest [who was] an Arian. After his death his body was transported to CONSTANTINOPLE.

After CONSTANTINE the Victorious, his three sons [reigned] twenty-four years. CONSTANTINE the
Victorious had three sons. The eldest [bore] the name of his father CONSTANTINE, the second was
CONSTANTIUS, and the youngest was CONSTANS. During his lifetime he made his eldest son governor in
CONSTANTINOPLE, and his second son ruled over ANTIOCH and all the East, and the youngest son ruled
in ROME. And when the Victorious King died, the second son, since he was near at hand, came first and
made a covenant with that Arian priest that he would persecute every one who said 'son of the substance' (1.e.
consubstantial), and he delivered to him the Will, and he took his father, in a coffer of gold, into the city of
royalty (i.e. the Capital).

And when SAPOR heard that the Victorious King was dead, he went up again against NISIBIS, which stood
on the boundary line of the ROMANS and PERSIANS, and was called 'ANTIOCH of MYGDONIA', and he
oppressed (i.e. besieged) it for seventy days. And he built up mounds against it, and made a great dam against
the current of the rrver MAGDONIUS, which entered into the city and divided itself in the middle thereof.
And the waters thrust themselves against the wall which, being unable to withstand the strain, tottered and
fell down. And whilst SAPOR was imagining that he could capture the city without [further] trouble, he saw
another new wall which had been built up meanwhile (or, already), and also that the blessed man APHREM
had gone up on the wall to curse the Barbarians. And APHREM prayed to God, and He brought upon them
clouds of flies of all kinds and gnats, and the elephants were greatly afflicted thereby because their hides were
dry and cracked. And the insects crawled into the nostrils and ears of the horses, and they broke their bridles
and threw off their riders and stampeded. And SAPOR went back to PERSIA in shame.

And when CONSTANTINE the oldest brother, [who ruled in the] royal city, came against CONSTANS his
youngest brother, who was in ROME, he was killed by [62] the field labourers of his youngest brother; and
he left two sons, GALLUS and JULIANUS. Then CONSTANTIUS their uncle, that is to say the middle (i.e.
the elder of two brothers of CONSTANTINE) brother of their father, because they were young, commanded
them to be instructed in learning (i.e. educated and trained) in the village of MAKALI by the side of
CAESAREA of CAPPADOCIA. And the two of them became Lectors and built a church to MAR MAMA.
And when they grew up CONSTANTIUS made the one who was the elder, that is GALLUS, CAESAR in the
place of his father. After a short time GALLUS rebelled against his uncle who had established him, and the
king his uncle sent and killed him, and he also placed his younger brother in prison.

And afterwards Queen EUSEBIA, his mother, demanded him from the king, and she sent him to ATHENS
that he might learn wisdom, and there he studied with BASIL the Great, and GREGORY of NUSA (NYSSA)
his brother, and GREGORY the theologian of NAZYANZO. And when BASIL saw his habits of life and
general behaviour he prophesied that he would become a pagan; and he said, 'Woe be to RHOMANIA! (i.e.
the new kingdom of Constantinople). What kind of a man is she rearing?’ And CONSTANTIUS, the second
brother, enlarged AMID and called it 'AUGUSTA'.

And CONSTANS, the youngest brother who was in ROME, having reigned for six years, died through the
treachery of the soldiers (or, peasants); and MAGNENTIUS the tyrant seized all ITALY and AFRICA; and he
was proclaimed king in SERMION. And when the king, the intermediate brother, heard [of this], he attacked
the tyrant with violence and killed him, and entered ROME in triumph. And when he returned to
CONSTANTINOPLE he appointed the son of his elder brother CAESAR, and gave him his sister HELENA
to wife—now she was called 'CONSTANTIA'. And he sent him against the GALLAYE, and JULIAN
conquered them completely. And he increased in power, and became haughty and arrogant, and was
proclaimed Emperor by the ROMANS. Now when CONSTANTIUS his uncle heard [this], he trembled, and
made haste and was baptized by OZIOS (EUZOIUS) of ANTIOCH, and he marched against JULIAN, and
between CILICIA of CAPPADOCIA in MAMPROKEA (MOPSUERENE) he died.

After the three sons of CONSTANTINE the Victorious, JULIAN PARABITIS, that is the denier [of
CHRIST], the son of the eldest son of the Victorious King, [reigned] two years, in addition to the five years
which [63] he had reigned with his uncle. This Emperor had, under the name of rhetoric, learned the art of
magic, to which the kingdom of ROME was addicted in his time. And he behaved in a brutal manner, and
relied confidently on his luck, and he was sure and certain that 'the devils had raised him to his exalted
station’. And he began to open the temples of idols, and he offered up sacrifices [therein], and he acted in the
lying manner of the philosophers, and he expelled cooks and knaves (?). But his mouth hung open for
laughter, and his tongue was ever ready for scoffing. When he went into CONSTANTINOPLE he was called
‘Autocrator’. Having gone into ANTIOCH and reduced the price of everything that was sold [there], he was
treated with contempt by the people of ANTIOCH. They were quickly moved to mirth, and they used to
laugh at his beard because it was [very] long. And when he wished to destroy them, LIBANIUS, the sophist,
brought [to him] a petition of supplication on their behalf, and the Emperor abused (or, cursed) them with
words; and he made to cease his wrath. And [that] wicked man set out two tables, on one of which was
placed gold, and on the other there was frankincense and fire. And every one who wanted gold had to throw
frankincense on the fire, and burn incense before an idol, and then he could take the gold. He expelled from
his service eunuchs, and camels, and asses, and mules, leaving in it horses only. And he passed a law that
Christians should not read philosophical books. And he made houses wherein orphans, and widows, and
destitute folk were fed, and he led astray the simple (i.e. common) folk on a well-thought-out plan. He sent a
message to the men of EDESSA that they were to receive him, and when they refused to receive him he left
them and passed on to HARRAN. And he offered sacrifices to idols and paid honour to the JEWS. And when
the Christians who were in EDESSA heard [this], they became filled with envy and wrath, and slew the
JEWS who were their neighbours. Now JULIAN practised divination and the art of sorcery in every place,
and there went forth to him a vaticination which said, "Behold, I ARES will go before thee to give thee help'.
And relying on this confidently he marched straight to PERSIA, having with him three hundred and ninety-
five thousand warriors; and he captured and laid waste SELEUCIA and CTESIPHON. And SAPOR, the
PERSIAN, sent an entreaty, that he would allow him to possess a small portion of his own country, and he
could take the remainder; and JULIAN would not agree [to this]. Then the war between the ROMANS and
the PERSIANS on the banks of the TIGRIS became more fierce. [64] And whilst JULIAN was riding his
horse and was urging on the war, and was boasting in his good luck, suddenly an arrow flew and smote him
in his side, and he fell down dead. It is said that he filled his two hands with his blood and cast [it] up towards
heaven, saying. "Thou hast conquered me, O JESUS, the GALILEAN! Now together with divinity Thou hast
gotten sovereignty.’ And one of the holy men saw in a revelation (or, vision) that one of the forty holy martyrs
shot the arrow.

After JULIAN the heathen [came] JOVIANUS the believer. JULIAN being dead the Roman Army suffered
exceedingly from hunger, because SAPOR had seized those who brought in supplies of food. Then the
ROMANS sought for a king, and they chose JOVIANUS the believer, who was a chiliarch, but he took an
oath saying, 'I will not be a king of the heathen’. Then they all cried out, saying, "We are all Christians’ and
tears were mingled with gladness. And they set up in [their] midst a cross, and [placed] a crown on the top of
it, and having bowed their knees and done homage to the cross they took the crown and set it upon the head
of JOVIANUS. And he in his humility went to SAPOR. And when SAPOR said that the ROMANS must
give to the PERSIANS [the country] up to the EUPHRATES, the sword which was with them was not drawn
again. He gave him NISIBIS only, without labour [toil?], and pacified him. And he made peace for thirty
years. And both sides rejoiced and the two camps were mingled together. And he took care also for JULIAN,
and took him up with him in a coffin and buried him in TARSUS, even as SOCRATES saith, and afterwards
he was carried to CONSTANTINOPLE. And because of this THEMISTIUS, the philosopher, reviled the
children of his generation (i.e. his contemporaries), saying, 'It is not a god but people which they glorify and
honour’. When JOVIANUS returned from PERSIA he passed through CILICIA, and when he came to

BOSPOROS, to a village the name of which was DASTANIA (DODASTANA), on the border of BYTHINIA
and GALATIA, he fell sick of a disease of the kidneys in the season of winter, and there he died.

After JOVIANUS, the brothers VALENTINIANUS and VALENS [reigned] thirteen years. This Emperor
came from the country of PANNONIA, from the city of KIBALON [65] (KIBALA?), and he was strong and
wise. And he brought his brother VALENS and appointed him king in the East, and when he went to RHOMI
he proclaimed his son GRATIANUS 'AUGUSTUS', and made him Consul. And in his eleventh year
ARDASHIR, the son of SAPOR, reigned over the PERSIANS four years. At that time PROCOPIUS rebelled
against VALENS, and having been captured in CONSTANTINOPLE he was tied between trees and sawn
asunder. When VALENS went to EGYPT and arrived at MARCIANOPOLIS, a great earthquake took place,
and the sea was convulsed and heaved the small ships up over the wall of the city. And then the sea receded
from its place, and the great ships remained high and dry as if they were on the dry land. And the people of
the City ran to loot, and the sea came back upon them, and swallowed them up, and they were drowned. And
his wife being still alive VALENTINIANUS took another wife (JUSTINA), a most marvellously beautiful
woman, and he abolished the law and permitted every man who wished to do so to possess two wives at the
same time.

And when he went to make war on the SARMATAYE (SARMATIANS) they were afraid, and they sent
ambassadors to sue for peace. And when he saw that they were wretched and contemptible men, he cried out
loudly, "The kingdom of the RHOMAYE is in evil case indeed when such vile and contemptible people as
these have the impudence to [make] war'. And as he shouted out these words suddenly the veins of his neck
burst asunder, and a flood of blood flowed down from him and he died. And because GRATIANUS his first
son was not at hand, the soldiers gathered together and they made king his younger son (who also bore his
father's name), which he had by JUSTINA, his second wife whom he had married for her beauty. Then
VALENS made GRATIANUS a general and sent him to the war with the GOTHAYE (GOTHS), but he was
not successful. And there went forth a vaticination to VALENS [which said], that a man whose name began
with the letter TAW (T) should rule after him. And he commanded that every man whose name was
THEODORE, and THEODOTUS, and such like names, should be killed.

And at that time there appeared in the air men in the clouds who had the forms of armed soldiers. And there
was born in ANTIOCH a child who had a single eye in the space between the places of the eyes, and four
hands, and four feet, and a beard. And at this time the ARABS were stirred up on the territory of the
RHOMAYE, and a woman who was called 'MU'AWTYAH' ruled over them. Then they made peace with [66]
the RHOMAYE and embraced Christianity, and they requested that MOSES the monk should be their bishop,
and he became their bishop by the command of VALENS. And the GOTHAYE (GOTHS) and 'IBHERAYE
(IBERIANS) went forth to the country of the RHOMAYE and they captured SCYTHIA, and MYSIA, and
TARKIS, and MACEDONIA, and ACHAIA, and all ILADA (HELLAS). VALENS in CONSTANTINOPLE
withheld himself from the war, because he was afraid of the GOTHAYE and 'IBHERAYE, but all the people
cried out, 'Give us arms and we will carry on the war’. And the king was angry and he went forth uttering the
threat that 'when he returned he would govern the city with a plough (i.e. he would plough up the city) in
return for his disgraces'. And when he went out to war he was defeated and fled to a village. And when the
Barbarians surrounded it he hid himself in a round pit and buried himself under the straw; and when the
GOTHAYE were unable to find him, they set fire to the whole village, and he also was burned to death.

After VALENS, GRATIANUS, the son of VALENTINIANUS [reigned] one year. This Emperor, having been
made in the days of his father AUTOCRATOR in RHOML, seized the kingdom after VALENS. He was a
righteous man, and chaste, and orthodox, and he was not an Arian like his father and uncle. And he
associated with him in the kingdom the Great THEODOSIUS who [came] from SPAIN, and was an
IBERIAN by race, because THEODOSIUS had shown care for GRATIANUS and had proclaimed him king

before the burning of VALENS. And at that time a certain man called MAXIMUS killed GRATIANUS in
RHOMI treacherously, and VALENTINIANUS his younger brother reigned in RHOMI.

After GRATIANUS, THEODOSIUS THE GREAT [reigned] sixteen years, GRATIANUS having been killed,
and VALENTINIANUS his brother reigning in RHOMI, THEODOSIUS reigned alone in
CONSTANTINOPLE and in all the East. He was a mighty man, and wise, and he was experienced in
warfare, and he quickly conquered the Barbarians who were in TARKI (TURKEY). And in the second year
of his reign ARDASHIR died, and SAPOR his son succeeded him four years. And in the fifth year of
THEODOSIUS, WARHARAN GARMANSHAH reigned over the PERSIANS twelve years. And
THEODOSIUS together with VALENTINIANUS went against the tyrant who had killed GRATIANUS and
they killed him, and the two of them entered RHOMI in triumph. And when he returned from [67] RHOMI
he fell sick in THESSALONICA. And having sought out 'AKHILOS (ASEOLUS?), the bishop of that
diocese, and found that he was not an Arian, he was baptized by him and was made whole. And he came to
CONSTANTINOPLE and built the Church of ANASTASIA under the direction of the Great Theologian,
who was still there. And a son, HONORIUS, was born to THEODOSIUS by Queen FLAKIDA
(FLACCILLA?), a woman who was rich in excellences and virtues, for she ministered in person to the sick
poor, and she went about visiting [the inmates of] the guest houses of the Churches. And because King
THEODOSIUS was sorely vexed by wars with the Barbarians, he laid tribute (taxes?) on the cities. But the
people of ANTIOCH would not undertake to pay tribute and in [their] wrath they cast the statue of Queen
FLACCILLA (4) which was in their city out into the market place (?), and at that moment she died. And
when the king heard [of this] he sent and carried out a horrible slaughter [in the city]. And the blessed
MACEDONIUS sent to the king a word of rebuke, saying, 'Why for the sake of a statue of brass which was
made in the image of a man hast thou destroyed men who were made in the image of God? It is very easy for
us to cast many statues of brass, but thou art not able to fashion even a single hair of [one of] those men
whom thou hast made to perish.’ And when the king heard the words of the old man he was sorry (or,
repented), and he wrote a letter of consolation to the people.

And at that time an uprising (or, revolt) took place in THESSALONICA which was the chief [city] of
ITALIA (TITALIA), and the people stoned the governor. And the king was furiously angry, and he
commanded the judges, and they killed seven thousand people, the innocent and the guilty alike. And because
of this when the king came to MEDIOLANUM, AMBROSE, the holy bishop, met him outside the door of
the church, and prevented him [from entering], saying, 'The glory of sovereignty doth not permit thee to
understand thy nature. Get thee gone, and increase not thy sin in the name of prayer which will provoke God
to wrath.' And the king received the prohibition [to enter] graciously, and he was not released until he had
undertaken to make an investigation, which lasted three days, concerning those who were worthy of
slaughter. And that when [his] anger had subsided, [68] and the matter being judged with justice, a penalty
should be promulgated. And when he went into the church he prayed, not standing upright, but prostrate on
the ground, saying, 'My soul hath gone forth into the dust, make me to live according to Thy word' [Psalm
exix; Zoi.

And in his thirteenth year THEODOSIUS proclaimed his son ARCADIUS king of the East. And two years
later EUGENIUS (‘AWGIN ) and 'ARGUBATOS (ARBUGASTES?) in RHOMI led astray the steward of
VALENTINIANUS, and he strangled the king. And when THEODOSIUS heard [of this], he made haste and
appointed HONORIUS, his young son, king in the West. And he marched against EUGENIUS the tyrant, and
defeated the numerous army of Barbarians who were with him. And the Barbarians seeing that they were
defeated cried out and begged for pardon. And the king commanded them to bring the tyrant, and they ran
and seized him, and brought him to the king bound in fetters, and he was killed. And 'ARGUBATOS
(ARBUGASTES?) he himself strangled. And after these things, when the king returned from

MEDIOLANUM because of the exhaustion caused by the war, he fell sick and died. And in that same year
YAZDAGARD, the son of SAPOR [reigned], twenty-one years.

(Continued on Next Page)

(1) It was CONSTANTINE THE GREAT his son who was healed (Bedjan's note 2).

(2) CONSTANTINE married first MENAIRWENA, and after her death FAUSTA, the daughter of
MAXIMIANUS; as to the parentage of DIOCLETIANA see Bedjan's note, p. 60.

(3) Bedjan's notes reads, 'The First Synod of Nicea was in the year 636 of the Greeks = A.D. 325.'

(4) Bedjan notes that the Emperor's daughter was called GALLA PLACIDIA.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

VU

The Roman Emperors (continued).

After THEODOSIUS THE GREAT, ARCADIUS and HONORIUS his sons [reigned]—thirteen years. Whilst
ARCADIUS was reigning in CONSTANTINOPLE and the East, HONORIUS, who was nine years old,
became king. And in that year, in the month of TAMMUZ (JULY), the UNAYE (i.e. HUNAYE, or HUNS)
went forth against the country of the RHOMAYE, and they laid waste, and spoiled SYRIA and
CAPPADOCIA. [This took place in] the seven hundred and eighth year of ALEXANDER (= A.D. 397). And
ARCADIUS built the great 'AMPOLON (EMBOLOS) which is before the PRAETORIUM, and his wife
EUDOXIA set up a pillar of silver by the side of the Quarter of Saint IRENE. And he defeated and killed
GAINAS (GAIUS?) who rebelled against him. And when he went to pray in KARKIDHA (CHALCEDON?)
—now tens of thousands of the people were gathered together to see him—as soon as he had prayed and gone
forth from the temple of Saint ACACIUS, and all the people with him, suddenly the whole temple fell down.
And every man believed that the people were saved by the prayer of the king, for he observed the glorious
habits of righteousness (i.e. the ascetic life) to such a degree that even under his royal apparel of purple [69]
he wore a hair tunic next to his skin.

And after GAINAS (GAIUS?) the rebel had perished, the HUNS crossed the river ESTROS (ISTER), and
having captured and laid waste the cities in TARKI (TURKEY), hail fell upon them and killed the greater
number of them, and the remainder fled.

And after these things ARCADIUS died and he left as king his son THEODOSIUS, a little boy eight years
old. Now HONORIUS had no sons, and as he was alone with them and they were afraid lest some men might
act treacherously in respect of him. Therefore when he was dying ARCADIUS made a Will, and made
YAZDAGARD, king of the PERSIANS, guardian of his son. When YAZDAGARD received the Will, he
gladly took care of THEODOSIUS, and he sent an instructor from his own house for him. And he wrote to
the nobles, saying, that if they dealt treacherously with the boy they would have with him a war which would
never cease. For this reason Christianity increased among the PERSIANS, and MARUTHA, bishop of
MAIPERKAT, acted as intermediary between them. And THEODOSIUS and his sister PULCHERIA were
brought up by their uncle HONORIUS.

THEODOSIUS THE LESS, his son, [reigned] forty-two years. At the beginning of his reign 'ALAREKOS
(ALARICUS), an African, rebelled, and he collected an army and came to ITALY, and committed many evil
deeds, and STILICO, the Eparch, was killed. And HONORIUS the king died in RHOMI. And
CONSTANTIUS, the father of VALENTINIANUS, reigned and was killed. And ''WANNIS, one of the
scribes, seized the kingdom. And he sent to THEODOSIUS [asking] him to confirm him in it. And the king
having bound the ambassadors in fetters, sent the Strategos ADHARBURIUS against the tyrant. The tyrant,
however, defeated him, and he seized the Strategos and bound him in fetters. And again THEODOSIUS sent
'AKAPPORA, the son of ADHARBURIUS, with an army, and by the prayers of the God-fearing king an
angel in the form of a shepherd appeared and enabled them to cross the lake of water on foot. And they found

the gates of the city open, and they went in and they brought out the Strategos and they killed ''WANNIS.
Then THEODOSIUS made VALENTINIANUS, [70] the son of his aunt, CAESAR, and sent him to RHOMI
with his mother, and subsequently he sent him the royal crown. And VALENTINIANUS (II?) reigned thirty-
two years.

And THEODOSIUS fasted and prayed continually, and on the fourth and sixth days of the week he kept the
evening fast. And when the bishop of HEBHRON died, the king took his tunic, filthy though it was, and put
it on so that he might be blessed thereby. At this ttme YAZDAGARD, king of the PERSIANS, died, and his
son WARHARAN succeeded him for twenty-two years. And he broke the peace, and the PERSIANS took up
arms against the RHOMAYE, and the RHOMAYE defeated and carried the PERSIANS away captive. And
after these things there was peace, although the persecution of the Christians never ceased durmg the whole
time of WARHARAN.

And after the peace the PERSIANS made bold and went up against RAS'AIN, and they returned therefrom in
shame. And they went up a second time and attacked it with great violence, but they were defeated, and the
RHOMAYE carried away seven thousand captives from the country of 'ARZAN. These captives Bishop
ACACIUS of 'AMID bought and set free, having sold the gold and silver chalices and patens of the churches.

At this time the BURGANZIS people, who lived by the craft of the carpenter, and dwelt in peace—the
HUNS having carried them away as captives—believed and were baptized. And straightway three thousand
of them destroyed ten thousand HUNS! and they were confirmed in the Faith. And THEODOSIUS sent for
VALENTINIANUS, his aunt's son, and brought him to CONSTANTINOPLE, and he gave him his daughter
EUDOXIA to wife, and VALENTINIANUS took her and went to RHOMI. And at this time the strife
between the kingdoms of the RHOMAYE and the PERSIANS concerning the persecution of the Christians in
PERSIA increased. And the king of the PERSIANS ill-treated many merchants, and seized their
merchandise, and he cheated the workers in gold who were Christians, and who were employed by him, and
would not pay them their full wages. Because of these things the RHOMAYE descended upon ARMENIA
and took the people captives. And they laid waste the country and killed the seven generals of the PERSIAN
Army; and the remainder of them were drowned in the EUPHRATES, especially the ARABS, whom they had
brought to help them. And after these things there was peace and the persecution died down.

But the Barbarians went forth and took captives many of the people of TARKI (TURKEY) and
ILLYRICUM. And [71] a comet appeared, a portent in the heavens, and many people said that the end [of the
king] was nigh by reason of the portents which were increasing [in number]. And one day, when King
THEODOSIUS was riding his horse as usual through the royal city, and was going out into the open country
to enjoy a ride. the horse stumbled and fell, and the vertebrae of the king's neck was crushed in, and they put
him on a portable bed. And when he saw that his end was near, he called PULCHERIA, his sister, and
informed her that MARCIANUS must reign after him. And he also called MARCIANUS and commanded
him to administer public affairs and to rule in the fear of God. And after two days he died.

After THEODOSIUS THE LESS, MARCIANUS [reigned] seven years. This Emperor took to wife
PULCHERIA, the sister of king THEODOSIUS, who had devoted herself during the whole period of her
brother's life to the ascetic practices and to the life of contemplation of those who dwelt in monasteries (1).
But she held MARCIANUS in contempt, even though she lived with him openly after the death of
THEODOSIUS. And because under the false and lying pretence that she would never consent to have union
with a man and defile her chastity, certain bishops, who were respectors of persons (1.e. hypocrites), and who
were inclined to believe in the doctrine of the Two Persons [of CHRIST], persuaded her to consent. And they
laid an ordinance on all the people that on one Sabbath in the year they should abstain from [eating] flesh on
her behalf, and should eat the foods which the monks and the nuns usually ate. Then was PULCHERIA

persuaded, and she denied her covenant, and stripped off her nun's garb. And within two years she assembled
the Council in CHALCEDON, she the woman who together with the confession of the Two Natures had also
laid the ordinance of the abstinence [from meat on] the Sabbath before the Lord's Fast (i.e. Lent) on those
who accepted it. When the orthodox EGYPTIANS who were in EGYPT saw that the [doctrine] of the Two
Natures [of CHRIST] had been laid upon them together with the abstinence from meat on that Sabbath, they
abstained not only from flesh, but also from all the things which are derived from the flesh of beasts, [72]
namely milk, cheese, oil and eggs, and they held [that Sabbath] to be like the other fast days.

And in the sixth year of MARCIANUS, VALENTINIANUS of RHOMI was killed. And from this moment
[the city], even like the church, was rent in twain. For it was the law that when he of CONSTANTINOPLE
died, the king stood by the consent (or, accord) of the king who was in RHOMI. And similarly when he of
RHOMI died, RHOMI stood by the consent of the king who was in CONSTANTINOPLE. And because
MARCIANUS stood without the consent of VALENTINIANUS of RHOMI in the choice of PULCHERIA
who committed fornication with him, in like manner the RHOMAYE without the consent of MARCIANUS
set up a king for themselves, Therefore the writers who were in the East have exercised care only in respect
of the kings of CONSTANTINOPLE, and have written down [their names] one after the other only, and they
call them 'Kings of the RHOMAYE'. And because MARCIANUS and PULCHERIA reigned in their old age
they died without seed.

After MARCIANUS, LEO [reigned] eighteen years. This Emperor was a TARK (TURK) by race, but was a
tribune by rank; and he was chosen by the Council and reigned. That year FIRUZ reigned over the
PERSIANS after WARHARAN, the son of YAZDAGARD. And he made war with the RHOMAYE and
persecuted the Christians. And LEO gave his daughter ARIADNE to ZAYNON (ZENO), and magnified him
in the kingdom, and made him Strategos of all the East. And he made BASILISCUS Strategos of TARKI
(TURKEY). And he built CALONICUS, and it was called LEONTOPOLIS.

At that time there was a great fire in CONSTANTINOPLE, and the fire raged from sea to sea. The king fled
to the passage of MAR MAMA, and lived there for six months. And he built the great harbour of NEON
AMBOLON (The New Gate). And he made a law that no man should work on the First Day of the Week, and
that no man should play on any instrument of music, but that every man should occupy himself in [his]
church, And LEO proclaimed LEONTINUS, his daughter's son, that is to say, the son of ZAYNON,
CAESAR, when he was still a child six years old; and he reigned one year during the life of [73] the king.
Then king LEO fell ill through a disease of the bowels and died.

After LEO, LEONTINUS. During the one year which he reigned his father ZAYNON himself used to pay
homage to him. His mother treated him as if a child and led him into error, saying, 'When thy father is
bowing down before thee take the crown which is on thy head place it on his head'. Having done this
ZAYNON seized the kingdom, and he made his son LEONTINUS to exercise the chief authority as Consul.
After a few days the boy died, and many suspected that his father and his mother had put him to death.

After LEONTINUS, his father ZAYNON [reigned] fifteen years. And when WAIRINA, the wife of LEO
THE GREAT, advised (or, persuaded) ZAYNON concerning a certain matter, and he would not accept [her
advice], she cast him aside and set up her brother BASILISCUS as king. Then BASILISCUS, who was
dwelling in HERAKLEIA, rebelled against ZAYNON, and he was proclaimed king, and he made his son
MARCUS CAESAR. Then ZAYNON being afraid of WAIRINA, and fearing lest his murder might be
contrived secretly; fled to ISAURIA because he came from that country, and his wife 'ARGANIA, that is
TTRADNI, fled to him secretly. And BASILISCUS and his son MARK reigned two years, and they acted
wickedly. For at the beginning he professed to be orthodox, and he made Saint TIMOTHY and the bones of

Saint DIOSCURUS to be brought back to ALEXANDRIA. And he wrote an Encyclical Letter, and cursed
the COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON. But at a later period he changed [his policy], and proclaimed it [good].

Now whilst BASILISCUS was laying bare the instability of his mind, ZAYNON was consolidating his
power, and he collected an army and came to attack him. Then BASILISCUS sent 'ARMATIS, the captain of
his host, to join battle with him. And ZAYNON sent a message to 'ARMATIS secretly, and took an oath to
him that he would make his son CAESAR, and 'ARMATIS himself Strategos. Thus 'ARMATIS acted
treacherously towards his lord, and joined himself to ZAYNON, and they went to CONSTANTINOPLE.
Then BASILISCUS [74] took his wife and his sons and fled to the church. And ZAYNON sent and had the
purple apparel of royalty stripped off from him and from his wife and his sons, and he gave them the promise
that they should not be murdered. And he sent them to LAMIS, a camp of CAPPADOCIA, to be imprisoned
in one of the towers, and being closed in their faces they died miserably. And ZAYNON having established
himself in the kingdom fulfilled his oath and made the son of 'ARMATIS CAESAR, and commanded an
equestrian display to be carried out; and the two sat together. And ZAYNON promoted 'ARMATIS to the
rank of Strategos. Then ZAYNON pondered in his mind and said, 'Now that 'ARMATIS hath waxed strong it
is not going too far (i.e. the idea is not too far-fetched) to think that just as he betrayed BASILISCUS, he may
also dig a pit for me. Therefore,' he said, 'I have performed that which I swore [to do for him], and now
'ARMATIS, who transgressed (i.e. broke) the oath [of fidelity] which [he swore] to BASILICUS shall die.'
And having slain 'ARMATIS, he shaved his son (i.e. gave him the tonsure) and made him a reader, and
afterwards he commanded and he became Metropolitan of HELLESPONTUS that is CYZICUS. And this
because he was worthy to wear the royal purple!

And in the ninth year of ZAYNON, BALASH reigned over the PERSIANS four years. And in his eleventh
year, after BALASH, KAWAD, the son of FiRUZ, reigned eleven years. And in the days of ZAYNON the
SAMARITANS rebelled and set up a certain YUSTOS (JUSTUS) as their king. And he slew many of the
Christians, and he went to CAESAREA and burnt the church of PROCOPIUS. And the RHOMAYE of
PALESTINE gathered together, and they made war on the SAMARITANS and defeated [them], and they sent
the head of their king to ZAYNON. And he made the synagogue of the SAMARITANS into a great church
[in honour of] Our Lady (MARINA) (MARIA). And they also burnt the synagogue of the JEWS in
ANTIOCH, and many of the JEWS therewith; and they also burnt the bones of their dead which were in the
graves. And after these things he fell sick of a disease of the bowels and died.

After ZAYNON SILENTIARI, ANASTASIUS [reigned] twenty-seven years. This Emperor was one of the
SILENTIARII, and as soon as he became king he destroyed the children who were studying letters, because
he was made a mock of by them. [75] And in his eighth year KAWAD's brother, ZAMASP, rebelled against
him and reigned two years. And KAWAD fled and collected an army and came against his brother, and he
defeated him and killed him. And he reigned afterwards thirty years.

At this time NICOPOLIS was overthrown, and all the inhabitants thereof, with the exception of the bishop
and two of his companions, were buried in the ruins. And a comet appeared for many days, and the locusts
came and destroyed [everything], and there was a great famine in BETH NAHRIN (MESOPOTAMIA); and
an immense mass of fire also appeared in the northern quarter [of the heavens], and it fumed brilliantly the
whole night (Aurora Borealis?).

And after a short time the HUNS went forth from the north-west into the territory of the PERSIANS for the
following reason. Now, in the days of ZAYNON the HUNS sent a message to FIRUZ, the king of the
PERSIANS, and they told him that the subsidy which he was giving them was insufficient for them, and that
the RHOMAYE were giving them double as much. Therefore the PERSIANS must either give as much as the
RHOMAYE, or they [the HUNS] would make ready for war. Then FIRUZ lied to them and promised to give

[a larger subsidy], and on this condition the HUN envoys withdrew. And FIRUZ having strengthened his
army, slew the HUNS who had been left behind to receive the subsidy, and he gave chase to those who had
departed. Then a certain merchant, a GREEK from APAMEA, who was with the HUNS, encouraged them
and advised them to offer up incense in the place wherein the oath had been made, and [told them] that God
would sweep away the PERSIANS who had lied. And when the HUNS had done this they met the
PERSIANS in war, and they slew FIRUZ and laid waste PERSIA, and returned to their own country. Because
of this when KAWAD reigned, he held bitter enmity against the RHOMAYE.

And the PERSIANS collected their armies and went forth against the countries of the RHOMAYE, and they
captured THEODOSIOPOLIS of ARMENIA, which is 'ARZAN-RUM, but he treated the inhabitants thereof
in a merciful fashion; then the governor who was in CONSTANTINOPLE took the city. And in the month of
TESHRIN (OCTOBER?) he delivered a fierce attack on 'AMID. And when the winter supervened the
PERSIANS suffered sorely, for their garments were reduced to rags (?), and their bows lost their spring
through the moisture of the air. And the heads of their battering-rams did not breach the wall, because those
who were inside the city bound chains round the wooden portions (‘arbane) of the platform, [76] and so made
them to receive the force of the heads of the battering rams. And they also lowered planks of wood into the
ditch and covered them over with earth during the night, so that the PERSIANS might not see. And when
about five hundred PERSIANS with their armaments came near, they set planks of wood (ladders?) against
the wall so that they might ascend by them. And they covered the 'bridges' with the hides of oxen, and they
made a mighty battering ram, and a staging path on which it might be pushed up. Then those who were inside
the city poured a filthy liquid which was mixed with resin on the 'mule' (i.e. battering ram) and they made
trenches in it (the ground?), and they set fire secretly under the planks of wood which were under the
battering ram. And when about six hours [had passed] the PERSIANS were checked and could not pass up
over those trenches; and the fire blazed up from below. And the battering ram collapsed, and the PERSIANS
were overwhelmed and burnt to death. And the king was put to shame, especially by the foul insults which
those who were inside the city cast upon him. And he asked the citizens to give him a little money and
[promised] to go away; now if they had only given to him courteous speech he would have gone. They,
however, returned answer very contemptuously, saying, 'It is for us to demand from thee the price of the
vegetables and forage which thou hast eaten'. When he perceived their arrogance he persisted and, according
to what he himself said, that night CHRIST appeared to him in a dream and said unto him, 'After three days I
Will hand over the city to thee, because the inhabitants thereof have behaved pridefully'.

Now, in the west by the TRIPOGRIN (THREE TOWERS’), there was a watch tower of the monks of the
Monastery of JOHN OF THE 'URTAYE, and opposite to this tower, outside, was encamped a certain warden
of the marches, KANREK (KANDEK, CANDAULES?) the Lame, a cunning man. And it happened that one
night there was a fog and a violent rainstorm, and a certain man had made a feast for the monks, and he had
made them to drink wine and they were drowned in sleep. Then a certain robber chief, a seditious man, and a
thief, whose name was KUTRANA, used to go out continually [from the city] and steal from and plunder the
possessions of the PERSIANS. And as he went out that night according to custom KANREK saw him and
followed him, and he also drew nigh to the wall, to the opening through which KUTRANA (KUTRANGA)
used to go in and come out And the monks did not cry out (i.e. challenge him) and he knew that they were
asleep. And the PERSIANS brought ladders and ascended and slew the monks. And when the governor
perceived [what had happened] he came with [77] lights, but the PERSIANS easily transfixed the bearers of
the lights with their arrows. And when the dawn came the king and his troops set ladders upright [against the
walls] and went up.

One day the citizens locked the PERSIANS up in that tower, and they began to destroy the tower from the
base thereof so that the PERSIANS might be overwhelmed in the ruins. Then the PERSIANS obtained
possession of another tower, and then of another tower, and several others. And they went into the city, and

they opened the gates; and killed eighty thousand people therein. Only the church of the Forty Martyrs
[escaped]. This was full of people, and the governor of the ARMENIANS seized it, and persuaded the king,
and saved it. Then the king sent the gold, and the silver, and the copper by the river DEKLATH (TIGRIS) to
his own country, and of the people who remained they killed one in every ten, because very many of the
PERSIANS had been killed. And they dressed LEONTIUS and KURA, the judges, in filthy garments, and
they threw the entrails of pigs round their necks, and they mounted them on sows, and men made a
proclamation saying, '[Here are] the governors who have not governed well, and who have permitted the king
to be disgraced; thus are they disgraced’.

When ANASTASIUS the king heard these things he suffered not a little. He sent five generals against
NISIBIS, and they were not able to capture it. And he commanded a city to be built by the side of the
mountain as a place of refuge for the Army, and it was built where DARYAWASH (DARIUS) was killed, and
for that reason was called 'DARA'. And it was finished in three years with marvellous buildings and it was
named 'ANASTASIOPOLIS'. ANASTASIUS also made a statue on a pillar, because the statue of
THEODOSIUS fell down during the earthquake when NEO-CAESAREA was overwhelmed, besides the
Church of St. GREGORY, the worker of wonders. And the COLOSSUS of RODOS (RHODES) also fell
down. And the king sent gold for men to uncover (i.e. dig out) the dead bodies of those who were suffocated
that they might be buried.

And VITALIANUS the tyrant rebelled. and the king bound him in fetters and shut him up in prison. And in
the twenty-second year of ANASTASIUS, ARMENIA rebelled against the RHOMAYE, and he sent troops
against the ARMENIANS and destroyed some of them, and he reduced ARMENIA again to the subjugation
of the RHOMAYE. And in the year eight hundred and thirty-one (= A.D. 520) he died in peace.

(Continued on Next Page)

(1) Bedjan's note reads: Here Bar Hebraeus vilifies the bishops, the sons of the Catholic Faith and Saint
Pulcheria through the difficulties which he found in the books of his co-religionists. For he was a Jacobite,
and he always calls the people of his own party 'orthodox', and sons of the true Chalcedonian Church. This
warning is necessary in all this his history.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

VU

The Roman Emperors (continued).

After ANASTASIUS, JUSTINUS [reigned] nine years. [78] This Emperor [came] from TARKI (TURKEY),
from the village of BADRINOS. This man was old and simple. And because his fellow-countrymen the
TARKAYE (TURKS) advised him to accept the COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON which was gathered together
by the diligence of LEO of the RHOMAYE, because all the countries of ITALY would join with him and one
(i.e. united) kingdom would come into being, he accepted the Council. And when the king of the PERSIANS
rose up and demanded from JUSTINUS, the king of the RHOMAYE, five hundred and fifty kantindre (1.e.
talents) of gold, which they had been wont to give for the rations of the army of the PERSIANS, who guarded
the gates against the HUNS, he would not give them. And he used to send from time to time his ARABS into
the country of the RHOMAYE, and they laid it waste and spoiled it. Therefore MUNDAR, king of the
ARABS, went up and captured the whole country of the Frontiers, that is BLIHA and HABURA. And they
passed over to 'ARZON and NISIBIS, and they plundered, and spoiled, and killed. And he went up also to
EMESA, and APAMEA, and the district of ANTIOCH, and he killed, and spoiled and laid waste, and he
chose [for himself] four hundred virgins from among the captives.

At this time there appeared in the country of CILICIA a woman which it is impossible to describe; she was a
cubit taller than all the men, and no man knew whence she came. Now, she used to eat food like men, and she
used to take one obolus from each lupanar. And suddenly she was no more seen. And the old man JUSTINUS
at the end of his days associated with him JUSTINIANUS, his sister's son, and proclaimed him CAESAR.
And after three months the old man died.

After JUSTINUS the old man, JUSTINIANUS, his sister's son, [reigned] thirty-eight years. At the beginning
of his reign he came down towards the PERSIANS and went to MABBUGH (MENBIJ). When he was told
about THEODORA, the daughter of an orthodox priest, he asked for her. But her father did not wish to give
his daughter until he made a covenant that he would not force her to accept the COUNCIL OF
CHALCEDON. This [Emperor] sent [orders] to BELISARIUS to engage in war with the PERSIANS. And
when the Sabbath of the Redeeming Passion was nigh at hand, the Governor of the PERSIANS sent to him,
saying, 'Let us honour the Festival, for the sake of the NAZARENES and JEWS who are with me, and for the
sake of you Christians’. [79] Now the RHOMAYE would not accept [this proposal]. And at dawn on the First
Day of the Week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread they made ready for war. And it was a cold day, and the
wind [blew] against the RHOMAYE, and they showed themselves to be weak, and they fled, and many of
them were killed, and the rest fell into the EUPHRATES and were drowned. Concerning this JUSTINIANUS,
JOHN of 'AMID, of ASIA, relates thus: 'I was [employed] in his business for thirty years, and I never saw
him cease from the building of churches’; for he built ninety-six churches, and twelve monasteries and guest-
houses. He saith, 'By my hands he built in the countries of ASIA, and CARIA, and PHRYGIA, and LYDIA".

And in his fourth year KESRU (CHOSROES), the son of KAWAD, reigned forty seven years. And there was
peace between the RHOMAYE and the PERSIANS for seven years. And the SAMARITANS who were in

PALESTINE set up a governor over themselves, and they went to NEOPOLIS and killed the bishop and
many people, and they plundered and burnt many temples. And the RHOMAYE went up and captured the
city, and they slew their governor and the greater number of them. Then DOMENUS in KARTAGENA also
rebelled, and BELISARIUS went and captured the tyrant and brought him back in fetters.

And in the eleventh year of JUSTINIANUS the peace between the PERSIANS and the RHOMAYE was
dissolved. And a great and terrible comet appeared in the evenings for many days. And in that same year
KESRU went up and took ANTIOCH and ALEPPO and APAMEA—a bitter captivity. And the RHOMAYE
went down to PERSIA and they took the country of the KARDAWAYE (KURDS?) and the ARZONITES
and the ARABS. And KESRU also went up and took CALONICUS and all BETH NAHRIN; and he also
went up against EDESSA, and being unable to capture it he took BATNAN and departed. And he also went
up against ANTIOCH and captured it, and burnt it, and laid it waste wholly. And the PERSIANS took even
the slabs of marble (or, white alabaster) which was on the walls and brought them down to PERSIA. And
again the PERSIANS went up and took the whole country of the frontier, and they destroyed CALONICUS
and BETH BALASH, and they carried away the bones of MAR BACCHUS the martyr, and the gold which
was on the sarcophagus of MAR SARGIS (SERGIUS). And in the year eight hundred and forty-eight (A.D.
537) there was a sign in the sun the like of which had never before appeared. The sun became dark [80] and
his darkness lasted for eighteen months. Each day the middle of heaven shone faintly with a shadowy light,
and every man decided that [the sun] would never recover its full light. That year the fruits did not ripen and
the wine tasted like urine.

Concerning the pestilence which took place in the whole country at this time.

JOHN of ASIA wrote very fully concerning this pestilence which took place in the year eight hundred and
fifty-five (= A.D. 544), and ZECHARIAH also wrote. He beginneth first of all with the inside peoples of the
South-East, that is to say of INDIA, and of KUSH (ABYSSINIA), and the HAMIRAYE, &c. And he cometh
to the upper countries in the West, the peoples of the RHOMAYE, and the ITALIANS, and the GAULS, and
the SPANIARDS. And it was heard that men lost their senses, and went mad, and attacked each other, and
they went out to the mountains and destroyed themselves. The rod (i.e. stroke) came to the countries of
KUSH (ABYSSINIA), which is on the border of EGYPT. And from there it began in EGYPT, and it came
down to ALEXANDRIA, and it spread over LYBIA, and PALESTINE, and PHOENICIA, and ARABIA and
AFRICA. And it advanced to GALATIA, and CAPPADOCIA, and ARMENIA, and the district of
ANTIOCH, and little by little to PERSIAN territories, and to the nations of the east and north. Property was
seen abandoned, and it was scattered and dispersed abroad, and there was none to gather it in. The fields were
full of crops, and there was none to reap them. There were vineyards, the time for gathering the grapes from
which had passed, and there was none to pluck the grapes; for men had come to an end, and scarcely one man
of a thousand was left. After three years had run their course, the wrath died down. It is said that when the
rod (or, stroke) fell on the royal city, the pestilence began first of all with the poor, and that men carried out
[for burial] as many as sixteen thousand dead in one day. After the destitute were dead the Destroyer
stretched out his hand over the men who were wealthy (or, rulers) and were renowned (or, famous). Those
who escaped instant death fell by the attack of tumours, that is to say swellings in the groin, or, pustules, and
deadly evacuations. Also there appeared in the palms of the hands marks like three thick drops of blood, and
straightway men died. And when men found that they were unable to bury the dead, they cast the corpses into
the sea in heaps.

In the eighteenth year of JUSTINIANUS the Barbarians captured the great city of RHOME in ITALY. [81]
And [it is said] that they were not able to keep it because they sat down in the camp which was by the side of
it; but they left it ruined and stripped bare. And because it was thus JUSTINIUS and the whole Senate
mourned and put on black apparel. And in those days Queen THEODORA died. And at that time the
Monastery of MAR SIMON of his pillar which was in the country of ANTIOCH was burned down, and it
was completely destroyed. And there was a great disturbance in the churches, especially in
CONSTANTINOPLE, because of the introduction of fasting and the Passover.

And in the twenty-third year of JUSTINIANUS, TARSUS in CILICIA was inundated by the river which
flowed by it, and LADIKIA was overwhelmed, and seven thousand people died therein. And the sea-coast of
PHOENICIA was submerged, TRIPOLI, BERUT, BYBLOS, and TROAS, and the cities of GALILEE. And
at this ttme JOHN PHILOPONOS became known (i.e. flourished) in ALEXANDRIA. And the feeling of
ravenous or bovine hunger attacked men. A man would sometimes eat ten pounds of bread together with
other vegetables, and would not feel satisfied, but would continue to ask for bread although his belly was full.
And in this way he died. After these things a pestilence among the cattle took place, especially in the East,
[and it lasted] two years, until the fields became sterile through the absence of oxen. And a severe earthquake
took place in CONSTANTINOPLE, in the month of AB (AUGUST), and many houses, and baths, and
churches were thrown down, and the wall of the GOLDEN GATE fell down. And the earthquake lasted for
forty days.

And in the twenty-seventh year of JUSTINIANUS, MUNDAR BAR-NA'MAN, king of the ARABS, went up
to the territory of the RHOMAYE, and he laid waste many countries. And HERATH BAR-GABALA
overtook him, and made war upon him and defeated him, and he killed MUNDAR in KENNESHRIN. And
BAR-HERATH also died in the war, and he was buried in the House of the Martyrs which is there. And in the
thirty-first year of JUSTINIANUS a severe earthquake took place, and the two walls of
CONSTANTINOPLE, both the inner and the outer, were breached. And the city of RIGIN was so completely
swallowed up by the earth that the site thereof could not be identified. And also the purple pillar which
[stood] before the palace, and had a statue of the Emperor upon the top of it, was first cast up into the air, and
then it turned upside down, and became embedded in the ground into which it sunk to a depth of eight feet.
The earth swayed [82] and rocked about like a tree before the wind for ten days. And after these things the
armies of the HUNS and the 'ASKLABE (SLAVS) came and encamped about the royal city, and they broke
down the outer walls, and plundered and burnt all the colonnades; and they seized everything which they
found and departed. And they came again, a second and a third time, and then the RHOMAYE gained the
mastery and destroyed them in the war [which followed]. The few of them who escaped never again appeared
in the place.

After JUSTINIANUS the Second (sic) JUSTINUS the Third (sic) [reigned] thirteen years. This Emperor was
the son of the sister of his predecessor, and he was a TARKAYA (TURK) by race. He [began to] reign, with
SOPHIA his wife, in the LATTER TESHRIN (NOVEMBER). Although there was no trouble at all in his
days, the doers of wickednesses ceased to be because of his strength; his feet (or, legs), however, caused him
vexation (or, suffering). Now KESRU, king of the PERSIANS, lived at that time, and at first there was such
great peace between them that JUSTINUS in his second year sent gifts of honour to KESRU by the hands of
JOHN, the Patriarch, of CALONICUS. But when the PERSIANS began to compel the ARMENIANS to
worship fire like the MAGIANS, the ARMENIANS rebelled against the PERSIANS, and took asylum with
the RHOMAYE. And thus the peace was broken. And KESRU sent to JUSTINUS, saying, 'It is not seemly
for thee to assist a people who have rebelled against their king. If thou wouldst take the people, [do so,] but
their land is mine. Let them evacuate my territory.' JUSTINUS replied, 'A Christian people who have fled
from the worship of devils and have sought my help I will not deliver over into thy hands. And inasmuch as
they are mine their land together with them is mine.’ Then KESRU wrote a second time, saying, 'If thou wilt

give up neither the people nor the land, give [at least] the tribute which your kings over ARMENIA at one
time used to give’. JUSTINUS replied in still stronger terms, 'I also require from thee the gold which thou
didst formerly receive. And how canst thou demand from us the country of the north, seeing that we also
demand [from you] NISIBIS, because it belongeth to the RHOMAYE, and it was only given to the
PERSIANS conditionally, as it is written in the ancient documents.'

And in his eighth year, he appointed MARCION, the son of his mother's sister, CAESAR, and he sent him
with an army of the RHOMAYE against NISIBIS. And when MARCION arrived at the city of DARA [83]
he sent some of his troops to the land of the PERSIANS, and they took it and laid it waste and came back.
And the Persian Warden of the Marches who was in NISIBIS acted cunningly. He went out to MARCION
and made him to delay for four months, with the excuse that the RHOMAYE ought to inform their king that
‘we will give back the city of NISIBIS peacefully, and if not, behold, there is war before you'. And under this
arrangement the PERSIANS brought victuals to NISIBIS, and they cut down the gardens (or, plantations)
which were round about it for the space of a bow shot, and they drove the Christians out of the city. Then the
king wrote to MARCION ordering him to encamp round about the city without delay. And when he had done
so he threw up mounds about it, and set up engines of war, and built high towers, and with very great trouble
he captured the city. Then the king, for a reason which we will explain later, was wroth with MARCION, and
he sent ACACIUS, a boorish and severe man to dismiss MARCION, and to put himself in his place. When
ACACIUS came he seized MARCION and sent him to DARA. Now when the troops saw this they thought
that the king was dead, and that, perhaps, another had by force made himself master of the RHOMAYE; they
therefore forsook their tents and fled. And the PERSIANS went out from NISIBIS and plundered their
camps.

When KESRU heard that the RHOMAYE had fled he came and seized the various engines for assaulting the
city, and all the other armaments of war which the RHOMAYE had abandoned, and he encamped round
about the city of DARA. And he made war upon it for six months and was unable to capture it. And he
demanded from the inhabitants thereof five talents of gold so that he might depart from them. Now the Count
whom he had sent with him (i.e. his envoy) did not inform them [of this]. Then KESRU became furiously
angry, and by means of wooden erections the PERSIANS scaled the wall. The RHOMAYE fought for seven
days, and did not permit one of the PERSIANS to come down into the city. Then KESRU said unto them,
'Come, let us make peace, for behold a very large number of our men and yours have been killed'. And those
wretched men, believing the oath of the PERSIANS, laid down their weapons, and the soldiers of both sides
mingled together. And the PERSIANS laid their hands on the RHOMAYE and killed one hundred and fifty
thousand souls, and they carried off ninety thousand into captivity. And they collected gold, about two
hundred talents. Then KESRU said unto the governors of the RHOMAYE, 'Ye fools, why did ye not give five
talents out of this two hundred, and save all these souls?! [84] And the RHOMAYE swore that the Count did
not tell them that 'ye demanded gold’. And when KESRU was certain that this was so, he was wroth with the
Count and put out his eyes.

And straightway KESRU sent 'ADRAMON, the Warden of the Marches, and he looted and took BETH
BALASH, and KENNESHRIN and the country of ANTIOCH. And because on a former occasion when the
king of PERSIA came to APAMEA the people went forth to meet him, and he entered [the city], and saw the
bishop, and did not harm the people, so now on this occasion when the Warden of the Marches came they
went out to meet him arrayed in white apparel. And having entered the city with guile he plundered it and
burned it. And he sent ninety-two (or, two hundred and ninety-two) thousand [of the people] to PERSIA. On
this occasion KESRU selected two thousand virgins from among the captives, and he sent them together with
their decorated apparel and ornaments to the TURKS who were in PERSIA. When these virgins arrived at a
place which was five stations from the TURKS, and came to a great river, they decided that they preferred
death to the destruction of the Faith of their souls and the purity of their bodies. And having grasped each

other with the right hand they asked the Persian guards to withdraw from them so that they might bathe. Now
these guards having been commanded to conduct the virgins with gentleness so that their beauty might not be
marred, withdrew themselves. Then these chaste virgins having sealed their faces with the Sign of the Cross,
cried out the Name of Christ, and cast themselves into that great river and were drowned. When the guards at
the sound of their outcry saw that the virgins were drowning, they ran and struggled mightily, but they were
not able to save one of them.

And when the king [of the RHOMAYE] heard that these things had taken place, he made ready to go down to
the East, and because of the intensity of his cogitations he became mad (?) And ZECHARIAH was sent to
KESRU [to arrange] a peace, and [he took] with him six hundred and fifty pounds (itre) of gold, for the
peace was for one year only. And because his senses came back to him sometimes, and he wept and lamented
about himself sorrowfully, the chiefs gave him advice. And he appointed a certain GREEK (IONIAN) scribe,
whose name was TIBERIUS, a TARK, administrator of his kingdom, and proclaimed him CAESAR. At this
time KESRU became arrogant and puffed up with pride, and he came to ARMENIA, and marched directly to
CAPPADOCIA so that he might capture CAESAREA. Then the RHOMAYE overtook (or, pursued) [the
PERSIANS] in Mount BAGRUH, [85] and KESRU being thwarted in his purpose pretended that he was
going to escape to his own country. And he went forth to SEBASTIA; and he also burned it with fire because
the people fled from before him. And the RHOMAYE overtook him, and he forsook his papelion, that is to
say, his royal tent, and all his treasure and fled. Then the RHOMAYE looted his camp and also his chapel for
the worship of fire which they carried away in triumph. Meanwhile KESRU escaped to MELITENE, which
he burned. And the RHOMAYE pursued him, and a very large number of his soldiers were drowned at the
ford of the river PRATH (EUPHRATES), and only small numbers of them escaped.

And [KESRU] laid down a law that a king should not go forth to war except against a king. For the
RHOMAYE had sent [a message] to him, saying. 'We are [only] the servants of a king, and it would be a
disgrace to us to go in like thieves and set fire [to places]; how very much more it is [a disgrace] to thee [to
do this] who art a king?’ After these things, the RHOMAYE relying on their victory unsaddled their horses
and they went away to feed. And behold, suddenly, certain SLAVS, that is to say scouts, came and said,
"Behold the PERSIANS and KESRU are coming’. Now the RHOMAYE had set no sentries at all on guard,
and wholly unexpectedly the army of the PERSIANS came upon them. And trembling fell upon the
RHOMAYE. And they began to flee on foot, and the PERSIANS who pursued them cut them down (?), and
they collected the weapons, and bridles and armour which the RHOMAYE cast away [when they] fled.

This is the cause of the anger of JUSTINIANUS against MARCION. At that time there were two parties
among the TAY YAYE or ARABS; [that of] MUNDAR BAR-HERATH, who was a Christian and whose
soldiers were Christians [and sided] with the RHOMAYE, and [that of] KABOZ, who [sided] with the
PERSIANS. KABOZ having come against the Christian ARABS, seized all their flocks and their herds of
camels, and departed. MUNDAR collected an army and marched against him and conquered [him], and he
returned with vast quantities of rich spoil and camels. And KABOZ attacked him again, and was defeated,
and he went to the PERSIANS to bring reinforcements. Then MUNDAR informed king JUSTINUS [of this],
and demanded of him gold to give to the troops so that he might stand up against the PERSIANS. Then
JUSTINUS determined to kill MUNDAR as if he had been the cause of the PERSIANS invading the land of
the RHOMAYE. And he wrote to MARCION whilst he was encamped against NISIBIS, saying, 'Behold, we
have written to MUNDAR that he shall come to thee. Watch the moment when he cometh to thee [86] and
take his head, and write to us.' And, it is said, that he wrote two letters. The one to MARCION [saying that]
MUNDAR was to be killed, and the other to MUNDAR [telling him] to go to MARCION and to hear from
him concerning a certain matter which could not be written in a letter. Now the man of law (i.e. the scribe)
wrote the two letters at the same time and sealed them. And by mistake he addressed the letter of MARCION
to MUNDAR, and the letter of MUNDAR to MARCION, which therefore fell into the hands of MUNDAR.

And MUNDAR was filled with wrath, and he made friends with the TAY YAYE (i.e. ARABS) of KABOZ,
and they invaded together BETH RHOMAYE, and seized and burned [the country] as far as ANTIOCH.
Now the king JUSTINUS thought that MARCION had informed MUNDAR [about his intention], and
because of this he was angry with him and arrested him. And when the mind of King JUSTINUS returned to
him, and he saw that the disease of retention of the urine was increasing in him, he summoned TIBERIUS
CAESAR and he spake with him many remarkable (or, admirable) words under the guise of admonition and
warning, and he said, 'Understand what I have been and what thou art. Honour thy mother who is thy
MISTRESS (or, Lady). All those who stand here are thy children. Have good care for the soldiers. Rejoice
not in blood, and award not evil for evil. Let not the apparel and the proud rank of royalty lead thee astray as
it has led me astray. And behold, though alive I shall be dismissed.' [He spake] these and very many other
[words] like unto them. TIBERIUS then cast himself down on his face, and wept and plucked out his hair.
And the king commanded and they raised him up. And with his own hands he arrayed him [in royal apparel]
and crowned him with the crown. And he lived for nine days after these things, and he died in such great
agony, through the retention of urine, and through his disease, that he shrieked and adjured those who were
standing [there], saying, "Bring a sword and kill me’.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

IX
The Second Kingdom of the Greeks.

Here beginneth the Ninth Series, which [beginneth with] the kings of the RHOMAYE
and endeth with the kings of the YAWNAYE (Greeks).

After JUSTINUS III (?), TIBERIUS [reigned] three years. Up to this time all the kings had been
RHOMAYE, that is to say FRANGAYE (FRANKS), [87] the first of whom was AUGUSTUS and the last
JUSTINUS. Although the tongue of the citizens and the men of law (or, scribes) was Greek, the kings and
soldiers were FRANKS. But with this TIBERIUS, and onwards, the beginning of the Second Kingdom of the
GREEKS (YAWNAYE) took place. This happened six hundred and two years after their First Kingdom had
come to an end, the which began with KRONOS, the MACEDONIAN, and ended with PARSOS—thirty-
eight kings. And in the year wherein TIBERIUS [began to] reign, that is the eight hundred and nineteenth
year of the GREEKS (= A.D. 579), KESRU died. And HORMIZD his son reigned over the PERSIANS
twelve years, and he was haughty and arrogant and did not send [to the RHOMAYE], as was the custom of
kings, the gift (swmbolon) which announced the beginning of [his] kingdom. Thus also was it with
TIBERIUS, who having risen [as king] sent to KESRU the gift announcing the fact. And he stirred up war in
the country of ARMENIA. Then KIROS (MAURICIUS), the captain of the host of the RHOMAYE, made
ready his armies, and when day broke in the east he fell upon him like the fire which hath been kindled in the
wood, and destroyed them utterly (or, violently); and the governors and nobles of the PERSIANS he bound
with fetters. And the RHOMAYE enjoyed great consolation.

During the four years of the sickness of JUSTINUS, whilst TIBERIUS was governing the State, Queen
SOPHIA would not allow the wife of TIBERIUS to enter the royal city. And when JUSTINUS blamed her,
saying, 'It is a sinful act of thine. For TIBERIUS is a young man and his body cannot endure chastity, and yet
thou keepest his wife from him', SOPHIA said, 'My mind hath not perished like thine that I should give my
sovereignty to another whilst I am still alive.’ And thus, after JUSTINUS was dead, TIBERIUS wanted to
bring his wife [there], and he entreated SOPHIA to give the command for her to come, but even so SOPHIA
did not wish [to do so]. Then the Patriarch of the CHALCEDONIANS advised TIBERIUS to divorce his
wife, and to take to wife SOPHIA or her daughter. But TIBERIUS was furious with the Patriarch, and he was
very stubborn and said, 'I will [readily] divorce the kingdom, but I will not trample on the Law'. And the
Patriarch excused his proposal, saying, 'The nobles compelled me to give thee this advice for the peace [88]
of the kingdom'. When SOPHIA heard [this] she was afraid, and she gave the command, and the wife of
TIBERIUS entered [the city] with great pomp; and she was named HELENA by the crowds as an honourable
epithet. And TIBERIUS paid great honour to SOPHIA and her daughter, and he increased their revenues and
they dwelt in their palace.

And MUNDAR, the son of a free woman, when he heard that TIBERIUS was reigning, went up to
CONSTANTINOPLE. And when the king blamed him because he had delayed in helping the RHOMAYE,

he showed him the letter of JUSTINUS; and when TIBERIUS saw it he marvelled. And he paid MUNDAR a
great honour, and gave him many valuable gifts and he departed.

And after these things MAURICIUS, CAESAR of the RHOMAYE, went up to king TIBERIUS, and he made
accusations against MUNDAR. And a certain MAGNE, the captain of the SYRIAN army, promised that he
would seize him, because he was a friend of his. And when he went to SYRIA he sent a message to
MUNDAR, saying, 'I wish thee to come to me so that I may see thy healing [powers], because I am sorely
afflicted by the fatigue of the road (or, of travelling); otherwise I would myself come and pay homage to
thee'. And MUNDAR trusted in him as a friend and came, and the SYRIAN put him in fetters and sent him to
the royal city. Then NA'AMAN, his son, collected troops and began to raid the countries of the RHOMAYE,
but he neither killed nor burnt because his father was a prisoner.

Now this accursed man MAGNE wished to destroy NA'AMAN also, and he sent a message to him in which
he swore oaths, saying, 'If thou wilt come to me I will set thee in the place of thy father'. And NA'AMAN
brought one of the young men and arrayed him in his apparel. And he sent him [to MAGNE] with servants.
When MAGNE saw him, he said unto him, 'Art thou NA'AMAN?' And the young man said, 'I am. Behold, I
have come according to thy command.' Then MAGNE commanded, 'Behold the enemy of the king; cast on
him iron fetters'. Then the young man laughed and said, 'Nay, by CHRIST, I am not NA'AMAN'; And when
MAGNE wanted to kill the young man the ARAB said, 'I shall not grieve, for if I had not come I should have
been killed by my own king'; and because of this [remark], after [inflicting] tortures [on him], MAGNE
dismissed him. And after a short time MAGNE died.

Then NA' MAN, despising (i.e. risking) his life went up to MAURICIUS, [89] and he was received by him.
And he swore to him that whilst he was fighting with the PERSIANS he would set free his father from
bondage. And when it was proposed to him that he should associate himself with the followers of the
COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON, he excused himself and said, 'All the tribes of the TAY YAYE are orthodox,
and if I change [my religion] they will kill me’. And when NA'AMAN went out he swore that he would never
see willingly again the faces of the RHOMAYE. Now, the RHOMAYE heard this, and they seized him whilst
he was on the road and also banished him.

And the kingdom of the ARABS (TAY YAYE) was divided into fifteen divisions. The greater number of them
cleaved to the PERSIANS, and some of them to the CHALCEDONIANS. And others cast away [their]
weapons, and dwelt in cities and villages in the land of SEN'AR and in 'ATHOR (ASSYRIA), and in SYRIA,
and they have preserved [their] orthodoxy until this day, like those in HADITHA, and HITH, and in BETH'
ARBAYE, and in KURITHIM which is in the land of EMESA, and in NABK and other places.

At this time a certain astute PERSIAN proclaimed that 'he was the eldest son of KESRU the king, whom the
troops of HORMIZD, his younger son, having chosen him to reign over them, his father had pity upon him
and, gave him money for food, and sent him away so that he might not be killed’. This man came to the
armies of the RHOMAYE that were in ARMENIA and said that he would deliver the kingdom of the
PERSIANS to the RHOMAYE, if the king of the RHOMAYE gave an army. Then the RHOMAYE made
known [this] to TIBERIUS, and he rejoiced in him greatly. And he sent gold and royal apparel, and
commanded that he should come to the royal city with great pomp and ceremony. And when he arrived at
CHALCEDON the king sent to him the sword-bearer of the king of the PERSIANS to inquire if he was so or
not. And when he saw him and recognized him, he seized him by his hair and cast him forth from the throne,
and said, 'Thou impostor! Wouldst thou sit upon a throne and let the nobles stand before thee?' Then that
wretched man being afraid of death became a Christian.

At this time when the army of the RHOMAYE was marching to PERSIA with MAURICIUS CAESAR, the
barbarian peoples of 'ABHARIS (ABARES) and 'ASKLABHONE (SCYTHIA) and LONGOBARDY, who
were subject to the KHAKAN, laid waste the countries of the RHOMAYE. And 'ADRAMON, the Warden of
the Marches, arrived at EDESSA, and he burned churches, and monasteries [90] and villages. And they killed
all the captives and burned their dead bodies, and through the cloud of smoke, which was so great that the sun
itself was obscured, they were enabled to capture the city. And whilst they were assaulting it during three
days they heard that the RHOMAYE and the ARABS with MAURICIUS had arrived; and they abandoned
[the siege] and marched toward CALONICUS. Then the RHOMAYE overtook them, and killed many of
them. And in the fourth year of his reign TIBERIUS fell sick of a disease in the belly and constriction of the
bowels. And when he knew that he was dying, he gave his daughter AUGUSTA to wife to MAURICIUS,
who was from 'ARABISOS in CAPPADOCIA, and he put the crown of the kingdom upon him; and after
three days he died.

After TIBERIUS, MAURICIUS [reigned] twenty years. In the first year of his reign a son was born to him by
AUGUSTA, the daughter of TIBERIUS, and he was named 'THEODOSIUS, born on the purple’. And at that
time the RHOMAYE rebelled against MAURICIUS, and they set up a governor [called] GARMANOS. And
when HORMIZD, king of the PERSIANS, heard [this] he sent promises to them that they would be with him
(i.e. support him). They, however, despised him, and came against him for war, and they bound with fetters
three thousand Persian slaves and sent them to MAURICIUS. And there was freedom of speech to them, and
they returned to the subjugation of the king, and were welcome with gladness, and the king showered gifts
and honour on GARMANOS.

And in the fourth year of his reign there broke forth and went out from the EAST a hateful people from
'ABARIS whose hair was plaited, and from the WEST also came the SLAVS and the LONGOBARDS. And
they came under the subjugation of the KHAKAN, king of the KAZARAYE, and they captured two cities
from the RHOMAYE and many of [their] fortresses. And if it had not been for the great ditch which the king
had made outside ADRIANOPLE, they would have set their faces towards CONSTANTINOPLE. Then the
RHOMAYE killed the people of 'ANTIO..., and they fell upon 'ASKLABHUNYA and captured it and looted
it. When the 'ASKLABHONE heard this they made a great war (i.e. raid) in the country of the RHOMAYE
and came back.

At this time there went forth from Inner SCYTHIA three brothers with thirty thousand SCYTHIANS. [91]
And they came a journey of two months in the time of winter, for the discovery of water, that is to say [water
] from the fords of MOUNT AMON; and they arrived at the river TANIS (DONA?), which goeth out from
the lake of MIANTIS and mingleth in the SEA OF PONTOS. And when they arrived at the frontier of the
RHOMAYE, one of them whose name was BULGARIS took ten ships and crossed the river TANIS and
pitched his camp between the rivers TANIS and DUNBIR (DON and DNIEPER?), which also mingles (i.e.
flows into) the SEA OF PONTOS. And he sent to MAURICIUS [asking] him to give him land to dwell in,
and [said that] he would become an ally of the RHOMAYE. And MAURICIUS gave him Upper and Lower
MYSIA, and they dwelt there, and they became a guard (i.e. a buffer garrison) for the RHOMAYE. Now,
though they were SCYTHIANS the RHOMAYE call them 'BULGARIANS'. Then these two other brothers
came to the country of 'ALAN, which is BAR SALIA, that is to say to the towns of the CASPIAN, which the
BULGARIANS and the PANGURIANS call the 'Gate of the Turks'; they were once Christians and are now
called 'KAZARAYE ' after the name of the eldest brother.

And in the sixth year of MAURICIUS, PRISCUS, the captain of the host of the RHOMAYE, together with a
large army went down to PERSIA, and there the RHOMAYE were divided and they would not receive him.
Then the king came back and appointed PHILIP, his kinsman through his sister, to be the captain of their
host. And when this man came down he exhibited many splendid triumphs. Now the RHOMAYE because

they were accustomed to harsh treatment by PRISCUS began to plot against this man also, and they also
thought that they would remove the king and set up another. And when they returned from PERSIA to
ANTIOCH, and whilst they were wintering there, a great earthquake took place and the greater part of the
city fell down through the tremors of the ground, and the soldiers were scattered round about the city. And
the horsemen who had contended against the king came back and became reconciled with PHILIP. And when
they had repented they heard that the PERSIANS of NISIBIS had deceived the guards (or, keepers) of
MAIPHERKAT with false oaths, and that they had given them the city, and that many of the RHOMAYE had
perished therein. Then PHILIP and the RHOMAYE marched quickly from ANTIOCH to MAIPHERKAT
and captured it by assault, and slew the PERSIANS [92] who were in it.

And in the eighth year of MAURICIUS the PERSIANS rebelled against HORMIZD, their king, and they
seized him by treachery and blinded his eyes, and he died. And ten months later those who had killed him
because of the multitude of his evil deeds, inclined towards his son KESRU; and they made him their king
[and he reigned] thirty-eight years. Now BAHRAM, the captain of the Persian host, did not favor KESRU,
and he and many people rebelled against him vigorously. Then KESRU took refuge with the RHOMAYE,
and he sent a message secretly to MAURICIUS saying that he was ready to go to him if it pleased him to
grant him permission. When MAURICIUS heard this he rejoiced. And he wrote [to him saying] that he
would help him in everything. And KESRU rose up promptly and came to EDESSA. And IWANNIS
(JOANNES), a native of RUSAFAYA, received him into his house, and honoured him greatly. And he wrote
to MAURICIUS, [saying], 'Like a slave he should be to him', but MAURICIUS replied that he should honour
him as a father honoureth his son. And MAURICIUS sent to JOANNES, the captain of the host of the
TARKAYE, with twenty thousand soldiers, and ANASTASIUS who took with him 'ARMANAYO
(ARMENIANS) and BULGARIANS—twenty thousand. And he sent forty talents of gold for his expenses.
And when KESRU received these he marched to his own country. And HORMIZAN the PERSIAN came to
him with ten thousand men. Now, when the rebels heard [this] they made ready to fight, and they were
defeated and turned their backs in flight, and the captains who were among them were captured and killed,
and the rest returned to KESRU. Then KESRU gave many gifts to the RHOMAYE, and he sent great gifts to
MAURICIUS and precious stones, and he gave back DARA and RAS'AYN to the RHOMAYE. And KESRU
asked MAURICIUS and he gave him MARIA, his daughter, to wife. And bishops went down with her, and
the daughter of THEODOSIUS also made a splendid feast, and the Patriarch bound on the wedding crown.
And KESRU built three great temples to the God-bearer, to the Apostles, and to SERGIUS the martyr, and
the Patriarch of ANTIOCH consecrated them. And Christianity spread throughout PERSIA.

Now MAURICIUS was arrogant in his mind, and he regarded the hosts of the RHOMAYE with contempt,
and he would not give them [their] pay. Then they sent a message to him, saying, 'God hath given peace in
thy days, but peace will not feed cavalrymen [93] unless they receive their pay. And if because there is no
war [at present] thou wilt not give us our pay, behold thou wilt have war with us.’ And in this matter also he
treated them with contempt, and demanded of PATROS his brother that he would reign over them. PATROS,
however, was unwilling, and he fled to MAURICIUS and made the matter known to him. When
MAURICIUS heard [this] he was afraid, and he fled and hid himself in CHALCEDON. Now when the army
came to the royal city and did not find MAURICIUS, they appointed as their king a common old man called
POKA (PHOCAS). And they went out and found MAURICIUS and brought him to the city, and they killed
his sons before his face, and then they also killed him.

After MAURICIUS, PHOCAS [reigned] eight years. When KESRU, the king of the PERSIANS, heard that
MAURICIUS and his sons had been killed, he and his nobles put on black apparel, and they made a house for
weeping in. And whilst making it clear that he would be avenged on the slayers of his kinsman and the doer
of his good works, he concocted a plot whereby he might rule over the kingdom of the RHOMAYE. And he
made ready an army and sent [it] against DARA and captured it. And he went to TUR 'ABDIN, and [he

fought] against the stone fortress and took it, and he killed the RHOMAYE who were inside it. And thus was
it in every place; with the exception of the RHOMAYE they harmed none. Now when the RHOMAYE who
were in the citadel heard [this] they abandoned the fortress and fled. And the monks gathered themselves
together and went into it, and they sent a message to BASIL the bishop [asking him] if he would permit them
to kill the PERSIANS. And in the nine hundred and eighteenth year of the GREEKS (= A.D. 601) the
rebellious fortress of MERDA (?) was handed over into the hands of the PERSIANS, and 'AMID also.

And there was a severe winter, and the EUPHRATES was frozen over. And after two years the PERSIANS
crossed the EUPHRATES, and seized MABBOGH, and KENNESHRIN, and BEROEA and ANTIOCH. And
it is said that when KESRU was master of EDESSA he took as a captive the wife of JOANNES of RUSAFA,
whom he had honoured with such great honour when he received him into his house, and he took her down to
PERSIA, and put her to death by tortures. The reason of this was that one day when he was resting in the
house of JOANNES he said unto her, 'It is the custom among the PERSIANS that when the king condescends
to go into the house of one of his governors, for the mistress of that house to come forth [94] and to pay him
honour, and to mix wine for him, even if it be only one cup[ful]'. Now though JOANNES was ashamed and
was unwilling to act contrary to the wish of his wife, he inclined towards the matter (i.e. he thought that she
might do what the king wanted done). But she did not wish to do so, and she replied, 'In truth we are bound to
pay honour to our chief, for he is a great king. But with us SYRIANS it is not the custom for the women to go
out to men when they are drinking together. Therefore let not him (the king) blame me because I was too
bashful to go out [to pay homage to him]. Then the Calumniator (i.e. the Devil) inflamed the wrath of
KESRU, and he said to JOANNES, 'That she did not go forth hath brought contempt upon thee, and what she
hath said hath done so also'. This was his opinion; and because of this act he was driven away from his high
position, and for this reason he kept his anger against her. And whilst the PERSIANS were laying waste the
countries [abroad], PHOCAS, from the inside (i.e. at home) killed the nobles, until he had made an end of all
the free-born warriors. Then two powerful patricians, GREGORIUS and HERACLIUS, who were in
AFRICA, made a covenant with each other, and they sent their sons together with [their] armies against
CONSTANTINOPLE. And when the citizens heard [this] they rejoiced, and they thronged out to meet them,
and brought them in with pomp and ceremony. And PHOCAS was killed.

After PHOCAS, HERACLIUS [reigned] thirty-two years. When this emperor [began] to reign he sent
ambassadors to KESRU, saying, 'Because PHOCAS killed MAURICIUS your friend we have killed him’,
and he imagined that by means of flatteries of this kind amity [between them] would come into being. But
KESRU would not only not be reconciled, but increased the evil. And in the first year of HERACLIUS he
captured ANTIOCH, and one year later BAHRAM, the captain of his host, captured CAESAREA of
CAPPADOCIA, and he slew tens of thousands of the people, and he seized the whole country, and returned.
And in the fourth year of HERACLIUS RUMIZAN, the captain of the host, who was nicknamed
'SHAHRBARAZ’, that is to say "Wild pig', subjugated DARMASUK (DAMASCUS), and one year later he
became master of GALILEE and the country of the JORDAN. One year later he captured JERUSALEM and
slew ninety thousand men in it. At first they treated the JEWS in a peaceful fashion, and then they carried
them off finally to PERSIA. The following year SHAHRBARAZ went to EGYPT and took it, and he opened
up ALEXANDRIA, and he subjugated LYBIA as far as the frontier of the KUSHITES (NUBIANS). And in
the same year also [95] SHAHIN, the PERSIAN, took CHALCEDON, and he slew all the people thereof.
And thus the PERSIANS held all the countries of the RHOMAYE from the coast of the SEA OF PONTOS to
the East.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x
The Kings of the Arabs.

Here beginneth the Tenth Series, which passeth on from the GREEK (IONIAN) kings to
the ARAB kings.

AFTER the twelve years of [the reign of] HERACLIUS, MAHAMAD began to be famous, and, moreover,
the Era of the lunar month (1) of the TAY YAYE (ARABS) beginneth with this year, which is the six thousand
one hundred and thirtieth year from ADAM, and the nine hundred and thirty-third year of the GREEKS
(YAWNAYE), and the six hundred and twenty-fourth year of the Era of our Redeemer.

In the first year of the ARABS, SHAHRBARAZ captured AMCYRA, and after that RHODES.

And in the fourth year of the ARABS, SHAHRBARAZ and KARDIGAN (KARDENGAN) encamped
around CONSTANTINOPLE, and their hosts crossed TARKI and pitched their camp on the western quarter
of CONSTANTINOPLE, and afflicted it greatly. Then suddenly a period of inactivity took place among them
because it was said to KESRU, 'SHAHRBARAZ laugheth at thee, and saith that the victory concerning
which thou art boasting thyself is his and not thine'. Therefore KESRU sent KARDIGAN to take the head of
SHAHRBARAZ. The envoy was captured by the RHOMAYE. And when HERACLIUS learned [this] he
sent secretly to SHAHRBARAZ, and with oaths [concerning his safety] had him brought to him. And when
he went in and saw the envoy and the letter, and was certain about the matter, he acted cunningly and altered
the letter, to which he added [the order] that 'three hundred nobles were to be killed with SHAHRBARAZ'.
And he took the letter, and went out, and read it before KARDIGAN and before the troops. And he said unto
KARDIGAN, 'Doth it please thee to do this?’ And the chiefs (or, nobles) were filled with wrath, and they
scoffed at KESRU. And they made a compact with HERACLIUS, and they also gave him their sons as
hostages for the confirmation of the conditions of the peace, [96] and departed on their way. And
HERACLIUS sent a message to the KHAKAN, the king of the KAZARAYE, [asking him] to send to him
forty thousand soldiers so that he might go against the PERSIANS, and he promised to give him his daughter
EUDOXIA to wife.

Now when KESRU heard that SHAHRBARAZ had rebelled, and that HERACLIUS had gone down to his
country, his courage became little, and he was greatly depressed. And he collected as many soldiers as he was
able, and made RUZBIHAN captain over them. And when the PERSIANS met the RHOMAYE in battle, the
PERSIANS were defeated and RUZBIHAN was killed. And when KESRU heard this, he fled from
SAKUTHA where he was lying (or, encamped). And HERACLIUS pursued him and captured his treasures
and his rich possessions. Then SHIRIN, the son of KESRU, who had been imprisoned by his father, went
forth from his place of bondage, and pursued his father KESRU and killed him; and he reigned after him for
nine months. When HERACLIUS returned to pass the winter in EDESSA, SHIRIN sent a letter to him and
informed him of the slaughter of his father; and he (HERACLIUS) made a covenant of peace with him [and

arranged] that the PERSIANS should evacuate the countries of the RHOMAYE. And SHIRIN died, having
reigned for nine months.

And 'ARDASHIR reigned after him for one year and nine months. And SHAHRBARAZ, who was with
HERACLIUS, killed this [king], and he himself reigned, and confirmed the covenant with HERACLIUS and
the conditions [of peace].

And in the sixth year of the ARABS a portion of the hemisphere of the sun departed, and there was darkness
from the month of the FIRST TESHRIN (OCTOBER) till the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE). [It lasted so
long] that men used to say that the sphere of the sun would never become whole and perfect again. And the
zanta, that is to say the sickness of the shar' afta tumour, broke out in PALESTINE, and tens of thousands of
men died of the disease.

A Cutting

THE WRITERS OF HISTORIES say that when the armies of the TAY YAYE (ARABS) overtook
HERACLIUS and occupied the various countries, he gathered together all the bishops, and the chiefs of the
priests, and the rest of the satraps, and that he questioned them concerning the matter, saying, "What kind of a
people are these and what are they?' And each one of them made answer in so far as his mind understood the
matter, until at length the whole subject had been laid bare before him. And he replied thus, 'I see that these
people in their actions, and manners, and Faith (Religion) are like unto an early cloudy dawn, in which there
is no absolute darkness, and yet it lacketh light which is perfect and clear'. And they asked him for an
explanation of the speech. And he replied, 'Yea, indeed, they are remote [97] from the darkness, inasmuch as
they have rejected the worship of idols, and they worship One God. But they lack the perfectly clear light
because of their remoteness from the light and because of their imperfect knowledge of our Christian Faith
and Orthodox Confession.’ And his speech was fair (or, good) in the eyes of the people.

The History of the Confession of Faith of the TAYYAYE which was revealed at this time

MAHAMAD (MUHAMMAD) was a very small child when his father'ABD ALLAH died, and his uncle
ABU TALIB brought him up. And he took to wife a woman who was a widow, whose name was KHADIJAH
because she was rich in possessions (i.e. wealthy). And with the wealth of this woman, and with her camels
he became a merchant, and he went up from YATHREB his city to PALESTINE. And when he saw the land,
that it was fertile and produced good things, he conversed with certain JEWS and he learned from them that
God had given them that land of promise because of their belief in One God, and their rejection of the
worship of idols. And he also desired this [land] earnestly, and he began to persuade his fellow countrymen
about this matter when he was forty years of age. And it was rumoured among the chiefs of MAKKAH
(MECCA) that he was introducing among them a foreign Confession (i.e. Religion), and they pursued him
and threatened him with killing if he did not cease from this. Then he fled from that place and went to another
city, the name of which was YATHREB. And the citizens went forth to meet him, and they received (i.e
welcomed) him, and they promised to help him in everything, and from this [incident] they were called
'ANSAR’, that is to say, 'Helpers'. And he taught them the Confession (or, Religion) of One God, and to
abandon gods that were useless. And he exhorted them concerning the cleansing of the body and ablutions,
because at that period the ARABS were a dirty people. And he formed companies of them, and he sent
preachers (or, fighting propagandists) into PALESTINE, and when, as on several occasions when he went
with them, they were successful and returned carrying with them riches and goods and possessions, they
cleaved unto him with all their hearts. And many other peoples, when they heard of his success and riches,
became subject unto him without trouble [on his part]. And when those who cleaved to him increased in

number, he himself did not go up with them to share in the profit, but he sent other men at the head of his
caravans whilst he himself dwelt in honour in his city. [98] And to the man who would not accept his
Religion he returned answer, not any longer with [words of] persuasion, but with the sword. And those who
turned [to him] he permitted [to enjoy] not only fleshly desires, and much copulation with women, both with
those who were free and those who were concubines, but [he allowed] a man to divorce his wife whenever he
wished and take another. And they were to keep the daily fast for one month only in the year, and he allowed
them to eat throughout the night until daybreak.

And he declared that in the world which was to come after the Resurrection, there would be rivers of honey,
and milk, and wine, and trees loaded with delectable fruits, and reclinings on couches of gold with cushions
of coral (?) and topaz (?), and union with women who surpassed the sun in beauty. [These things] he used to
say God had prepared for the children of his Religion. And when he had lived ten years and two months, after
he had assumed the place of a prophet forsooth, his kingdom extended from one [place] to another, and it
increased and expanded, and embraced the greater number of the countries of the RHOMAYE and the whole
of the kingdom of the PERSIANS.

And there rose among them philosophers, and mathematicians, and physicians, who surpassed the ancient
[sages] in the exactness of their knowledge. The only foundations on which they set up their buildings were
Greek houses; the wisdom-buildings (or, science-buildings) which they erected were great by reason of their
highly polished diction, and their greatly skilled researches (or, investigations). Thus it hath happened that
we, from whom they (i.e. the GREEKS) have acquired wisdom through translators, all of whom are
SYRIANS, have been compelled to ask for wisdom from them. But as concerning the books of their Law,
that is to say, Canons of marriages, and offerings, and ablutions, and the manner of [saying] prayers, and the
amount of alms, and the various kinds of merchandise, and loans, and the division of inheritances, and the
liberation of slaves—all these matters they have dilated upon to such a degree that not one of them, even
though he has studied [the subject] during the whole period of his life, is able to decide finally questions and
answers concerning them in a fitting manner. Moreover, there hath broken forth among them many heresies.
Even as they say that he himself (i.e. MUHAMMAD) said, 'My sect (?) is rent into more than seventy parts;
one of them is redeemed, and the rest are for the fire'. The one [part] was that which conformed to his actions;
and the others [belonged] to those who brought forth new things.

Some of them deal with the subject of the kingdom—like those who adjudicated the first headship (khalifate)
after their prophet to 'ALI his uncle's son and his son-in-law, [99] and his sons after him. But others
adjudicated it to ABU BAKR, the old man, his father-in-law, and to 'ALI the fourth headship. Some of them
deal with the subject of Religion, such as those who say that God—praise be to His goodness!—is a body,
and that He reclineth in bodily form in a material chariot which is greater than the heavens and the earth.
Others confess that He hath not a bodily form, but is visible to eyes of flesh; the righteous will see him at the
Resurrection. And some men say that He speaketh with an everlasting word, which subsisteth in His Being,
and that He liveth an everlasting life. But others, who are afraid of the personality [attributed to Him] by the
Christians, and are unable to confess that His speech and life are accidental and temporal, are forced to say, 'It
is that He speaketh but not with words'. And so also, 'He liveth, but not in life’. And some men say, 'God
created the sinner that he might sin and burn in GEHENNA, and the righteous man that he might be
proclaimed righteous and enjoy happiness in PARADISE".

And the question 'Wherefore?' is not to be asked. Man hath not dominion over existence. And others affirm
the existence of freedom (i.e. free will) like the Christians. And that we may not go beyond the mark (i.e.
outside our subject), we will return to our work. And because this kingdom of the ARABS swept away that of
the RHOMAYE from our countries, we will [now] describe in order events as they took place as far as we are
able to do so from reading and hearing.

After MAHAMMAD, ABU BAKR [ruled] for two years. This [Khalifah] sent; forth four captains of hosts,
[one] to PALESTINE, [one] to EGYPT, [one] to PERSIA, [and one] to ARABIA against the Christian
ARABS. The captain who came to PALESTINE marched against CAESAREA. Then SARGI (SERGIUS)
PATRICIUS collected from among the RHOMAYE and from among the SHAMRAYE (SAMARITANS) an
army of about five thousand foot soldiers. And when the ARABS joined battle with the RHOMAYE they
were victorious, and they destroyed first of all the SHAMRAYE. And when PATRICIUS saw that the people
who were with him were defeated, he turned his back [in flight]. And the ARABS pursued the RHOMAYE,
and they mowed them down as reapers mow the standing crops. Now it happened that SARGI (SERGIUS)
fell from his horse, and his servants gathered together and set him on it again. And again he fell, and again
they set him on his horse. And again he fell, for the third time. And when his servants wanted to set him on
his horse again, he said unto them, 'Save yourselves, and leave ye me that I may die by myself without [100]
even you being with me'. And thus the ARABS overtook him and killed him, and they returned with victory.
And in a similar manner those captains of hosts who had gone to the other regions returned with victory. And
the fear of the ARABS fell upon all kings.

And at that time the PERSIANS evacuated EGYPT and PALESTINE, and all the countries of the
RHOMAYE. And SHAHRBARAZ sent HERACLIUS and he took an army with him and he killed
KARDIGAN; and then he reigned one year and was killed. And after him BARAM, the daughter of KESRU,
reigned for a few months and died. And then her sister ZADIMIDUKHT reigned. And many [others] reigned
[after her] in a period of two years. And at this time the natives of EDESSA whom KESRU had carried off
into captivity returned from PERSIA. And HERACLIUS transgressed the Law and took MARTINA, his
brother's daughter, to wife, and begat by her an illegitimate son HERAKLUNA. At this time, in the month of
ILUL (SEPTEMBER), an earthquake took place. And a sign, like unto a spear, appeared in the heavens, and
it reached from the south to the north, and it remained there for thirty days. This manifestly made known the
victory of the ARABS.

After ABU BAKR, 'OMAR BAR-KHATTAB [ruled] ten years. This Khalifah sent a raiding army to
ARABIA, and he took BOSRA (AL-BASRAH). And a year later he sent an army to PERSIA. Since the
PERSIANS were divided, some following YAZDAGARD the son of KESRU and others HORMIZD, the
ARABS prevailed over them and HORMIZD was killed, and YAZDAGARD reigned. Then HERACLIUS
sent an army with THEODORIC his brother against the ARABS. When they had come into the country of
ANTIOCH, there was in the village of GAWSITH a certain man who was a Chalcedonian and who lived on a
pillar, and he said unto THEODORIC, 'Promise to blot out those who are of the house of SEVERUS, and I
will pledge myself to give thee victory'. And THEODORIC replied, 'Apart from thy word it is laid upon me
(i.e. it is my duty) to drive out the JACOBITES'. And when they arrived opposite to the ARABS, the
RHOMAYE pitched their whole camp in the neighbourhood of the ARABS. And when they set themselves in
battle array against the ARABS, they were cut down like old worn-out palm-trees by the ARABS, and the
remainder of them fled. Then the ARABS looted the Fossaton (i.e. Camp), and became rich with the gold,
and silver, and slaves, and possessions which they found [therein].

And in the fourth year of 'OMAR, [101] BAANIS, captain of the host of the RHOMAYE, and the son of
SHAHRBARAZ the PERSIAN also, who when his father was killed took refuge with the RHOMAYE, and
the treasurer of the king who was in EDESSA also, collected sixty thousand horsemen. And they came face
to face with the ARABS in the country of EMESSA, and the RHOMAYE were defeated and forty thousand
of them perished, and the greater number of them were drowned in the river of YARMUKA. Then the son of
SHAHRBARAZ, whose life had been saved, sent a message to 'OMAR, saying, 'Give me an army and I will
subjugate the PERSIANS for thee'. But the daughters of KESRU, who had been carried off as captives by the
ARABS, made known to 'OMAR what SHAHRBARAZ and his son had done to KESRU and his sons, and
they warned him that they were men of guile, and said, 'Thou must not be led astray by their words'. And

'OMAR, accepting their words, sent to EMESSA, and hung (or, impaled?) the son of SHAHRBARAZ ona
wooden post. And 'OMAR came to DAMASCUS and gave a pledge to the DAMASCENES [as to the safety
of their lives] and they opened their gates to the ARABS. From there he sent KHALID with an army to the
country of ALEPPO and ANTIOCH, and a great many men perished. And, moreover, when men and women,
and youths and maidens were gathered together for the festival in the Monastery of MAR SIMEON
STYLITES, the ARABS came upon them and carried them all away into captivity.

And at this time also SA'AD went forth from YATHREB, and he pitched his camp by the side of KUFAH,
which is 'AKULA. And YAZDAGARD also sent an army, and the soldiers thereof pitched their camps on the
EUPHRATES. And the PERSIANS sent an Arab spy to spy on the ARABS, and when he drew nigh unto
them he saw a Ma'daya (i.e., a nomad Arab) who was squatting on the ground and micturating and eating
bread. And the spy said unto him in the Saracenic tongue, "What art thou doing?’ And the nomad replied,
"Behold, [1 am doing] exactly what thou seest—casting out the old and taking in the new'. And straightway
he went back and informed the PERSIANS, saying, 'The people I have seen are barefooted and naked, but
they are very brave’. And he repeated to the captain of the host what he had heard, that 'their victory is from
God'. And when they had set the battle in array, the PERSIANS were defeated, and they were pursued until
[they came] to CTESIPHON, which is on the DEGLATH (TIGRIS). One mighty man of war of the
PERSIANS fled from a nomad who pursued him, and he went into a village which was in the neighbourhood,
and a peasant ploughman hid him. And when the peasant saw the nomad who was pursuing him, and that he
was naked, and had only a reed in his hand, he went in [102] to the PERSIAN and reviled him, saying, 'How
is it that thou, who art arrayed in armour and hast in thy possession all the weapons of war, dost flee from a
naked man? And why hast thou not turned back and taken his head?' And the PERSIAN said unto the
peasant, 'Bring me a mazara' (i.e. a wooden instrument of torture used in flogging men). And when the
peasant had brought it he made a mark on it like an arrow, and slit it up and said, '[Many] times I have set the
mark of an arrow like this on the nomads whom thou hast seen’, and he collected all the arrows in his tunic
like flies.

And again YAZDAGARD gathered together a second host of men, and he attacked the ARABS on the
EUPHRATES; and the ARABS were victorious, and they went to CTESIPHON and carried away the
treasures and the people thereof. And again YAZDAGARD for the third time mustered his troops in
GALULA, and he attacked the ARABS and was defeated. And he mustered his troops for the fourth time in
MOUNT MADATL, and he attacked the ARABS and was broken; these four musterings took place in one
year. And YAZDAGARD being in utter despair fled to the frontier of the TURKAYE in the country of
SIGISTAN. And having remained there hidden for five years he was killed, and thus was blotted out the
kingdom of the PERSIANS which is called "BETH SASAN". This kingdom began with 'ARDASHIR, the son
of BABAK, in the year five hundred and thirty-eight of the GREEKS, and ended in the year nine hundred
and fifty-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 227-645). In like manner HERACLIUS in despair marched from
ANTIOCH to CONSTANTINOPLE, saying, 'Sozo Suria’, that is to say, 'Remain thou in peace, SYRIA'. And
his troops began to plunder the native Christians, and those RHOMAYE were far worse than the ARABS, for
they carried off everything they found. And HERACLIUS wrote to BETH NAHRIN, and to EGYPT and
ARMENIA, and to all the RHOMAYE, saying 'Let not any man in future fight against the ARABS (i.e. cease
raiding the ARABs), only let him that is able to keep his watch remain at his post.

And then 'OMAR went to EGYPT, and KURA, the bishop of ALEXANDRIA, went out to meet him and he
undertook to give him every year two hundred thousand dinars, but stipulated that the ARABS must not be
allowed to invade EGYPT; and 'OMAR accepted [KURA's undertaking], and did not invade [EGYPT]. And
when HERACLIUS heard of this he was offended, as a man who would not, except under strictest
compulsion, give gold to the ARABS, and he sent a certain ARMENIAN [called] MANUEL to negotiate the
matter. And when the envoys of the ARABS came to take the gold, MANUEL, who had made them encamp

with the army [103] in BABYLONIA [of EGYPT], that is to say, FOSTAT, said unto them, 'I do not drape
myself with linen, like KURA, that I may give you gold, but with armour’. And when the envoys had gone
back empty to 'OMAR, MANUEL became afraid and left EGYPT and fled, and the ARABS made
themselves masters of EGYPT.

And in the fifteenth year of the ARABS (A.D. 636) 'OMAR came to PALESTINE, and SOPHRONIUS, the
bishop of JERUSALEM, went forth to meet him. And the bishop received [his] pledge concerning the safety
of the whole country. 'OMAR also wrote for him a sigillum (i.e. a Patent of authority, or farman?) and also
decreed that no JEW should have authority to dwell in JERUSALEM. And when 'OMAR went into
JERUSALEM, he commanded, and a MASGID (MOSQUE) for the ARABS to pray in was built on the site
of the Temple of SOLOMON. And when the bishop saw that the garments which 'OMAR was wearing were
dirty, he pressed him to accept from him a change of raiment and a napkin (i.e. head-cloth); and brought them
before him, but 'OMAR did not wish [for them]. This man 'OMAR was wholly upright (or, just) and he was
remote from avarice, and although they (the ARABS) were masters of all the treasures of the PERSIANS and
the RHOMAYE, he never changed his original manner of attire.

And from there 'OMAR passed through the, cities of SYRIA, and he subjugated them all. And he crossed the
EUPHRATES to the east, and the citizens of EDESSA went out to him, and received a word (i.e. pledge)
concerning their city. TELLA and DARA, which he did not besiege, he took by storm, and he killed the
RHOMAYE who were therein. And in the nineteenth year of the ARABS (A.D. 640) 'OMAR commanded
that all the countries of his dominion should be assessed for the poll tax. And in that same year, which was
the nine hundred and fifty-first year of the GREEKS, HERACLIUS died, and CONSTANTINUS (III?), his
eldest son, reigned four months. MARTINA, his father's wife, killed him by poison, and she made king her
young son HERAKLUNA, who was called 'the New DAVID". And he was displeasing to the Senate, and they
swept aside HERAKLUNA and made KUSTANS, the son of the murdered man, king. This man killed his
two uncles and MARTINA, the wife of HERACLIUS. Now 'OMAR ruled for twelve years. A certain man
who was a decorator, having complained to him concerning his master on [several] occasions, and being
neglected by him, smote 'OMAR in his belly with a knife whilst he was praying and he died.

After 'OMAR, 'OTHMAN [ruled] twelve years. This Khalifah began by showing himself avaricious, and he
collected gold for himself; and the ARABS gathered together to kill him, but when he promised to behave
like the kings [104] who were his predecessors, they allowed him [to live].

This Khalifah sent SA'ID his son to harry the king of the PERSIANS. Then YAZDAGARD,, after having
hidden himself for five years in SIGISTAN, went forth and came to KUFAH; and SA'ID came to MARW
(MERV) after he had subjugated the whole of PERSIA. And YAZDAGARD was afraid, and in order that
they might not deliver him up, went forth and hid himself in a mill, and there a certain man, a TURKAYA,
killed him.

At this time MU'AWIYAH, the captain of the host of the ARABS, came and encamped against
CAESARAEA of PALESTINE, and he invested it by sea and by land. And from the beginning of the FIRST
KANON (DECEMBER) to TYAR (MAY) he attacked it fiercely. And although seventy-two engines of war
were hurling stones at its wall, no breach was made in it. Then the ARABS dug a hole [under, or, in the wall]
and [some of them] entered, and others scaled the wall by means of ladders. And the ARABS remained three
days on the wall and were unable to descend into the city. Then, when the ARABS became masters [of the
city], seven thousand RHOMAYE who were guarding the city escaped in boats. And MU'AWIYAH captured
the riches that were in it, and he laid the inhabitants thereof under tribute. From there the ARABS passed into
CILICIA. And they arrived suddenly at 'UKHITA, and made themselves masters of the gates there. And they
collected its riches, and they tortured the nobles so that they might show [them] all the goods that were

hidden, and they carried off all the people, men and women and children, into slavery. And they defiled the
churches wickedly.

And in the twenty-fifth year of the ARABS, which is the year nine hundred and fifty-eight of the GREEKS
(A.D. 647), GREGORIUS PATRIK of AFRICA rebelled against KUSTANS. And the ARABS made ready
for a raiding expedition and they went to AFRICA, but although they were not a match for the army of
PATRIK, they took possession of all the cities on the sea-coast. And GREGORIUS came back and resumed
his subjugation to KUSTANS. And MU'AWTYAH divided his troops into two camps. And over the one he
made captain one HABIB, a SYRIAN, an evil man, and sent him to ARMENIA in the season of winter. And
he went there, and the ARABS carried off the people into captivity, and they killed the men whom they
encountered, and burnt the villages and came back. And the other army, which was with MU'AWTYAH, went
to the country of CAESARAEA of CAPPADOCIA. And when the ARABS had crossed the mountain passes,
they found the villages prosperous, and they plundered them; and they pitched their tents close to
CAESARAEFA, and fought for ten days, but were not a match for [105] its strength. Then they destroyed the
whole district, and left it a waste and desolate place, and returned.

(Continued on Next Page)

(1) The Hijrah began on the 16th day of TAMMUZ (JULY), A.D. 622.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Kings of the Arabs (continued).

And after a short time they came against [the city] and fought against it again for many days. And when the
people saw that the wrath was great, and that there was no one to save them, they took a pledge [from the
ARABS] for [the safety of] their lives, and the nobles went out and made a covenant to pay tribute. And
when the ARABS went in and saw the beauty of the buildings and the abundant wealth [therein], they
regretted that they had sworn [to respect the city], but they were not able to go back upon their oaths. Then
they went to the country of 'AMURIN, and they were unable to capture the city; but the district which was
adorned with trees they laid waste.

And in the year nine hundred.and sixty of the GREEKS (A.D. 649) MU'AWTYAH collected an army, and he
brought one thousand seven hundred ships from ALEXANDRIA, and they went down into the sea and
arrived at the island of CYPRUS. And they sent a message to the people of the island that they should [come]
and take a pledge as to [the safety of] their lives. And when they would not do this, the armed men went on
the island, and they destroyed and looted [the villages]; and also defiled the episcopal house, and then they
went away. And after a little while ABU AL-'UR, another captain of the host, went to CYPRUS a second
time, and he plundered the whole island; and the ARABS also expelled the men from the caves in the earth.
And he camped about the city of LAPATHUS, and he took the gold and the silver which he found therein, but
he did not harm the people. because they had taken [from him] a pledge for [the safety of] their lives. And
after these things MU'AWTYAH camped about 'ARVAD, which is also an island, and when he had captured it
he expelled the people, and ploughed it up so that it might never again be inhabited.

And in the year nine hundred and sixty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 654) ABU AL-'UR and his army sailed
round the island of COS, and through the treachery of the bishop thereof captured it; and they plundered and
looted and slew the inhabitants, and razed its fortress to the ground. And he went to CRETE and plundered it,
and laid waste RHODES. And a great number of men hauled on strong ropes which were tied round the brass
COLOSSUS which was in the city and pulled it down. And they weighed from it three thousand loads of
Corinthian brass, and they sold it to a certain JEW from EMESA.

And in the year thirty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 657) MU'AWIYAH prepared ships that they might sail
against CONSTANTINOPLE. Then two zealous men, together with their followers, came to them, and they
burnt the ships of the ARABS and many [106] of the ARABS perished; and the rest swam away on rafts (or,
little floats) and fled to the territory of the RHOMAYE. Then MU'AWITYAH was angry, and he sent away
ABU AL-'UR with the army. And when they came to the place which is called PHOENICIA he found there
king KUSTANS and his brother THEODOSIUS. And whilst they were preparing to make war on the
following day, king KUSTANS slept, and he saw in his dream that he was in THESSALONICA. And when
he related his dream to an interpreter of dreams, he replied to him, 'Would that thou hadst not slept, O king,
and seen this dream. THESSALONICA is to be interpreted: THIS ALLIO TIN NIKT, that is, "is allotted the
victory to others". And when the king, scorning the interpretation of the dream, set the ships on the sea in the

order of battle the RHOMAYE were defeated. And, moreover, the king himself would have been killed if the
son of the trumpeter had not leaped on to the royal ship, and carried the king across to another ship so that he
might be saved (or, escape). And he himself remained on the royal ship, and he killed many [men] and was
himself killed. And KUSTANS and his brother fled to the royal city. And about twenty thousand dead bodies
of the RHOMAYE were found floating about on the waters.

And when the ARABS had again made ready to go up to CONSTANTINOPLE, PTOLEMY went out and
gave [them] gold, and concluded peace for a period of three years. Now KUSTANS killed his brother
THEODOSIUS, and was on account of this hated by his troops. And he was afraid and went to RHOMI. And
as he tarried [there] his troops raged angrily, saying, 'It is not seemly for the king to be in RHOMI, because he
is far away from the ARABS' ; then KUSTANS came to the island of SICILY. And when he arrived at
SYRACUSE, it was pleasing to him to dwell there. And he sent for his sons, but the citizens were unwilling
[to let them go], saying, 'We will not permit our kings to go away from us'. Then he made his three sons
Autocrators, viz. CONSTANTINE, TIBERIUS, and HERCULES. And he made them to dwell in the royal
city whilst he himself was dwelling in SYRACUSE. For he was afraid lest his troops would kill him; now
they used to call him the 'Second CAIN".

Now since 'UTHMAN did not by any means abandon his evil habits, the ARABS gathered together, [107]
and they told him that he must live and behave continently like the kings who had preceded him. Then he
replied to them, saying, 'Since I am king I am going to do everything I wish [to do]'; and they parted from
him raging like panthers (or, wild beasts). And again they gathered together round about him when they were
armed, and they cried out, 'Either change thy customs and works or thou shalt die straightway'. Then
'UTHMAN wrote to MU'AWIYAH [ordering him] to send an army to him, but the ARABS made haste, and
they rushed upon him with great violence and killed him. Now MU'AWIYAH sent an army with HABIB, and
when they arrived in BOSRA and heard that 'UTHMAN had been killed, they left [the city] and returned.

After 'UTHMAN, 'ALI BAR-ABU TALIB [ruled] for five years in YATHREB and BABEL only because
SYRIA and EGYPT were with (i.e. in the hands of) MU'AWTYAH. And in the year nine hundred and sixty-
eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 657), the two parties attacked each other, and many having been destroyed on
both sides, MU'AWITYAH returned without having pleased 'ALI. And again they attacked each other, and
many were killed among them. Then three men fired with zeal went forth to go and kill the three men
because of whom war had fallen on the ARABS, viz. 'ALI, and MU'AWIYAH, and HABIB, and SA'ID, the
captain of the host who was in EGYPT. Thereupon the man who went to EGYPT was seized and killed; and
thus did it happen to him that went to the camp of MU'AWITYAH; and the third who went to the camp of
'ALI, one pierced him with a spear and killed him. Then the ARABS agreed that the East and the West should
belong to MU'AWTYAH, and they transferred the kingdom from YATHREB to the city of DAMASCUS.

After 'ALI, MU'AWTYAH [ruled] nineteen years. For it happened also that in the days of 'OTHMAN for
fifteen years MU'AWIYAH governed PALESTINE, and it was thus also during the five years of 'ALI, in all
thirty-nine years (19+15+5 years).

In the year nine hundred and seventy-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 666) SHABHOR, captain of the host of
the 'ARMANIKO, rebelled against KUSTANS, and he sent to MU'AWTYAH a man whose name was SARGI
(SERGIUS), saying, 'Give me help, and I will subjugate for thee the whole of RHOMANIA; (i.e. country of
the GREEKS)'. Then when CONSTANTINUS, the son of the king, who was in the royal camp heard these
things, he also sent to MU'AWIYAH one ANDREA, a eunuch and his cubicularius, who was renowned for
his knowledge of the art [108] of war. And when, as MU'AWIYAH had commanded, SARGI came in first,
and ANDREA next, SARGI trembled, and leaped up and stood bowing in homage to ANDREA. Then
MU'AWTYAH struck SARGI, saying, 'If this slave terrifieth thee in this wise, how wouldst thou behave (i.e.

what would happen to thee) if thou sawest his master?’ And SARGI replied, 'I did this, not through fear, but
because it is my habit to pay respect and to use flattery.’ Then MU'AWITYAH asked ANDREA, 'Why hast
thou come?’ And he replied, 'The king sent us so that a rebel might not flatter thee. For if this man showed
himself to his master and his benefactor in every way to be one who returneth evil [for good], how much
more would he do so to thee?! Then MU'AWITYAH said, 'Ye are all our enemies. The man who multiplieth
tribute for us, him will we help."

And ANDREA replied, 'Even though it be so, still there is the possibility that one enemy may be better than
another. Moreover, the slave and the lord are not equal. For the lord freely, and in most excellent fashion,
goeth forth to attend to the business of the state, whilst he who liveth under servile and slavish persons [goeth
forth] more servilely, and as is fitting for an inferior. Therefore that which my lord [promiseth] to give, even
though it happen that it is less than that which a tyrant promiseth, it is meet that thou shouldst believe him
and not seek to negotiate [with him] like a merchant.! ANDREA said these words and went out. And on the
following day SARGI arrived early. And when ANDREA came SARGI did not stand up before him. And
ANDREA said unto him, 'O thou hopeless one, why hast thou not stood up before me?' Then SARGI made
bold and he poured out abuse upon ANDREA as if he had been a weak and contemptible man (literally, a
woman-like man). And ANDREA threatened SARGI that he would remove from him his testicles. And
MU'AWTYAH said to ANDREA, 'If ye will give to us the tribute of all your country, the name of kingdom
(or, sovereignty) shall remain to you; and if not get thee gone'. And ANDREA plucked up courage and
replied, 'So then the ARABS possess the substance and the GREEKS the shadows? Nevertheless, we have a
place of refuge in God.' And he went forth and made his course against MELITENE. And he commanded the
guards of the mountain passes to seize SARGI when he was passing. Now MU'AWITYAH had promised
SARGI to send an army to him. And when SARGI came back the men in ambush seized him, and brought
him to ANDREA. And he commanded and had the testicles of SARGI extracted and placed in his hands, and
then ANDREA impaled (or, crucified) him.

Now before the army of the ARABS could reach SHABHOR, he was crushed in the gate of his palace as he
was riding through it, and he died. [109] And the ARABS captured all the country as far as CHALCEDON,
and they halted there.

And in the year nine hundred and eighty, one of the GREEKS (A.D. 670) CONSTANTINUS commanded
that the RHOMAYE should be subject to him and his brothers, TIBERIUS and HERAKLI equally, that the
effigies of the three of them should be [stamped] on the darics. And he warned every man not to make any
distinction between them. And he went to GALLIA, and to ITALY, and he subjugated all the western nations.
Then the ARABS went to AFRICA, and captured about eighty thousand men. A year later they also captured
LYCIA and CILICIA. And they went a second time to LYCIA, and three PATRICIANS of the RHOMAYE
came against them, and conquered them. And about thirty thousand of the ARABS fell; and those who were
left alive went up into ships and were wrecked by storms. Then a certain man, a carpenter of BA'ALBAK,
whose name was CALONICUS, compounded an inflammable mixture (i.e. 'Greek fire’) and burnt the ships
of the ARABS. And from this time the RHOMAYE. learned how to make an inflammable mixture with
naphtha (or, pitch). Up to this time the ARABS had conquered only, but from this moment they conquered
and were conquered.

And CONSTANTINUS also sent men, brigands and outlaws of the RHOMAYE, that is to say LIPORE, who
are called 'GARGUMAYE' by the SYRIANS, and they seized the country from MOUNT GALILEE to
BLACK MOUNTAIN and all the mountain range of LEBANON, and the ARABS suffered many afflictions
at their hands. At length the ARABS gained the upper hand, and some of them they killed and some of them
they blinded. Now as a son had been granted to CONSTANTINE, JUSTINIANUS, he dismissed his brethren
from [their] sovereignty, and subjugated the governors by means of gifts. LEO, one of the nobles, would not

agree to do so, and the king ordered his tongue and his hands and his feet to be cut off. And when DIMIOS
(DIMOS, i.e. the mob?) cleaved to him, and he went about crying out, 'I do not deny the Trinity which is in
heaven, and I will not reject the Trinity which is on the earth’; as he continued to cry out these things he
suffered the death penalty .

And CONSTANTINE brought his brothers before the princes of the RHOMAYE, and he said unto them, 'O
TIBERIUS, and thou HERAKLI, what do ye call me? Your brother, or your king? If ye call me "king" I will
call you my brothers. But if ye say unto me "brother", I shall know you as enemies.' And they replied, 'we do
not excuse ourselves from speaking [110] of thee as our great, elder brother, but most certainly at no time do
we ever speak of thee as our "king" because we reign jointly with thee’. Then the Senate, because their eyes
had been blinded by bribery, sided with CONSTANTINUS, and they cast out [the two brothers].

And in the year nine hundred and eighty-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 678), during the third watch of the night,
a perfect bow appeared [in the heavens]|—when the sun was below the earth (i.e. horizon)—a supernatural
occurrence! And the mice [or, rats] multiplied in SYRIA and PHOENICIA, and devoured the grain, and one
year later the locust came.

After MU'AWIYAH, YAZID his son [ruled] three years and eight months. This Khalifah collected a great
number artizans (kalagare), that is to say workmen, and he wished to make the river of water to flow to the
place of ablutions (?); but although he laboured greatly, the end overtook him and he ceased to work, and the
waters did not flow forth. At this time a great comet appeared for eleven days. And there was a severe winter,
and the EUPHRATES was frozen over, and olive groves and vineyards withered, and beasts, and cattle, and
birds came to an end. These things took place in the year nine hundred and ninety-four of the GREEKS (A.D.
683).

After YAZID, MU'AWTYAH his son [ruled] for nearly four months. Now when YAZID, the son of
MU'AWITYAH, was dead, MUKHTAR, a cunning and treacherous man, and a respecter of persons, rebelled
in the country of KUFAH. And those who were in YATHREB set up [as their king] a man whose name was
'ABD ALLAH BAR-ZUBAYR. And those who were in DAMASCUS set up MU'AWIYAH BAR-YAZID,
the son of MU'AWITYAH. And when the year nine hundred and ninety-six ot the GREEKS began (A.D. 685),
on the third day of the month of ILUL (SEPTEMBER), the ARABS fought a fierce battle with each other,
and of those who were slain on both sides there fell nearly forty thousand men, on the river KHAZAR, which
is in the country of NINEVEH. Therefore, when the youth MU'AWIYAH—who was called 'ABU LAYLA
(i.e., 'Father of the Night’) because of his timidity, for by this name the ARABS called feeble men because of
their resemblance to babies who are afraid in the night—saw the great strife which existed among the
ARABS, he gathered them all together, under the excuse of prayer, on the sixth day of the week (Friday), and
he dismissed himself (i.e. abdicated) from the kingdom. And he sat in his house for three months and twenty
days and died.

After MU'AWIYAH, the son of YAZID, MARWAN, the son of HAKAM, [ruled] four months. This Khalifah
came from YATHREB to DAMASCUS in order to make the two parties [of the ARABS] conclude a peace,
for he was a wise and understanding man, and he advised them [to do so]. And he wrote three names on three
arrows, and placed the arrows in the hands of [111] one who had no knowledge of the business, so that they
might appoint king him [whose name] he shot forth first. And they all agreed to this, and the lot of
MARWAN went forth. And when he had stood four months he died. And in that year, which was the year
nine hundred and ninety-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 686), CONSTANTINE died also, and JUSTINIANUS
his son reigned ten years.

After MARWAN, the son of HAKAM, 'ABD ALLAH, the son of ZUBAYR, [ruled] eight years and four
months. This Khalifah lived, as we have said, in YATHREB, and in his days a great cleavage among the
ARABS took place. In BABEL a man whose name was 'ABD ALLAH rebelled, and in RAS 'AYN another
whose name was HUKAB (HUBAB?), and one BURIDHA in NISIBIS, and 'OMAR, the son of SA'ID in
DAMASCUS, and one ZUFERA in CIRCESIUM (OSRHOENE). And the disaffected men of the
RHOMAYE who were in LEBANON were robbing people everywhere. And when this cleavage had existed
among the ARABS for nearly eight years, the DAMASCENES proclaimed 'ABD AL-MALIK, the son of
MARWAN, the son of HAKAM, as their king.

After 'ABD ALLAH BAR ZUBAYR, 'ABD ALLAH, the son of MARWAN, [ruled] thirteen years and six
months. He was called 'ABHA DIBHABHI' (‘Father of Flies') because the exudations of his teeth were
bloody, and when he was negligent the flies collected about his mouth. When he was proclaimed king and
saw that wars surrounded him on every side, and that he was especially troubled by the marauding bands of
the RHOMAYE, he made peace with JUSTINIANUS for ten years. And he made a covenant with
JUSTINIANUS that he should expel his bands of robbers, who were twelve thousand in number, from the
country of the ARABS. And that he, 'ABD AL-MALIK, in return for this [service] should give to the
RHOMAYE each day one thousand darics, and one horse, and one slave; and that CYPRUS should be
common property, and that one half of it should pay tribute to the RHOMAYE and the other half of it tribute
to the ARABS; and that ARMENIA, and GURZAN, and 'ARZAN, and 'ADHORBIGAN should belong to
the RHOMAYE.

And when peace was established 'ABD AL-MALIK made war on BAR ZUBAYR and conquered him. And
BAR ZUBAYR fled, and went to YATHREB, and took refuge in the house in which men prayed (i.e. the
Mosque). And a certain chief who was called HAGHAGH (or, HAJAJ) pursued him, and he set up engines of
war against the building, and knocked down the wall. And he went in and killed BAR ZUBAYR, and came
back and [re]built the house.

Then JUSTINIANUS waxing proud, transgressed [his] oaths, [112] and he broke the peace before it was
fulfilled, and he sent and made captives the ARABS who were in CYPRUS. Because of this MAHAMMAD,
the Amir of the island of KARDU, went to CAPPADOCIA, and the RHOMAYE and the 'ASKLABE
(SLAVS) attacked him in battle, and the RHOMAYE were defeated near CESARAEA. And the 'ASKLABE
(SLAVS) made friends with the ARABS, and about seven thousand of them went out with them to SYRIA.
And they settled them in ANTIOCH and in KUROS, and gave them women and provisions (rations?).

Then JUSTINIANUS, even as he had not kept [his] oath to the ARABS, so he also began to kill the nobles of
the RHOMAYE. And because of this they gathered together against him, and they seized him and cut off his
nose.

And a man whose name was LEONTIUS reigned in the year one thousand and seven of the GREEKS (A.D.
696). And in that year the Amir of the city of GAZARTA impaled (or, crucified) unjustly the nobles, viz.
SIMON BAR NAWLA of HALUGHA, and MARDANSHA, and his son, from NISIBIS. One year later the
ARABS began to strike coins, dinars (gold), and zuze (silver), and fulse (copper), with inscriptions only and
without effigies (i.e. portraits).

In the year one thousand and ten of the GREEKS (A.D. 699), the captain of the host of CILICIA, whose
name was 'APSIMAROS, who is called 'TIBERIUS', came and swept away LEONTIUS from the kingdom,
and reigned in his stead, but he did not kill LEONTIUS. This TIBERIUS subjugated again the SLAVS who
had rebelled against the RHOMAYE. And he went out to the country of SAMOSATA and slew five thousand
ARABS, and he took captives and looted and came back. Then 'ABD AL-MALIK appointed two captains of

the host, viz. MAHAMMAD over BETH NAHRIN, and ASSYRIA, and ARMENIA, and ADHORBIJAN,
and his servant HAJAJ over all PERSIA and ARABIA. And when HAJAJ plundered the chiefs of the
ARABS mercilessly, MAHAMMAD sent and brought MU'ED, the chief of the Thaglabite ARABS who were
Christians, and urged him to become a Muslim. And when he refused to do so he cast him into a miry pit.
And then he brought him out again, and flattered him, and when he would not be persuaded by any means
whatsoever, he killed MU'ED. And he also collected the chiefs of the ARMENIANS and shut them up in one
of the churches of ARMENIA, and then he set the church on fire and burnt them all. And he slew
ANASTUS, the son of ANDREA, governor of EDESSA.

Now hitherto the Christian nobles had been managing the public affairs of the kingdom of the ARABS. For
DIONYSIUS, Patriarch of TALL MAHRE, saith, that 'ATHANASI (ATHANASIUS), who was called 'Bar
Gumaye', was a very intellectual man, [113] who was well trained in the knowledge of books, and was
famous in every place. When 'ABD AL-MALIK, the king of the ARABS, heard the report of him, he sent
and summoned him [to his court]. And when he saw that he was qualified in every particular, he sent him
with 'AZIZ, his brother's son, to EGYPT, and entrusted to him the management of the youth. And he
progressed to the point that the whole kingdom of the ARABS was administered by him. And he increased
[in power] and became very rich, and he possessed four thousand slaves, and mansions, and villages, and
luxurious houses, and gold and silver like stones. And from the revenue of the four hundred guest houses (i.e.
inns) which he had in EDESSA, there was built by his command a splendid temple to the God-bearer (i.e. the
Virgin MARY). And he also built in the city of FOSTAT, which is in EGYPT, two great temples. And he also
built in EDESSA a baptistery, and he placed in it the image of CHRIST which had been sent to ABHGHAR
the king. And he made a fountain of water like unto that which AMONINUS (‘AMOZINOS) the bishop had
made in the old church in EDESSA, and he decorated it with gold and silver, and covered it with brass (or,
copper). Then accusations were brought against ATHANASIUS by a certain man, a Chalcedonian
Damascene whose name was SARGI (SERGIUS) BAR MANSUR. And when 'ABD AL-'AZIZ, the Amir,
died, and ATHANASIUS, went out.from EGYPT, SARGI brought a lying charge against him, and said, 'BAR
GUMAYE hath stolen the treasures of EGYPT and taken [them] with him'. Now 'ABD AL-MALIK was not
angry with ATHANASIUS even because of these words, but he said unto him in a quiet and peaceful manner,
"We should not have held it to be true that all this wealth could belong to the Christians; give us a portion of
it’. And this ATHANASIUS agreed to do willingly, and he gave and gave until the king himself said, 'It is
sufficient’. And there still remained [to ATHANASIUS] much more.

And in the year ten hundred and fifteen [of the GREEKS] (A.D.704), ABD AL-MALIK dispatched
MASLIMA, and he captured MOPSUESTIA. And in that year the ARABS who were in KUFAH and
BOSRA rebelled, and they made war on 'ABD AL-MALIK. And in that year also JUSTINIANUS escaped
from exile, and he fled to the KHAKAN, the king of the KHAZARAYE, and the KHAN rejoiced in him, and
gave him his daughter to wife, and she bore him a son, and he called his name 'TIBERIUS'. And having
obtained soldiers from the KHAKAN and from the BULGARIANS, he came against CONSTANTINOPLE,
and 'APSIMAROS fled. And JUSTINIANUS reigned again for six years, after the [114] ten years in which
he lived in exile. And he killed LEONTIUS and 'APSIMAROS, and many of the nobles, and he made [anew]
the administration of the RHOMAYE which had been destroyed by the TARKE. He found six thousand
ARAB prisoners and he set them free [to go] to their own country . And he sent a large army to bring his wife
and also his son, and all the soldiers perished through storms and tempests at sea.

Now when the KHAKAN heard [these things] he sent and rebuked him, and said, 'It was meet for thee to
send a few soldiers only. What didst thou think, That I was holding her back from thee? Nay, life of thy
madness! I am not holding her back.’ Then JUSTINIANUS was ashamed, and he sent a few soldiers and
brought her back with her son.

And in the year ten hundred and seventeen (A.D. 706) the ARABS built the walls of MOPSUESTIA, and
placed an army therein, and they made it a garrison post on the frontier of the RHOMAYE. And the king
'ABD AL- MALIK himself went there and there he finished [his life].

After ABD AL-MALIK, the son of MARWAN, WALID his son [ruled] nine years and five months. This
Khalifah sent an army with MASLIMA, and they pitched their tents at TUANA ('‘ADANA ?), a city of
CAPPADOCIA, and they fought against it for nine months. And JUSTINIANUS sent an army of the
RHOMAYE, and when they engaged with the ARABS the RHOMAYE could not stand, and about forty
thousand of them fell. And the ARABS captured the city and looted it. And in the year one thousand and
twenty-two of the GREEKS (A. D. 711) MASLIMA captured TURANDA and placed therein a garrison of
ARABS. And he also captured many other fortresses. I think that 'ABLASTIN is the BHASIPOLIS (?) which
is on the frontier of the RHOMAYE. And in the sixth year of WALID, which is the year ten hundred and
twenty-two of the GREEKS, PHILIPICUS rebelled and killed JUSTINIANUS, the king of the RHOMAYE,
and TIBERIUS his son, and he himself reigned. And he also drove out the ARMENIANS who were in his
dominion, and the ARABS settled them in MELITENE and the district thereof and in'ARMAN of 'ARBA.
And the ARMENIANS became allies of the ARABS, and enemies of the RHOMAYE. This Khalifah
[Byzantine emperor] was well versed in outside (i.e. alien or profane) learning, and he wished to disregard
the Sixth Synod (or, Council) which affirmed the dogma of MAXIMUS concerning the Two Wills [of
CHRIST]. And when he had reigned two years and six months the RHOMAYE swept him aside and blinded
his eyes.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Kings of the Arabs (continued).

[115] And ANASTASIUS reigned two years and five months. Now WALID was a hater of the Christians,
and in respect of the great church of the GREEKS (YAWNAYE) which was in DAMASCUS, the ARABS
took it and gave in its stead the site on which the new church of the God-bearer (i.e. the Virgin MARY) was
built; for WALID changed the first site of the church and built a great and famous Masjid (Mosque) there.
And he commanded also that the Christian lawyers (i.e. tax-gatherers) should no longer write the public
accounts in Greek but in Arabic. And WALID said to SHAM'ALA, the chief of the Christian ARABS of
TAGHLIB, 'Inasmuch as thou art chief of the ARABS, thou disgracest all of them when thou dost worship
the CROSS. Therefore do what I wish and become a Muslim.' And he replied, 'Because I am chief of all the
ARABS of TAGHLIB, I am afraid lest I may become the cause of the destruction of all of them; [for if] I
deny CHRIST they will deny [Him also]'. When WALID heard these words he commanded [his slaves], and
they dragged him along face downwards and cast him out. And WALID sent him a message in which he
swore saying, 'If he really will not agree [to do what I say], I will make him eat his own flesh’. And when
SHAM'ALA did not give way, even under this threat, WALID commanded and one cut off a slice from
SHAM'ALA'S thigh and roasted it in the fire, and they thrust it into his mouth. And when SHAM'ALA
persisted in his refusal even after this, WALID dismissed him, and he continued to live, the wound being
visible in his flesh. And WALID also commanded the sorcerers who were in the country of 'AMULA to be
killed. And having been bound with fetters, and tied to planks of wood, so that they might not perish too
quickly, they were cast into the river. Those who were able to swim they killed, because the ARABS said that
they swam by means of their enchantments; and those who were drowning they spared and left [to drown].
And WALID also commanded and all the Christians who were captives in all the churches of SYRIA were
killed. And in the year one thousand and twenry-six [of the GREEKS] WALID died (A.D. 715).

After WALID, the son of 'ABD AL-MALIK, the son of MARWAN, SULAIMAN his brother [ruled] for two
years and five months. In the beginning of his reign MASLIMA made a raid and captured the fortress which
was in the country of GALATIA, and he returned with a great quantity of spoil. And the soldiers of the army
which ANASTASIUS sent to the west rebelled, and they killed their captain, and brought [in]
THEODOSIUS, and he reigned one year. And ANASTASIUS fled to NICAEA. And in the year one thousand
and twenry-six [of the GREEKS, i.e. A.D. 715] MASLIMA subdued the TURKAYE in their own country,
and he captured [116] much spoil and returned.

And in the year one thousand and twenry-seven (A.D. 716) MASLIMA went to the country of ASIA. And he
captured PERGAMOS and RHODES, and he emptied them of spoil. In that same year SULAIMAN made
MASLIMA ready to go against CONSTANTINOPLE. And he collected two hundred thousand soldiers, and
five thousand ships which were filled with soldiers and provisions. And he collected twelve thousand
artisans, and six thousand camels, and six thousand asses which were loaded with provisions (or, stores), and
arms, and the armaments and engines for war. And he appointed over them another captain of the host, viz.
'OMAR BAR-HUBAIRA. And there went with them also thirty thousand warriors who of their own proper

motion and at their own expense set out to fight, that is to say on 'the road of God'; and they were called in
their own language 'MUTA-WA'AH' (1). And the ARABS set out (or, went down) in two divisions, the one
by sea and the other by land. Now when LEO, the captain of the host of the RHOMAYE, met MASLIMA,
the captain of the host of the ARABS, he promised to help them in the opening up (i.e. conquest) of the royal
city. And they promised him the kingdom of the RHOMAYE.

Now when THEODOSIUS the king perceived the treachery of LEO, he took his people and shut them up in
prison in the city of 'AMURIN. And when LEO heard [this] he came to SULAIMAN the king. Now he
himself with twelve thousand [men] had pitched his camp by the city of CHALCEDON in order that he
might prevent provisions and food from entering CONSTANTINOPLE. And he took six thousand soldiers,
and encamped at 'AMURIN. And the citizens being afraid gave him its population (or, household servants).
And he sent away the ARABS and gave to each man twelve dinars. And he and the RHOMAYE marched
direct to CONSTANTINOPLE. And when he met the hosts of the RHOMAYE he explained to them that by
means of treachery he had turned back with the ARABS; and they were very pleased with him, and they
made him king over them. And when he went in to CONSTANTINOPLE, THEODOSIUS went out; he had
received the tonsure and had become a cleric. And LEO reigned twenty-four years. And with a vain hope he
began to hang the ARABS, and to fortify the city with food and provisions and other things.

And when MASLIMA learned that LEO had deceived him (or, led him astray), he crossed the arm of the sea
and encamped against CONSTANTINOPLE. And because MASLIMA, [117] with four thousand men, had
come last (or, delayed in coming), the BULGARIANS whom LEO had hired rushed upon him and killed
many of his men. MASLIMA himself only escaped with the greatest difficulty, and he came to the Great
Camp which was pitched on the western side of CONSTANTINOPLE, opposite the Golden Gate. And he
made [a mound, or, rampart?] in front of them, between the camp and the city, and a trench behind them
opposite to the BULGARIANS. On the right hand and on the left was the sea. And the ARABS were attacked
[on land] by the citizens and by the BULGARIANS, and on the sea by the ships of the RHOMAYE. Now it
was impossible for less than two thousand men to go and bring food to the ARABS. And the ARABS
suffered greater tribulation through those who were outside the city than through the TURKAYE who were
inside [it]. And the winter came upon them, and famine, and the BULGARIANS who were killing them. And
the ARABS were afflicted so grievously through hunger that they ate the bitumen of the ships. And while
MASLIMA was deceiving them by saying, 'Behold, gifts are coming to them from the king’, the report of the
death of king SULAIMAN came.

After SULAIMAN, 'OMAR, the son of his uncle 'ABD AL-'AZIZ, [ruled] for two years and five months.
This Khalifah sent [men] that they might bring him back reports concerning the army [which was fighting]
against CONSTANTINOPLE. And MASLIMA wrote lying letters, saying: 'The people are very well, and the
city is nearly [ready] to be opened up (i.e. conquered)’. And when 'OMAR learned the truth from the envoy,
he sent [the command] to MASLIMA to take the soldiers and to go out. And MASLIMA made the winter his
excuse [for not doing so]. And when the rigour of the winter had passed, another envoy came, who told the
people that if MASLIMA would not be persuaded to retreat, they themselves were to go forth. And when
they did go forth the RHOMAYE killed very many of them on the sea and on dry land.

Then 'OMAR himself sent twenty thousand horsemen to them, and he gave to each man ten dinars to be used
as subsistence money. And because of the disgrace which came upon the ARABS through their withdrawal
from CONSTANTINOPLE, great hatred against the Christians sprang up in the heart of 'OMAR, and he
afflicted them severely. And he stopped [the ringing of] their bells [in the churches], and they were not to lift
up their voices in prayer, and they were not to put on apparel [which in any way resembled that of] the
soldiers, and they were not to use saddles when riding. And in the year one thousand and thirty-four [of the
GREEKS] (A.D. 723), in the month of SHEBHAT (FEBRUARY), [118] 'OMAR died.

After 'OMAR, the son of ABD AL-'AZIZ, YAZID, the son of his uncle, 'ABD AL-MALIK, [ruled] for four
years. There came upon him a rebellion through a certain ARAB from HIRTA whose name was YAZID
BAR-MUHALAB, and there were with him all the ARABS of 'AKULA, and of BOSRA, and of all PERSIA.
And YAZID, the son of 'ABD AL-MALIK, sent a great army against him, and YAZID, the son of
MUHALAB, was defeated near BABYLON and killed. And YAZID commanded and the images (or,
pictures) of every living being were obliterated from the temples, and from walls and wooden panels, and
from stones and from books. And LEO, king of the RHOMAYE, also acted in this manner. He took down the
images of the saints and of the kings from the churches and houses. And for this reason there was an uprising
among the RHOMAYE, and many complained openly about the king. And he expelled from his country
every man who did not agree with the COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON. And he afflicted the JEWS and
baptized many of them, and the rest of them fled to SYRIA.

And at this time a certain man who was a SYRIAN, and whose name was SEVERUS, declared concerning
himself that he was CHRIST. And when he was arrested by the governor he said, 'I have been taught to think
this by the JEWS'.

And in the year one thousand and thirty-two [of the GREEKS] (A.D. 721) the water in the wells failed so
completely that the villagers had to walk as far as seven miles to draw water. And there was a scarcity of
crops. After one year the locusts came and destroyed the crops. And after two years there was a pestilence
caused by the disease of tumours, especially in BETH NAHRIN. And in the year one thousand and thirty-
seven [of the GREEKS = A.D. 726] YAZID died in BALKA, in the country of DAMASCUS.

After YAZID, the son of 'ABD AL-MALIK, HISHAM his brother [ruled] for twelve years and eight months.
This Khalifah oppressed men with excessive taxes and levies of money (or, contributions). And he made
canals to take off from the EUPHRATES above CALONICUS to water the crops and plantations, and the
income [derived] from them was more than all the tribute of his dominions.

And in this year the ARABS camped against NEO CAESARABEA, that is PONTUS, and they destroyed it
completely. And the ARABS also invaded the country of the TURKAYE with GIRAH, the captain of the
host, and they captured one great city; and he collected a vast amount of spoil and went away.

And in the year one thousand and thirty-eight [of the GREEKS = A.D. 727] the EGYPTIANS rebelled
against the ARABS; and an army came against them [119] and many of the EGYPTIANS were killed, and
the remainder fled in ships.

And in the year one thousand and thirty-nine [A.D. 728] MASLIMA went again to the country of the
TURKAYE, but the ARABS failed and they abandoned their valuables and fled.

And in the year one thousand and forty-two [A.D. 731] the TURKAYE went forth and captured the cities of
'ADHORBIJAN. And MASLIMA marched against them with a great army, and thousands and tens of
thousands were killed on both sides. Now the TURKAYE, though holding the cities which they had captured,
did not go up against (i.e. attack) the rest of the dominions of the ARABS. And the ARABS made peace with
the TURKAYE. And again the ARABS invaded the territories of the RHOMAYE, together with
MU'AWTYAH,, the son of the king. And they threw down the walls of the city of GANGRA, and then went
and encamped against the city of NICAEA. And having fought against it for forty days and dug down the
wall thereof, the RHOMAYE who were inside it fled in ships. And the ARABS took the city and destroyed it.
And HISHAM commanded, and all the prisoners of the RHOMAYE were killed, because he heard that LEO
had killed the ARAB prisoners. And at this time LEO the king took the daughter of the KHAKAN, king of

the KHAZARAYE, to be the wife of his son CONSTANTINE. And when they had baptized her and blessed
her, he placed the crown on his son and proclaimed him king.

In the year one thousand and forty-eight (A.D. 737) a certain man whose name was BASHIR, and who was a
RHOMAYA by race, pretended to be a Muslim, and he went to HARRAN to a paralytic man whose name
was THEOPITUS, and told him, as if he were telling him a secret, that he was 'TIBERIUS, the son of
CONSTANTIUS' (CONSTANTINE or JUSTINIANUS), who, it was generally supposed, was already dead.
Then the RHOMAYA went and delivered him over to SULAIMAN, the son of HISHAM, and he having
seized the man, informed his father HISHAM. And HISHAM rejoicing that, as it were, a son of the king of
the RHOMAYE had fallen into his hands, commanded [his servants] to array the man in the purple, and [they
did so] and brought him, to him. When this man entered EDESSA he went inside the altar, and took in his
hands the Offering from the Table of Life, according to the custom of the kings of the RHOMAYE. And he
called upon the JEWS to bring up [his ancestors] for him by enchantments, and he also commanded the chief
of the HARRANITES to examine for him a liver and to see whence his family sprung. Finally the miserable
man was exposed, and he was killed.

In the year one thousand and fifty-three [of the GREEKS] (A.D.742) [120] LEO died, and his son
CONSTANTINE reigned thirty-four years. And 'ARTABAS, his son-in-law, rebelled against him, and he
went to CONSTANTINOPLE and sat down in the palace. Now the king, because he was outside, fled from
his ministers and found a refuge among the troops of the ANATOLIANS. And he raised an army from them
and came to 'AMURIN of PHRYGIA, and there he wintered. Then 'ARTABAS collected an army and came
against him, and 'ARTABAS was defeated and fled. And in the year one thousand and fifty-six [A.D. 745]
HISHAM died in RUSAFAH of CALONICUS.

After HISHAM, WALID, the son of YAZID, the son of 'ABD AL-MALIK, [ruled] for one year and three
months. This Khalifah behaved wickedly to the children of the house of HISHAM and plundered their
palaces. He commanded and the tongue of the Patriarch of CHALCEDON in SYRIA was cut out. And the
ARABS hated him greatly because he drank wine and fermented liquors; and he used to do other wicked
things. And therefore the people gave him the nickname of 'PASIK’, that is to say 'riotous liver’. Therefore
‘ABBAS, the son of WALID, the uncle of WALID, the son of YAZID, rose up against him, and wished to
reign. But the ARABS did not wish for him, because he was the son of a concubine, and they made his
brother YAZID, son of WALID, king in DAMASCUS. And he sent an army and they overtook WALID, the
son of YAZID, in the desert, and they cut off his head and fixed it on a spear, and they hung up by the side of
it a wine pot and took him into DAMASCUS.

After WALID, the son of YAZID, YAZID, the son of WALID, [ruled] for two months. A great schism fell
upon the ARABS, and in every quarter a man rose up who did not agree with his companion. In the ISLAND
(GAZRTA, 1.e. GAZIRAH) BASTAM rose up; in MAWSIL, SA'ID, the son of HUDAIL, in WASIT, 'ABD
ALLAH, the son of 'OMAR the king, in ARMENIA, MARWAN, in KHORASAN, the son of SARIG, and in
AFRICA, ABU HUDAIL And two months after YAZID began to reign an ulcer broke out in his body and he
died.

After YAZID, the son of WALID, IBRAHIM his brother. This was a man whom it was pleasant to meet, and
his natural disposition was good. [121] Two months after he reigned, he abdicated from sovereignty in
DAMASCUS, and hid himself. And his place was not known for five years, when he was found in a grave of
the ARABS, [lying] among a miscellaneous crowd of ARABS who had been killed.

After IBRAHIM, MARWAN, son of WALID, son of MAHAMMAD, son of MARWAN, son of HAKAM,
[ruled]. This Khalifah was called 'HAMAR GAZARTA', i.e. 'Wild Ass of the Island’, because he loved the

flower of the crocus, which is called ‘flower of the ass'. And during the whole of his time he ruled on the
island of KARDU. Now he went forth from ARMENIA, and engaged in battle with SULAIMAN on the
banks of the EUPHRATES, and twelve thousand of his men were killed, and he fled to RUSAFAH. And
MARWAN came to DAMASCUS, and reigned therein two months. And he carried off the royal treasures,
which formed loads for three thousand camels. And he came and pitched his camp in EMESA, and after four
months they took the city; and he dug down the wall thereof, and he pounded the sculptures into dust with
hammers. And he also dug down the wall of BA'ALBAK, and came to HARRAN. And he came down
toward 'ATHOR (ASSYRIA), and to the country of PARTHIA, that is to say 'ESFAHAN.

Then ABU AL-'ABBAS, that is 'ABD ALLAH, the son of MAHAMMAD, the son of 'ALI, the son of 'ABD-
ALLAH, the son of 'ABBAS, the uncle of the Prophet of the Muslims, and a mighty army of the men of
KHORASAN pitched their tents on the ZABHA, the river which is in ASSYRIA. And MARWAN came and
engaged in battle with the army of ABU AL-'ABBAS, and MARWAN was defeated, and he was despoiled of
seven hundred camel loads of gold and zuze (i.e. silver money). And he and his son and his son-in-law came
in disgrace to HARRAN. And they loaded his treasures on three thousand camels, and he went to
ASCALON, which is on the sea coast. And ABU AL-'ABBAS pursued MARWAN and he fled to SIWANI
(SYENE, ASWAN), a city which is on the frontier of the NUBIANS; and when he camped on the banks of
the NILE he was overtaken and killed.

At this time there went forth from CONSTANTINOPLE 'ASHKIRASH, the captain of the host of the
'ARMANIKO, and he came against MELITENE, and looted the whole country. And CONSTANTINE the
king, having conquered ARTABAS the tyrant, divided the kingdom. And a son was born to him by the
daughter of the KHAKAN, and he was called LEONE (LEO). And the countries of the RHOMAYE were at
peace with each other, because the ARABS were occupied in making war upon each other.

After MARWAN, ABU AL-'ABBAS [ruled] four years [122] and eight months. This Khalifah, having killed
MARWAN, reigned alone throughout all the dominion of the ARABS. He removed the kingdom from
DAMASCUS and transferred it to BABYLON. And by him the Khalifate of BAGHDAD was transmitted to
those whose sovereignty an end hath been put in our days by the HUNS and MONGOLS.

It is said that one day when this ABU AL-'ABBAS was encamped on a place in the region of the west,
suddenly a mighty tumult burst forth on his camp, and all the people, the king himself included, ran to see
what wonderful thing [had happened]. And having gone they saw eight men who had risen from graves, some
as far as their breasts, and some of them as far as their thighs, and some of them as far as their knees; and
some of them had their beards dyed according to the custom which the ARABS observe, and many identified
them. And when the people drew nigh to talk to them, the dead men vouchsafed never a word. And whilst
[the people] were wondering [at the sight], the king commanded them to depart [from the men in the graves]
for that day, and not to go near them, as he expected that, peradventure, speech might be given to them

[later]. And on the following day when the people went they found [the men in the graves] in the condition of
living beings who had no speech. Then [the king] commanded, and they were buried a second time.

And in the year one thousand and sixty-three [of the GREEKS] (A.D. 752) the wife of CONSTANTINE the
king, who was the daughter of KHAKAN, died; and he remained without a wife for three years, according to
the law of Christian kings. Then certain crafty men, under the guise of affection, wishing to eject him from
the kingdom, advised him to take [another] wife. But he, knowing full well their craftiness, said, 'I cleave to
your advice, but I am not forgetting the law of the RHOMAYE; and, moreover, I think that it is not seemly
for a king to be the slave of desire (or, lust). But if ye are certain that it is right, make my son king instead of
me, and I will bow to your will.’ And having placed the crown upon him, he administered the affairs of the
kingdom, because he was wise and timid as concerning enemies. And in that same year he went and pitched

his camp at MELITENE. And he heaped up mounds against it, and broke down a portion of the wall thereof,
and finally he gave a pledge to the ARABS who were inside it, and he spared them. And he carried away into
captivity the people of CLAUDIA, and all the villages of 'AKRMAN DHE-'ARBA‘. And in that year died
[123] ABU AL-'ABBAS 'ABD ALLAH.

After ABU AL-'ABBAS, his brother 'ABU JA'AFAR MANSUR [ruled] twenty-two years. And in the year in
which 'ABU JA'AFAR [began to] reign, that is to say, the year one thousand and sixty-six of the GREEKS
(A.D. 755), and the year one hundred and thirty-five of the ARABS, CONSTANTINE, king of the
RHOMAYE, went forth against KALONIKALA (KALIKALA?), which is 'ARZN-AR-RUM, And he
captured it and left it a ruin. And he placed a garrison in the fortress of KAMAK. When 'ABD ALLAH, the
son of 'ALI, heard of the death of 'ABU AL-'ABBAS, he began to make a circuit through the cities and he
made himself king in them. And 'ABU JA'AFAR sent [an army] against 'ABU MUSLIM, the captain of the
host, and defeated him. Then 'ABU MUSLIM, the captain of the host, himself rebelled against 'ABU
JA'AFAR, and he journeyed about through the cities that he might seize the kingdom (or, grasp sovereignty).
Then 'ABU JA'AFAR sent to him a man whose name was 'ISA, and he cajoled him and brought him [to him],
and at the moment when he was entering his presence 'ABU JA'AFAR made a sign and he was killed. And
the kingdom of the ARABS was established for him. And he commanded and MELITENE was [re]built as it
was formerly, and he placed a garrison therein. And he also built KALONIKOLA and placed a garrison
therein.

And in the year one thousand and seventy-one (A.D. 760) the ARABS subjugated AFRICA. And at this time
the country of TABARISTAN was subjugated by the ARABS. It is bounded on the north by the CASPIAN
SEA, and on the east by GURGAN, on the south by MEDIA and a portion of PARTHIA, and on the west by
DILUM (or, DILAM). In it are five walled cities, and it aboundeth in mountains, and forests, and meadows,
and streams of water. The passes thereto are difficult [to traverse]. Its length from east to west is forty
parasangs, and its breadth from north to south is twenty parasangs.

And in the year one thousand and seventy-three of the GREEKS (A.D. 762), 'ABU JA'AFAR built a city on
the river DEKLATH (TIGRIS) above CTESIPHON, and he called it 'BAGHDAD’, after the name of an
image (or, idol) which was in that place, and he dwelt therein. And after one year MAHAMMAD, one of the
sons of 'ALI, the kinsman of their Prophet and the son of his uncle, rebelled, and the whole of Arabdom was
drawn to follow him. And 'ISA, the captain of the host, went against him, and slew him in YATHREB, in the
month of RAMADAN during their fast. And IBRAHIM his brother in BOSRA also rebelled, and he also was
killed.

And in this same year the KHAZARAYE went forth and made captives fifty thousand souls [124] from
GURZANIA. And at the same time the country of KHABUL in the Indian quarter of the world was
subjugated by the ARABS. And 'ABU JA'AFAR imposed taxes on all the nations, and he doubled the tribute
of the Christians.

And in the year one thousand and sixty-six [of the GREEKS] (A.D. 765) there was an exceedingly severe
earthquake in the country of KHORASAN, and one mountain departed from its place [a distance of] about
three miles, and because it was [formed] of earth it was shattered in pieces.

And in the year one thousand and eighty [A.D. 769] the MAGIANS who were in PERSIA rebelled against
the ARABS, and they set up a chief for themselves. And an army of the ARABS went against them, and the
ARABS were defeated. And again the MAGIANS became strong enough to establish a kingdom for
themselves, and an exceedingly strong army of ARABS went against them, and the MAGIANS were
defeated, and about forty thousand of them fell and their chief was killed. And in that same year the ARABS

went up in wrath against the Valley of GERMANIKI, which is MAR'ASH, because they heard that [their]
Spies (or, scouts) had been enslaved by the RHOMAYE. And they carried off the people of the country into
captivity, and took them away and settled them in the land of RAMLEH. Thus also they did with the natives
of SAMOSATA.

And at this time the Barbarians who were natives of AFRICA rebelled, and they killed the ARABS and the
PERSIANS. And YAZID, the captain of the host, went against them and defeated them, and about thirty
thousand of the Barbarians fell. And in the year one thousand and eighty [of the GREEKS] (A.D. 769) a
certain woman was discovered in the country of the BUKHARAYE who had never taken food, and she had
never sucked at the breast, and she never had any need of drink. And MAHDI, the son of the king, heard of
her, and he sent and had her brought to BAGHDAD. And they verified the story, and it was found to be in
truth a fact which was outside [the course] of nature. And in the year one thousand and eighty-three (A.D.
772) ABU JA'AFAR built a city by the side of CALONICUS, and he called it 'RAPEKAH', and no man had
ever seen such handicraft as was displayed on the gates thereof. As for these gates: 'when I, the feeble one,
was performing the duties of a pastor in BEROA, they brought to ALEPPO two huge double gates [made]
wholly of iron, and they fastened them on the gate of KENNESHRIN, and two smaller double gates, but they
did not succeed in setting them up. For immediately after the MONGOLS captured ALEPPO and they
destroyed its walls and smashed its gates.

And in the year one thousand and eighty-three [A.D. 772] 'ABU JA'AFAR marched from BABYLON to
BETH NAHRIN and SYRIA, and he oppressed [125] men with very heavy taxes, and he gathered together
all the silver and gold into his treasure-house. And the children of men, being afflicted in this wise, used to
dig up the graves, [thinking] that perhaps they might find some of trinkets (or, ornaments) which had been
buried with the dead. And at the same time the RHOMAYE used to dig in the city of NICOMEDIA, and they
found a cave wherein was laid the mummified body of NICOMEDIUS (?), who built it, and with it were
ornaments of gold, and red jacinths which sparkled in the dark. And when CONSTANTINE the king
perceived [what was being done] he showed great magnanimity, and he did not take anything whatsoever
from that place, 'For', said he, ‘it is a disgraceful thing for the living to be in need of anything from the dead’,
And not this only, for he sent workmen and they blocked up the place strongly, and heaped up a mighty
mound of dust and stones above it. At this time a pestilence broke out in SYRIA and 'ATHOR (ASSYRIA),
and there came a famine of excruciating severity. It was not caused by the lack of grain (or, wheat), but it
arose because not a single zuza (i.e. a coin of about the value of a piastre) remained with any man. The price
of an ox or a donkey was one zuza; the price of ten measures of wine was one zuza; the price of five bushels
of wheat was one zuza; and the price of youths and maidens was five zuza each. Afer thirty years of these
tribulations 'ABU JA'AFAR died in the Ka'ba (?), and the whole world was delivered from tribulation.
Twenty-five days before his death, CONSTANTINE, king of the RHOMAYE, died, and LEO his son reigned
five years.

(Continued on Next Page)

Footnotes

(1) i.e. 'those who exceed what is obligatory on them in fighting or warring against unbelievers or the like’.
Lane, quoted by Payne Smith, Thesaurus, col. 2034.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Kings of the Arabs (continued).

[125] At this ttme GIWARGIS (GEORGE), the son of BOKHT-ISHO'," the ELAMITE, was pre-eminent in
the art of healing. The Khalifah MANSUR sent and brought this man from ELAM to BAGHDAD, that he
might heal him of a disease of the stomach with which he was afflicted. And when he went in before
MANSUR he burst out into prayers for the Khalifah in the PERSIAN and ARABIC languages, in highly
polished speech. And the Khalifah marvelled at him, and made him sit down, and he spoke to him concerning
his sickness. And the physician promised him healing, but by degrees (i.e., slowly), which actually came to
pass. And it is related that one day GEORGE went into the presence of the Khalifah—now it was the festival
of the Nativity—and the Khalifah said unto him, 'What dost thou eat?' And the physician replied, 'All good
things according as our Lord pleaseth’. And the Khalifah said unto him, 'I hear that thou hast not got a wife’.
And the physician said, 'Yea, I have—one, an aged and feeble old woman who is not able to stand on her
legs'. [126] And the Khalifah waited until the physician had gone out, and then he commanded SALIM, his
chief eunuch, to choose out three of the most beautiful of the RHOMAYE maidens, and to take them to the
house of the physician with three thousand dinars. And he did so. And when SALIM took the maidens
GEORGE was not at hand in the house. And when he came [back] and saw them he was angry with his
disciple, and he said to him, 'O disciple of SATAN, why hast thou brought these in to me?" Is it that thou
wouldst made an old man of me?' And he sent and called the eunuch, and sent the maidens back with him.
And when the Khalifah heard this he said to GEORGE, 'Why didst thou send back the maidens?’ And
GEORGE replied, 'Live for ever! We Christians do not have more than one wife. And as long as our one wife
is alive our Law preventeth us from taking another.’ And this [speech] pleased the Khalifah greatly, and he
commanded that GEORGE should visit his women and his daughters without let or hindrance. And the
honour of GEORGE was greatly increased with the Khalifah and he loved him like his soul. Such is the fruit
of chastity, my brethren.

After 'ABU JA'AFAR, his son MAHDI [ruled] ten years. This Khalifah opened his father's treasures, and
scattered the riches of his father as with a fan. He did not squander it only on his troops, but also on the
women who were his concubines, for he was luxurious by nature, and loved dainty foods and baked meats.
And he was addicted to [the study of] auguries, and divinations and forecasts of fate, and he collected books
of sorcery. Therefore king LEO sent to him the 'Book of Jannes and Jambres' which containeth the whole
system of the magic and sorcery of the EGYPTIANS, and [an account of] everything which they did against
MOSES THE GREAT. And in the beginning of his reign he set free all the Christian prisoners, and LEO also
set free the ARAB prisoners which he had with him; MAHDI, however, pulled down the churches which had
been built in the time of the ARABS, and he destroyed the church of the CHALCEDONIANS which was in
ALEPPO. And he set up a persecution of the MANINAYE (MANICHEANS), and he overthrew the place
which is called PADANA RABBETHA (i.e. the GREAT PALACE), which was full of MANICHEANS. And
many ARABS were entrapped by this heresy and were killed. And also eight men of rank and wealth
belonging to BETH GUMAYE were caught (or, snared) by the wickedness, and after many tribulations three
died in prison, and five were saved.

At this time THEOPHILA, the son of TAOMA, of EDESSA, became famous; he was a skilled astronomer
[127] who cleaved to the heresy of the MARONITES. He had (1.e., he had written) a wonderful book on
Chronology in SYRIAC, although he reviled and abused orthodox folk. And he had turned the two books of
'OMAIROS (HOMERUS) on ILION from the GREEK into SYRIAC. He had been in the service of MAHDI
the Khalifah, and he had been raised by him to very high honour because of his superiority in this craft of
astrology. It is related that one day the Khalifah wished to pay a visit to one of his cities, and he had his
household with him. And the wife of the Khalifah sent a message to THEOPHILA saying,'Thou hast advised
the king to set out on a journey, and thou hast made for us the fatigue and weariness of the road for the which
we had no necessity. Therefore I wish to God that He will speedily make an end of thee and remove thee
from the earth, so that we may rest ourselves and may repose ourselves, being free from thee.' And
THEOPHILA replied to the handmaiden who had come to him on this embassy, 'Get thee back and say to thy
mistress, "It is not I who have advised the Khalifah to make the journey, but he is setting out in accordance
with his own wish. And as for the curse with which thou hast cursed me, viz. the wishing that God will hasten
my death, this fate hath already gone forth from God, and it will assuredly take place, and I shall die quickly
(or, immediately). But do not imagine that my death will take place because thy prayer hath been accepted,
for that will only happen in order that the wish of Him who created me may be fulfilled. And as for thee, O
Queen, I tell thee to make ready a large quantity of dust, and when thou hearest that I am dead, do thou heap
the whole of that dust on thy head." And when the Queen heard these [words] she trembled greatly, and she
waited anxiously [to see] what would be the outcome of this speech. And after a few days THEOPHILA did
die, and alter twenty days MAHDI the Khalifah died also, and what THEOPHILA had stated actually came
to pass.

And in the year one thousand and ninety of the GREEKS (A.D. 779) MAHDI came to ALEPPO, and the
TANUKAYE who lived in tents round about ALEPPO went forth to meet him; and they were riding ARAB
horses, and were decked out with ornaments. Then it was said to him; 'All these are Christians’. And he
boiled with anger and compelled them to become Muslims, and about five thousand men became Muslims,
but the women were saved [from this]. And among them a certain venerable man testified, and his name was
[128] LAIT. And after these things MAHDI marched to the territory of the RHOMAYE, and he pitched his
camp on the river PURAMON, in the country of 'ARBISOS. And his son HARON captured the fortress of
SIMALOS, and he plundered it and went forth.

And in the year one thousand and ninety-two [A.D. 781] the ARABS carried away from EPHESUS about
seven thousand people; and about four thousand of the ARABS died. Then LEO the king sent an army, and
he carried away the people who were orthodox SYRIANS, and he baptized them in TARKI. And it is said
that this king LEO hated icons, and cleaved to the orthodox like his father. And in that year LEO died, and
CONSTANTINE his son [reigned] twenty-two years, for he was a minor when he [began to] reign. His
mother EIRENE used to govern and she was proclaimed with him. In the year one thousand and ninety-four
(A.D. 783) MAHDI sent his son HARON against the royal city. And the RHOMAYE made a cunning plan
and they shut in the ARABS on the river SAGARIS, the mountain being on one side and the river on the
other. And the ARABS being in tribulation sued for a peace (or, truce) for three years. And EIRENE,
according to a woman's custom, agreed, and the ARABS went forth. And after one year 'ALI sought to renew
(or, rebuild) the city.

After MAHDI his son MUSA [ruled] one year and one and a half months. Before this king reigned, that is to
say, in the year one thousand and njnety five of the GREEKS (A.D. 784), the flying locust came and
destroyed the crops, and deposited seed (i.e. laid eggs). And the young locusts came forth and attacked and
climbed up the walls and partitions of houses, which they entered through the openings (i.e. windows) and
doorways. And the water-skins, and the beds, and the tables, and the utensils were filled with them. When the
locust entered a house from the southern quarter, it went out on the northern side. And in addition to the

green herbs and trees it devoured also woollen garments and the clothes of men. And when it had finished
[devouring] the whole district of EDESSA and SERUGH it passed over to the west. And three years after this
severe tribulation there came a famine on the land. And in the year one thousand and ninety-seven (A.D. 786)
the RHOMAYE went forth and destroyed HADETH, which had been recently built by the ARABS, and they
laid waste and swept away its wall entirely. And in that year MUSA died, in the month of TAMMUZ (JULY).

After MUSA, HARON RASHID, his brother, [ruled] twenty-three years and two months. This Khalifah sent
'ABD AL-MALIK, and he pulled down [129] the great church of KHISHUM (CESSUNIA) and the fifteen
‘temples! that were in it. And he transported the stones thereof on two thousand wagons to HADETH, which
the RHOMAYE had destroyed, and he rebuilt the city. And the ARABS went into the territory of the
RHOMAYE and to the sea coast, and captured great spoil.

And in the year eleven hundred (A.D. 789) WALID went forth from the heresy of the HARURAYE (i.e. the
Free-will ARABS) and he collected five thousand men and came to NISIBIS. He killed the Amir, and
plundered the merchants, and took from every Christian five zuze. And having defeated the army of 'ABD
AL-MALIK, he slew the ARABS, and made the roads to be deserted by travellers. YAZID with an army
attacked him and killed him.

And in the following year HARON went up from BAGHDAD and came to CALONICUS, to dwell therein.
And he made it great with buildings, and he planted many paradises therein. And he brought thereto one river
(or, canal) from the EUPHRATES, and he brought another from SERUGH. He bought the waters of the
villages of SERUGH from their owners, and dug a new canal for them. In the year eleven hundred and four
(A.D. 793) the KAISAYE fought with the YAMNAYE in EMESA and many were killed. And 'ABD AL-
MALIK carried off great spoil from the country of the RHOMAYE. And his son 'ABD AR-RAHMAN
captured the fortress of RABSAH in CAPPAOOCIA, and four hundred men died of thirst therein, and then
they surrendered it.

At this time CONSTANTINE the king wished to blind the eyes of 'ALPIDI, the PATRIKI of SICILY, because
he was committing adultery with his mother; and 'ALPIDI fled to the ARABS. And the king commanded and
he also made the nobles swear that his mother should never again be called 'Queen'. Then 'ALPIDI took forty
thousand soldiers of the ARABS, and SULAIMAN, the Amir, and they went to the country which is called
SAMISUN. And the winter overtook them and four thousand of them died, and because of their tribulation
they took refuge with the RHOMAYE, who treated them with humanity and did the ARABS no harm. And
they departed in the LATTER KANUN (JANUARY), the feet of very many of them having been made rotten
by the frost (or, snow).

And MAR DIONYSIUS, Patriarch of TELL MAHRE, saith, 'I saw about four hundred of these men in
EDESSA'. And subsequently CONSTANTINE was reconciled with his mother EIRENE, and commanded
that she should [again] be proclaimed (or, addressed as) ‘Queen’. [130] And she was so proclaimed in every
place except by the Armenian nobles, who refused to do so because of the oaths which they had sworn; and
the tyrant king killed them.

And in the year eleven hundred and eight (A.D. 797) HARON RASHID passed over into EDESSA. And the
Muslims brought accusations against the Christians, saying, "The king of the RHOMAYE cometh every year
secretly and prayeth in their churches'. And having investigated the story and found the Muslims to be liars,
the Muslims were expelled and also beaten. And at this time certain of the BENAI GUMAYE in EDESSA,
having squandered all their possessions, dug through the walls of the houses [of their neighbours] and found
treasure. And because the ARABS are of a luxurious disposition, they devoted themselves to riotous living
with horses and hunting dogs. And when the report of them reached HARON the king, he imprisoned them in

CALONICUS. And he sent his own eunuch and he seized every object which was royal property which they
had sold. Among the things were objects which were like serpents, and scorpions of silver which were filled
with elixirs (or, perfumes), and these had been scattered broadcast ignorantly. The eunuch seized their
mother, an aged woman, and their free-born women, and he took from them what remained, that is jewel
cases of gold and silver, and valuable jewellery, and money of the RHOMAYE, and secured them. And the
sister of these men, who was a virgin, he shut up in the house of a certain man of CHALCEDON, in an upper
chamber of a house four stories high, and he set PERSIANS to keep guard over her. During the night she,
hearing the sound of feet, thought that one of the PERSIANS had come to her chamber to rape her, and she
hid her face in a napkin, and then threw herself out of the window, and she died the following day. And fear
fell upon that eunuch, and the king himself was sorry for the maiden, and he released her brothers and gave
them back one-fifth of what was their own property. And MAR DIONYSIUS, because he derived his
information from the history of IWNNIS (JOANNES) of RUSAFA, thoroughly belived in the truth of this
story, and he saith, 'The house in which the treasure was found belonged to IWANNIS (JOANNES), and it
was given as a daughter's dowry to those of the house of the GUMAYE. And the wife of IWANNIS
(JOANNES) buried the treasure, KESRU (CHOSROES) having commanded that she should go down among
the captives.'

Now CONSTANTINE the king trampled the Law under foot, and took a [second] woman to wife whilst his
own wife was alive; and he also took the daughters of the nobles and debauched them. [131] And when he
went to TARKI in the war with the BULGARAYE, there also he led a drunken and riotous life. Therefore the
nobles came to an understanding with his mother, and when he returned she treated his eyes with kohl, and he
became blind and she reigned by herself. And she made 'AITIS the eunuch her second in command, and chief
of the Patricians. And when the ARABS invaded the territory of the RHOMAYE, 'AITIS defeated them; and
when the ARABS invaded it one year later 'AITIS was defeated; and the ARABS invaded it again and were
victorious. Then the RHOMAYE wished to make NICEPHORUS, the Logothete, a CAPPADOCIAN, their
king. When EIRENE heard [this] she commanded [her servants] to treat his eyes with koAl; and 'AITIS the
eunuch hid him. Then NICETA the Patrician and the Patriarch took counsel with the Senate, and it pleased
them all to make NICEPHORUS king. And he reigned in the year eleven hundred and fourteen [of the
GREEKS = A.D. 803], and he was held in honour by Queen EIRENE and by 'AITIS the eunuch. They,
however, arranged for his murder by the hands of certain monks. And when the plot was revealed EIRENE
was sent into exile to ATHENS, where she became a nun. And 'AITIS paid [his] debt for crime, according to
what he had done. And the king did not harm the monks.

At this time when HARON RASHID was occupied with the building of ZOBATRA, the city which is in
LESSER ARMENIA by the side of MELITENE, SATUREKIOS (SATURECIUS), the captain of the host of
the RHOMAYE, went to the country of the PELOPONNESUS, which had belonged to the ARABS for a very
long time, and they subjugated it and established a garrison therein, and he returned, bringing back an
immense number of captives of the people of the ARABS, and sheep and horses and camels.

And it is said that CABBALA, an ARAB, was king of the Christian ARABS. Now he was made a Muslim by
the hands of 'OMAR the son of KHATTAB. [Once] when he was present with 'OMAR in the Masjid
(Mosque) in YATHREB, a man in the crowd who was called FAZARAH trod on him. And CABBALA
turned and smote him and broke his nose. And when FAZARAYA (sic) complained 'OMAR said to
CABBALA, 'Either make friends with him or hand over to him thy nose that he may break it'. And
CABBALA replied, 'How can a king like myself [do this]? Is he to permit an inferior to strike him?' And
'OMAR said, 'Although thou art more honourable than he is in the kingdom, yet thou art only equal with him
in Islam’. And CABBALA said, 'Leave me until the morning, so that I may ponder on one of the two things
which thou hast said to me’. And in the night [132] CABBALA and his companions rose up and fled to
CAPPADOCIA, and they became Christians again. And from him was descended this NICEPHORUS who

reigned. He was a strong, bold man, and gifted with understanding, and he fasted and prayed regularly. And it
was because of this character that 'ALPIDI, the Rebel, said unto'ABD AL-MALIK, the captain of the host of
the ARABS, 'If NICEPHOR is reigning, cast off from thyself this dainty apparel and gird thyself about with
armour and prepare thyself for war'.

And immediately NICEPHOR began to reign he sent letters to HARON and incited him [to war], and they
made ready for war. And during the two months whilst they were encamped, NICEPHOR and HARON, by
means of envoys and dispatches, were conversing and listening to each other. And ultimately they came to an
agreement and they sent gifts to each other, and each returned to his own country.

At this time a man of the tribe of KORAISH, and a Muslim, whose name was RUHI, lived in a house which
was near a church, and during the time of prayer he used to vex the priest by casting at him pellets made of
mud. And one day whilst he was looking at the priest through a window (?) at the time of the Sacrifice (i.e.
the Eucharist), he saw in the middle of the paten which was on the Table of Life a lamb which was broken in
pieces; but when he went down to the priest he saw broken bread [only]. And he went up again to the
window, and looked, and saw the lamb again. Then he believed, and left his house and went to the church and
was baptized.

And when the report of the man reached HARON, he sent and had him brought to him, and he coaxed him
with gracious words to return [to Islam], but RUHI refused to do so. And HARON threw fetters on him, and
shut him up in prison for two years, and then, as RUHI remained unshaken, HARON commanded that his
head should be cut off with the sword, and hung up on the wall of RAPEKA. And many people saw the light
which rested on the head, and a certain Christian from the country of PERSIA took it down and carried it to
his city.

At this time there came to HARON a certain RHOMAYE whose name was TAOMA, the son of
MUAAMAR, and he said that he was the son of CONSTANTINE the king. Now although HARON was not
convinced by him, yet he held him in honour like the son of a king.

And in the year eleven hundred and fifteen (A.D. 804), whilst HARON was in PERSIA, a mighty anny of the
RHOMAYE went forth and seized the region of MOPSUESTIA and 'ANAZARBA; and the ARABS
overtook them and reversed the captivity. And when HARON heard [this] he came to the city of
CALONICUS, and in the month of NISAN (APRIL) captured HERACLEIA; and NICEPHOR went out to
make war upon him. But when he saw the great army of the RHOMAYE he sued for peace, and he gave [to
them] all the prisoners [133] of the RHOMAYE that were in his dominions. And when NICEPHOR agreed to
the peace, HARON gave him even the tents in which he was living, and their decorated hangings and
furniture. And in that same year HARON built a city higher up than CALONICUS, and he called it
"HERACLEIA' after the name of the wife which he took from the house of the HERACLEIANS. And
NICEPHOR also, being undisturbed by the ARABS, built 'ANKURA (ANCYRA) and other places in the
place of TUANA and HERACLEIA which the ARABS had taken in his time.

And in the year eleven hundred and nineteen (A.D. 808) the famine waxed strong even among the wild
beasts, and they dragged the dead up out of their graves and devoured them, and they boldly attacked the
living. And the women and children who went out seeking for green herbs to eat were also devoured by the
wild beasts.

Then HARON, wishing to go down to PERSIA against a certain rebel, made his son MAHAMMAD king in
BAGHDAD, and he made KASIM, another son, king in SYRIA. MAMUN he took down with him to
KHORASAN, and he endowed him with ten million pieces of silver instead of the kingdom. And when

HARON arrived at the city of TUS (MASHAD), and had killed the rebel, he died there in the year eleven
hundred and twenty (A.D. 809), and at this time BOKHT-ISHO' the son of GEORGE, the Elamite physician,
became known (i.e. famous). And when the Khalifah HARON RASHID fell sick he sent and brought him
from ELAM. And when the physician entered the presence he blessed the king in Persian and Arabic. And
the king laughed, and summoned the other physicians that they might debate about his illness with him. And
ISA ABU KURAISH, the physician, said, 'My lord the king, have mercy upon us. There is among us no man
who is able to converse with this man, for he is a mine of words, and he and his father and [the men] of his
race are philosophers.’ And the Khalifah commanded secretly one of his eunuchs to bring there the urine of
some beast so that he might test therewith [the knowledge of] BOKHT-ISHO', and see whether he could
distinguish what it was or not. And when the eunuch brought the urine, and BOKHT-ISHO' had looked at it,
he said, 'This is not the urine of a man’. And the physician [ISA ABU] KURAISH contradicted him flatly
and said, 'Thou liest. It is the urine of one of the free women of the king." And BOKHT-ISHO' asserted with
great vehemence [what it was], and said to him, 'I tell thee, O honourable old man, never did a man produce
such urine as this. Look at the colour of it, and the substance and the smell, if thou hast any understanding.’
And the [ISA ABU] KURAISH said, 'What did the creature from which these waters came eat?' And
BOKHT-ISHO' replied, [134] 'Good fresh barley (or, grain) which was undamaged’. And the Khalifah
laughed, and he commanded [his servants to give him] apparel and much gold.

And after him arose his son GABRIEL, the son of BOKHT-ISHO’, the son of GIWARGIS, the son of
BOKHT-ISHO'. And he also was pre-eminent in the craft of the physician, and he ministered to HARON
RASHID. And it is related that one day one of the handmaidens who was beloved by the Khalifah had injured
herself, and when she lifted her hand up it became rigid like a piece of wood, and she was unable to bend it.
And the physicians laboured with a great array of ointments and bandages which they made for her, and they
did not benefit her in the slightest degree. Then the Khalifah summoned GABRIEL and repeated to him her
story. And GABRIEL said, 'I have here with me the means of healing her if thou wilt make her to come out
here before the crowd of people, and I may do to her what I wish, and thou wilt not be angry with me'. And
the Khalifah agreed, and had her brought out. And as soon as GABRIEL saw her he ran to meet her, and he
gripped her by the lower parts of her body as if he wished to uncover her shame. And by reason of her great
shamefacedness, the body of the maiden became hot (i.e. she blushed) and broke into a sweat, and her
members relaxed, and she stretched out her hand, which was hanging down above her, to her lower limbs,
and took hold of them, covering them with her hand. And straightway GABRIEL left her and he said to the
Khalifah, 'Behold she is now healed’. And the young woman herself stretched out her hand to the right and to
the left. And the Khalifah, and all those who were there, marvelled, and he commanded and [his servants]
gave GABRIEL five hundred thousand pieces of white money.

And when he stood up the Khalifah asked him about the cause [of the maiden's sickness], and GABRIEL
said, 'A certain delicate (or, refined) chyme (i.e. humour, or, juice) was poured into the members of this
maiden at the time of copulation. And because the motion of copulation suddenly ceaseth and becometh
quiscent, that chyme is bound up in the pores of the tendons which move the hand. And it doth not dissolve
itself except through the fiery heat which is evolved by movement which is violent.’ Now the salary (or,
income) of GABRIEL for one year was nine hundred thousand dinars. And when RASHID died GABRIEL
ministered to AMIN his son. And when AMIN was killed he ministered to MAMON his brother. At first
MAMON was angry with him and stripped him of all his possessions, and then he became reconciled with
him and gave back to him everything which he had taken from him. And he loved him and honoured him.

A certain man of the NESTORIANS who went to EGYPT saith concerning this GABRIEL, 'The
JACOBITES make a mock of NESTORIUS in EGYPT, and they heave stones on his grave, and say that rain
never falleth upon it, [135] and that it is burnt up by wrath'. And this NESTORIAN took a letter from the
Khalifah to the Governor of EGYPT [asking him] to send to him the bones of NESTORIUS in a coffin to

BAGHDAD, as he wished to bury them in the church of KHOKE. One of the NESTORIAN monks, wishing
to remove disgrace from the people of his district, and show that it was not [the grave of] NESTORIUS
which was mocked at and stoned by the JACOBITES, said, 'One of the holy Apostles said unto me in a
dream of the night, "This is a mistake. The bones of NESTORIUS are not there, and, moreover, no man
knoweth his grave." And in this wise GABRIEL the physician delayed in bringing the bones from EGYPT.

After HARON RASHID, MAHAMMAD AMIN, his son, [ruled] four years and seven months. This Khalifah
stopped the building of HERACLEIA, which his father was building, and he took up the treasures from
CALONICUS to BAGHDAD, and also the silver (money) of the people which MAMON, his brother, who
reigned in KHORASAN, [had collected].

In the year eleven hundred and twenty-one (A.D. 810) AMIN and MAMON began to quarrel with each other,
and the beginning of the evil lay with AMIN. For he was a lascivious man and luxurious, and a riotous liver,
and he did not give to his brother the money which his father had granted to him; moreover, he held his
brother in the greatest antipathy, and he sent men to follow him about in a crafty manner, so that he might
seize him. And MAMON, knowing his guile, did not come. Then many rebels appeared. [Among them] a
man whose name was 'OMAR, who, because of the murders which he had committed in SAMOSATA, was
shut up in prison in CALONICUS. He killed the warder of the prison, and fled to SAMOSATA. He killed the
Amir through whom he was put in prison. He robbed the merchants. He collected a gang and began to waylay
travellers, and to kill and rob in PALESTINE. And he destroyed the army which came against him with
SULAIMAN, the captain of the host. And another rebel who was in ARMENIA, whose name was NASIR,
came to 'OMAR, and he made a bond with him, and they began to destroy the world. Then AMIN sent 'ALI,
the captain of the host, with thirty thousand men against his brother MAMON, and MAMON sent TAHIR,
the captain of the host, with four thousand men. And they met each other on the river of BALKH, and 'ALI
was defeated, and the greater number of his troops were drowned in the river.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Kings of the Arabs (continued).

And in the year eleven hundred and twenty-two (A.D. 811) NICEPHOR, king [136] of the RHOMAYE, went
against the BULGARAYE, and he captured their royal city, and 'opened' it and destroyed it. And they killed
many people, and they also laid out their children upon the ground, and crushed them to death under heavy
waggons. And in that year NICEPHOR was killed by a certain RHOMAYA.

And in the year eleven hundred and twenty-three (A.D. 812) NASIR and 'AMAR (sic) the rebels met
together, and they passed over into GAZARTA. And they killed without mercy those who were with them,
and they plundered and robbed, and they committed fornication with men's wives, and with virgins, and also
idle men. And having encamped against HARRAN and taken it, the ARABS who were in EDESSA wrote to
the rebels, saying, that if they would send some one who would destroy the ciborium of the church of the
Christians, they would give [them] all their gold for the benefit of their church. And because 'ABU JA'AFAR
had already overthrown the wall of EDESSA, the citizens of EDESSA were greatly afraid. And they decreed
a fast, and they kept vigils and [prayed] prayers. Then God put it into the heart of the old man YAHYAH, the
son of SA'ID, and he departed and went to NASIR and 'AMAR (sic) the rebels, and he advised them to go
away. And they accepted the counsel of the old man, and they took the five thousand zuze which the men of
EDESSA gave them and departed. And in [this] year, on the fourteenth day of the month of 'TYAR (MAY),
there was a total eclipse of the sun for two hours, and the stars became visible, and men lighted lamps. Then
the sun showed itself for about one hour in the west.

And in the year eleven hundred and twenty-four (A.D. 813) those rebels captured the TARSEK YANE, and
the BETH ZABIRAYE, and the BAMARAYE, and they found in a small monastery which was outside the
village of HADIS a blessed man, an ascetic. And they demanded from him everything which he had with
him, both his own property and that which belonged to others; and when he cast them out they burnt him and
his dwelling-place (or, cell). And 'AMAR went to SAMOSATA, and he [re]built its fortress and dwelt therein.
And NASIR went to SERUGH and he made it to produce tribute for him. And whilst these things were being
done among the ARABS, things like unto them were being done among the RHOMAYE. For NICEPHOR
having been killed, his son STAWRIKI reigned. And after five months the BULGARAYE came against the
royal city, and they caused STAWRIKI to be smitten on his body and he died. And MICHAEL, his daughter's
husband, reigned one year. And some say that his sister PROCOPIA blinded him so that MICHAEL, her
husband, might reign. And again the BULGARAYE went in, [137] but he did not wish to go out and fight
with them. Then zeal laid hold upon LEO the Patrician, and he went forth and made war on the
BULGARAYE and defeated them; and he killed their king. And he went and seized MICHAEL, and he
shaved his head and placed him in a monastery, and he castrated his sons. And he himself reigned seven years
and a half. And he made peace with the BULGARAYE, and gave to them the salt marsh about which they
were fighting.

And in the year eleven hundred and twenty-five (A.D. 814) NASIR seized RISH KIPA, and SERUGH and
KHISHUM, and he built three walls for KHISHUM. And ABU SHAIKH built the wall of EDESSA at the
expense of the citizens of EDESSA. Then 'ABD ALLAH, the son of HISHAM, seized HARRAN, and
"AMAR took TELLA, and HUBIB took RISH 'AINA, and 'ABD ALLAH [took] MARDE, and 'ABBAS
[took] KUROS (SRU?), and 'OTHMAN [took] KENNESHRIN, and ANTIOCH, and APAMEA. And
THABITH set up two gates in the mountain pass of CILICIA, and he established guards, so that the district
of CILICIA might be a haven of safety to those who were being persecuted and to the poor. And HUSAIN,
the captain of the host, meditating rebellion against king AMIN, said to the PERSIANS, 'AMIN is an ally of
the ARABS, and a hater of the PERSIANS’. And he made a company of them (i.e. the PERSIANS), and they
went against AMIN, and they cast fetters of iron on him and shut him up in prison. And HUSAIN went out
and sat on the Bridge of BAGHDAD, and he summoned his troops to submit to MAMON. Then from the
prison AMIN sent gifts to HUSAIN so that his life and properties only might be given to him. Then
HUSAIN, and the PERSIANS, though it was grievous unto them, released him and set him upon his throne.
And he swore to HUSAIN that he would not impute to him folly, and he also gave to him his ring. Now
HUSAIN did not believe him, but fled to HARTAMA, the captain of the host of MAMON. And NASIR the
rebel collected all the ARABS who worshipped wooden idols, and they came to CALONICUS, and they
camped in the churches of the Christians, and forced them to bear the burden of the expenses. And they
afflicted RAPEKAH with war. And CYRIACUS the Patriarch and THEODOSIUS of EDESSA were in the
city, and through the famine they ate bread made of rice and vegetables. And afterwards they made a peace
which was no peace, since the 'AKULLAYE made themselves masters of CALONICUS and the PERSIANS
of RAPEKAH.

And in that same year when MAMON saw that many were in doubt about AMIN [138] his brother, he sent
the captains of the host HARTAMA and TAHIR to BAGHDAD. And the men of BAGHDAD were divided
into two parties, and schism fell on the whole city. And they used to go into the treasuries of the kings and
steal the gold and apparel, and they robbed each other, and became accustomed to plundering. And because
there were no stones in BAGHDAD, they began to smash up the pillars of the churches and to hurl [the
pieces] from the engines of war. And when AMIN saw these things he sent HARTAMA to swear to him
concerning his life and property, and he swore to him. Now when TAHIR heard this he was wroth, and he set
watchers and they overtook AMIN in the night when he was fleeing on a raft (or, float). But AMIN threw
himself into the river and he swam away and escaped, and hid himself in the house of a peasant. And being
found there he was killed, and his head was stuck upon a spear, and was taken round about through
BAGHDAD on the First Day of the Week, on the fifth day of the month MUHARRAM,, in the year one
hundred and ninety-eight of the HAGARAYE (or, Muslims, A.D. 813).

After AMIN, MAMON his brother [ruled] twenty years and a half. This Khalifah sent and had HARTAMA,
the captain of the host, brought to him in KHORASAN—now it was he who had sworn to AMIN—and he
killed him. And the companions of HARTAMA burned with fury, and they went to BALANI
(BALANASH?), and killed the man who had killed him. And MAMON commanded and he impaled them.

Then NASIR collected the KAISAYE (i.e. wood-worshippers?), and he went against the TANUKAYE who
were encamped on the river KAWWAIK in ALEPPO. And they made war on them for ten days. And the
TANUKAYE were unequal to them, and they marched away by night, both men and women, to
KENNESHRIN. And the KAISAYE and the men of ALEPPO went and captured their great warehouses
which were full of rich [stuffs] and all kinds of merchandise. And as a little while before they had been
stripped naked of their Faith, so now they went forth from their riches bare and naked.

And after these things TAHIR, the captain of the host of MAMON, arrived with four thousand PERSIANS at
CALONICUS, and he chased the rebels. And he increased the tribute and gifts to be paid, even more than the

rebels, and he treated the men of SERUGH and EDESSA so evily that his companions gathered together to
kill him, because he withheld from them their proper share. And when he perceived this, he cast himself
down from the wall and fled to CALONICUS. And in the morning, when his comrades perceived this, they
were afraid lest NASIR should overtake them, and they also fled. [139] And the citizens of EDESSA were
freed from heavy taxes.

Then NASIR descended on the PERSIANS who were partizans of TAHIR, and fifty by fifty, and hundred by
hundred [his men] seized them and slaughtered them as if they had been sheep. And the rebels NASIR and
'AMAR went up against EDESSA to plunder it, and they made cruel war upon it. And the PERSIANS and
the citizens went up on the wall and fought, and even the women carried up stones for the fight, and water for
the fighting men to drink. And those who were unable to go up [on the walls] bowed themselves in prayer,
and of these 'I was one’, saith the Patriarch MAR DIONYSIUS of TALL MAHRE. 'And the Lord spared [us],
and smote 'AMAR, and the rebels departed.'

And when the men of BAGHDAD saw the strength of the rebels, and as MAMON was far away, they
brought his uncle, that is to say IBRAHIM, the son of MAHDI, and made him king. Then HASAN, the
captain of the host of MAMON, who had gone away to AKULA from the disturbance, made ready for war
with the men of BAGHDAD. And TAHIR, who received the rebels into his house in CALONICUS, gave
gifts to some of them, and made others rulers over districts. He made IBRAHIM, the KORAISHITE,
governor in HARRAN. Whilst this man was walking about in his upper chamber in HARRAN, he saw some
new buildings. And when he asked the ARABS who were round about him [what they were], they said unto
him, 'They are the churches which the Christians have built in thy days, and therefore the Muslims are
offended with thee'. Then he was wroth and he commanded the demolition of the new churches. And before
the sun set they had rooted up the altar of our great church which is in HARRAN, and that of the God-bearer
which is in KUBA, and a small portion of the temple of MAR GEORGE, and other temples of the churches
of the CHALCEDONIANS, and the NESTORIANS, and the JEWS. And during the night, when he was
sleeping, God made him tremble in a dream, and in the morning he summoned the Christians and told them
to build up what had been overthrown. And in a few days they rebuilt everything which had been damaged.
And this IBRAHIM permitted the heathen of HARRAN to perform their mysteries openly, and at length they
arrived at such a pitch of boldness that they decked out an ox in costly apparel, and gave him a crown of
flowers, and they hung little bells on his horns, and they walked him round about the bazars whilst [men
sang] songs and [played] pipes; and in this manner they offered him up as a sacrifice to their gods.

TAHIR made 'ABD AL-'ALA governor in EDESSA, and he oppressed the people cruelly with taxation. And
when [140] the people of EDESSA complained to him about what they suffered from those who were
quartered in their houses, he replied, 'In the time of the RHOMAYE ye enjoyed yourselves in this land, whilst
our fathers were wandering about in arid deserts and pasturing camels in the cold which shrivelled their
bodies and heat which burnt them up. And now that we have made this land habitable by our sword, why do
ye find it difficult to deliver it over to us?' Thereupon the citizens of EDESSA went out sad and sorry. And
TAHIR built the wall between CALONICUS and RAPEKAH, and made himself strong. And he devoted
himself to the reading and explanation and conversation of the philosophers.

And in the year eleven hundred and thirty (A.D. 819) MAMON came from KHORASAN to BAGHDAD,
and IBRAHIM his uncle fled and hid himself, and the men of BAGHDAD greeted their lord peacefully. And
in the year eleven hundred and thirty-two (A.D. 821) MAMON sent TAHIR to KHORASAN to govern it,
and he magnified 'ABD ALLAH his son, and appointed him in his father's place. Then NASIR the rebel
became strong (or, prevailed) and he sold the fortress of BETH BALASH. And he collected his troops and
came down to HANI, the river which is near CALONICUS. And when 'ISA came out, the people of the
bazars being with him, NASIR killed them all and plundered and took possession of the villages.

Then MAMON sent against him SHABIB, a mighty man of war, and seven thousand chosen PERSIANS, and
they met (i.e. attacked) NASIR, and the ARABS who were with him turned their backs (i.e. fled). And the
PERSIANS began to rob the poor shopkeepers, and they ate and drank and boasted themselves as if they had
defeated the rebel. Then NASIR came back upon them, and the PERSIANS were broken through fear. When
SHABIB saw that he had failed, he wished to depart secretly by night to ANTIOCH. NASIR perceived [this]
and pursued him, and he cut off about three thousand of the PERSIANS who were with him and captured all
of them. And SHABIB, together with a few men, fled to BAGHDAD. And NASIR came and laid an ambush
in the villages that were on the river SAGUR, that is to say the SHOGRA which is by MABBOGH. And
when all the men went forth to their work, they fell upon them and killed both men and women. And many of
the peasants and the poor folk having gone up to the monastery of BORIM, he set fire to it, and some of
them. were burned to death. And of those who cast themselves down and fell and were dashed to pieces, he
cut off the heads and carried them with him to SEROGH.

When MAMON heard these things he sent 'ABD ALLAH, [141] the son of TAHIR, with twenty thousand
men, and he attacked BALASH, and he made fierce war upon it, and breached the wall. And he went in and
seized the rebels who were partisans of NASIR, and he cast fetters on them and sent them to BAGHDAD.
Then NASIR on the borders of SERUGH slew both the Christians and the PERSIANS.

In the year eleven hundred and thirty-three (A.D. 822) LEO recovered his strength and killed many of the
nobles. And the RHOMAYE pondered in their minds about him and decided to kill him, and to appoint
MICHAEL, the captain of the host, [in his stead]. And when LEO perceived this he sent and seized
MICHAEL. And he made ready to crucify him on the Friday of the Crucifixion, but his wife entreated that he
should not be killed on that day. Then LEO (MICHAEL?) sent to the governors (or, nobles), saying, ' If ye do
not save me, I will make it known that all of you are participators in the treachery’. And the nobles being thus
coerced leaped upon the king as he was standing at the altar praying, and they killed him. And they brought
out MICHAEL and made him king.

When this man had reigned four years, THEKLA his wife died, and he sent and brought out from the nunnery
the grand-daughter of CONSTANTINE and took her to wife. And when she bore to him a son, being a grand-
daughter of EIRENE, the queen, she was very anxious to bring the boy up [free] from the influence of the
JEWS, but she only schemed and killed her own son. For the priest of this MICHAEL was a JEW, and he
believed and was baptized.

At this time MAMON called THAOMA, the man who had declared that he himself was the son of
CONSTANTINE the king, and sent him with an army against CONSTANTINOPLE. And he came and
pitched his tent by [that city] and afflicted it for six months. And being urged to do so, MICHAEL, the king,
promised the Arab prisoners that he would send them back, if they would fight against THAOMA. And when
the RHOMAYE went forth with the ARABS they broke the army which was with THAOMA. He, however,
fled to a fortress, but he was captured, and his hands and feet were cut off, and he was impaled on a spear.
Now MICHAEL went back on his promise, and did not release the Arab prisoners.

And in the year eleven hundred and thirty-five (A.D. 824), in the month of TESHRIN, (OCTOBER), TAHIR
encamped against KHISHOM, and he set up there engines of war which could hurl stones each large enough
to form an ass's load. Now KHISHUM had five walls and [an outer] wall. Then NASIR commanded that the
Christian women [142] should go up [on the walls] carrying their children, and should weep and entreat [the
attackers] that they might not be stoned with stones. Now BAR-TAHIR, being a compassionate man.
commanded that they should not cast stones into the city, but should smite the wall only. Then NASIR
opened the gate of the city, and he sent his three sons, and two hundred loads of fine flour, and three hundred
loads of barley, and five hundred sheep, and ten mules, and ten slaves, and three concubines, and three

eunuchs, and said, 'In the morning I myself will come'. Then BAR-TAHIR commanded the young men and
said 'Get ye in to your kinsfolk so that they may not be anxious'; and in the morning NASIR went forth, and
he walked from a distance on foot. And he drew nigh, and bowed low, and kissed the foot and the hand of
BAR-TAHIR. Then BAR-TAHIR also came down, and the two of them sat down together, and they talked to
each other secret (i.e. privately). Then BAR-TAHIR commanded NASIR, and he stood up, and entered the
city, pretending that after twenty days he would go to BAR-TAHIR at CALONICUS. And BAR-TAHIR in
his simplicity believed him. And taking with him MANSUR, the son of NASIR, he marched to SAMOSATA,
and seized the rebel who was there. And NASIR began to build up and to fortify KHISHUM. And he sent a
message to BAR-TAHIR, saying. 'I have prepared myself for war with thee, and as for my son MANSUR, do
not only shut him up in prison in BAGHDAD, but roast him in the fire and eat [him].

Then in the month of AB (AUGUST), BAR-TAHIR again pitched his tent by KHISHUM, and he waged
fierce war against it. And NASIR did not let any man weep for the dead. And when the fighting waxed fierce,
and the outer wall had been breached, NASIR again made the Christian women to go up on the top of the
wall carrying their children and weeping. And BAR-TAHIR had compassion on them, and he stopped the
fighting. And the troops built houses for the winter and sat down there. And the famine waxed severe in the
city until the head of a donkey was sold for ten zuze. Then NASIR was smitten with sorrow, and he went out
confidently to BAR-TAHIR, and he and his companions, mounted on mules, were carried to BAGHDAD.
And this deliverance from rebels took place in the month of 'ADHAR (MARCH), in the year eleven hundred
and thirty-six (A.D. 825).

And in the same year about thirty thousand men of BASRA sat (i.e. embarked) in ships, and sailed against the
men of BAHRAIN, who were robbing the ships which came from [143] INDIA and CHINA and PERSIA.
And when they arrived at the country of BAHRAIN they fell into the depth of the sea (i.e. they were carried
out to sea), because they did not know where the entrances (i.e. ports) were. And the men of BAHRAIN went
out against them in small boats (or, on rafts), and they sunk all the men of BOSRA.

And at that time MAMON shut up in prison four KURAISHITE chiefs who were plotting a rebellion against
him. They had banded themselves secretly with certain men who were to set fire to the bazar of the citadel,
and when the king went out to the place where the fire was, they were to kill him. And when MAMON
became acquainted with the plot, he sent by night and killed the KURAISHITES, and in the morning he hung
their bodies on wooden posts. And he also seized his uncle IBRAHIM, and when he saw that he was an old
man he permitted him to live. This man learnt the art of playing the lyre, and he used to buy young men and
maidens and sell [them] and live.

And at this time the two rebels, SARI and GAURI, seized EGYPT, and they collected gold as [if it was as
common as] stones. And having died, their sons became [governors]: 'UBAID, the son of SARI, over
FOSTAT and the southern side, and 'AHMAD, the son of GAURI, over the northern quarter.

And in the year eleven hundred and thirty-seven (A.D. 826) BAR-TAHIR came to 'ARISH, and 'AHMAD
went out and received from him a word (i.e. pledge) for the safety of the property of his father GAURI, who,
when he was dying, said, 'I am revered by the country in proportion to the [amount of] gold which I bring
into it!' 'UBAID, however, resisted (or, rebelled), because the number of his troops was eighty thousand.
Then BAR-TAHIR encamped against FOSTAT in the month of NISAN (APRIL), and he blocked up the
roads which brought in food by sea (i.e. the river NILE) and by land. Then 'UBAID begged for a word (i.e.
pledge) concerning his life and property, and he went forth to BAR-TAHIR, and they made peace and ate and
drank together. And in the year eleven hundred and thirty-eight (A.D. 827) BAR-TAHIR encamped against
ALEXANDRIA, for the sons of ANDALOS had taken it, and they had expelled the Christians and the JEWS
and sat down in their houses. And after nine months, during which he had affiicted the ALEXANDRIANS

with war and hunger, he subjugated them. Fifty (or I five?) of their population he sent to CALONICUS and
the rest departed to their own country. And he subjugated AFRICA also, and appointed two of their own
righteous men to be their chiefs.

And in the year eleven hundred and forty (A.D. 829) MICHAEL, the king of the RHOMAYE, died, and
THEOPHILUS his son reigned [in his stead]. Now four years before the death of his father [144] the crown
had been put on his head. For from the time when THEKLA, his [MICHALEL's] wife, died, and he took
another [woman], he neither placed the crown [on his head] nor sat upon the royal throne, for no twice-
married man can reign over the RHOMAYE. Now as for the second wife whom he took from a nunnery,
when he died she again shaved her head and went into a nunnery.

At this time the KURDANAYE people, who were Muslims, rebelled against the ARABS, because there had
appeared to them a king, the [long-]expected MAHDI. This man threw a covering over his face, and he called
himself 'CHRIST' and the 'HOLY GHOST". And crowds of people gathered together about him, and he
fortified a camp in the mountains of the country of the KARDEWAYE. And even MAMON trembled before
him, and he sent HASAN, the captain of the host, against him, and HASAN captured him in TUR 'ABDIN,
whilst he was plundering the monastery of KARTAMIN. And the KORDANAYE were broken, and the
MARDI fled to the country of ISAAC BAR-'AHUD, the ARMENIAN. And ISAAC caught him and cut off
his head.

Then the KORDANAYE gathered together again, and they encamped against the fortress of ISAAC, whilst
he was making ready outside it. And those who were in the fortress trembled greatly. Then when the monk,
the brother of ISAAC'S wife, saw that the KORDANAYE were about to enter the fortress, he took a spear,
and cast himself from the wall, and made his way straight to the chief of the KORDANAYE, and drove the
spear into him and killed him; and he went [back] into the fortress in peace (i.e. unharmed). And when the
night came those who were inside the fortress had no other hope left except in weeping and making humble
prayers to God that He would deliver them. And that pious woman, the wife of ISAAC, passed the whole
night in casting her son, who was sucking, before the Lord, weeping and tearful. And at the time of dawn
ISAAC arrived with his valiant troops. And the KORDANAYE, who had turned their backs to flee, were
impeded (or, stopped) by the snow. And in this wise the greater number of them were destroyed and slain,
and the few who escaped set up a chief [called] 'HARON', and 'ALI killed him. And after him [arose]
BABEK, a cattle keeper. And many of them fled to THEOPHILUS, king of the RHOMAYE. And the
BULGARAYE also were subject to him. And he collected the BULGARAYE and went forth and encamped
against ZUBATRA, and 'opened' it. And he killed the men who were therein, and he carried off the wives and
virgins, and he burnt the town and returned. And the ARABS built it up again.

And after one year 'AMANU'IL the Patrician rebelled [145] against THEOPHILA, and he came to MAMON
and incited him to invade the territory of the RHOMAYE. And MAMON invaded it in the month of
HAZIRAN (JUNE) and captured four fortresses in CAPPADOCIA. And in the month of 'TYAR (MAY), in
the year eleven hundred and forty-two (A.D. 831), he again invaded it and pitched his camp by the fortress of
LOLON (LULWAH?), but he was unable to master it. And after one year, when the inhabitants thereof had
been sore afflicted with hunger, they surrendered 'UJAIR. And 'AMANU'IL the Patrician abandoned the
ARABS and turned to THEOPHILUS. Then MAMON was wroth, and he swore that he would go in and
trample upon (or, crush) the RHOMAYE. And when THEOPHILUS heard [this] he was afraid, and he sent a
message to MAMON concerning peace, and saying that he would pay tribute. And MAMON replied, 'I will
make peace on the following condition, that is to say that ye proclaim me your king. And as for the amount of
the tribute, whether it be large or whether it be small, I shall not complain.’ when THEOPHILUS heard these
things he held his peace, and did not reply further.

And MAMON went to CILICIA. And there came to him a certain impostor who said that he was 'of the stock
of kings’. And MAMON received him, and he commanded JOB, the Patriarch of the CHALCEDONIANS,
and he prayed over him, and he made him a king, and bound the crown on him. And when he had lived in the
camp of the RHOMAYE for two years, and none of them had come to him, he became a Muslim through
'ABU-ESHAK, the son of MAMON. And the bishops gathered together to the Patriarch JOB who had
appointed him, and they excommunicated him.

And in the year eleven hundred and forty-three (A.D. 832) MAMON went against EGYPT, and with him was
MAR DIONYSIUS the Patriarch. And he found that the NILE was frozen over—a thing which had never
before been heard of. And in the month of 'T'YAR (MAY) MAMON invaded the territory of the RHOMAYE,
and he had with him his two sons MU'TASIM and 'ABBAS. And he gathered together workmen for the
[re]building of TUANA, which had been destroyed by the ARABS, and there he fell sick and died on the
fourth day of the week (Wednesday), on the eighth day of the fourth month of the two hundred and eighteenth
year of the HAGARAYE (ARABS), and he was buried at TARSUS in CILICIA (A.D. 833).

After MAMON, MU'TASIM his son [ruled] eight years and eight months. When MAMON died there was a
violent dispute among the ARABS for three days, as to which of his two sons was to reign. And when they
were all assembled suddenly the curtain of the door was raised, and 'ABBAS went out and said, 'The
kingdom belongs to MU'TASIM, therefore [146] pray ye for the preservation of his life'; and then peace came
on the camp. And having burnt the building of TUANA, and the entrances of the building, and the passage,
MU'TASIM went down to BAGHDAD, and the nobles went out to meet him, although they were displeased
with him because of his severity.

And when he was firmly established in the kingdom, he began to build magnificent buildings for his abode,
and he constructed lakes of water and paradises for his pleasure. He was very luxurious in his personal habits,
and he devoted himself to the drinking of wine. And when he saw the ZUTAYE pirates who infested the bays
(or, gulfs) which the rivers of the EUPHRATES and TIGRIS were eroding in the shores, whom the soldiers
were unable to cope with because they fought in small boats (or, on floats), he sent for the EGYPTIANS
whom he had brought back as captives, and who were accustomed [to fighting] in the water, for they could
dive like fish. And they smote the ZUTAYE with spears suddenly (or, unexpectedly), and they split asunder.
And thus the ZUTAYE were defeated, and they and their kinsfolk were seized, and they perished in prison in
BAGHDAD.

At this time there appeared a huge fish in the SEA OF BAHRAIN, and he was about a mile long. He had
troubled the sea for three months, and those who dived for pearls were unable to descend into the sea. Then
God sent a small fish, and it entered his ear and killed him. And he was washed about by the waves and cast
up out [of the water]. The fire could not cook his flesh, but [the people] dried him in the sun and pounded [his
flesh] and ate [him]. And at this time they brought to 'ABD ALLAH BAR-TAHIR, the governor of
KHORASAN, a youth who had been brought forth by his mother that year; and he had arrived at the stature
of a man, and the hair of puberty had sprouted. A matter which was unnatural!

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Kings of the Arabs (continued).

And in the year eleven hundred and forty-six (A.D. 835) there was a flood of the river ZUBATRA by night,
and it undermined the wall and invaded the houses; and three thousand of the people were drowned in their
houses. And there was also a flood of the river TIGRIS and it destroyed houses in BAGHDAD.

And in the same year a command went forth, and at the dawn of the Sunday of the Resurrection the
MAHGRAYE (Muslims) destroyed the temples of MAR GEORGE of KHOKE and MAR AHUDEMEH,
under the pretence that they had been recently built. And OMAR, governor, of MELITENE, made a raid into
the territory of the RHOMAYE, and THEOPHILA the king met him. At first the RHOMAYE defeated the
ARABS, but subsequently the ARABS gained the upper hand and the RHOMAYE fled. And the ARABS
entered the fortified camp (fosaton) of the king, and looted [147] even his bed and his apparel.

And in the year eleven hundred and forty-seven (A.D. 836) MU'TASIM sent a message to the king of the
NEBADIS, that is to say the NUBIANS, [ordering him] to send tribute according to ancient use and wont,
and [telling him] that if he did not send [it] he would dispatch an army against him. And when the envoy
arrived he found that the king of the NUBIANS was dead, and that a young man whose name was GIWARGI
(GEORGE), who on his mother's side was descended from the royal stock, had risen up, and that his father
ZECHARIAH was administering [the kingdom]. Then when ZECHARIAH saw that the ARABS were
powerful, he said to the envoy, 'It is true that it is our duty to give tribute annually, viz. three hundred and
sixty Moorish slaves, and baboons who can walk about and have been taught to imitate the ways and actions
of men, and ostriches, that is to say, giraffes (?), and bones (i.e. tusks) of elephants, and thongs of panther
skins. But it was the duty of the kings of the ARABS to send us tribute, such as a kur of wheat and rich
apparel, and that there should be to us a man who collecteth contributions from the NUBIANS who dwell in
the country of the ARABS. Now inasmuch as they (1.e. the ARABS) have cut off [their tribute], we also have
cut off [ours]. But because we have heard of the goodness of your king, and the greatness of his family, we
will not make conversation with an ambassador, but our new king shall go in person to do homage to him.'
Then the envoy quickly sent a message and informed MU'TASIM. And he replied, 'Let him come’. And he
commanded the prefects of EGYPT to go to meet him as far as the city of SWANI (ASWAN, SYENE),
which was on the frontier, and that when he came to FOSTAT he would give him as many camels as sufficed
for his baggage, and thirty dinars each day for his expenses. And in this wise did GIWARGI (GEORGE)
travel in the countries of the ARABS. He was mounted on a camel with a saddle, and above him was a
canopy (i.e. umbrella) covered with rich stuff which shaded him, and on his head was fixed a cross of gold,
and in one hand was a staff (or, sceptre). And young NUBIANS marched on his right hand and on his left.
And a bishop rode in front of him holding in his hands the redeeming Cross; and there were horsemen and
slaves round about him riding horses.

And when GEORGE came down to BAGHDAD, he rode through the bazars, and alighted at one of the royal
palaces. Then a certain NUBIAN, who used to collect the contribution (or, tax) of the NUBIANS who dwelt

in the country of the ARABS, and who had rebelled against the king of the NUBIANS, and had embraced
Islam, uttered calumnies concerning GIWARGI (GEORGE), saying, 'This man GIWARGI (GEOIIGE) is not
the son of a king, but is an impostor’. [148] And for this reason MU'TASIM left GIWARGI (GEORGE) in
BAGHDAD, from the month of SHEBHAT (FEBRUARY) until the month of AB (AUGUST)—until he had
sent to EGYPT and made inquiries. And when he was convinced that that rebel had spoken lies, and that
GIWARGI (GEORGE) was in truth a king, he sent to fetch him and made his troops to go to meet him; and
when GIWARGI (GEORGE) had entered [his presence] he made him to sit down before him and welcomed
him cordially. And he gave him abundant gifts, and sent him back again to his own country with honours.

And MAR DIONYSIUS, the Patriarch, saith, 'I was in BAGHDAD at that time, and after I had gone up to
MU'TASIM in the new city which he had built between the two rivers, the EUPHRATES and the TIGRIS, he
sent me, together with SULAIMAN his physician, to go and meet the king of the NUBIANS. And when I had
gone together with certain bishops and believing men, I saw an intelligent young man about twenty years old.
And he informed me through an interpreter about his orthodoxy, and how much he abhorred any mingling
with heretics. And on the First Day of the Week I offered up the Offering, and I made him to partake of It and
his people. For they had with them the sacred vessels and the treasured objects [used during the celebration]
of the Mysteries.’ At this time BABEK, the KHAWARAZMITE, who had rebelled against the ARABS in
PERSIA, and had killed tens of thousands of them, suffered defeat. NASIR, the captain of his host, fled with
many of his partisans to THEOPHILA and became Christians.

And in the year eleven hundred and forty-eight (A.D. 837) THEOPHILA again went forth to ZUBATRA, and
he destroyed mercilessly ARABS, CHRISTIANS, and JEWS alike. And he passed over into the country of
MELITENE, and spoiled and burned, and went and encamped against SAMOSATA. And some of the
RABIT'AYE ARABS, and some of the people of MELITENE, gathered together, and they went against the
RHOMAYE. And the ARABS were defeated, and four thousand of them fell, And THEOPHILA came back
to attack the men of MELITENE, and he threatened that if they did not surrender he would do to them as he
had done [to those] in ZUBATRA. Then the judges and the nobles went forth to him, and they presented gifts
to him, and they brought out the captive RHOMAYE who were in MELITENE, and he struck his camp and
departed, When BABEK, the Khawarazmite rebel, saw that his party was powerless, he loaded up his money
[on beasts] and fled together with four hundred of his men to the territory of the RHOMAYE, And when he
arrived in ARMENIA a certain nobleman whose name was ESTAPHANA flattered him and took him into his
house [149] ostensibly to pay him honour, but he cast fetters of iron on him. And when MU'TASIM heard
[this] he sent 'APSHIN, the captain of his host, with gifts for ESTAPHANA, and they took BABEK and
killed him. For this man had destroyed more than one hundred thousand of the soldiers of the ARABS.

And in the year eleven hundred forty-nine (A,D. 838) MU'TASIM went to the country of the RHOMAYE
from the fortress of TARSOS with twenty thousand men; and he sent 'APSHIN, the captain of his host, with
thirty thousand men by another side. And when MU'TASIM arrived at NICAEA, he found it empty, and he
pulled down its wall. And from there he came to ANCYRA; and there, too, he found no one, because the
people had fled to the great city of 'AMURIN, and he pulled down the wall of ANCYRA.

Then THEOPHILA came against 'APSHIN, and he destroyed about three thousand of the ARABS. And God,
praise be to His goodness! straightway sent a violent rainstorm. And when THEOPHILA withdrew himself to
one side with two thousand [men], the rest of the RHOMAYE thought that the king had been killed, and they
fled to CONSTANTINOPLE. And when the rain stopped and the atmosphere became clear, the numerous
troops of the ARABS surrounded the two thousand men of THEOPHILA, but they were unable to do them
any harm until they had brought engines of war so that they might hurl stones on them, And the RHOMAYE
leaped out, killing and being killed, and they broke through the ranks of the ARABS and went out. And
because the evening overtook them, the RHOMAYE kindled lights, during the night round about their camp,

and they marched hurriedly to 'AMURIN. And forthwith there came an envoy from the mother of
THEOPHILUS who said, 'The RHOMAYE who have come have reported that thou art killed, and they wish
to appoint [another] king; haste thee, come’.

Then THEOPHILA set in motion the army of 'AMURIN, and he commanded and its gates were shut and he
left it as on the edge of a razor; and he went to CONSTANTINOPLE and killed the nobles who wished to
appoint a king, Then MU'TASIM, not being pleased with his entrance, was sorry and said, 'We have not done
well in coming in here’; and he set his face to go forth. Then 'AHMAD, a confidant of his, said, 'It is not
seemly for a king like thyself to go out in an empty manner. Behold, the city of 'AMURIN is not far from us,
let us go and take it’. And having come against it MU'TASIM raised up [150] mounds round about it. And
whilst those who were outside [the wall] were stoning those who were inside [it], those who were inside were
slaying those who came near the wall with the blocks of stone which they were detaching from it. And the
three-footed stands covered with hides did not in the least degree benefit the men who were digging holes (or,
trenches) under the wall. In three days, on the two sides, thousands died. Then, when those outside the wall
saw a damaged part of the wall, they collected engines of war in front of it and in two days they breached it.
And those who were inside collected about the rent in the wall, and they added to the number of the slain
among those who were outside the wall, and they were unable to go in. Now the RHOMAYE demanded to be
allowed to go out to him, and THEOPHILA permitted them [to do so]. And the bishop and three nobles went
out, and they asked permission to evacuate the city and to depart. But MU'TASIM hardened his heart,
because very many of his men had been killed, and he would not accept [their entreaty].

And when they turned back to go in [to the city], one of the nobles whose name was BODIN turned to
MU'TASIM and received a word (i.e.pledge) concerning those who belonged to him, and he said, 'I will hand
over the city easily'. And the king of the ARABS gave him ten thousand darics. And when BODIN went in
he restrained the warriors who were inside fighting, saying, 'Ye have killed enough ARABS by the breach in
the wall. We are captured. Therefore, hold your hands. Peradventure he will show mercy upon us.' And in this
wise the ARABS entered the city. And they seized 'AETIS the Patrician, and EUPARKA, and BODIN who
betrayed the city, and they destroyed heaps, heaps [of the people]. And the command went forth that the
ARABS should kill no more, but should make captives among the population, and then loot the city. And
when they had enslaved the people and looted [the houses] they set fire to the city. There were very many
churches, and nunneries (or, monasteries) in the city, and one thousand virgins went out in captivity, besides
those who were killed.

And when the captives were assembled together, the king saw that the crowd was very large, and the king
commanded and four thousand of the people were killed. And when the soldiers began to tear the boys and
girls from their mothers, an outcry from the mothers rose up. When the king heard this he was indignant, and
he rose up in a fury and leaped on a horse, and with his own hand he killed three men who were in the hands
of the slaves who met him. And forthwith they gathered together the mass of captives, and some of them
MU'TASIM gave to the captains of the troops, and some to the TURKAYE his slaves, and some they sold to
merchants. When a whole house (1.e. family) was sold the sons were not separated from [their] fathers. And
the ARABS [151] wondered about that terrible breach in the wall more than the RHOMAYE, because they
said that it was written with them (i.e. in their books) that when 'AMURIN was opened up by them (i.e.
conquered) their kingdom would end.

And whilst MU'TASIM was occupied with the destruction of 'AMURIN, 'ABBAS BAR-MAMON his

brother, and 'UJAIP, the captain of the host, concocted a plan to kill him. And their treachery was revealed by
a certain scribe, a Nestorian physician. And the king bound them in fetters, and mounted them on camels, and
he marched away from 'AMURIN. Then 'ABBAS died of thirst on the road at MABBUGH. And MU'TASIM

wrote to the countries that'ABBAS BAR-MAMON was to be held accursed, because he wished to hand over
to the RHOMAYE the whole camp of the ARABS.

And when THEOPH1LA saw what the ARABS had done in 'AMURIN, he blamed himself because it was he
who was the first to begin [the war] with the destruction of ZUBATRA. And he sent gifts and presents to
MU'TASIM with BASILIOS, the noble of KARSHENA and a letter of affection, and he asked 'AETIS the
Patncian, who was a prisoner with the ARABS, to give it himself to the Arab prisoners. And he wrote another
letter [full] of threats and abuse, that BASILIOS might give to MU'TASIM if he did not wish for peace. And
when MU'TASIM received the letter of peace he asked them to give him together with the [other] Arab
prisoners NASIR the KURD, and 'AMANU'ILL the Patrician, who had come to the ARABS and had fled
promptly. And when BASILIOS replied, 'It is impossible’, he said to him, 'Very well then, prepare for war'.
Then BASILIOS gave him the letter of threats. And when it had been read to him MU'TASIM was furious,
and he sent back the gifts of THEOPHILA by the envoy.

And he sent [an order] to 'ABU SA'ID to make raids in one direction, and to BASHIR, the Satrap, and the
sons of the desert, to do the same in another direction. And whilst BASHIR was raiding, NASIR and the
KURDS overtook him and delivered the captives. Then came 'ABU SA'ID, and the ARABS gained the upper
hand, and they killed NASIR and many of the KURDAYE. And they collected many heads and salted them,
and they brought them out to the desert. And when the women of the desert went forth to meet their husbands
who had returned ostensibly with victory, and to delight themselves over the heads of the KURDAYE, they
recognized that most of the heads were the heads of their own husbands, and that they were the heads of
KURDAYE who, before they (the KURDAYE) were defeated, had been killed by the ARABS. And their joy
was turned to grief. [152] Then MU'TASIM rejoiced that NASIR was killed, and he gave to BASHIR a
hamnikha (i.e. torque) of gold for his neck.

And in the year eleven hundred and fifty-one (A.D. 840), on the sixth [day] of the month of NISAN (APRIL),
a red sign appeared in the north[ern sky]. And there were violent rains and a flood, which wrought great
havoc in HARRAN. And in the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE) there was a terrible earthquake in 'ARZAN-
AL-RUM, and eighteen towers fell down from the wall, and about two hundred souls died. And in the month
of TAMMUZ (JULY) fire fell both in BAGHDAD and in BASRA, at the same hour and on the same day, and
more than five thousand shops were burnt in BAGHDAD. And on the same day a city in KHORASAN was
overturned, and it buried its inhabitants, and it became a mound of dust. And a day later a part of the mound
split off and there came forth from it a man and a donkey alive. And on the fourteenth day of the month of
ILUL (SEPTEMBER) there appeared in the east[ern sky] the similitude of a cloud, and it moved on towards
the north, until [it came to] the west. And the upper side of it was red like blood, and its lower parts were like
a figure of the moon, and thus the light shone the whole night on material objects, and walls, both large and
small, and houses. And at this time the RHOMAYE came by sea to the harbour of ANTIOCH, and they
robbed the merchants, and enslaved the population. And MU'TASIM commanded, and a fort was built inside
the harbour.

And he sent [an order] to 'ABU SA'ID to make raids in one direction, and to BASHIR, the Satrap, and the
sons of the desert, to do the same in another direction. And whilst BASHIR was raiding, NASIR and the
KURDS overtook him and delivered the captives. Then came 'ABU SA'ID, and the ARABS gained the upper
hand, and they killed NASIR and many of the KURDAYE. And they collected many heads and salted them,
and they brought them out to the desert. And when the women of the desert went forth to meet their husbands
who had returned ostensibly with victory, and to delight themselves over the heads of the KURDAYE, they
recognized that most of the heads were the heads of their own husbands, and that they were the heads of
KURDAYE who, before they (the KURDAYE) were defeated, had been killed by the ARABS. And their joy

was turned to grief. [152] Then MU'TASIM rejoiced that NASIR was killed, and he gave to BASHIR a
hamnikha (i.e. torque) of gold for his neck.

And in the year eleven hundred and fifty-one (A.D. 840), on the sixth [day] of the month of NISAN (APRIL).
ared sign appeared in the north[ern sky]. And there were violent rains and a flood, which wrought great
havoc in HARRAN. And in the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE) there was a terrible earthquake in 'ARZAN-
AL-RUM, and eighteen towers fell down from the wall, and about two hundred souls died. And in the month
of TAMMUZ (JULY) fire fell both in BAGHDAD and in BASRA, at the same hour and on the same day, and
more than five thousand shops were burnt in BAGHDAD. And on the same day a city in KHORASAN was
overturned, and it buried its inhabitants, and it became a mound of dust. And a day later a part of the mound
split off and there came forth from it a man and a donkey alive. And on the fourteenth day of the month of
ILUL (SEPTEMBER) there appeared in the east[ern sky] the similitude of a cloud, and it moved on towards
the north, until [it came to] the west. And the upper side of it was red like blood, and its lower parts were like
a figure of the moon, and thus the light shone the whole night on material objects, and walls, both large and
small, and houses. And at this time the RHOMAYE came by sea to the harbour of ANTIOCH, and they
robbed the merchants, and enslaved the population. And MU'TASIM commanded, and a fort was built inside
the harbour.

And in the year eleven hundred and fifty-two (A.D. 841) 'ABU SA'ID went into the territory of the
RHOMAYE, and captured prisoners. And having come out [again] the RHOMAYE in CILICIA overtook
him, and they sent back the captives. And they went in again and came forth in shame.

And the RHOMAYE came and took captives in HADETH, and MAR'ASH, and the country of MELITENE.
At this time THEOPHILA sent gifts to MU'TASIM and asked for an exchange for the Arab prisoners. And
MU'TASIM accepttd the gifts, and gave him gifts twofold, and said, 'Our Law doth not justify our comparing
the Muslim with a RHOMAYE. Nevertheless, if thou wilt give me the ARABS, and wilt ask nothing in
exchange for them, we are able to bestow upon you double their number, and we will in everything [given]
outdo you.' And the envoys of the RHOMAYE went back with fifty camel loads of costly gifts. And there
was peace.

And in the year eleven hundred and fifty-three (A.D. 842), a certain man whose name was TAMIM, and who
was nicknamed 'ABU HARAB', rebelled. And thirty thousand starving and naked folk cleaved to him, [153]
and he himself used to cover his nakedness with a woman's skirt. And he made a pretence of being jealous for
the Law which was being trodden under foot, but he also began to plunder and to kill. And he went up to
JERUSALEM and wanted to burn the churches, but much gold was given to him by the Patriarch and he
departed. And RAGA, the captain of the host, came against him, and killed eight thousand of his people; and
they captured one thousand and 'ABU HARAB, who was wounded, and RAGA sent them to MU'TASIM.

And at that time MUSHE, the chief of the KURDAYE (KURDS), rebelled in the country of KARDU. Now
the PERSIANS came and attacked him in the time of winter, and the KURDAYE destroyed about fifteen
thousand of the PERSIANS, because the rebel KURDAYE used to rush out from their tents, being rested and
refreshed, whilst the PERSIANS were prostrated by the cold, and their fingers and toes were frostbitten. And
at that time there came a severe famine and a terrible pestilence, and there was tribulation through the
heaviness of the imposts (or, forced contributions), and through the rebels. For the men of DARA and
NISIBIS and AMEDIA used to come out in bands and plunder, and the PERSIANS attacked them and
destroyed them. And because they did not kill the Christians, many ARABS saved themselves by [using] the
Sign of the Cross.

And in the year eleven hundred and fifty-four (A.D. 843) MU'TASIM died. And he freed at his death eight
thousand slaves who had been purchased with silver. And he left forty thousand horses for the cavalry, and
twenty thousand baggage mules, and thirty thousand slaves for the stables. And in those days also died
THEOPHILA, king of the RHOMAYE.

After MU'TASIM, WATHEK his son [ruled] five years and nine months. This Khalifah afflicted the lawyers
of his dominion with severe tortures, and he took from them many tens of thousands of dinars. And in the
year in which WATHEK began to reign, which is the year eleven hundred and fifty-five (A.D. 844),
MICHAEL, the son of THEOPHILA, [began] to reign over the RHOMAYE, being a child three years old.
And his mother THEODORA administered the kingdom, and 'AMANU'IL, the captain of the host, was over
all the troops. And the RHOMAYE sent an ambassador to the ARABS on the subject of peace, and the
exchange of prisoners. And when the ambassador of the RHOMAYE came, WATHEK the king received him
gladly, and he did not speak arrogant words like his father, who said, 'We do not admit that the Christians are
of equal value with the ARABS when [weighed in] the balance for exchange’, [154] but straightway he
wished to exchange man for man. Now the ambassador of the RHOMAYE was not at first pleased [with this
view], and he said, 'All the Arab prisoners which we have are soldiers whom we have made prisoners during
the wars, whilst as regards the Christian prisoners that are with you, the greater number of them are soldiers
which ye have captured in the villages, and old men, and old women, and very young boys, and girls. How
can we possibly give soul for soul?' And when they had contended in this wise for days, finally the
ambassador agreed to exchange one for one. And because the number of the Arab prisoners amounted to four
thousand three hundred and sixty-two souls, and the number of the Christians was fewer, WATHEK the king
sent and collected from all his boundaries slaves, both male and female, which he bought from their owners.
And since even by this means the [full] number was not made up, he drove out from his palace the
handmaidens which he had chosen from the RHOMAYE, and sent them with his ambassadors. And the
ARABS and the RHOMAYE were gathered together on the river of SILAWKIA, which is on the frontier of
TARSOS, and the liberation [of the prisoners] took place. And it is said that WATHEK commanded his
ambassadors, saying, 'As concerning all the ARABS whom ye redeem among the prisoners—first of all ask
each man, "Is the Word of God create or uncreate?" He who saith "uncreate" redeem, and he [who saith]
"create" leave in the hands of the RHOMAYE.' Now WATHEK died through the disease of 'collection of the
water' (i.e. retention of urine). For the physicians [tried] to heal him by means of the red-hot furnace, and
when he received no benefit from this treatment, he commanded and they heated it more than the rule of the
physician [allowed], and he came down and lingered in it, and they brought him out from there a dead man.

Up to this point the kings of the ARABS cared exceedingly for conquests (or, victories) and glorious deeds of
valour, but from now and onwards they devoted themselves to unclean and impure habits of life, and they
gave themselves up to drunkenness. This WATHEK was a lascivious, luxurious, and riotous liver. As the
price of a certain singing woman one hundred thousand gold dinars, and the satrapy of EGYPT was
demanded by her owner; and if he had not been prevented by his treasurers, who could not find the money, he
would have given the gold and satrapy. Finally WATHEK took the woman for ten thousand gold [dinars].

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Kings of the Arabs (continued).

After WATHEK, MUTAWAKKIL his brother [ruled] fourteen years and nine months. He began to reign in
the year two hundred and thirty-one [155] of the ARABS (A.D. 845). This Khalifah was a hater of the
Christians, and he afflicted them [by ordering] them to bind pukurie (i.e. bandlets) of wool round their heads;
and none of them was to appear outside [his house] without a belt and girdle. And if any man among them
had a slave, he was to sew two strips of cloth of different colours on his tunic from the front and from behind.
And the new churches were to be pulled down. And if they should happen to have a spacious church, even
though it was ancient, one part of it was to be made into a Masjid (Mosque). And they were not to lift up
crosses during their feasts of Hosanna. In a similar manner he laid these same commands, and many others
which were like unto them, upon the JEWS also. And he also swept away the tomb of HUSAYN BAR-'ALI,
who was descended from the daughter of their Prophet, and he pulled down also the other houses which were
round about it. And he drove a plough through the site and sowed seed there, saying, 'The site of the tomb
shall be wholly obliterated’.

And in his days a man appeared in NISABHOR who declared himself to be a prophet, and he composed a
book of words which, he said, 'the angel GABRIEL had said to him’, and many folk cleaved to him. And
when he was seized and beaten he confessed his lying pretension.

And in his third year MUTAWAKKIL made his three sons governors of provinces. MUNTASER was over
AFRICA, and EGYPT, and BETH NAHRIN, and 'ATHOR, and HABURA, and CIRCESIUM, and TEKRIT,
and the south, and the country of SHEBHA, and SABHA as far as the frontier of INDIA and SHAHARZUR,
and ISFAHAN, and KUM, and KASHAN, and KAZWIN, and all the mountains of PERSIA. And MU'TAZ,
his second son, he made ruler over KHORASAN, and TABARISTAN, and RAI, and ARMENIA, and
ADHORBIJAN; and he was also over the reckoning (i.e. account) of the revenue of the whole of the
dominion of the ARABS generally (i.e. Minister of Finance). And MUWAYAD, his third son, he made to rule
over DAMASCUS, and EMESA, and the land of the JORDAN, and PALESTINE.

And in the year two hundred and thirty-seven [of the ARABS = A.D. 851], when BAKRAT BAR-'ASHUT,
Patrician of ARMENIA, came to YUSEF BAR-MAHAMMAD, the captain of the host of the ARABS,
concerning peace, he seized him and sent him in fetters to BAGHDAD. Then the troops of the RHOMAYE
and the ARMENIANS gathered together to attack TARON, the city wherein YUSEF was; and when he went
forth to fight he and all the warriors who were with him were killed. And as for the rest of the people of the
ARABS who were not [156] combatants, the ARMENIANS having stripped them bare, left them naked and
uncovered, and the greater number of them became frostbitten and died. And afterwards BOGHA, the great
captain of the host of the ARABS, came and enslaved ARMENIA, and he killed many there. And after a little
BOGHA went against ZAIRAK, the TURKAYA, who had rebelled in TIFLIS, and he killed the rebel on the
river KUR, which floweth through the middle of TIFLIS, and he set the city on fire, and burned therein about
fifty thousand men. And because all its buildings were made of cedar wood, which burns up quickly and is

quickly extinguished, the burning of them did not take as long as if they had been made of oak, and in one
day they extinguished the fire again. And the men of EMESA also rebelled against the governor of the city,
and they killed him.

At this time the ARABS, seeing that it was a woman who ruled the country of the RHOMAYE, regarded
them with contempt and broke the peace. Then THEODORA the queen sent an army of the RHOMAYE, and
it marched against CILICIA in the year eleven hundred and seventy-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 861), and it
enslaved the whole country of 'ANAZARBA.

When MUTAWAKKIL heard [this], he sent NASHIF, the eunuch, to her on an embassy concerning peace and
the redemption of prisoners. And the queen replied, "We will make peace, but where are you to obtain the
twenty thousand Christian prisoners which presumably ye will give to redeem the ARABS who are with me
?' Thereupon, even as it really happened, the eunuch flattering her with words, she set free eight thousand and
twelve thousand, and said, 'These were baptized and were Christians, and it is impossible for us to give them’.
And it is said that when NASHIF took these and went forth, THEODORA killed them all because she saw
that they were inclined to a going forth, though they had believed and were baptized. And others say that
NIKOLA, her eunuch, killed them without the queen's command.

And in this year a people of the HABASHAYE (ABYSSINIANS), who are called 'BOJAYE' (BEJA), went
forth, and they killed all the ARABS who were working in the gold-mines, and in the mines of precious
stones which are on the frontiers of EGYPT and the BOJAYE. And the captain of the host of the ARABS,
whose name was 'ANBASAH, attacked them with twenty thousand horsemen and foot-soldiers. [157] And
they loaded their beasts with provisions in abundance and water, because they had before them a journey of
three days through an arid desert wherein there was neither water nor habitation. And because the BOJAYE
fight upon camels, and because their camels are easily frightened by any strange sight or sound, 'ANBASAH
commanded his soldiers and they hung little bells on the necks of their animals. And the ARABS attacked the
BOJAYE and broke them and killed many of them, and their king was again subjugated to the ARABS, and
he began to give each year four hundred [full-weight?] mithkals, acoording to custom.

At this time BOKHT-ISHO', BAR-GABRIEL BAR~BOKHT-ISHO' BAR-GIWARGIS BAR-BOKHT-
ISHO'", the ELAMITE, was famous in medicine. He attended the Khalifah MUTAWAKKIL, and he was
magnified by him so greatly that he became his counterpart in apparel, and honour, and abundance of
possessions and riches, and slaves and handmaidens. He was so wholly beloved by the Khalifah that one day
when he went in to the Khalifah, and sat with him on the royal throne, in the usual manner, he was wearing a
physician's gown made of Roman silk. And a small portion of the sewing of the lower part of it was torn, and
when the Khalifah began to talk to him he tore the sewing away bit by bit down to the feet. Now they were
discussing together the history of demoniacs and mad men, and the Khalifah asked the physician, 'How dost
thou know when a demoniac needeth to be bound in chains?’ BOKHT-ISHO'—now he knew well what the
Khalifah had done to his gown—-said to him, "When the demoniac arrives at the stage that he teareth open the
seam of his physician's gown down to the feet; then we know that [the demoniac] needeth chains'. And
MUTAWAKKIL laughed until he fell on his back, and he commanded rich apparel to be brought for the
physician, and he arrayed him in it.

Now although the Khalifah loved him so greatly, eventually he became jealous of him and robbed him of all
his possessions after that famous banquet which the physician made in his honour. At this banquet he
prepared five thousand tables. On each table there were a roast lamb, and two cocks, and two young doves,
and three terra-cotta (faience?) drinking cups, and a dish of sweetmeats, and an adequate supply of bread
cakes made of fine flour, and sweet cakes, and perfumes, and an abundant supply of snow [158]—now it was
the season of summer—and it was brought there from the mountains of 'ATHOR (ASSYRIA). It is said that

after everything else had been taken away from him, the wood and charcoal and wine which remained in his
house were bought by a certain nobleman whose name was HUSAIN BAR-MUKELED for six thousand
dinars, and he sold them again for twelve thousand.

Now this BOKHT-ISHO' BAR-GABHRIL held himself to be above the Laws of the Church. He consorted
with two women at the same time, and they conceived and brought forth two sons, the one [called]
GABRIEL and the other JOHN—who became Metropolitan of MAWSIL. From this time onward he did not
prosper. Formerly he used to sit in an ebony carriage and drive (?) from the palace of the Khalifah to his own
house, and there were about one thousand men in his service. From sunset until midnight he amused himself
with lewd debaucheries. And at midnight he stood up and prayed, being surrounded with black eunuchs,
whom he honoured. After prayer he sat upon his couch and read the Gospel until it was day. Then he
mounted an animal and went to the service of the Khalifah. It is said that the expenses nightly for wax
candles, oil, and perfumes amounted to five hundred dinars. And after he'd been reduced to poverty he left
two sons and three daughters, and he wandered about in various countries.

And in the year eleven hundred ahd seventy-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 865), which is the year two hundred
and forty-five of the ARABS (= A.D. 865), an ambassador was sent by MICHAEL, king of the RHOMAYE
—now he was an old man whose name was 'ATROPHILOS—to MUTAWAKKIL, king of the ARABS. And
with him he had seventy-seven men from among the Arab prisoners, whom he had brought as gifts to
MUTAWAKKIL. And he was received with honour and there was peace. And in that year there was a severe
earthquake in the province of ANTIOCH, and it destroyed fifteen hundred large buildings and ninety towers
of the wall of the city. And frightful and terrifying sounds were heard from inside the earth, and in all the
cities of SYRIA the quakings destroyed many places, viz. [LATAKIA, JABALAH], LAODICEA (?). All the
inhabitants of JABALAH perished.

And in the year two hundred and forty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 865) MUTAWAKKIL sent an ambassador
[called] NASIR BAR-'AZHAR to MICHAEL the king, and with him were one thousand [159] testicle bags
of the musk animal, and rich apparel, and a large quantity of crocus, and many other kinds of produce. And
he was received with honour, and two thousand ARABS who had been taken prisoners were given to him,
among them being twenty women and ten youths. NASIR himself said, "During all the time I have been in
CONSTANTINOPLE I have never seen a king who could talk whilst listening to my words through
interpreters, but he only said "yes" with his head. His cousin (?) spoke instead of him because he was as yet a
youth. And when many of the ARABS were baptized, the king of the RHOMAYE commanded that they
should all go as far as the frontier which is between us and the ARABS. And he who chose Christianity, and
came back from it there, we would receive as a true believer. NASIR saith, 'Two jewellers who were very
highly skilled, and were TARKE of the AFRICANS, and many others from the region of the frontiers came
back, and they did not wish to come with us'.

And in the year eleven hundred and seventy-seven (A-D. 866), which is the year two hundred and forty-seven
of the ARABS, MUNTASER, the son of MUTAWAKKIL, conspired secretly with certain slaves of the
TURKAYE, and they rushed in on his father when he was drunk and killed him.

After MUTAWAKKIL, MONTASER his son [ruled] six months. When this Khalifah succeeded, he
oppressed his two brothers MU'TAZ and MUWAYAD, and threatened them with murder if they did not
relinquish their claims to the kingdom, and transfer them to him and his sons, this being the opposite to that
which their father MOTAWAKKIL had ordained, namely, that each of them should reign after his fellow
prince]. And under urgent pressure they wrote a deed in which they testified that they themselves of their own
accord, and as free men who of their good will, had severed their connexion with the kingdom, and that
MUNTASER their brother had the power to appoint his son king after him. Thus the murder of his father not

being sufficient for him, he must act fraudulently in respect of his [two] brothers. He died of the disease of
angina pectoris (or, suffocation) when he was twenty-five years old. And it is said that before he died he saw
himself as it were in a dream ascending a ladder, and when he arrived at the twenty-fifth rung of the ladder it
was said to him, 'Stop; this is thine end".

After MUNTASER, MUSTA'IN, the son of MU'TASIM, [ruled] three years and three months. When
MUNTASER died the nobles took counsel [160] with each other, and they did not wish to make king either
of his brothers because they all were associated with the treacherous murder of their father. Then the nobles
fetched MUSTA'IN, the son of MU'TASIM, the brother of MAMON, and they swore fealty to him and made
him king.

And in the year eleven hundred and eighty of the GREEKS (A.D. 869), which is the year two hundred and
forty-nine of the ARABS, 'UMAR, the captain of the host of the ARABS, was sent with troops to invade the
country of the RHOMAYE, and they met the armies of the RHOMAYE in the plain of HASYA, which is on
the frontier of MELITENE, and the RHOMAYE killed 'UMAR and two thousand ARABS. And when 'ALI
BAR-YAHYAH, the captain of the host [of the ARABS], heard [this], he likewise collected a very large army
from MAIPERKAT and ARMENIA and went and attacked the RHOMAYE, and he also was killed. When
the men of BAGHDAD and of SAMARA heard that these two mighty warriors had been killed, and that
TURKAYE slaves were ruling over the kingdom of the ARABS, and were putting to death whom they
pleased, and keeping alive whom they pleased, and were making kings a great crowd of people gathered
together. And with them were a mob of men from the bazars and cut-throats and robbers, and they went to the
gate of the prison and smashed it, and they brought out the evil-doers, and they were all united by a common
bond of interest. And they cut the bridge over the TIGRIS, and they went into the Treasury and plundered it,
and they burnt the documents (i.e. books and registers) of the scribes in the fire. And they also looted the two
monasteries of the Christians, viz. that of BESHER (or, BASHAR) and that of ABRAHAM, the sons of
'AHRON. Then the TURKAYE slaves mounted horses (?) and killed many of the cut-throats and robbers and
others; and wrath subsided.

After MUSTA'IN, MU'TAZ BAR-MUTAWAKKIL [ruled] four years and seven months. In the year two
hundred and fifty-one [of the ARABS], when MUSTA'IN went down from SAMARA to BAGHDAD, the
TURKAYE gathered together and brought out MU'TAZ and MUWAYAD, the sons of MUTAWAKKIL, from
prison; and they swore oaths of fidelity to MU'TAZ and made him king. And they swore also to MUWAYAD
his brother that he should reign after him. Now the men of BAGHDAD sided with MUSTA'IN, and the men
of SAMARA with MUTAWAKKIL; and a great schism fell among the ARABS. In the year eleven hundred
and seventy-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 863), MICHAEL, king of the RHOMAYE, died, having reigned
twenty-five years. And because he had no son [161] a man whose name was BASIL reigned after him for five
years. Now MU'TAZ had no love for his brother MUWAYAD. And he broke the oaths and the covenants
which he had made with him, and he shut him up in prison and scourged him with stripes until he wrote a
deed which annulled his claim [to the kingdom]. And even when he had done this MU'TAZ did not let him
alone, but whilst he was in prison he sent and ordered him to be dressed in a tunic made of the skins of
mangy foxes, which was very heating. And he commanded [his servants], and they thrust his brother's head
inside the skin tunic, and they tied his hands and his feet together, and then sewed up the tunic round him and
left him in it until he dted. And then he had him taken out, and he brought a judge and credible witnesses, and
they seeing that there was no mark of a blow or of a knife on his body, and no sign of strangulation on his
neck, testified that he had died a natural death. And so also in the case of MUSTA'IN, who had freed himself
[from any claim to the kingdom], MU'TAZ sent TURKAYE and they cut off his head and brought it to him. It
is said that when they brought the head to MU'TAZ, he was reciting verses of poetry, and he said, 'Set ye it
down for the moment until I have finished the verses which I am perusing, and then I will look at it’. And,

moreover, MU'TAZ having slain both his brother and the man who had abdicated the kingdom, placed his
confidence in his own ability [to rule]. And he neglected the TURKAYE, and did not give them their pay.

And in the year two hundred and fifty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 867?), the TURKAYE armed with their
weapons gathered together at his gate and demanded from him their pay and rations. He sent to his mother
[telling her] to give him what he could give them. She replied, 'There is nothing’. Then the soldiers went in to
him, and they spat in his face, and smote him on his cheek, and they constrained him until he wrote a deed of
abdication from the kingdom. Then, bound in fetters, they thrust him into a small chamber, and they blocked
up the front of it and left him for days until he died; and then they brought him out and buried him. As he had
done [to others], so was it done to him.

After MU'TAZ, MUHTADI, the son of WATHEK, [ruled] eleven months and twenty days. They say that this
Khalifah did not undertake to rule until they had brought MU'TAZ alive before him, and he had confessed by
word of mouth that he had abdicated voluntarily.

At this time there came forth a certain rebel whose name was 'ALI, and he declared concerning himself that
he was descended from 'ALI, the uncle of their Prophet. And a great number of people from the CUSHITES
and ARABS gathered about him, and they were called KARMATAYE, from the name [162] of the village of
their chief 'ALI. And they shed much blood of the ARABS and they ruled over all the cities of the South, and
over portions of SYRIA and SEN'AR (SENNAAR) for many years.

And MOHTADI drove out the singing men and singing women from SURMANRAL wherein their kings at
that time used to live; and he smashed the instruments of music. And he killed the lions, and panthers, and
dogs with which the kings his predecessors used to sport. And the TURKAYE slaves rose up against him also
and they killed him. For he fled from before them riding on a horse, and he was crying out, 'O men, help your
king'; and no man answered him. And when he went into a certain house the TURKAYE went in after him.
He fled from one roof to another, and in this manner he was overtaken (or, caught) and was killed in the year
two hundred and fifty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 868).

At this time HUNAIN, the son of ISAAC, an excellent physician, became known (or, famous). His father was
a pharmacist from the city of HIRTA. HUNAIN greatly desired to learn (i.e. study) medicine, and he went to
BAGHDAD and began to read the Collection (i.e. Epitome) of ALEXANDER on JOHN, the physician, the
son of MASAWITYAH. And one day in answering JOHN back, JOHN became angry, and drove him away,
and said to him, 'What connexion is there between thee and medicine? It would be far better for a man of thy
sort to be selling beans by the wayside.’ And the young man HUNAIN was sad, and he went out weeping.
And he went to the country of the RHOMAYE, and he lived there until he had learned the writing and
literature of the GREEKS accurately. And he was able to translate books from Greek into Syriac, and from
Syriac into the Saracenic tongue (i.e. Arabic). And he went back again to BAGHDAD in the garb ofa
GREEK, and he went to GABRIEL, the chief of the physicians, the son of BOKHT-ISHO'. And when
GABRIEL had tested HUNAIN'S knowledge, he honoured him greatly, and he named him 'RABBAN
HUNAIN'. And he said unto those who were present, 'If this young man liveth he will not leave any
reputation to SARGIS (SERGIUS) of RAS'AIN'. And the report of him came to JOHN, who had driven him
away, and one carried him to him, and JOHN asked his pardon. And thus his excellence (or, goodness)
increased from day to day. And he began to expound the various branches of science, [and did so] until he
died in the month of the FIRST KANON (DECEMBER), in the year eleven hundred and eighty-eight of the
GREEKS (A.D. 876), which is the year two hundred and sixty of the ARABS (A.D. 873). And he left two
sons, ISAAC and DAVID. And ISAAC also expounded many books. [163] Twenty-five books of HUNAIN
are extant, besides those which he translated from Greek into Syriac and Arabic. And he had a nephew, [the
son of a sister,] whose name was HUBAISH, the son of HASAN of the stretched-out hand. And he was a

marvellous expounder of medical books. And through the luck (or, good fortune) of HUNAIN, many of the
.books which HUBAISH interpreted have, when come across by people of slight knowledge, been thought by
them to have been written by HUNAIN, and that the scribe made a mistake in [reading] the letters of the
name, and therefore erased [the name of] HUBAISH, and wrote HUNAIN. And for this reason the books
which remain (i.e. are extant) under the name of HUBAISH are very few, and of the remainder many are
written in the name of HUNAIN.

After MUHTADI, MU'TAMED, the son of MUTAWAKKIL, [ruled] twenty and three years. This Khalifah
was occupied the whole of his time with that rebel ['ALI] who went forth in the South. And in the year two
hundred and sixty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 878) the RHOMAYE took from the ARABS the fortress of
LOLWAH (LULWAN?). And after one year BAR-RASHID, the captain of the host of the ARABS, collected
four thousand horsemen, and went to the country of the RHOMAYE. And the Patricians of the RHOMAYE,
viz. him of SILAWKYA, and him of TUANA, and him of KARSHENA, and others, surrounded the army of
the ARABS. Then the ARABS, despairing of being able to save their lives, got down from their horses, and
hamstrung all of them. And they knelt down on their knees, and began to shoot their arrows into the
RHOMAYE. But their shooting in no wise benefited them, on the contrary, for the RHOMAYE rushed on the
ARABS, and some of them they killed, and some of them they made prisoners, among these being BAR-
RASHID, their leader.

And in the year two hundred and seventy of the ARABS (A.D. 883), MUWAFAK, the captain of the host of
the ARABS, collected a numerous army and went to attack the rebel who was in the South; some [went] in
ships and some [marched] by land. And after a very fierce battle the ARABS were a match for the army of
the rebel and they defeated him, and they killed him in the region of the rivers of BABYLON. For this man
'ALI said that he was not only descended from the Prophet of the ARABS, but that he was announced by the
Prophet. 'And', he said, 'one day when he was dwelling in the desert a cloud overshadowed him, and there
was a peal of thunder. And a voice came out from that thunder, saying: Go to the city of BASRAH and thou
shalt conquer’, and in fact he conquered and took the city, and he had three captains of the host, [164] but the
crowning point of his sovereignty did not supervene.

And in the year eleven hundred and ninety-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 883), BASIL, king of the
RHOMAYE, died, and LEO his son reigned after him thirteen years. This Khalifah trampled on the Law, and
he forsook his wife and took another [woman], and this [woman] he also left and took another; and he also
took a fourth [woman]. And he had two wives at the same time.

And in the year two hundred and seventy-one of the ARABS (A.D. 884?), the brigands of BAGHDAD laid
their hands on the monastery which is behind the river 'ISA, and they plundered its possessions, and
destroyed a portion of its walls. Then HUSAIN, the son of ISHMAEL, put an end to their violence, and he
crowned (i.e. rebuilt) what they had destroyed. And one year later the ARABS of TARSOS pulled down the
new buildings of the great church which was therein. And a violent earthquake took place, and it threw down
the Great Mosque which was in EGYPT, and many large houses (or, palaces). And there was a pestilence in
that country, and one thousand biers of the dead were counted in one day. And there was also poverty (i.e.
scarcity of food) in BAGHDAD.

And in the year twelve hundred of the GREEKS (A.D. 889), a mound on the bank of the river of Basra, a city
below BAGHDAD, split open, and seven dead people who were lying in coffins of stone of the colour of

meshna were discovered. Their bodies and their funerary wrappings were in a good state of preservation, and
the odour of musk exhaled from their bodies. And their ears, and noses, and lips, and hair, and eyebrows were
well preserved, and their eyes had the appearance of having been treated with koAl (stibitum). And on the side

of one young man among them was the mark of a spear-thrust. And on their coffins were inscriptions in
pagan priestly characters, and no man was able to read them.

At this time MAHAMMAD, the son of ZACHARIAH the physician, became known (or, famous). This man
when thirty years old went from RAY, his native city which is in PERSIA, to BAGHDAD, and he lodged in a
house (khan?) where strangers were received; and he devoted himself to learning, and he surpassed his
contemporaries [in learning]. He composed many books on medicine and Chimya (alchemy). And [he wrote]
that great book of his which he showed whilst he was making an exemplar for himself; and after his death the
governor of the country gave much gold to his sister, and he took duly assigned portions [thereof]. And his
disciples instructed him, and for this reason he did not possess the disposition (or, manner) which was right.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Kings of the Arabs (continued).

The History of those who are called Nusiraye

[165] and who are in PHOENICIA, because many have wished to know who the NUSIRAYE were.

In the year twelve hundred and two of the GREEKS (A.D. 891), an old man appeared in the country of
'AKULA, in a village which is called 'NASARIAH' (NASRANAH). He multiplied fastings and prayers, and
pretended that he had adopted the life of voluntary poverty, and many of the natives of the country cleaved to
him. And he chose for himself twelve men according to the number of the Twelve Apostles, and he
commanded them to teach men a strange doctrine. And when the report of him was heard by the governor of
the country, he sent [men] and seized him, and shut him up in one of the chambers of his palace, and he
swore that at daybreak on the following day he would crucify him. And that night the governor drank wine
and became drunk, and when [the slaves] made ready for him to sleep, he asked [them] for the key of the
little chamber in which the old man was locked up, and they placed it under his pillows. Now the handmaiden
who used to sleep with the governor, knowing that the old man constantly fasted and prayed, was sorry for
him. And when she saw that her lord had sunk into deep slumber, she took the key and went out and let the
old man escape, and then shut (i.e. locked) the door again, and put the key back again in its place. When the
governor woke up he took the key and opened the door, and did not find the old man in the chamber; and he
was amazed. Now the young woman was afraid to make it known that she had opened [the door] and let [the
old man] escape, and thus the rumour flew abroad that he had gone out through locked doors. After a little
time the old man saw two of his disciples who were living in countries that were far from [his] village, and he
came to them and assured them that it was 'the angels who had brought him out and placed him in the desert.
And he wrote a Book of Faith and gave [it] to them: in order that they might teach men therefrom. Now he
wrote thus: 'I, so-and-so, who am thought to be the son of 'OTHMAN, am from the village the name of which
is "NASARIAH". CHRIST, who is that JESUS, appeared to me in a dream. He is the WORD, He is the
DIRECTOR, He is 'AHMAD BAR-MAHAMMAD BAR-HANIFIAH, of the sons of 'ALI, and He is the
angel [166] GABRIEL. And He said unto me, Thou art he who readeth (or, calleth). Thou art the very Truth
(or, Faith). Thou art the camel which keepeth (i.e. nurseth) anger against the unbelievers. Thou art the beast
who carrieth the weight of the believers. Thou art the Spirit. Thou art JOHN, the son of ZECHARIAH.

'Proclaim, therefore, to the children of men that they shall introduce four genuflexions towards JERUSALEM
into their prayers, two before the sun riseth and two before he setteth. Each time they bow they shall say these
three sentences: God is exalted to everything. God is higher than everything. God is greater than everything.
On the second day (MONDAY) and on the sixth day (FRIDAY) of each week no man shall perform any
labour whatsoever. Two days in the year they shall fast. And they shall not multiply ablutions of the excretory
members. Spiritous liquor they shall not drink, but they may drink as much wine as they wish. Flesh of the
wild beast only they shall not eat.' And having delivered to them this disjointed and contemptible doctrine he

departed from them to PALESTINE; and he preached and taught the villagers and men of the desert and
made disciples among them. And from that place he disappeared, and until the present day his place hath
never been known.

And in the year eleven hundred and ninety-eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 887) ANDREA 'ESTAPHRIKI went
forth with a large army to the country of the ARABS, and NAZMAN, the eunuch, the captain of the host of
the ARABS, engaged him in battle, and the RHOMAYE were defeated, and the ARABS carried off the
crosses of gold and silver which were on the heads of their spears.

And in the year two hundred and seventy-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 892) MU'TAMED commanded that
neither actors (i.e. strolling players) nor astrologers, nor men who use enchantments, should sit by the
roadside. And he made those who sold books to swear that they would not sell books of philosophy, or books
of investigations (or, experiments), or discussions on Confessions (i.e. Religions). And that year, having
drunk overmuch wine and becoming drunk, he collapsed and died.

After MU'TAMED, MU'TASED, the son of MUWAFAK, [ruled] nine years and nine months. He reigned in
the year two hundred and seventy-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 892). And in the year two hundred and eighty of
the ARABS (A.D. 893), ESMA'IL, the son of AHMAD, the captain of the host of the ARABS, invaded the
countries of the HUNS, and he bound in fetters their king and his wife, and he looted his city. And he brought
out about ten thousand TURKAYE prisoners, and flocks of sheep and goats and much cattle. And in this year
there was a terrible earthquake, [167] and a great city in OUTER INDIA fell down, and one hundred and fifty
thousand men were dragged out from under the dust of the houses which had been thrown down, and were
buried.

And in the year twelve hundred and seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 896), LEO, king of the RHOMAYE., fell
sick of a disease of the bowels and died, and his son ALEXANDER reigned after him one year. And because
he had turned aside his heart from the fear of God, and had given himself over to sorcerers and magicians, he
was smitten by the rod of righteousness and died. And after him his brother CONSTANTINUS reigned four
years. And at the beginning of his kingdom SIMIAN, the chief of the BULGARIANS and SCLAVS, came
against CONSTANTINOPLE, and he destroyed many villages. And he afflicted the city also, and he made
against it a great ditch [which reached] from BELAKERNE to the gate which is called 'Golden'. And the king
of the RHOMAYE sent [a dispatch] to him, saying, 'Since we are all Christians, and the children of one
baptism, why do such dissentions as these exist between us?' And as SIMION refused to be propitiated (or,
reconciled), king CONSTANTINUS collected the Arab prisoners who were in CONSTANTINOPLE, and he
promised them that if they would help the RHOMAYE to victory [over] the BULGARIANS he would set
them free. And having sworn to the king oaths [that they would do so], weapons of war were given to them.
And the RHOMAYE went forth with the ARABS with one purpose, and they defeated the SCLAVS, and
killed many of them, and the rest fled. The king (CONSTANTINUS), however, went back on his promise,
and he took away from the ARABS their weapons, and threw iron fetters on them again, and scattered them
throughout his provinces, for he was afraid lest they should set up a chief for themselves. The history of the
blessed MAR MICHAEL, which dealeth with the war of the RHOMAYE with the ARABS, [testifieth] to
this, and he introduceth it in the Arabic manuscripts [which describe] the war with the SCLAVS, and it is
correct. For during the war with the ARABS the RHOMAYE would never have believed it [safe] to release
the Arab prisoners from their bonds, and to put weapons of war into their hands.

And in this year the ARABS were gathered together against a certain youth of 'ABU JALEB, a Christian and
a physician of the king, and they testified concerning him that he had blasphemed their Prophet, and they
wished to kill him. Now when king MU'TASED heard [this], he said, 'The ARABS are liars " and he sent
[168] soldiers and rescued the youth.

Concerning this year the astrologers had predicted that there would be heavy rains, and that the rivers would
spill over (i.e. would flood the country), and that BAGHDAD would be destroyed and perish. Nevertheless,
from New Year's Day until the end of the year, not one drop of rain fell on the earth, and the fountains (i.e.
wells) ran dry, and thus the astrologers were put to shame.

At this time 'ABU AL-HASAN TABITH, one of the heathen of HARRAN, became known (or, famous); he
was the son of KURAH, the son of MARWAN, the son of KIURA, the son of ABRAHAM, the son of
KIURA, the son of MARINOS, the son of SOLOMON. Originally he was a money-changer in the bazar of
HARRAN. Then he occupied himself in a marvellous degree with philosophy, and he was adequately
acquainted with three languages—Greek, Syriac, and Arabic. He composed in Arabic about one hundred and
fifty books on logic; and mathematics, and astrology, and medicine. And in Syriac he compiled about sixteen
books, the greater number of which we have seen and possess, viz. a Book on the Laws and Canons of the
heathen; a Book on the Burial of the Dead; a Book on the certainty of the Confession (i.e. Faith) of the
heathen; a Book on Purity and Impurity; a Book on the Animals which are suitable for offering up as
Sacrifices; a Book on the Times of Prayer; a Book on the Readings which are suitable for each of the Seven
Stars in Prayers; a Book on Repentance and Supplication; a Book of Music; a Book on the Chronology of the
ancient kings who were CHALDEANS; a Book on the Confession (i.e. Faith) of the SABAYE (SABAENS);
a Book on the division of the days of the week according to the Seven Stars; a Book on the renown (or,
purity) of his Race, and on his Ancestors, and from whom they were descended; a Book on the Laws of
HERMES and his Prayers which the heathen pray; a Book on the statement 'two straight lines being extended
diminishingly from two straight angles, meet together’; and another Book on Metre. And in one of his
dissertations praising HARRAN and heathenism he spake thus: 'Although many have been subjugated to
error by means of torture; our fathers, by the hand of God, have endured and spoken valiantly, and this
blessed city hath never been defiled with the error of NAZARETH. And we are [169] the heirs, and
transmitters to our heirs, of heathenism, which is honoured gloriously in this world. Lucky is he who beareth
the burden with a sure hope for the sake of heathenism. Who hath made the world to be inhabited and flooded
it with cities except the good men and kings of heathenism? Who hath constructed harbours and [conserved]
the rivers? Who hath made manifest the hidden sciences? On whom hath dawned the divinity which giveth
divinations and teacheth the knowledge of future events except the wise men of the heathen? It is they who
have pointed out all these things, and have made to arise the healing (or, medicine) of souls, and have made
to shine forth their redemption, and it is they also who have made to arise the medicine for bodies, And they
have filled the world with the correctness (or, stability) of modes of life, and with the wisdom which is the
head (or, beginning) of excellence. Without these [products] of heathenism the world would be an empty and
a needy place, and it would have been enveloped in sheer want and misery.’

These things we have quoted from the words of this man so that we may make manifest his great ability in
[writing] the Syriac language; and his discourses in Greek and Arabic were even more elegant.

And in the year two hundred and eighty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 898) a baleful wind blew in the quarter of
KUFAH, and 'UKAMTA was overwhelmed. And torrential rain came, and there were mighty peals of
thunder, and terrific flashes of lightning, and black and white stones fell from the air. Now it was the night of
the First day of the Week. And hail came in BASRA, and one hailstone weighed one hundred and fifty zuze.
And marauding bands of the ARABS fell upon many of the ships of the RHOMAYE. and they burned them
all together with their crews. It is said that there were three thousand souls in them.

And in the year two hundred and eighty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 900), WASIF the eunuch, the captain of
the host of the ARABS in the country of CILICIA, rebelled, and he made preparations that he himself might
escape by sea. And because of this MU'TASED commanded, and [they] burned all the ships of the ARABS.
And because the ARABS of TARSOS used to make raids with those ships, this [command of the Khalifah]

helped the Christians greatly. And one year later a severe pestilence broke out in the cities of
'ADHORBIJAN, and it became so terrible that the living were unable to bury the dead, because those who
were on the road to death travelled very speedily.

And in this yeaar MAHAMMAD, the captain of the host of the ARABS, invaded the country of the
RHOMAYE, and he pillaged certain villages, and he took prisoners one hundred fighting men, and sixty
ecclesiastics, priests, and deacons, [170] and crosses, and the furnishings of the temples. Then the
RHOMAYE gathered together and there went forth a mighty army by sea and by land, and they came as far
as KHISHUM; and they took captive more than fifteen thousand men, and women, and children of the
ARABS. And they took with them to the country of the RHOMAYE the greater number of the Christians
with a forceful hand, [saying] ‘lest the ARABS should come and kill them’,

And in the year two hundred and eighty-nine (A.D. 901) of the ARABS MU'TASED died, and the nobles
sent for his son MUKTAFI, who was in the city of CALINICUS, and they had him brought.

After MU'TASED, MUKTAFI, his son, [ruled] six years and nine months. Immediately after this Khalifah
came and reigned, he blocked up the caves which his father had dug in the earth, and he imprisoned the evil-
doers in them. This Khalifah had a son whose name was JA'FAR, and he was marvellously well skilled in
Astrology, and he surpassed all those who were before him in his knowledge. One day one of the eunuchs
approached him, and with him was an ‘astrolomon (astrolabe). And he said unto him, 'Observe the "rising" of
this child which hath just been born in the house’. And when he had scrutinized the rising, he said, "This child
hath no intelligence. And after forty and three days he will take his food in his hand and eat.’ And he said to
me, 'In truth, what is it?' And the eunuch said, In truth I have brought to thee the rising of the child of a cat'
(i.e. a kitten).

And in this year, which is the year twelve hundred and thirteen of the GREEKS (A.D. 902), in the middle of
the summer northern winds were blowing in the city of EMESA. And there was bitter cold, and the waters
froze, and men put on cloaks and began to warm themselves at fires—a matter most marvellous.

And in the year twelve hundred and eighteen of the GREEKS (A.D. 907), BASIL, the eunuch, was sent as an
envoy to MUKTAFI, the king of the ARABS, concerning the exchange of prisoners. And he brought with
him ten persons from among the prisoners of the ARABS [as] presents, and he was received with honour.
And after one year an exchange was effected, and three thousand ARABS, men and women, were exchanged,
and were saved from fetters. And in this year, which is the year two hundred and eighty-nine of the ARABS
(A.D. 901), MUKTAFI died and his brother reigned.

After MUKTAFI, MUKTADER his brother [ruled] twenty-seven years. He was thirteen [171] years of age
when [he began] to reign. Now inasmuch as he was not fully developed in mind and stature, the nobles
regretted that they had made him king. Now one of them, ABBAS, was greatly concerned that such was the
case, and he assembled the nobles and went in to MU'TASED, the son of MU'TAZ, and they swore oaths of
fealty to him. And they sent [an order] to MUKTADER, and his mother, and his eunuch, to go forth from the
palace. Then MUNES, the chief eunuch, was filled with anger, and he gathered together the rest of the
eunuchs and the TURKAYE slaves. And they armed themselves and rushed in suddenly on the nobles who
were assembled with MU'TAZ, and they killed 'ABBAS and some of the nobles, and the others they made
prisoners. And they brought the son of MU'TAZ to the palace, and during the night they strangled him and
buried him in the building. And in this manner the kingdom of MUKTADER stood firm.

And in the year twelve hundred and twenty of the GREEKS (A.D. 909), a great snowfall took place in
BAGHDAD, and the snow lay four fingers deep on the roofs. And at that time there was no man in

BAGHDAD that had ever seen snow before. And after eighteen years, in the year three hundred and fifteen
of the ARABS (A.D. 927), which is the year twelve hundred and thirty-eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 927),
there was a very bitterly cold winter again in BAGHDAD. It was so cold that the vinegar of the wine in the
cellars (?), and eggs, and oils, froze, and the trees withered. And in that year MUNES, the eunuch, with an
army of ARABS, attacked the country of the RHOMAYE from the Citadel of MELITENE, and he took
captives, and looted, and went away.

And in the year two hundred and ninety-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 911), RUSTAM, the captain of the host of
the ARABS, invaded the country of the RHOMAYE from the Citadel of TARSOS, and he captured the
fortress of MALIKH, the ARMENIAN, and burnt it. And in that year MUKTADER divided one hundred
thousand gold dinars among the singing women who were in his palace. And whilst he was emptying his
treasuries in such ways as this, he was being pressed by the TURKAYE slaves for their pay. And he had no
money to give them. And he was torturing the scribes and the owners of possessions with severe tortures to
make them transfer their riches to him. Now at the beginning of the kingdom of the ARABS victory (or,
conquest) was the one and only consideration in their minds, and it was also when their kingdom had
extended itself [172] and they began to conquer and to be conquered; but in these times they gave themselves
up to lasciviousness, and drunkenness and riotous living, and they are more often the conquered than the
conquerors. Therefore when they wished to ensure peace with the RHOMAYE, the RHOMAYE were
unwilling, nay they awaited [the time] when they would again rule over the dominions which had been theirs
formerly. And they only sent envoys to discuss the matter of exchange of prisoners [as an excuse].

And in the year three hundred of the ARABS (A.D. 912), which is the year twelve hundred and twenty-four
of the GREEKS (A.D. 913), there appeared a dwarf woman who gave birth to a child, and many saw her in
the country of OUTER INDIA. And in this year ALEXANDER, the king of the RHOMAYE, died, and his
son CONSTANTIN reigned after him when he was twelve years old.

And in the year twelve hundred and twenty-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 916) one army of the RHOMAYE
went out to TARSOS, and another to MAR'ASH, and they made captives of the ARABS, about fifty thousand
souls; and there was great mourning among the ARABS in every place. And in this year the Nestorian
Metropolitan of DAKUKAH became a Muslim in BAGHDAD, and the Christians grieved sorely.

And in the year three hundred and five of the ARABS (A.D. 917), two envoys were sent by king
CONSTANTIN to the king of the ARABS, an old man and a young man. And when they arrived at
TAGRITH the ARABS made them take up their abode there for two months, until king MUKTADER had
furnished his palace; and he collected his troops and his nobles, and then he summoned them. It is said that
they stationed one hundred and sixty thousand horsemen between the building in which the envoys were
living and the palace, on both sides [of the way]. And inside the outer gate they stationed five hundred horses
which were saddled with saddles of gold and silver on one side [of the way] and five hundred [similarly
saddled] on the other. And in the court which was inside the outer building were many stags, both male and
female, and deer and gazelle, and in the court of the other building were four huge elephants, and on each one
of them eight men, INDIANS, were mounted; and in their hands were vessels of naphtha and fire. And
beyond this building there was another building wherein were one hundred lions, fifty on this side, and fifty
on that; and they were fettered with chains.

And when [173] the ambassadors had passed through all these courts, [the slaves] brought them out into a
spacious garden wherein was a fountain of water. This fountain was made of white tin which could not be
distinguished from silver. And above the fountain was a great tree of wrought silver, and many of its branches
and leaves were gilded, and they swayed about in the gentle wind which was blowing. And on the branches
were birds of the colour of gold and silver, and they flew about by means of underground strings, and they

emitted various kinds of sounds and sang and twittered. And there were very many palm-trees in the garden
which were inlaid with panels of acacia wood up to the places where their branches sprang forth. And there
were there likewise very many trees which were loaded with citrons.

And from the garden the slaves took the envoys into a spacious hall, the walls of which were draped with
curtains of costly stuffs. And on them hung ten thousand cuirasses, and likewise shields, and bows, and
spears. It is said that the number of the carpets (?) which were on the walls amounted to twenty-two
thousand, besides those which were on the ground and were trodden upon.

From there they went through a long corridor, and on one side of it were arranged one thousand white
eunuchs bearing arms, and on the other side of it were drawn up in a line one thousand black eunuchs, who
were armed like the white eunuchs. And when they went in through the door[way], they saw the Proximus,
that is to say, the Wazir, who was seated upon a high throne, and around him were scribes (or, lawyers) and
nobles, who were standing, and the envoys thought that he was the king. And it was told to them that he was
the Wazir.

And from the presence of the Wazir they went into the place where the king was. He was seated on an ebony
throne, which was arched. And on the one horn of the throne were nine rows of precious stones which
sparkled, and on the other horn were nine [rows also]. And his five sons were round about him: three on the
right hand and two on the left. It is said that the envoys sat down seven times and rested before they reached
the king. And when the envoys went in with their heads only they cried out, 'Peace'. And they said to the
interpreter, 'Is it right for us to kiss the ground? Nevertheless, because this is not demanded by the kingdom
of the RHOMAYE from your envoy, we do not kiss the ground. These things we make known [to you] so that
ye may not despise us as uneducated men.'

And so when they had fulfilled their mission an answer [174] was drafted and written, and the king himself
handed to them the document [containing] the answer with his own hand, and [then] he dismissed them. And
he commanded and there was given to each of them twenty thousand zuze, and he sent with them envoys of
his own, and with them were one hundred and seventy thousand gold dinars for buying the Arab prisoners,
for the ARABS who were in the hands of the RHOMAYE were far more numerous than the RHOMAYE who
were in the hands of the ARABS. Now when the envoys went back, the king of the RHOMAYE did not wish
to exchange prisoners, neither would he sell [any].

And in the year three hundred and eight of the ARABS (A.D. 920), a mob of ARABS who were in
BAGHDAD made a tumult, and they smashed the gate of the prison, and dragged out the evil-doers. And
they attacked the Christians and plundered the mansion of 'ABD-ALLAH, the son of SIMEON, the
physician, and the mansions of other Christian lawyers. Then the governor collected the Scouts, and he seized
the marauders and impaled their chief, and cut off the hands of his companions.

And in the year three hundred and nine of the ARABS (A.D. 921), a certain athlete (or, ascetic) of the
ARABS, whose name was HALAJ, was captured in BAGHDAD. This man called himself 'God embodied",
and he made it clear that he worked wonders (or, miracles) by fraudulent means. And the king commanded,
and they beat him with one thousand stripes, and afterwards they cut off his hands and his feet, and burned
his body; but they hung his head on a spear, and sent it into PERSIA, where it was carried round about
through the country.

And in the year twelve hundred and thirty-eight (A.D. 927) an army of the RHOMAYE went forth and came
as far as SAMOSATA,; and they set up the tent of the king in the great Mosque therein, and the smiters (or,
bell-ringers) smote the boards [which summoned to prayer] therein, and they made captives of the people and

went away. And the army of the ARABS pursued them, and brought back what they had carried off. And they
captured a kinsman of the king of the RHOMAYE, and brought him in fetters to BAGHDAD.

Now MUNES, the eunuch, who had triumphed in so many wars that his name was called 'MUTAFAR’, that is
to say 'Conqueror', perceived enmity towards (or, jealousy of) himself on the part of the king. And he was
afraid of treachery, and began to watch carefully, and the hatred [of the king] became apparent. And the
nobles and very many of the troops cleaved to him, and when encouraging him they said, "Why art thou
afraid? Behold, before a beard sprouted on thee we were fighting before thee—thus shall it be for ever.' [175]

When MUKTADER perceived the rebellious feeling [in the people], he was afraid, and he sent to MUNES,
saying, 'Thou hast established me, and thou hast sworn oaths [of fealty] to me. If thou keepest thy mind pure
(or, honest), I swear unto thee by God that I will never impute folly (or, treason) to thee. And if there be
something different in thy heart, then I will take refuge in God. War with thee I will never contemplate.’ Now
MUNES was not inclined to reconciliation, but with a strong hand he sent, and had the Khalifah brought to
him, and he shut him up in a chamber. And he brought out MAHAMMAD the son of MUKTADER from
prison, and swore the oath [of fealty] to him, and nicknamed him 'KAHIR’, and he sent and had him seated on
the throne. When the officers of the palace saw that they were to be sent out and others brought in in their
places, they drew their swords and killed the nobles who were with KAHIR, with the exception of MUNES,
who was in his house. And they seized KAHIR and cried out with a loud voice, 'King MUKTADER shall
live’, and they went forth from the palace, and the people of the city cleaved to them. And they went to the
house of MUNES, and brought him out to MUKTADER, and took him again to the palace. Now against
MUNES they were unable to stretch out a hand, for they all held him in great fear. Then MUKTADER sent
again to MUNES, and begged him to make peace with him, but MUNES did not trust him and he went up to
MAWSIL hurriedly. And he collected his troops there and came down again to BAGHDAD. And
MUKTADER also collected troops and went forth and met MUNES, and he was defeated, and the Khalifah
MUKTADER himself was slain, and his head was hung on the point of a spear, in the year three hundred and
twenty of the ARABS (A.D. 932).

In his time lived SINAN, the chief of the physicians, the son of TABITH of HARRAN, and without his
authority no man could traffic in herbs. Many sayings of his are famous. One day there came to him a
physician, an old man in a splendid garb. And SINAN stood up and paid him honour in accordance with his
external body. And when he wished to discuss and to inquire into matters with him, the old man brought out a
bag wherein was a very considerable quantity of gold, and he said to him, "Believe [ me], my lord, I do not
know how to write my name, neither have I ever read anything; but I have many dwellers in my house, and
they live by my work. Therefore I beg of thee, that the food which God giveth [176] to them thou wilt not
withhold.' And SINAN laughed and said to him, '[Certainly], but only after thou hast accepted the stipulation
that thou must not attempt to treat serious illnesses, and that thou must not open an artery, and that thou must
never prescribe purgative medicine’. And the old man swore, saying, ‘Anything more powerful than oxymel
and things like unto it I will never administer’. And SINAN gave him permission to practice medicine.

Then on another day another physician, a handsome young man, came to him, and SINAN asked him, "With
whom hast thou read medicine?’ And the young man replied, 'With my father'. And SINAN said, 'Who is thy
father?' And he replied, "That old man who was with thee yesterday’. And so SINAN the physician iaughed
and said unto him, 'Go in peace and observe the stipulation which I laid upon thy father’. The Khalifah
KAHIR used compulsion on SINAN, and brought him over by force from paganism to the Faith of the
ARABS.

After MUKTADER, KAHIR [ruled] one year and six months. MUKTADER being killed, MUNES advised
the nobles to make 'ABUL-'ABBAS, the son of the murdered man, king. 'For', said he, 'if ye do this, ye will

console his mother, and his widow, and the sister of his widow, and his nurse; and without any toil [on our
part] they will produce the gold which is under them (i.e. their lands). The nobles, however, excused
themselves and said, 'No, we have had enough of women. Through his mother alone all these things have
happened to us, what would happen to us now if to what we have [suffered] through the mother was added
that which we should [suffer] through the widow?’ And they all agreed, and they brought MAHAMMAD the
son of MU'TASAD and made him king; and they nicknamed him 'KAHIR'.

When this Khalifah began to reign he inflicted tortures on the mother of MUKTADER. He hung her up by a
rope tied to one foot, and he beat her with his own hands on the deep-set (or, dangerous?) members of her
body in order to make her reveal the gold. And, besides what she admitted to possess under the tortures, she
was found to have nothing else. And he stripped the sons of MUKTADER and their mother of [their] gold. It
is said that the mother of MUKTADER did very many acts of great kindness to this KAHIR when he was
imprisoned in the palace, in respect of food, and drink, and dainties, and handmaidens which she used to
smuggle in to him. And she even brought him out from the place wherein he was shut up, and set him in such
positions where he could secretly gaze upon the feasting of her son, and hear [177] the voices of the singers.
And yet when he obtained the supreme power he rewarded her with such evil recompense!

Now MUNES and his companions, because they were in the habit of despising kings, and also because they
were afraid for themselves, appointed all the gate-keepers of the palace from among the companies of their
own men. And they decreed that every one who went into the palace, whether man or woman, should be
searched, that no document which concerned their doings should go in to the king. And they arrived at such a
pass that one day when [the servants] were taking in to him the milk which was necessary for him to eat (sic),
the guards thrust their hands into the milk pot and searched it!

Then God, praise be to His righteousness! threw division and contention between the troops of MUNES and
the rest of the nobles, and they left them and went out into the desert; and KAHIR found the place [where
they were] and killed them all. And he constructed a kingdom for himself. He drove away from the palace all
the singing men and singing women, and he expelled all the slaves, both male and female, which had been
bought with silver, and they were sold to the merchants without the contract, because they were singers and
dancers. Then this KAHIR having beaten to death very many of the chiefs and nobles, and seized their riches,
those who remained were scattered as it were by a stroke of the sword. And they taught old men and old
women the books of the ARABS. And they related lying dreams to the slaves who were guarding king
KAHIR, those who stood over the head of the king by night and by day, and to the captains of thousands and
hundreds, saying, 'We have seen evil dreams concerning you, but be on your guard in respect of the king, so
that he may not destroy you'. And thus also did those who worked divination and the astrologers teach, and
when these men asked them how it could be thus, they replied each in his own way that that was his object.
Now the guards felt certain in their minds that KAHIR was about to destroy them. And one night, when he
had drunk a large quantity of wine, they bound him in fetters, and they treated both his eyes with koh/, and
they freed themselves from his service. These things took place in the year three hundred and twenty-two of
the ARABS (A.D. 933). After some years this KAHIR appeared in the Great Mosque asking for alms, and
another man was leading him.

After KAHIR, RADHI, the son of MUKTADER, ruled six years and ten months. The nobles brought this
man out of prison and made him king. And it is said that he gave the order, [178] and that the guards treated
the eyes of KAHIR with kohl [by his command]. And in the year three hundred and twenty-three of the
ARABS (A.D. 934) there was a great conflagration in BAGHDAD, in the district which is called
KHARKHA, and a vast amount of merchandise and many buildings were destroyed therein. And RADHI
commanded and three thousand dinars were given from the treasury to the merchants whose properties had

been destroyed, and ten thousand dinars to the owners of the buildings, who rebuilt their houses [therewith].
A little later fire again fell on the quarter, and in the same year much snow fell in BAGHDAD.

And in the year twelve hundred and forty-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 938), CONSTANTINE, king of the
RHOMAYE, having fallen sick, and feeling "Behold, death’, summoned ROMANUS his son-in-law, and he
himself placed the crown in his hands and made him king.

And in that year, which is the year three hundred and twenty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 937), he sent an envoy
to RADHI, king of the ARABS, with valuable gifts, vessels of gold and silver set with precious stones, and
with him there was a letter written in gold in the language of the RHOMAYE, and the Arabic translation
thereof [which was written] in silver [read] thus: 'From ROMANUS, and CONSTANTINUS, and
STEPHANUS, and CONSTANTINUS, the great kings of the RHOMAYE, to the exalted, and triumphant
holder of the government of the Muslims. Peace! Now, because of the immovable love which we have for
thee, and in order to show the confirmation of our inclination towards the love of thy brotherliness, we send
these gifts, being confident that they will be accepted’, together with very many other long words which
invited RADHI to peace. And the king of the ARABS having accepted the gifts, also sent an envoy with gifts
and a letter, saying, 'From 'ABD ALLAH ABUL-'ABBAS RADHI, the Head of the Faith, the Amir of the
Faithful (or, Believers), to ROMANUS, and CONSTANTINUS, and STEPHANUS,and CONSTANTINUS,
the Governors of the RHOMAYE. Peace! Behold, according to your request, we have accepted your gifts
with love. And for the confirmation of our peace with you, behold we also with gifts and with an ambassador
pay you honours.'

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Kings of the Arabs (continued).

And when ROMANUS was reigning over the RHOMAYE, SIMYON, the BULGARIAN, attacked
CONSTANTINOPLE. And he burned and laid waste the countries of TARKI and MACEDONIA. And he
encamped against ADRIANOPLE and captured it. Then ROMANUS with flattering words and gifts pacified
him. Then SIMYON asked that he might see ROMANUS the king, in order that [179] the peace might be
more firmly established. And the king prepared a suitable spot at sea, and they met each other in boats and
confirmed perfect love. And when there was a respite to the RHOMAYE from the west, they set their faces
towards the east. And they went forth in the year twelve hundred and fifty-two (A.D. 941) and came to
KAPHARTUTHA, and they took spoil from the whole country and departed.

And in the year three hundred and twenty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 940), the sufferings of RADHI, the king
of the ARABS, increased, and he was unable to maintain his watch. SINAN the physician, the son of
TABITH, treated him with great assiduity, but [the king] was in no way relieved. Now RADHI had a
TURKAYA slave, a eunuch, whose name was ZIRAK, and he had authority over everything which belonged
to the king; and in this year he fell sick and died. And the king was smitten with great grief; and he
commanded that four hundred jars of priceless old wine should be emptied into the TIGRIS. And after a short
time he himself died.

After RADHI, MUTHAKI, the son of MUKTADER, [ruled] three years and one month. In the year three
hundred and twenty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 940), the year in which he [began] to reign, there was great
scarcity of food in BAGHDAD. A kor of wheat was sold for one hundred and thirty gold dinars, and men ate
berries and grass. And there came a terrible pestilence which was so deadly that a crowd of the dead were
buried in one grave without prayer. And the river TIGRIS flooded [the country], and very many houses and
palm groves were destroyed.

And in the year twelve hundred and fifty-three of the GREEKS (A.D. 942) the RHOMAYE again invaded
CILICIA, and they carried away captive fifteen thousand men from the country of HAMMUSH, and they
burned the villages and departed. And the famine increased in BAGHDAD, and a kor of wheat was sold for
two hundred and ten gold dinars, and the price of the kor mounted up until it became three hundred and
seventeen gold dinars, and men ate the bodies of the dead. And the bridge in BAGHDAD was broken, and
many people were drowned in the TIGRIS. And one year later the RHOMAYE came to MAIPERKAT, and
'ARZAN, and NISIBIS, and they made many captives, and burnt the villages and departed.

And in the year three hundred and thirty-one of the ARABS (A.D. 942), the king of the RHOMAYE sent an
envoy to MUTHAKI, king of the ARABS, demanding the mandila, i.e. napkin or face-covering which was in
the church of EDESSA. Our Lord had drawn it across His face, and His likeness was impressed (or, outlined)
on it, and He sent it [180] to 'ABHGAR [the king of EDESSA], who asked that he might see Him. And the
king of the RHOMAYE promised that if it were given to him he would set free many of the Arab prisoners

who were with him. Then MUTHAKI collected the scribes of their Faith and asked if the Law commanded
[them] to give such a pretext (or, occasion) as this to the Christians or not. And they replied, 'Although it is
exceedingly right for us to be blessed by this face cloth, yet it is meet to give it to them because the Muslims
are suffering, and are hungry and naked".

At this time a certain captain of the host whose name was TUZON obtained great power in BAGHDAD, and
king MUTHAKI feared him, and took his wives and his slaves and went up to CALONICUS, and he sat
down there for some time. Then TUZON sent a message to him in which he blamed him [and asked him]
why he had put himself so far away from his throne. And he swore an oath of fealty to him, and according to
his nature flattered (or, cajoled) him. And MUTHAKI rose up and came down to BAGHDAD. And when
TUZON heard that he was coming by water, he collected his troops and went forth to meet the king; and he
alighted [from his horse] and kissed the ground [at his feet] and walked before him on foot. And the king
pressed him and made him mount his horse and ride. Then TUZON, with treachery ambushed in his heart,
made a sign to his companions, and they surrounded the king and his escort. And before he could enter the
palace they drew swords on him so that they could kill him if he would not abdicate voluntarily, And being in
sore straits, he abdicated and testified openly that he had done so. And they brought him into the palace, and
shut him up there. And they brought 'ABD ALLAH, the son of MUKTAFI, and made him king, and they
nicknamed him 'MUSTAKFI' (i.e.he for whom the Lord sufficeth). These things [took place] in the year three
hundred and thirty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 944).

After MUTHAKI, MUSTAKFI, the son of MUKTAFI, [ruled] one year and four months. And during the year
in which he reigned, various peoples, the 'ALANAYE, and the 'ASLABHAYE (SCLAVS), and the
LAGZAYE, went forth and came to 'ADHORBIJAN, and they captured the city, the name of which was
BARDA'AH, and they killed therein about twenty thousand men and departed. And again the nobles
conceived treachery concerning king MUSTAKFI. And one day when he was sitting on his throne the nobles
went in according to custom, and they kissed the ground, and they kissed his hand and stood up. And when
their number was complete, one of them, he who had come in last, kissed the ground, and drew nigh to the
king. And the king, thinking that he had come near him in order to kiss his hand, stretched out his hand to
him. And the noble took it [181] and dragged him towards himself, and pulled him from his throne on to his
face. And all the nobles gathered together about him, and they made him to go forth from the palace on foot,
and they took him along and shut him up in the mansion of MU'IZZ AD-DAWLAH,, the captain of the host.
And they brought FADHIL, the son of MUK'TADER, and made him king, and named him MUTI".

After MUSTAKFI, MUTI' the son of MUKTADER ruled twenty-nine years and five months. When the
nobles had seated this Khalifah on the throne, they brought MUSTAKFI before him, and he saluted him and
testified concerning his own abdication, and he was imprisoned in the palace.

And in the year in which MUTI' began to reign, that is to say, the year three hundred and thirty-four of the
ARABS (A.D. 945), two of his nobles quarrelled. The one was NASIR AD-DAWLALH, the governor of
MAWSIL, and the other was MU'IZZ AB-DAWLAH, who had set MUTIT' on the throne. And NASIR came
and seized the eastern side of BAGHDAD, and MU'IZ the western side. Then MU'IZ waxed powerful and he
crossed over to the eastern side, and NASIR fled in the direction of MAWSIL. And the citizens of that side,
fearing the sword of MU'IZ, set out forthwith to flee to MAWSIL, both men and women. And very many
died on the road through thirst and exhaustion, especially among the women who were not accustomed to
travel on foot. One woman, from among the daughters of the governors, was seen lying on the roadside
dressed in rich apparel And she had a bag (i.e. purse) in her hand, and she was crying out, 'Behold four
hundred dinars. Take them and give me a little water to drink.' But never a man looked at her, neither did any
man take the bag for nothing out of her hand, but every man was too much absorbed in effecting his own
flight. Ten thousand souls perished during this flight. And when MU'IZ heard these things he proclaimed

peace, and he sent out water for the fugitives and made them come back. And it is said that in [all] their lives
the BABYLONIANS had never seen such tribulation as on that day.

It is said that there was in BAGHDAD at that time a certain man who was a diviner, and who used to declare
things that were about to happen during times of delirium (in trances?). Days before this tribulation came he
used to cry out in the bazars, saying, 'O sons of BAGHDAD, teach your wives to go about without sandals,
and make thou to get accustomed to want and misery, for tribulation is nigh’. And even so did it take place.

And in that same year there was a great famine in BAGHDAD, [182] and a kor of wheat was sold for four
hundred gold dinars, and a thousand litres of dates, according to the measure of BAGHDAD, for sixty dinars.
And houses, and vineyards, and gardens were sold for joints of meat and cakes of bread. And men used to
pick out the grains of barley from the dung of horses and asses and eat them. And many women were arrested
and killed because they had roasted their babes in the oven and eaten them. And very many died during that
famine, and [their bodies] were devoured by the dogs because there was no one to bury them.

And in the year twelve hundred and sixty of the GREEKS (A.D. 949), which is the year three hundred and
thirty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 948), the RHOMAYE sallied forth to the country of the ARABS. And
SAIF AD-DAWLAH, the Amir of EMESA and ALEPPO, engaged them in battle, and the ARABS were
broken. And the RHOMAYE took GERMANIKI, which is MAR'ASH, and came to TARSOS. And they
killed, and looted, and departed.

And in the year three hundred and thirty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 950) SAIF AD-DAWLAH collected thirty
thousand soldiers, some were mounted and some went on foot, and they invaded the territory of the
RHOMAYE, and captured great spoils. And when the Arab general went out, the RHOMAYE followed and
overtook him, and they shut the gates of the fortifications upon him, and killed and made prisoners of all the
troops which were with him, and they brought back the spoil. SAIF AD-DAWLAH escaped with a few of his
men, but he had lost all his people, and his horses, and his mules, and his treasures and possessions.

And in this year that BLACK STONE which is in the MOSQUE OF MAKKAH was brought back—now
those who go [there] to pray are blessed by it—after [an absence of] twenty-three years. It was carried off by
the KARMATAYE, the tyrants who are in the South, and they sent it back in return for the fifty thousand
dinars which were given to them. They brought it back broken in two pieces, and they tied them together
with rods of silver; [so are they] to this day. And at this time there was a period of great abundance, and
twenty litres of bread, according to BAGHDAD measure, were sold for one zuza.

And in the year twelve hundred and sixty(?)-eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 957), which is the year three
hundred and forty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 956), the RHOMAYE went forth by sea to TARSOS, and they
burned very many villages, and slew one thousand eight hundred warriors of the ARABS, and departed. And
after a little SAIF AD-DAWLAH collected an army and invaded the country of the RHOMAYE, and he took
captives, and burned, and killed. And he came to 'ADANA, a city of CILICIA, [183] and he sat down there
for some days. And he strengthened and encouraged the Amir of TARSOS not to be afraid of the
RHOMAYE, and he left [that place] and came to ALEPPO. And the RHOMAYE went forth after him from
another side, and they arrived at MAIPERKAT, and they plundered and made captives of the people of that
place, and they burned the villages and departed.

And in the year three hundred and forty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 957) the locusts came in vast numbers, and
they destroyed the crops. And a pestilence broke out among men, viz. the disease of strangulation. And it was
so severe that a certain thief who was digging a hole in the wall of a house belonging to a wealthy man of
BAGHDAD, died in the hole. And also a certain man was putting on his dark apparel so that he might go to

judge in the hall of judgement; now he had put on one of his sandals, and he fell down and died before he
could put on the other. And in the winter torrential rains came. And the Great Sea (PERSIAN GULF?)
diminished, and it shrunk into itself for a distance of about three hundred cubits; and many rocks and islands
were laid bare which had not been known before. And one year later there was a terrible earthquake, and it
destroyed many districts, and many were suffocated beneath the overthrow in the mountains of the
DAILOMAYE and KASHAN. And the RHOMAYE went forth as far as 'AMID, and 'ARZAN, and
MAIPERKAT, and they made themselves masters of many fortresses, that is to say citadels, and they killed
one thousand five hundred souls. And after a few days the RHOMAYE also went forth to the quarter of
ALEPPO, and SAIF AD-DAWLAH engaged them by DALUK. And the RHOMAYE conquered, and they
made prisoners of the relatives of SAIF AD-DAWLAH and his kinsfolk. And they killed many of the foot-
soldiers of the ARABS, and only a very few of them escaped. And the RHOMAYE also captured
SAMOSATA, and they burned it with fire.

And in the year three hundred and forty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 958), because NASIR AD-DAWLAH,
the Amir of MAWSIL, was careless and did not wish to send the tribute of silver to BAGHDAD, MU'IZZ
AD-DAWLAH, the Amir, that is to say, captain of the host of BAGHDAD, came against him. Then NASIR
fled to NISIBIS, to which place MU'IZZ AD-DAWLAH pursued him; NASIR fled to MAIPERKAT, and
there also he was not able to sit down, but he fled to ALEPPO, and he took refuge with his brother HAIF (sic)
AD-DAWLAH. Now he received him with great affection, and he abased himself to such a degree that he
used to pull off with his own hands the sandals (or, shoes) of his brother NASIR AD-DAWLAH. [184]

And in the year three hundred and forty-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 959) the RHOMAYE made prisoners of
MAHAMMAD, the son of NASIR AD-DAWLAH, and certain of his slaves from the region of ALEPPO, and
also 'ABU AL-HAITAM, the captain of the host, and his slaves from the town of KAPHARTUTHA. And
they came also to the country of TARSOS, and they killed many and took prisoners. And they captured the
fortress of HARONIA, and they killed the men who were therein, and they made captives of the women and
children, and destroyed the fortress.

And in that year, which was the year twelve hundred and seventy-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 961), king
CONSTANTINE died, and his son ROMANUS became king. This king paid great honour to the Senate and
to the nobles, and he showed magnanimity to every man. And in that year he sent. IWANNI (JOANNES),
who is SHUMUSHKIN (ZIMISCEN), the captain of the host, and NICEPHORUS DOMASTICUS to the
country of the ARABS. And they set out and arrived as far as 'AMID, where they killed about one hundred
fighting men (or, combatants), and made prisoners of thirty souls, and then they burnt the crops and departed.

Then SAIF AD-DAWLAH, the Amir of ALEPPO, collected thirty thousand [men], and he went in and came
as far as KARSHENA, and he captured great spoil. And when he wished to go out the RHOMAYE shut the
gates of the fortifications, and he and only three hundred of his slaves were able to escape. And the
RHOMAYE killed the rest and made prisoners, and brought back the spoil. And they inherited the horses,
and armour, and treasures of SAIF AD-DAWLAH, who is BAR HAMDAN. And at this time, of the
renowned men (or, men of name) who were with him were killed HAMID BAR-NAMUS, MUSA-SAYA
KHAN, and KADHI'ABU HUSAIN. And in this year immense numbers of locusts appeared in the country
of MAWSIL, and there came scarcity and a kor of wheat was sold for two thousand two hundred zuze, and a
kor of barley for eight hundred zuze. And many people fled to SYRIA and BAGHDAD, and the Christians
[fled] to the cities on the seashore. And in that year was built the holy church in TRIPOLI in the name of the
glorious MAR BEHNAM, the Martyr.

And in the year [185] three hundred and forty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 960), when the EGYPTIANS who
had gone to pray at MAKKAH were returning, they encamped in the bed of a brook in which water had not

flowed for a long time. And during the night, whilst they were sleeping, a flood of water poured down upon
them all, and it swept them and all their possesions out into the Great Sea, and they all perished.

And in this year about two hundred thousand tents (i.e. families) of the TURKAYE who were in the East
became Muslims, and entered the Faith of the ARABS. And in the year three hundred and fifty of the
ARABS (A.D. 961), a great host of ARABS went forth from ANTIOCH to TARSOS, and the RHOMAYE
who were in ambush fell upon them, and slew some of them, and the remainder—a very large crowd—they
carried off as prisoners. And the ARABS were greatly enraged. And NAGA, a slave of SAIF AD-DAWLAH,
invaded the territory of the RHOMAYE from the quarter of MAIPERKAT. And he captured much spoil and
two thousand men, and he bound five hundred of them with chains and took [them] out with him.

And in the year twelve hundred and seventy-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 963), which is the year three
hundred and fifty-one of the ARABS (A.D. 962), NICEPHORUS DOMASTICUS came with one hundred
and sixty thousand horsemen to CILICIA, and he encamped against 'ANAZARBA, and made fierce war upon
it. And the ARABS who were inside it, despairing of any help coming to them, demanded a word (i.e.
guarantee of safety) for their lives and possessions, so that they might make the fortress to surrender; [this
they did] the more readily when they saw that those who were on the side of the mountain were near to
breach the walls. Then NICEPHORUS gave them the pledge, and they opened the fortress to him. And when
he went in and saw that they had very nearly opened it with the sword, without any labour, he repented that
he had given them the pledge. And he commanded that all the people should be gathered together at the
Mosque, and that the man who would not go in—his blood would be on his own head.

Then on the following morning the footmen who were with him entered the city, and every one they found in
the house and in the street they killed, men, and women, and children. And he collected all the armour that
was in the city, now there were found therein forty thousand tarpanse, that is to say, coats of mail, besides
great numbers of swords and bows. And they cut down forty thousand palm trees. And he commanded that
those who were in the Mosque should go forth whithersoever they pleased, and that he who remained there
until the evening should be killed. And they went forth, [186] crushing each other as they fought their way
out, and very many died through being trampled to death—men and women, and children alike. And others
of them died on the roads, and the remainder did not know where to go. Then NICEPHORUS destroyed the
Mosque, and he threw down the two walls of the city and the large buildings. And he remained twenty and
two days in CILICIA, and he captured fifty-four fortresses, some with sword, and some by surrender.

It is said that in one of the fortresses, whose masters had received the pledge [of safety], and who had handed
the fortress over to him, when the Arab women were going out certain ARMENIANS were stirred up by their
passions and attacked them. And the spirit of jealousy seized their husbands, and they drew [their] swords.
Then NICEPHORUS DOMASTIKUS was angry with the ARABS, who had drawn [their] swords, and they
killed four hundred men and very many women.

And because the 'ARBA'IN FAST (i.e. the Forty-days Fast, or Lent) arrived, NICEPHORUS and those who
were with him marched to CAESAREA, meaning to come back after the Fast. Then the captain of the host of
the ARABS who were in TARSOS collected four thousand [men] and marched against the RHOMAYE, and
he was defeated and killed, he and all the ARABS who were with him, also his brother BAR-REBAB, the
captain of the host of TARSOS. And the RHOMAYE again invaded CILICIA, and they captured the fortress
of SIS, and they placed guards in it and also in the other garrisons, and they left and marched against
ALEPPO. And SAIF AD-DAWLAH went forth and engaged the RHOMAYE, and was defeated, and all the
sons of HAMDAN were killed. And SAIF AD-DAWLAH himself, together with a few men, fled and
escaped. And [NICEPHORUS] DOMASTICUS himself captured his palace which was outside the city wall,
and he took therefrom three hundred and ninety talents of silver, and two thousand four hundred mules, and

and incalculable quantity of armour and weapons. And he burnt the palace and encamped against the city.
And he made a breach in the wall, and the RHOMAYE went in and made a great slaughter therein, until they
were exhausted. And they found therein one thousand two hundred RHOMAYE men who were prisoners,
and they released them. And they took captive more than ten thousand youths and maidens, and a very great
booty, as much as they could carry away, and the rest they burnt in the fire. And they came upon tanks which
were full of olive oil, and they poured water into them until all the oil floated up to the top and ran out, and it
spread all over the ground and was wasted. And they swept away the Mosques.

And the RHOMAYE remained there for nine days [187] destroying [everything].

And when they wished to march on, the son of the sister of King ROMANUS, who was with NICEPHORUS,
objected (or, resisted) and said, "We will not march on until we have opened (i.e. conquered) the Citadel’.
Then NICEPHORUS, because he was unable to resist him, said, 'Behold, the Citadel is before thee; go,
capture it’. And when the son of the sister of the king drew nigh to breach the wall, [the people inside it] cast
upon him the stone from the cavity which was above the gate; and when the stone reached him he turned his
face to flee. And those who were inside opened the gate of the Citadel, and a certain man of DAILOM,
whose name was BASHA, pursued him and thrust a spear between his shoulders, and made it to come out
from his breast and killed him. And those who were with him turned back, and they took up his dead body
and carried it to NICEPHORUS. Then he, in order that the blood of the son of the king's sister might be
avenged, cut off the heads of twelve hundred men of the ARABS whom he held as prisoners; and he departed
and went to the territory of the RHOMAYE.

Now in the villages of ALEPPO he destroyed nothing whatsoever, but he commanded the farmer-folk saying,
"Ye shall not neglect the tillage of the fields, because this land hath become ours, and after a short time we
shall return to you'. And at that time also one thousand men, who were ARMENIAN foot-soldiers, invaded
the district of EDESSA, and they captured one thousand sheep and five hundred oxen and ten men of the
ARABS and departed.

In these times the RHOMAYE, having gained the mastery over the ARABS, took captives and spoil and
advanced as far as GREATER ARMENIA; and they left and departed. Now, all the ARMENIANS being
afraid that vengeance would be taken upon them by the ARABS because they were Christians, fled to the
frontier of the RHOMAYE; and the RHOMAYE gave them SEBASTIA of CAPPADOCIA, and they
multiplied there exceedingly. And they distributed them also in the fortresses which were in C1LICIA, and
which they took from the ARABS. And in all the wars [waged] by the RHOMAYE the foot-soldiers of the
ARMENIANS marched, and they aided them greatly.

And when NICEPHORUS and his armies of the RHOMAYE returned from ALEPPO, and came to
SIMNADU, the report of the death of King ROMANUS reached them. And all the nobles held the same
opinion as SHUMUSHKIN, and they proclaimed NICEPHORUS DOMASTICUS king in the year twelve
hundred and seventy-five of the GREEKS [188] (A.D. 964). And they made SHUMUSHKIN
DOMASTICUS, and sent him to fight with the ARABS, and he went to CONSTANTINOPLE, and was
confirmed in the kingdom. Then SHUMUSHKIN DOMASTICUS marched against MOPSUESTIA, and he
encamped against it for seven days. And although he made more than sixty breaches in the wall thereof, he
was not able to go into it, but he wasted with fire its surrounding land, and the districts of 'ADANA and
TARSOS. And the RHOMAYE fell upon the five thousand men who came from TARSOS to the help of the
sons of the desert waste and killed them all, and they left and departed.

And there was a great famine in CILICIA, and a great many of the people of the ARABS left and fled to
DAMASCUS. And there was also a severe famine in ALEPPO, and in HARRAN, and in EDESSA. And

after a year the DOMASTICUS came again to CILICIA, and he sat down in the open desert for three months;
he was unable to capture it, but he laid tribute upon it. And they departed because of the sickness and
pestilence which had fallen upon his troops.

And in the year twelve hundred and seventy-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 965), which is the year three hundred
and fifty-four of the ARABS (A.D. 965), NICEPHORUS the king went forth from CONSTANTINOPLE,
and he came and sat down in CAESAREA of CAPPADOCIA. And the sons of TARSOS and the men of the
desert sent [a letter] to him saying that they would be subject unto him, and [asking] him to send some one of
his own to reign over them. He replied, 'Now that ye are in despair about help reaching you from the
ARABS, and now that ye have eaten dead dogs because of the famine, and the pestilence also is making an
end of you, ye would become subject unto me until such time as ye can become strong and rebel against me.
For you, as far as I am concerned, there is nothing but the sword.' And having burnt their letter on the head of
their ambassador, he also singed his beard, and drove him away. It is said that three hundred biers with dead
bodies upon them went forth from TARSOS daily.

Then NICEPHORUS the king collected his troops and went and encamped on the uncultivated land (or, the
desert), and he captured it on the Sabbath, on the thirteenth day of the month of RAJAB of this year of the
ARABS, and he made there great slaughter. And he took prisoners two hundred thousand people, men, and
women, and children, and he sent them to the country of the RHOMAYE. And he came and encamped
against TARSOS. And when the people thereof were supplicating him, with groans and sighs, not to kill
them, (and were promising] to open [189] to him the gates, his heart became sad, and he gave them the word
(i.e. pledge of safety) concerning their lives and possessions. And when he went into the city he paid honour
to the nobles of the ARABS who were therein, and brought them to his table. And he commanded them to
take away everything they possibly could of their possessions and armour, and he sent them to ANTIOCH.
And those who did not wish to go to ANTIOCH, but to the other towns of the ARABS, in like manner he sent
them wheresoever they wished to go. And he appointed three Patricians to keep guard over them, and he
permitted no man to do them an injury. And they cut off the hands and the noses of certain ARMENIANS
who dared to put forth their hands against any men of the ARABS, and he flogged them severely. He sent out
envoys on all the road[s], and urged [them to take care] that the ARABS might arrive where their companions
were in good care. He made the Mosque of TARSOS into a stable for his horses, and he established in
TARSOS a certain Patrician with five thousand horsemen, and he appointed another Patrician over the
uncultivated lands. And TARSOS was [re]built, and was exceedingly prosperous, and the supply of food
therein was so abundant that twelve litres of bread were sold for one zuza And many of her citizens returned
to TARSOS, and some of them were baptized and became Christians; others remained in their Faith, but all
their children were baptized.

And after a year NICEPHORUS the king came and encamped against 'AMID, and he was unable to capture
it. And he went and encamped against 'ANTIAKH (sic) again, and he made war on it for many days, and in
this case also he was unable to cope with its strength; but he laid waste the villages and the gardens which
were round about it and departed. And after a year SAIF AD-DAWLAH, the Amir of ALEPPO, died in
SAMARA. And MU'IZZ AD-DAWLAH, the Amir of BAGHDAD, died by the disease of diarrhoea, and
IZZ AD-DAWLALH, his son, succeeded him.

And in that year, which was the year three hundred and fifty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 966), whilst NASIR
AD-DAWLAH, the Amir of MAWSIL, was sleeping on his bed, his son ABU TAGHLIB seized him, and
sent him away and had him shut up in the Citadel of KAWASHI. And he appointed as keepers over him
SANIH, the KURD, and another eunuch, whom he drove away many times, and he commanded the two of
them that they were never to let NASIR AD-DAWLAH know the news about anything which happened.
Therefore when [190] he asked for news of his sons, and of his eldest son who had shut him up, they said to

him, 'Dost thou want to eat? Dost thou want to drink? For anything more than this never ask us." It is said that
when they were taking him over the bridge he roused himself up and saw the TIGRIS and said, 'Do ye wish
to drown me?’ And they replied, "Nay, but we are taking thee to KAWASHI'. And he said, 'This was in my
mind, that I might shut up my son there, but he has anticipated me in the matter'. And ABU TAGHLIB
undertook to send to BAGHDAD the tribute which his father used to send, and 'IZZ AD-DAWLAH, the
Amir of BAGHDAD, agreed. And in the place of SAIF AD-DAWLAH, the Amir of ALEPPO and EMESA,
sat his son ABU AD-MA'ALI.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Kings of the Arabs (continued).

And in the year twelve hundred and seventy-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 968), which is the year three
hundred and fifty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 967), certain men of KHORASAN, together with three
thousand of the ARABS of ANTIOCH, invaded the territory of CAPPADOCIA. And forty thousand of the
RHOMAYE engaged them in battle, and slew very many of the KHORASANIANS and the
ANTIOCHIANS, and they made many of them prisoners. Then the ARABS who were in ANTIOCH killed
the Patriarch of the CHALCEDONIANS, and they destroyed many of the churches of ANTIOCH. And the
RHOMAYE went forth also to SERUGH, and they made three hundred ARABS prisoners and captured much
cattle, and departed. And in that year NASIR AD-DAWLAH died in the prison of KAWASHI, and he was
brought to the Hill of Repentance (Nabi Yunis?) which is opposite to MAWSIL, and buried there, and all his
children walked barefooted before his bier. In this year there were found by ABU AL-'ALA SULAIMAN, the
son of WAHAB, the son of SOFYAN, a lawyer and Christian of BAGHDAD, three hundred and fifty
thousand zuze in the possession of a money-changer. And there were twelve thousand pots of wine in his
house. They mulcted him of one hundred and forty thousand white (zuze) and left him.

And in this year dissension fell between the KHORASANITES who were in ANTIOCH, and the ARABS
who were natives of ANTIOCH. And the RHOMAYE came and carried away captive from the country of
ANTIOCH twelve thousand people, men and women, and youths and maidens.

And after one year, that is to say in the year twelve hundred and eighty of the GREEKS (A.D. 969), the
RHOMAYE came to KAPHARTUTHA, and they carried off eight hundred people and a vast amount of
spoil. And they went to EMESA and they found it emptied of [191] (or, evacuated by) its inhabitants, and
they set fire to it and departed. And in that year there was scarcity in BAGHDAD, and a kur of wheat was
sold for ninety gold dinars; and vast numbers of locusts appeared in MAWSIL. And after a little [time]
NICEPHORUS, the king of the RHOMAYE, came, and he encamped against ANTIOCH. And from there he
went to TRIPOLI, and he burnt down all the buildings that were outside the city. And he went and captured
the strong citadel of GAZA, and he took from it a great quantity of material. And he came and encamped
between EMESA and ALEPPO, and he remained there two months taking captives and looting, and there
was no man who could resist him. One hundred thousand prisoners, youths and maidens, were counted with
him, for he took neither old man nor old woman; of these some he killed and some of them he left. And had it
not been for the pestilence which fell on the RHOMAYE he would have captured both ALEPPO and
ANTIOCH. His face was set towards JERUSALEM, but he was unable to go [there]. because the [troops]
who were with him were exhausted by the great slaughter which they had made, and by the excessive weight
of the spoil which they had taken.

And in the year twelve hundred and eighty-one of the GREEKS A.D. 970 ), which is the year three hundred
and fifty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 969), the RHOMAYE made secret arrangements with the Christians of
the Citadel of LUKA, which is in the neighbourhood of ANTIOCH, that is to say, they were to go into

ANTIOCH and pretend that they were afraid of the RHOMAYE and had fled [there]. And they were to dwell
therein until the army of the RHOMAYE came to ANTIOCH, when they were to help the RHOMAYE from
inside to conquer the city. And the Christians having done this, two months later the brother of
NICEPHORUS the king came with forty thousand RHOMAYE, and they surrounded the wall of ANTIOCH.
And the men of the Citadel of LUKA gave them help from the side by the mountain, and the RHOMAYE
went into ANTIOCH and captured it. And after the great slaughter which they made they set on one side the
old men and the old women, and those who were not full grown, and they said to them, 'Get ye gone
whithersoever ye please’. And they took the fully grown men and women, and the young men, who were
more in number than twenty thousand souls, and they sent them into the territory of the RHOMAYE. And
they also sent ten thousand horsemen to ALEPPO, and the men of ALEPPO undertook to give to the
RHOMAYE annually a fixed tribute. And the RHOMAYE took from them eight persons as hostages and
departed.

At this time, King NICEPHORUS having triumphed greatly in the war, [192] and being king over all the
cities of CILICIA, and over ANTIOCH and SYRIA, the fear of him fell over all Arabdom (or, the Muslim
world). He became haughty and bore himself arrogantly, and he took to wife Queen THEOPHANA, the wife
of King ROMANUS, although she wished it not. And this did not suffice for him; but he wanted to make
eunuchs of her two sons, BASIL and CONSTANTINE, in order that [the possibility of] their succession [to
the throne] might be done away, and the royal line be continued through him. When THEOPHANA
understood his intention she was sorely grieved for her sons. And she made a secret pact with
SHUMUSHKIN the DOMASTICUS, and she brought him and certain strong men disguised as women into
the church of the palace on the night of the Nativity. And she informed NICEPHORUS that she had invited
some of her kinswomen to pass the night with her in the church in order to enjoy converse with them. And so
when she knew that he was sunk deep in slumber, she brought in upon him SHUMUSHKIN and those who
were with him, and they killed him on his bed and more than seventy men of the guards who kept the gate of
the palace. Now we have discovered the cause of the murder of NICEPHORUS in accurate books. The cause
assigned by the blessed MAR MICHAEL, on the authority of IGNATIUS of MELITENE [is this]: she killed
him because he was not faithful [to her] in marriage. There was no pretence on her part, because not even
after NICEPHORUS was killed did she consort with men, not even with SHUMUSHKIN, who reigned after
NICEPHORUS, or any other man.

And in the year three hundred and sixty of the ARABS (A.D. 970), two ARABS who had been killed during
the night were found in the Mosque which was near the Nestorian Monastery of MICHAEL which is in
MAWSIL. And ABU TAGHLIB, the son of NASIR AD-DAWLAH, fined the Christians of MAWSIL one
hundred and twenty thousand zuze .

And in the year three hundred and sixty-two of the ARABS (A.D. 972) the DOMASTICUS and an army of
the RHOMAYE invaded the city of NISIBIS, and he made a great slaughter therein. And he remained [there
for] twenty-two days, taking captives, and looting, and laying waste the country. And when he wished to
march against 'AMID, the captain of the host therein, whose name was HAZARMARD, sent to ABU
TAGHLIB, governor of MAWSIL, [for help], and he sent to him a large army with his brother. And they
attacked the RHOMAYE, and the ARABS conquered and captured the DOMASTICUS; and they sent him as
a prisoner to [193] MAWSIL, and the RHOMAYE fled. And ABU TAGHLIB showed many kindnesses to
the DOMASTICUS, so that he might strengthen [his] friendship with the RHOMAYE.

Now it came to pass that a virulent boil broke out on the DOMASTICUS and he died there. And in that year,
when the people of BAGHDAD heard of the pillage and slaughter which had taken place in NISIBIS, they
became greatly exasperated, and they made a great revolt against the Khalifah, who was [called] MUTI'. And
they jeered at him and mocked him as being one who avoided fighting on behalf of the ARABS, and they

shot arrows at him in his palace and at his servants. And certain men of name (i.e. distinguished men) went to
the Amir 'IZZ AD-DAWLAH, who had gone to KUFAH, and they urged him to send an army against the
RHOMAYE.

And in the year three hundred and sixty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 973) the disease of paralysis attacked
MUTI’, the king of the ARABS, that is to say the Khalifah, and his tongue became heavy, and his power to
move ceased. Therefore a certain noble of BAGHDAD, whose name was SABUKTAKIN, forced him to
abdicate, and he handed over the kingdom to his son who was called TAI’. And in this year died TABITH, the
physician, the son of SINAN, the son of TABITH the pagan of HARRAN. This man wrote a famous
chronological history of the ARABS from the year two hundred and ninety of the ARABS (A.D. 902) to the
end of his days. And had it not been for him a very great number of the deeds and acts of the Arab kings
would have been forgotten and lost in oblivion. But he preserved [the memory] of them, and they have been
handed down by the writers of histories who have arisen since his time.

After MUTI’, TAT' [ruled] seventeen years and nine months. When this Khalifah [began to] reign, he
magnified SABUKTAKIN who had made him king, and he nicknamed him 'NASIR AD-DAWLAH'. And
strife fell on the people because the Sunnite ARABS and the TURKAYE took the side of SABUKTAKIN and
the Shi'ah ARABS and the DAILOMITES took the side of 'IZZ AD-DAWLAH. And very many were killed
between them, and great palaces were captured. And in the year three hundred and sixty-four of the ARABS
(A.D. 974), which is the year twelve hundred and eighty-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 975), 'TWANNI
(JOANNES), the king of the RHOMAYE, who is SHUMUSHKIN, went forth and made himself master of
EMESA and B'ELBAK (BAALBEK). And when he wished to go to DAMASCUS BAR-ZAIATH
(ZAWATH), one of the Arab nobles of SYRIA, wrote to AL-PETHGAN, the governor of DAMASCUS, and
advised him not to oppose the king of the RHOMAYE [194] because he was incapable of resisting his power.
Thereupon AL-PETHGAN was persuaded by his advice and he sent to SHUMUSHKIN and promised that he
would be subject to him, and he undertook to pay [annually] a tribute of three hundred thousand zuze; and
SHUMUSHKIN the king agreed to this arrangement.

And when SHUMUSHKIN drew nigh to DAMASCUS, AL-PETHGAN went out to meet him, and he
alighted on his feet and kissed the ground in front of him very many times. And the king rejoiced that AL-
PETHGAN was in this state of mind, and he made him remount his horse, and paid him honour, and he
commanded him to canter on in front of him, and to exhibit his skill as a horseman. And AL-PETHGAN
having done so, the king praised him, and again AL-PETHGAN alighted and kissed the ground. And
SHUMUSHKIN made him remount his horse, and remitted to him one year's tribute; and again AL-
PETHGAN alighted and kissed the ground. And the king demanded from him the horse on which he had
cantered and caracolled, and his armour and his spear. Then AL-PETHGAN offered him these thmgs together
with other objects and perfumes, and also twenty horses and a large number of spears. And the king accepted
that horse only and one spear only, and he returned the remainder and gave him thanks. And he arrayed AL-
PETHGAN in rich apparel, and gave him jewellery and vessels of silver and mules.

And SHUMUSHKIN left and went to SIDON. And the inhabitants sallied forth to tender their submission to
him, and they presented offerings to him. And he left them and went and attacked BAIRUTH (BEROT), and
he opened (i.e. conquered) it with the sword and carried off spoil from it. And he went and attacked
GABBALA (JEBEL, or, BYBLUS), and the inhabitants thereof showing themselves to be rebellious, he took
that city also with the sword and carried off spoil. And he left and went to TARSOS. And there the sister of
Queen THEOPHANA gave him drink with deadly poison in it, and he became seriously ill; and he marched
to the royal city, where he died, after he had reigned four years. This king was extremely strenuous in his
military duties. He was powerfully built in his body, and courageous in spirit, and victorious in wars. During
his reign he showed magnanimity to every man, and he set the prisoners free, and he built the great church in

Constantinople, and subjugated many cities and countries. And the nobles and all the people mourned his
death greatly.

And after him BASIL and CONSTANTINE, the sons of ROMANUS the king, reigned fifty-eight years, and
they were on affectionate terms with each other. And because BASIL possessed greater strength than his
brother, CONSTANTINE established him in the royal city, and he was engaged continually in fighting wars
[195] against the ARABS.

And in the year three hundred and sixty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 977), the river TIGRIS rose twenty
cubits above the normal [height], and the waters poured down into the wells (cesspools?) and drains (or,
sewers) of BAGHDAD. And the people sat in boats by night and by day, and many large buildings collapsed.
And the two brothers who were reigning over the RHOMAYE appointed as DOMASTICUS a man whose
name was WARDOS. And straightway he rebelled against them, and he wished to establish his own
sovereignty over the countries which the RHOMAYE had taken from the ARABS. And he sent an envoy to
his brother 'ADHAD AD-DAWLAH, an Amir of BAGHDAD, [asking him] to help him, and to take care that
he was confirmed in the kingdom of the RHOMAYE in the East, and [promising that] he would be in
subjection to the ARABS all the time of his life.

Then the kings BASIL and CONSTANTINE also sent envoys, and they exhorted [them] not to accept the
words of the rebel. 'ADHAD AD-DAWLAH decided in his mind that it was meet to help the kings and not
the rebel, nevertheless he showed affection outwardly for his brother the rebel, and he promised to help him
in everything [possible]. Then when the kings of the RHOMAYE sent an army against the rebels, WARDOS
with confidence went to the frontier of the ARABS together with a few men, and sent [a letter] to'ADHAD
AD-DAWLAH [asking him] to send him an army. And, ADHAD AD-DAWLAH, having made him
confident, sent secretly to the nobles of the ARABS, and seized the rebel and his brother, and those who were
with him. And they were brought to BAGHDAD and shut up in prison there for a long time.

And in the year three hundred and seventy-two of the ARABS (A.D. 982) 'ADHAD AD-DAWLAH, Amir of
BAGHDAD, died. In his time there flourished, 'ALI, the son of 'ABBAS, the physician. He it was who
compiled the KING BOOK (or, Kingly, i.e. Royal Book) under the name of this man. For the Amirs who
commanded with the Khalifah in BAGHDAD were called 'kings'. And at this time also there lived in
KHORASAN, 'ABU SAHEL MASIHI, an excellent physician who composed the famous book MA MIMRE
(i.e. One Hundred Discourses), and there are also other books to his [name]. And he was the Rabbeh of a
princely old man. And MASIHI went forth from this world when he was forty years old, and his brother
SAMSAM AD-DAWLAH rose up in his place.

And in the year three hundred and seventy-three of the ARABS (A.D. 983) there was a famine in
BAGHDAD, and a kor of wheat was sold for four thousand [196] and eighty zuze, and a kor of barley for two
thousand and forty zuze, and many people perished of hunger. And in the year three hundred and seventy-six
of the ARABS (A.D. 986), when the Khalifah TAI' was sitting upon his throne according to the custom of the
Khalifahs, SAMSAM AD-DAWLAH, the governor, went into cry 'Peace' upon him; and he kissed the ground
and stood upon the right-hand side of the throne, and all the [other] nobles went in and did likewise. And the
poets also went in, and they praised SAMSAM more than all the [other] nobles in their measures of praise.
Now when the nobles saw that things were thus, one of them whose name was SHARAF AD-DAWLAH
concocted a secret plan with the other nobles, and they seized SAMSAM AD-DAWLAH in secret, and sent
him to one of the fortresses of PERSIA, and shut him up in it, and treated him with koh/ ; and SHARAF AD-
DAWLAH rose up in his place. In these times the name and the title [of king] only belonged to the kings of
the ARABS, that is to say, the KHULAFA; but the whole of the Government, and the Army, and the Treasury
were administered by these Persian nobles.

And in the year three hundred and seventy-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 988), SHARAF AD-DAWLAH
collected the philosophers who were in the dominion of the ARABS, and he built an observatory for the
observation of the motions of the stars. And he constructed instruments which recorded their courses in
degrees and circles of brass, even as MAMON had done in his days, and he appointed 'ABU SAHEL
YAHYAH, the son of RUSTAM the TURIAN, to direct the work. And in this year, in the months of
TAMMUZ (JULY) and 'AB (AUGUST), scorching winds blew from the South, and many people fell down
on the roads and died suddenly in BAGHDAD, and especially the sailors on the rivers (or, canals) of
BABYLON.

And in the year three hundred and seventy-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 989) SHARAF AD-DAWLAH died,
and after him rose up 'ABU NASR as captain of the hosts.

And in the year three hundred and eighty of the ARABS (A.D. 990), when 'AZIZ, the Khalifah of EGYPT
and all SYRIA, was ruling, he appointed an EGYPTIAN Christian, a man whose name was 'ISA the son of
NESTORIUS, to be his Great Proximus. He was an excellent man, and learned in the craft of the lawyers, and
he amassed great wealth in the Royal Treasury. And he also appointed in SYRIA another lawyer, a JEW,
whose name was MANASSEH, the son of KAZARA (KAZAZA). And these two dismissed the Arab
lawyers, and appointed Christians and JEWS in their stead. Then a certain Arab lawyer gave a large sum of
money [197] to a certain poor woman, who was swift in her movements (i.e. swift to understand). And he
wrote a little document and gave it to her, [and arranged with her] to stand where the Khalifah was going to
pass, and she was to cry out and pretend that she was an injured woman, and to thrust out the paper [to him].
And when they took the paper from her, she was not to stand there any longer, so that she might not be found
there. Now he wrote in the document thus: 'God hath exalted the horn of the Christians in [the person of] 'ISA
the son of NESTORIUS, and that of the JEWS in [the person of] MANASSEH, the son of KAZARA, and He
hath humbled the ARABS in thy person. I adjure thee to investigate my wrong.’ When she had done this, and
'AZIZ had read these words and perceived their import, they inquired for the woman, but she was not to be
found. And 'AZIZ was angry and imprisoned 'ISA and MANASSEH. And because 'ISA was beloved by all
the dwellers in the palace, the daughter of King AZIZ begged him from her father, and he gave three hundred
thousand dinars to the king, and he reappointed him to his position.

And at this time the men of TAGRITH, being oppressed by the taxes imposed by unjust landlords, went forth
from their city and distributed themselves in foreign districts. And wherever they came they built churches
and monasteries, and they beautified the temples. Among these [people] were the three honourable breathren
who were called 'the sons of 'ABU 'IMRAN', and they came and dwelt in MELITENE. And they built in it
churches and nunneries, and outside it they built monasteries for monks and anchorites. And on every Friday
they distributed alms among the poor from dawn until noon. And the king of the RHOMAYE was jealous of
them, and he compelled them to strike royal darics [at their own expense] for one year; and they did so, and
their wealth was not diminished. And King BASIL himself was in need, and he came to their gate and begged
a loan from them. And when they saw him they fell down and did homage to him, and they gave him one
hundred kantinare (centenarii) of gold. And he paid them back again because he was an upright man. And on
another occasion when the TURKAYE plundered the country of MELITENE, the old man 'ABU SALIM, the
eldest brother who had come from DAIRA, was also there, and he was captured with the spoil. And when the
TURKAYE said to him, 'Buy thyself, for thou art rich'. He replied, 'If ye were selling all the spoil which ye
have taken I could buy it'. And the TURKAYE laughed and said to him, 'How much wilt thou give?' And he
said, 'For every soul five dinars. And the TURKAYE said [198] to him, "We have sold', and having given to
him the word, he sent and brought gold, and paid it, and redeemed the prisoners, who were about fifteen
thousand [in number]. We write these things of the small matters in order that it may be known how
extraordinary prosperous these people of ours were in olden time, and to what a state of misery they have
come.

And in this year the Amir 'ABU NASIR was taken, and the Amir and captain of the host BAHA AD-
DAWLAH rose in his place. When this man grew old he coveted the riches of the Khalifah TAI’, and he
plotted secretly with the DAILOMITES, and one day, whilst TAI' was sitting on his throne, they swept him
from it, and rolled him up in the carpet which was under him. And they imprisoned him and took from him a
written statement of his abdication. And they brought 'ABU AL-'ABBAS 'AHMAD, the son of ISAAC, the
son of MUKTADER, and made him king in the year three hundred and eighty-one of the ARABS (A.D. 991),
and they gave him the name of 'KADER',

After TAI’, KADER [ruled] forty-one years and three months. In the year three hundred and eighty-two of the
ARABS (A.D. 992), which is the year thirteen hundred and four of the GREEKS (A.D. 993), the RHOMAYE
reigned over KHALAT and MINAGERD (MALAZGERD?), and 'ARGISH. Then 'ABU 'ALI, the captain of
the host of the ARMENIANS, undertook to give tribute to the RHOMAYE, and BASIL the king assented and
left ARMENIA in his hands, and he made an agreement [of peace] for ten years. At this time went forth the
great mob of the ARMENIANS who were called 'SINA KARIMAYE' (SANHIRIBHAYE?), that is to say,
descendants of SENNACHERIB, and they handed over their citadels to BASIL, king of the RHOMAYE.
And he gave them in exchange SEBASTIA and CAPPADOCIA, and Armenian Patricians lived therein. And
from that place they spread about in all CAPPADOCIA, and CILICIA, and SYRIA. It is said that when
ADRAMELECH and SHAREZER killed SENNACHERIB their father, they fled to the mountains of
KARDU, and that they were mingled with the ARMENIANS. And from this [incident] the ARMENIANS
have acquired this cognomen—that they are to be called 'SANHIRIBITES',

At this time SA'D AD-DAWLAH, the Amir of ALEPPO, having fallen sick, died. He commanded that his
son 'ABU AL-FADHA'LL should stand in his place, and that LULU, the captain of the host, should be his
administrator.

Then 'AZIZ, Khalifah of EGYPT, desired greatly to reign over ALEPPO, and to have the mastery over its
treasures. And he sent his servant MANGUTAKIN with thirty thousand horsemen against ALEPPO. Now
LULU [199] did not see that he could obtain any help from the men of BAGHDAD, and he took refuge with
the RHOMAYE. And he sent an envoy to BASIL the king, and he humbled himself and asked help from him;
and BASIL sent him fifty thousand [men], some horsemen, and some footmen. And whilst the army of the
RHOMAYE were encamped on the river ORONTES, that is the 'ASI, which [floweth] by the side of
ANTIOCH, the troops of the EGYPTIANS made haste, and went and crossed the river, and they attacked the
RHOMAYE and defeated them; and they returned and encamped against ALEPPO. Then LULU acted
cunningly, and he bribed MANGUTAKIN with a large amount of gold. And MANGUTAKIN left him and
went back to DAMASCUS, and he wrote to 'AZIZ, saying, 'the troops who were with me have perished
through hunger, therefore I have come to DAMASCUS’, and [he added] that when he was strong again he
would return.

Then 'AZIZ was furiously angry, the more so because he believed secretly that MANGUTAKIN had not
come to DAMASCUS because things were thus (i.e. as he described them), but only that he might enjoy
himself, because he was only a youth and did not as yet possess the hairs of’ puberty (i.e. he had not reached
manhood). For this reason 'AZIZ dismissed him, and appointed a certain RUDBARYA to be captain of the
host in his stead; and he sent him to [attack] ALEPPO again. And he began to buy wheat for the troops [and
bring it] from ALEXANDRIA by sea, and he stored two hundred thousand measures (kepize) of wheat and
barley in the Citadel of APAMEA. And [the soldiers] marched twenty-five parasangs from ALEPPO to that
place and took fodder (or, hay) for their horses. And they sat down by ALEPPO for thirteen months, and they
built for themselves baths, and shops, and lodging-houses. And the famine waxed very severe in the city. It is
said that LULU used to buy [wheat] at the rate of three dinars the kepiza, and sell it again to the inhabitants
of the city for one dinar, so that they should not suffer overmuch. And he also devised a plan and again sent

an envoy to King BASIL, and he said unto him, 'If we do not overtake him with a great army, behold these
[troops] will gain the mastery over ALEPPO, and therefore do not imagine that ANTIOCH will remain thine’.

And because of this BASIL trembled (or, was agitated or was nervous) and he collected an army, and he
marched with thirty thousand RHOMAYE a distance of three hundred parasangs in sixteen days. And he
came and smote the places where the horses of the EGYPTIANS lay down; now they were feeding in the
fields, because it was spring time. And LULU sent a letter to RUDBARYA, and said unto him, 'The Islamism
wherein we are participators with each other summoneth me to mercy upon thyself and upon thy troops.
Therefore look then for thyself [200] and save the ARABS from the mouth of the sword, for behold BASIL
the king is going to attack you in person.’ And spies also came and reported to him the selfsame thing.
Therefore fright fell upon the army of the EGYPTIANS, and they abandoned all their precious possessions,
and every one, each on a horse, escaped. And the RHOMAYE came and made loot of everything which they
found. And 'ABU AL-FADHA'IL and LULU went forth to do homage to King BASIL, and they presented
gifts to him.

And BASIL departed, and he went and captured the Citadel of SIRIN. And from there he went and captured
EMESA, and they carried away captive from there more than ten thousand souls. And from there he went to
TRIPOLI, and he encamped against it forty days, and he was unable to capture it, and he departed and went
to his own country.

Now when the Khalifah of EGYPT heard these things, he was greatly grieved, and he collected a very large
number of troops so that he himself in person might come and take ALEPPO. Now because a disease of the
colon was chronic in him, in one whole year he was only, with the greatest difficulty, able to come from
EGYPT (i.e. MEMPHIS) to BULBIS, [a distance of] ten parasangs, and there he died. And after him his son
HAKIM the Khalifah reigned over EGYT and the West, in the year three hundred and eighty-six of the
ARABS (A.D. 996).

And at [that] time 'ISA, the son of NESTORIUS, was killed in EGYPT, and there was appointed in his place
as Proximus a certain Jacobite of the EGYPTIANS whose name was 'ABU AL-'ALA FAHID, the son of
IBRAHIM. This man was a lawyer of BARGAWAN, a white eunuch, and captain of the host, and the
Proximus made him a prince. At this time the Christians, without changing their Faith, were appointed Wazirs
in the Arab kingdom of the EGYPTIANS, but such is not the case in our times. Nowadays unless [Christians]
become Muslims they are not entrusted with the office of Wazir.

And in the year three hundred and eighty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 997), which is the year thirteen hundred
and eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 997), the Dukas (Duke) Domasticus of the RHOMAYE came and encamped
against APAMEA, and he made it to suffer from starvation until a dog was sold for two gold dinars. Then
came BAR SAMSAMAKH, the captain of the host of the EGYPTIAN ARABS, to go into the Citadel and
guard it. And the RHOMAYE pursued him, and killed about two thousand men of the ARABS, and the
remainder began to flee. Then the Domasticus, and his two sons, and ten horsemen, went up to the top of a
hill [201] that they might gloat over the ARABS who were fleeing and were being killed by the RHOMAYE.
Then a certain Kurd, whose name was 'BAR KIPA' who was riding an Arab horse, and was wearing a coat of
armour, and had a spear in his right hand, rode straight up the hill. And the Duke thought that he had come to
receive a pledge [of safety] for his own life and the lives of his people, and he took no notice of him. And
when he came near he smote the Duke with the spear, and tore a gap in his coat of armour, and he speared
him between his sides (or, ribs) and he died. And whilst those who were with him, and who saw him fall from
his horse, were occupied with him, the Kurd fled to his fellow countrymen. And the outcry fell that the
Domasticus had been killed. And the ARABS tured and made a son of the Duke prisoner, and they sold him
again for six thousand dinars. And ten thousand of the RHOMAYE were killed, and their heads were carried

to EGYPT. And the ARABS went from there to the country of ANTIOCH, and they plundered, and killed,
and burnt the villages, and then they came back again to DAMASCUS and made themselves masters of it.
For up to that time it had been under the dominion of the BAGHDADITES.

In this year a man of the ARABS whose name was 'ALAKAH rebelled in the city of TYRE, and he took
asylum with the RHOMAYE. And the army of the EGYPTIANS prevailed over him, and they took him and
carried him to EGYPT. And they flayed him alive, and filled his skin with straw and impaled him.

And at [that] time there were two men in the city of DAKUKAH who were Christian lawyers, and they
possessed great authority over it and over its district. And when the captain of the host of the PERSIANS,
whose name was GABRIEL, the son of MAHAMMAD, came, now he was going to ravage and plunder the
country of the RHOMAYE, the ARABS went out and said unto him, 'Why is it necessary for thee to go so far
away? Behold we have here two Christians who do unto us things which are far worse than anything which
the RHOMAYE ever do unto us, as if they reigned over us. Therefore show thy strength, if thou art able.’ And
that man being moved with indignation; went into the city and killed the two men, and made himself master
of the city of and by himself, but the inhabitants thereof consented thereto. And he was called DABUS
(TOPOS?) AD-DAWLAH,, that is to say, 'Spear of the Dominion".

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Kings of the Arabs (continued).

And in the year three hundred and eighty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 998) a severe frost took place during the
winter, and thousands of the palm-trees in BAGHDAD were destroyed. And those which remained only after
very many years [202] acquired straightness. And in this year HAKIM the Khalifah of EGYPT killed
BARGAWAN, the eunuch. For this man through the abundance of his compassion for HAKIM did not allow
him to ride when it was not the time [for riding], nor to give gifts to men which it was not right [to give];
therefore was HAKIM troubled by him and he killed him. The EGYPTIANS, however, were greatly pained
by his murder, and they made a tumult and came to the door of the palace of HAKIM. Then was HAKIM
afraid, and he went up into an upper chamber, and stood by one of the doors, and cried out 'Peace' over the
people, and said, 'Treachery was pointed out to me in BARGAWAN, and therefore I killed him. I entreat you
to be helpers to me, and not men who would sweep me away, for as yet I am a youth.’ And he wept before
them, and coaxed them with fair words, and they left [him] and departed. And in order to gratify their minds
he brought FAHID, a Christian scribe, and he arrayed him in Royal apparel, and told him that he was not to
change, but to keep as he was, and to administer the affairs of the kingdom in this wise.

Then after three years two Arab lawyers, namely 'ABU TAHIR and BAR 'ADDAS, brought accusations
against FAHID to HAKIM, and he rebuked them. Then they worked upon other people, and they in turn
calumniated the Christians. And then HAKIM could not bear them, he commanded and FAHID was killed.
And because this FAHID had been very faithful to him, and he was beloved by him, and he had killed him
only because he had been urged to do so through the irritation caused by the ARABS, he sent and brought
FAHID'S children, and arrayed them in apparel, and he commanded that no man should injure them or
approach their habitations.

Then BAR 'ADDAS had dominion in EGYPT, and 'ABU TAHIR in SYRIA. And they made the people to
suffer many evils, not only the Christians but the ARABS, especially in the matter of over many heavy levies
and burdens of taxation, with the excuse that they must produce the immense amount [of money] which they
had promised [the Khalifah]. Now, the sister of the Khalifah had a certain scribe, an EGYPTIAN, in SYRIA,
and he sent and complained to her about 'ABU TAHIR. And because her brother always paid very great
attention to her, she went and wept before him. And she received [from him] the command, and she sent [it]
and killed 'ABU TAHIR; and his head was carried to EGYPT, and the boys dragged his dead body through
the bazars. And at the same time HAKIM commanded, and [203] BAR' ADDAS was killed. May their
memory be accursed!

And there was rest for the ARABS and the Christians. And in the place of 'ABU TAHIR and BAR 'ADDAS
there was appointed as the Great Proximus a man who was a Christian, and whose name was MANSUR
BAR-'ABDUN. This man was hated by the nobles, and they brought accusations against him. And because of
him there rose up a persecution of the Christians, and many of the lawyers were beaten (1.e. bastinadoed)

until they died, and they were cast out to the dogs. And MANSUR also was beaten until it was thought that

he was dead, and he was cast out to the dogs. And when it was discovered that he made a little movement, he
was lifted on to a beast and carried to his house, and he recovered. And the Khalifah restored him to his
position, and gave him the nickname of 'KAFT’, that is to say, 'Capable man’. Concerning HAKIM it is said
that he frightened and terrified men so much that the people withdrew themselves entirely from the doers of
wickedness, and no man dared to shut his shop at night. And HAKIM used to mount an Egyptian donkey and
ride about at night through the bazars, and no man dared to stand up or to bow to the ground before him. And
they used to keep the lights burning all night long, and in his days the night in EGYPT was like the day.

And in the year three hundred and ninety-two of the ARABS (A.D. 1001) the ARABS rose in a tumult
against the Christians in BAGHDAD, and they looted their houses. And they also put forth their hands
against the churches to destroy them. And having set on fire that church of the JACOBITES which is by the
side of the place where flour was ground, it fell down on a very large number of ARABS, men, and women,
and children, and it suffocated them and burned to death those who set it on fire; and the onlookers became
terror stricken.

And one year after swarms of locusts appeared in the country of MAWSIL and in BAGHDAD, and they
became very numerous in SHIRAZ. They left no grass [in the fields] and no leaves on the trees, and they
even consumed the rolls of cloth which the fullers were bleaching; and of each roll of cloth the fuller was
only able to give a rag to its owner. And there was a famine, and a kor of wheat was sold in BAGHDAD for
one hundred and twenty gold dinars. And pillars of fire appeared in the heavens, from the north pole to the
middle of the sky.

And in the year three hundred and ninety-six [of the ARABS = A.D. 1005] there appeared a star which
resembled APHRODITE in its greatness and splendour, in the Sign of the Zodiac the SCORPION, and its
rays revolved and gave out light [like those of] the Moon; and it remained four months and [then]
disappeared. And in the year three hundred and ninety-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1007) [204] snow fell in
BAGHDAD and it remained on the surface of the ground for a sabbath of days (i.e. a week), and it was a
cubit or a cubit and a half deep. And thus it was in all the land of SEN'AR, in BASRA and BA'BADAN, and
MAHRUBAN, and GANABAH; something the like of which was never before heard of.

And in this year there was great abundance. And a kor of wheat was sold for twelve dinars. And a great
earthquake took place in the city of DINAWAR, and it destroyed very many buildings; sixteen thousand
people were brought out from under the dust and buried, besides those which the earth swallowed up when it
was rent open. And moreover a violent black wind blew in TAGRITH and DAKUKAH, and it destroyed
many houses, and tore up very many palm-trees and olive-trees by the roots; and great ships were sunk in the
Sea of PERSIA (Persian Gulf).

And on the seventh day of the month of SHA'BAN (i.e. the eighth month of the lunar year) of this year, 'ABU
'ALI, the son of ZARA'A, a Christian philosopher in BAGHDAD, died. And in this year the people of one of
the tribes of the INNER TURKAYE in the East, which is called KIRITH, believed in Christ, and they became
disciples and were baptized through the miracle which was wrought in connexion with their king.

And at this time HAKIM, the Khalifah of EGYPT (read BAGHDAD), commanded and the Temple of the
Resurrection which is in JERUSALEM was dug up from its roots (or, foundations), and all its furniture was
looted. And he laid waste also thousands of churches which were in his dominions. And he commanded the
heralds to proclaim, 'Every Christian who entereth the Faith of the ARABS shall be honoured and he who
entereth not shall be disgraced, and he shall hang on his neck a cross from above (upside down?). And the
JEWS shall place on their necks the figure of a calf's head, since they made [a calf] in the wilderness and
worshipped it. And they shall not wear rings on the fingers of the right hand, neither shall they ride on horses,

but on mules and asses, with common saddles and stirrups of wood. And the man who will not accept this
humiliation, let him take everything that he hath and go to the country of the RHOMAYE.'

And when this Edict went forth very many people departed, but a few denied the Faith of the Christians. And
those who neither departed nor denied their Faith hung crosses of gold and of silver on their necks, and they
made for themselves saddles of rich coloured stuffs. When HAKIM heard this he was wroth, and he
commanded, saying, 'Every Christian who does not hang on his neck [205] a cross of wood weighing four
litres, according to the measure of BAGHDAD, shall be killed. And also the JEW who does not hang on his
neck a plaque (?) with the figure of the claw of chicken [on it], which weighs six pounds, shall be killed. And
when they go into the baths they shall tie little bells on their necks, so that they may be distinguished from the
ARABS:.' This persecution began through a certain man who hated the Christians. He told HAKIM the
Khalifah a story [to the effect that] 'the Christians, when they assemble in the temple of JERUSALEM to
celebrate the festival of Easter, deal cunningly (or, deceitfully) with the overseers of the church, and they
anoint with oil of balasmon (balsam) the iron wire on which hangeth the lamp over the tomb. And when the
governor of the ARABS sealeth the door of the tomb, the Christians from the roof light a fire at the top of the
iron wire, and the fire runneth down to the wick of the lamp and kindleth it. And then they cry out " Kuriia
Layson " (Kyrie Eleeson) and weep, pretending that they see the light which descendeth from heaven upon
the tomb, and they are confirmed in their Faith.' And when the Christians and the JEWS had remained in this
state of tribulation for a considerable time, HAKIM the Khalifah, some time before he was killed, repented of
what he had done, and he commanded that those who had denied their Faith should return to it again. And he
gave the Christians permission, and they built much better churches than they had done formerly. And those
who had fled to the country of the RHOMAYE returned again to their houses.

And in the four hundredth year of the ARABS (A.D. 1009), 'ABU NASR BASHIR, the son of HARON, the
son of GAMALA, a Christian scribe in BAGHDAD, died on the twenty-sixth day of the month of SHAWAL.

And in the four hundred and first year of the ARABS (A.D. 1010), KARAWASH (KARAWUSH), the son of
MUKALED, the governor of MAWSIL, proclaimed HAKIM the Khalifah of EGYPT. And swarms of locusts
appeared in the country of MAWSIL, and the MA'DAYE raided the country on all sides, and there was also a
great pestilence. And the famine waxed strong in the country of KHORASAN until one litre of bread was
sold for a gold dinar. And men at first ate dogs and beetles (?), and then infants and children, and at last they
used to leap upon anyone they saw who was fat and portly, and they would kill him and eat him.

And in the year four hundred and eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1017), the wife of 'ABU NASR, the son of
ISRAEL, a Christian lawyer in BAGHDAD, died, and they laid her on her bier in the day-time [206] with
crosses and lights (1.e. she lay in state). Then a certain ARAB became filled with indignation (fanaticism?)
and he threw a stone at the bier. And the slaves of the Amir MANASIH who were surrounding the bier as
guards smote that ARAB with a sword, and a great tumult broke out in BAGHDAD, and many of the
ARABS and Christians were killed. And 'ABU NASR, the husband of the dead woman, fled to the house of
MANASIH, his administrator. And the tumult did not cease until 'ABU NASR was delivered up, and he was
carried to the palace of the Khalifah, and shut up therein for a short time. And he was released and the
Christians rejoiced.

And after a year there were swarms of locusts in BAGHDAD, and they filled the ground, and darkened the
air, and destroyed the trees and crops. And the farmers drove them away from the crops with drums and
horns.

And in the year four hundred and five of the ARABS (A.D. 1014), HAKIM, the Khalifah of EGYPT,
commanded that no woman should ever be seen outside the door [of her house], and that no woman should

look out from the door, or from the window, or from the roof. And he prohibited the shoemakers from sewing
any kind of shoe belonging to a woman. Now he made this law through his hearing of the lasciviousness of
Egyptian women. At the beginning he made old women [his] spies, who used to work their way like moles
into the houses and make themselves acquainted with the secrets of women. And they used to inform him by
what kinds of crafty devices women went out [of their houses], and how and where the adultresses met the
adulterers. Then he would send a eunuch with soldiers to the house of whomsoever it was, whether he was a
nobleman or a common man, and they would say to him (i.e. to the master of the house), 'Bring out to us such
and such a woman’, [mentioning her] by name, whether it was his wife, or his sister, or his daughter, and they
would carry her off. And having collected the women, from five to ten, he would drown them in the great
river NILE. And by means of this the Egyptian women were made a mock of, and their secrets revealed, and
the fear of him, which was greater than that which they had had for PHARAOH, fell upon men and upon
women.

And when the people had lived for a certain number of years in this state of tribulation, the heads of the
villages wrote and informed HAKIM, saying, 'There are many women, who are widows, and who have been
deprived of brothers, and sons, and kinfolk, living within their gates, and they are perishing through hunger
and nakedness. For there is no one who will buy flax for them, and no one who will sell their work or their
plaiting.’

Then [207] HAKIM commanded those who bought or sold the work of women to go round about among the
houses. And the woman was to open her door, and to buy and sell without uncovering her face or her hands;
but she was to hand out her work on a spade (or, shell?), and receive her price on the same. For a woman to
go out [into the bazar], or to go to the bath, he under no circumstances permitted. And thus matters remained
until he was killed.

And in this year, which was the year thirteen hundred and twenty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1014), twenty-
two tribes of the Chinese peoples went forth; those only who were called 'KHETA' were two hundred
thousand, and the others were from thirty to fifty thousand, and they came to the country of the HUNS. And
‘AHMAD, the son of 'ALI, the son of KARAKHAN, the governor of BUKHARA, met them in battle and
broke them. And he looted their tents, and took vessels of gold and silver and innumerable bales of silken
stuffs. It is said that their bows were one span longer than was usual, and that their arrows were
proportionately longer.

And in the year four hundred and ten of the ARABS (A.D. 1019), the son of KARAKHAN, governor of
BUKHARA, being dead, there rose up after him 'SAHINA (?) KHAWARAZM SHAH MAHMUD, the son
of SABUKTAKIN. And he went to INDIA and captured many cities and took great spoil and returned.

And in the year four hundred and eleven of the ARABS (A.D. 1020) the EGYPTIANS were suffering great
tribulation under the Khalifah HAKIM, and hatred of him increased in their hearts. And certain crafty people
among them made plans, and they wrote abusive, and insulting, and impudent letters to him and to his
women, and they sealed them and distributed them at night whilst he was riding, and they were reclining. It is
said that they made a wooden figure of a woman who had her hand stretched out, and between her fingers
was a written document. And during the night they set it up in a corner of a room through which HAKIM
passed, and they draped her figure with sheets of white paper. And when HAKIM passed and saw her he
became furiously angry, and he commanded his slaves to hack her to pieces with swords. And when they
approached her and saw that she was a dummy, they informed him of the fact and gave him the document
which was in her hand. And having opened it and read it he found therein many scurrilous statements about
his virgin sister [SIT AL-MULK]. [208] And being intensely irritated (or, aggravated) by this matter, he burst
into a violent passion, and commanded his slaves to draw their swords and to kill every EGYPTIAN who met

them, and also to loot the houses and to set fire to the bazars. And the EGYPTIANS and the slaves fought
together for three days, and many were killed on both sides. And when [his] wrath had cooled a little HAKIM
sent a letter to his sister, saying, 'It is because of thee that the EGYPTIANS write [scurrilous letters] and
make a mock of me. They say that thou permittest men to have acceses to thy house (or, person), and so on
and so on.' And HAKIM'S sister, although with tears and sobs she had appeased his wrath for the time,
suspected that he would summon midwives to send to her to investigate her virginity, and she trembled
greatly.

And one night she went to the house of a certain noble, who was himself in terror of HAKIM, and having
made him to swear that he would not reveal the secret she said unto him, 'See with what furious anger this my
brother threateneth me, and thee, and all the people, both men and women! Moreover, I myself, as thou canst
see, behold, I am in prime of early womanhood. What is the good of this life to me if I am to be deprived of
the satisfaction of [my] natural desire? Therefore, if thou canst put him to death by means of some cunning
scheme, behold, I will give thee my hand and my trust, for thou shalt be to me a husband’. And we will seat
upon the throne my brother's little boy so that the nobles and the people may not rebel and thou shalt be a
father, and a counselor, and a governor to him.

And the noble, having heard this, was persuaded, and he said unto her, "Teach me now how we can carry out
[this] plot’. And she said unto him, 'My brother always goeth up at night to the top of a certain hill so that he
may look at the stars. And it is written in his "nativity" that on a certain night there will be the fear (i.e.
danger) of death for him, and that if the cup of death of that hour passeth from him he will live for eighty
years more. Therefore make ready two powerful slaves who know thy secret, so that they may lie in wait for
him in one of the hollows in the hill, and let them leap upon him and put him to death.' And when the night of
that day arrived, and HAKIM mounted his ass and went up the hill, he would not allow anyone to go up with
him to the top except a small boy, and the rest of the slaves stayed on the lower part of the hill. [209] And
HAKIM began to look towards the east. And when he saw 'ARIS (MARS) ascend the pastern horizon, he
muttered with his lips and said, 'The accursed [star], the shedder of blood, ascendeth; my hour hath come’.
Then the two men from the place where they had been lying in wait hurled themselves upon him, and they
threw a cord round his neck and strangled him. And they killed the boy with the sword, and hamstrung the
ass, and they lifted up his body, and came down [the hill] on the other side, and brought the body to his sister.
Then she hid (or, buried) it in her house, without any man perceiving what had happened, except the two
murderers and their lord.

Then the slaves of HAKIM having waited until the day broke [and seeing that HAKIM] had not come down,
went up to the top of the hill and found the [body of the] boy who had been murdered, and the ass which was
hamstrung, but HAKIM they did not find; and they left [the place] and came down to the palace. And when
the slaves and the nobles were perturbed, HAKIM'S sister summoned them and said unto them: 'Be ye not
disturbed, because my brother had already told me that for some days past he had had on him the fear of
death, and that he was about to go up the hill, and that he would go from there on foot into the desert to hide
himself there for seven days, when he would come [back]. And it was HAKIM himself who killed the boy so
that he might not show where the place was to which he was going.’ And [the nobles and slaves] being
silenced, she began to bring over [to her side] the nobles one by one, and to give them rich gifts, [and to make
them] promises of great benefits. And during these seven days she made them swear fealty to the child, the
son of HAKIM, and she called his name 'TAHIR'. And she sent to the elder brother who was in
DAMASCUS, and made him to be brought over [to her side] under the pretence that he was going to reign.
And when he came to the city of TANNIS she cast iron fetters on him and shut him up in prison.

And in those days HAKIM'S sister gave a hint to the slaves, and they laid hand[s] on that Amir with whom
she had made the secret compact, and on those two slaves who had killed the Khalifah. And they fixed three

posts [in the ground], and in one moment (or, flick of the eyelid) the three of them were impaled. And she
commanded the heralds and they made a proclamation saying, 'These are they who acted treacherously
towards their lord and murdered him, and God hath brought out their iniquity on their own heads'. Such are
the marvellous deeds which this masculine woman performed! And she destroyed her brother who wished to
destroy her. And she also pondered in her mind thus. ' If those wretched men who had performed her will had
remained alive, [210] the secret could never have been kept concealed, and she would have been regarded as
a contemptible woman in the eyes of every man; but having put them to death she was freed from fear of
every kind'. And she seized on the administration of the kingdom, and satisfied her passions fearlessly. And
because the death of HAKIM was brought about in this manner, many imagined that he had gone to the
desert of SCETE, and had become a monk, and had ended his life there.

And moreover, I the feeble one, heard from Egyptian lawyers when I was living in DAMASCUS that 'at the
time when HAKIM was persecuting the Christians, Christ, our Lord, was revealed unto him as unto PAUL;
and that from that moment he believed, and departed secretly to the desert, and died there’. And it is said that
‘within a very little, HAKIM, the Khalifah, went as far as PHARAOH in [his] heathenism'. The latter indeed
said, "The NILE is mine and I myself have made it', even as the prophet saith. And the latter had men who
used to enter his presence and say, 'Peace [be] to thee, O One, Only One, Peace [be] unto thee, O thou who
killeth and maketh to live, who maketh rich and reduceth to poverty’. And he was contented (or, gratified)
with such [addresses]. And because of this one of the flatterers of him when he went to MAKKAH, entered
their house of worship, smote the Black Stone with the staff which was in his hand, and broke it and said,
"Why do ye worship and kiss, O ye erring ones, a thing which neither doeth good or evil [to you], and why
have ye abandoned him who maketh to die and maketh to live in EGYPT?"

At this time 'ABU 'ALI HASAN, the son of HAITAM, of BOSRA, the geometrician, was famous. HAKIM,
Khalifah of EGYPT, heard of this man that he had said, If I was in EGYPT I would do to the river NILE a
work which would be beneficial to the kings and the governors (MAKE) of that country’. And HAKIM sent
and had him brought to him. And he honoured him greatly. And he promised him abundant gifts so that he
might fulfil what he had said. And when BAR HAITAM went forth and travelled about through the country
of EGYPT, and saw the heavenly forms which, in a most marvellous manner, were painted there; and the
geometrical designs, and the wonderful symbols, he pondered within himself and said, 'If there was the
possibility for any work more excellent [to be done] [211] these ancient people were better able to do it than I
am'. And he also went to that hill which is opposite the city of 'ASWAN, from which the waters of the NILE
flow out and descend. And he looked and saw that the great force of those waters would not be held in
restraint by [the work] which he meditated doing, and therefore he was ashamed and made an apology to
HAKIM. And when it was not accepted in the manner which was fitting he was greatly afraid. And he could
not find any way of escaping from the wickedness of HAKIM except by pretending that he was possessed of
a devil and madness. And he exhibited himself in this character so thoroughly that they bound him in chains.
And they sealed everything which he possessed and he remained in this mad state until HAKIM died. Then
he returned to his right mind. And he dwelt in retirement in one of the houses which is in the gate of the Great
Mosque of KAHIRAH (CAIRO), and he began and compiled about seventy books on geometry. And each
year he copied three books: MAGISTI, and the MEDIAL SIGNS OF THE SPHERES, and EUCLIDES, and
he sold them for one hundred and fifty Egyptian dinars. And thus he lived until he died in the year four
hundred and twenty of the ARABS (A.D. 1029).

And in the year of the ARABS four hundred and fourteen (A.D. 1023) KHAWARAZM SHAH MAHMUD
marched again to the country of INDIA, and he captured many cities. And having travelled into the country
[during] a journey of four months, he came to a Citadel, the name of which was 'KAWAKIR', and in it one of
the Indian kings lived. And whilst he was waging fierce war against him, an Indian envoy came out to him,
and he was seated on a litter which was carried by four men, and he came to MAHMUD. And he said unto

him, 'My master asketh thee, What art thou among men?’ And MAHMUD replied, 'I am a Muslim, who
calleth those who deny God to the Faith, and I persecute those who worship images. And ye INDIANS must
either believe in our God, and accept our Law and eat the flesh of oxen, or pay us as a tax each year one
thousand elephants, and one thousand manehs of gold.’ And the envoy said, 'The flesh of oxen is [one of] the
impossible things for us to eat. And as for the Confession (i.e. Faith) of which thou speakest, send to us a
man, [212] one who is learned, that he may show us what your Faith is; and if it be better than ours we will
accept it’.

And having sent with the envoy one of the learned men of the ARABS, who went into the Citadel and spake
with them by means of an interpreter, they replied, 'We shall not change our Faith, and the gold which ye
demand we do not possess, but we have silver in abundance’. And they agreed to give them three hundred
elephants, and a vast quantity of silver, and costly apparel, and perfumes. And MAHMUD replied, 'I agree,
but though the king will undertake to wear our apparel, and to gird a sword and a belt about his loin, he must
cut off the top of his finger in confirmation of the oath according to the custom of the INDIANS". For the
ambassador of the ARABS said, 'When I went into the presence of the king of INDIA I found a splendid
young man of youthful beauty, very pleasant-looking in his duskiness, and sitting upon a couch of silver, and
he was wearing a sharbala (i.e. a pair of short trousers) of hollow work, and he had a turban on his head. And
when I saw him I clapped my hands together violently, and I bowed over them according to their custom.
And I spoke to him about the apparel which he had to put on. And he made many excuses and said to me, "I
beseech thee to release me from the necessity of putting it on, and do thou say to thy Lord that I have put it
on". And when I replied that it was impossible for me to deceive my Lord, with great reluctance he put it on.
And he girded on the belt and hung the sword by his side. And when he had dressed himself I was ashamed
to say to him, "Cut thy finger", and so I only said, "Swear an oath of fealty to us". And he replied, "Our oaths
are [taken] by images and by fire, and they would not be acceptable to your folk. By what shall we swear to
you?" Then I said, "Thou knowest how to swear an oath to us". And straightway he commanded a slave to
bring a razor; and he brought it, and he took it in his right hand and cut off with it the top of his left thumb (?)
without his colour changing in the slightest degree. And he sprinkled some powdered drug over the thumb (?)
and tied it up. And they washed the portion which had been cut off with water and placed some camphor with
it in a bag, and they gave it to me with certain apparel (or, vessels), and silver, and two horses.’

And in the year thirteen hundred and thirty-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1025), BASIL, the king of the
RHOMAYE, died, having ruled peacefully and right royally for fifty-five years. And he subjugated the
BULGARIANS and placed them under the dominion of the RHOMAYE, and [213] CONSTANTINE his
brother reigned alone after him for three years. This king was a pleasant (or, gracious) man, and was great of
soul. And when he died he committed the kingdom to the son of his brother whose name was 'ROMANUS'.
In other manuscripts [it is stated that] ROMANUS was his son-in-law, his daughter's husband.

And in the year four hundred and seventeen of the ARABS (A.D. 1026) there was intense cold in
BAGHDAD during the winter, and the banks of the EUPHRATES and TIGRIS were covered with ice, and
the palm-trees were destroyed. And in BAGHDAD men used to cross over the small canals on the frozen
water, and the farmers were unable to sow seed. And in that year there went forth an Edict in EGYPT that no
man was to kill an ox which worked a plough. And in the middle of the month of the FIRST RABI' a violent
hail-storm came on BAGHDAD, and the hailstones were as large as the eggs of chickens.

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Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Kings of the Arabs (continued).

And in the year thirteen hundred and forty-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1030), which is the year four hundred
and twenty-one of the ARABS (A.D. 1030), an army of the RHOMAYE went forth from ANTIOCH and
encamped against ALEPPO. And the small group of ARABS which was in ALEPPO engaged the
RHOMAYE and defeated them, and they killed many of them; and the ARABS took from the RHOMAYE
many horses and weapons of war. For the kings who were before ROMANUS, since they were relieved from
the persecution of the believers (i.e. Muslims), were prosperous everywhere. But this king began to persecute
[the Christians], and he cast forth into exile the holy Patriarch MAR' ABDUN and the bishop, and he
reversed the ancient use and wont; and the Lord likewise began to break the deceitful RHOMAYE before
their enemies.

And in that year, when ROMANUS the king heard that the RHOMAYE were broken at ALEPPO, he
collected a mighty army, more than one hundred thousand men, and came to ANTIOCH; and from there he
set out to come to ALEPPO. And since two nobles of the 'ASKLABE (SCLAVS) and the army that was with
them were [marching] a little in advance of the army of the RHOMAYE, they encountered about one hundred
MA'DAYE horsemen and a thousand foot soldiers, and the SCLAVS were broken, and turned their faces [in
flight]. And they made a report to the RHOMAYE, saying, 'Behold, innumerable soldiers, EGYPTIANS and
MA'DAYE, are coming’. And fear fell upon the RHOMAYE, and with the greatest difficulty ROMANUS the
king and his troops, one by one, each on his horse, fled to ANTIOCH without fighting and without [striking]
a blow. And the ARABS overtook them, and they captured from the RHOMAYE seventy camels with their
loads of [214] zuze and dinars, and vessels of gold and silver, and bales of rich stuffs, and such a large
number of mules that a Tarka mule was sold in ALEPPO for two dinars. It is said that ROMANUS himself
was not able to save one tent or a cup from which he could drink water.

And about that time ROMANUS, the kmg of the RHOMAYE, died suddenly, and MICHAEL reigned after
him. And a certain troublesome man, a kinsman of his, whose name was 'KALAPAT', rose up. And that
KALAPAT, the rebel, having succeeded [him] for five months, was seized, and his two eyes were bored out
of his head.

And in the year four hundred and twenty-two of the ARABS (A.D. 1030), KADER, the Khalifah in
BAGHDAD, died at the age of eighty-seven years. He was an excellent man, and modest (or, chaste), and he
was not a riotous liver like his predecessors. And there rose up after him 'ABU JA'FAR, his son, and he was
called 'KAIM'.

After KADER, KAIM, his son, [ruled] forty-four years and eight months. All the nobles, PERSIANS,
TURKS, and ARABS, welcomed this man gladly, and they gave the hand of oaths (i.e. took oaths of
allegiance). Verily when, according to custom, the TURKS asked for the gift which [was usually given at the
beginning of] a new kingdom (or, reign), there was nothing in the Treasury of the Khalifah. For the

PERSIAN Amirs were ruling over all the countries, even over BAGHDAD itself, and they only gave to the
Khalifah a grant of money sufficient for his maintenance (i.e. he only had a grant from them). The Khalifah
KAIM sold guest house and gardens, and certain of the furniture of his house, and gave [the proceeds] to
them and they were quiet.’

At this time two Arab Amirs were ruling in EDESSA, viz. BAR 'UTAIR and BAR SHIBAL, each in a fort
(or, tower). BAR 'UTAIR sent to MICHAEL, king of the RHOMAYE, and sold his fort to him for twenty
thousand darics and four, villages in the territory of the RHOMAYE. And the RHOMAYE came by night, and
they assumed the mastery and went into the fort, and they made strong the defences thereof, for the building
was like a Citadel. And some of them went down to the city and destroyed the Mosque of the ARABS. And
when NASIR AD-DAWLAH heard [this], he sent an army against EDESSA and captured it, and they broke
down its wall and entered the town. And they also captured the great church to which the Christians had fled,
and they took spoil from them and their women. And they encamped against the fort of the RHOMAYE, and
they were wholly unable to draw nigh to it. [215] And when the snow came they made the winter a pretext
and they abandoned the town and departed.

Now the RHOMAYE entered EDESSA in the autumn of this year, which is the year thirteen hundred and
forty-three of the GREEKS (A.D. 1032), and the year four hundred and twenty-two of the ARABS (A.D.
1030). Then NASIR AD-DAWLAH sent an envoy to MICHAEL, and reprimanded him, saying, 'What did ye
benefit by going forth twice against ALEPPO that now thou dost covet EDESSA? Therefore in love I counsel
thee to get thy people out of it. If thou dost not thou wilt see what thou wilt meet with from the army of the
ARABS.' Then MICHAEL replied, 'I have not taken EDESSA with the sword, but assuredly I have bought it
from its lord lawfully. And if I knew that it would remain thine I would give it back, but I know that the
MA'DAYE, the sons of NUMAIR, did not abandon it.' And so although MICHAEL despised the ARABS, he
sent ten thousand horsemen to EDESSA, and he built up its ruined places. And the RHOMAYE began to
sally out from EDESSA, and they plundered the country of 'AKSAS, and HARRAN, and SERUGH. And
they were not restrained from plundering until BAR WATAB, the NUMAIRITE, the governor of HARRAN,
gave them tribute. And HASSAN, the governor of SYRIA, was subject to the RHOMAYE, and he hung
crosses on the heads of his spears.

And in the year four hundred and twenty-three [of the ARABS = A.D. 1031] a woman in BAGHDAD gave
birth [to a being] which was like an ill-formed serpent. He had the head of a man, and a mouth and a neck,
and he was without hands and without feet. And, moreover, when he fell upon the ground he spake and said,
'Four years from now a famine shall make an end of the children of men, unless men, and women, and
children, and the beasts go forth and weep before the Lord, so that He may make His rain to descend’. And
when the Khalifah KAIM heard this, he commanded that all the people should go outside [the city] and make
supplication. And because many did not believe this report, very few went out. And in [that] year the water
froze in BAGHDAD, and red sand descended as rain, and the trees were destroyed and produced no fruit at
all that season. And there was so great a famine in the wilderness that the nomads who lived there ate their
camels and their horses, and even their children. And a man would exchange his child for that of his fellow so
that he might not suffer (or, feel it) when he pounded him up. [216] And they were in tribulation not only
because of the famine (or, want of food), but also through thirst which was due to the scarcity of water, and
they came and camped by the rivers (or, canals) which were in the neighbourhood of the towns and villages.
And there was a pestilence in INDIA and in all PERSIA; forty thousand biers with dead men on them were
taken out from ISFAHAN in one week. And in BAGHDAD also there was not a single house left in which
there was not wailing. And in MOSUL four thousand young men died of the disease of inflammation of the
eye-lids.

And in the year four hundred and twenty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1033), which is the year thirteen hundred
and forty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1034), a violent black wind blew in the month of KANON
(DECEMBER) in NISIBIS, and it uprooted olive-trees, and mulberry-trees, and plum-trees, and it swept
away buildings constructed of stone and plaster made from lime. And after it came a violent rain-storm, and
there fell many hailstones which had the forms of hands, and wrists, and fingers. And there was an
earthquake in EGYPT and in PALESTINE, and men went forth from [their] houses and remained under the
heavens (i.e. open sky) for eight days. And one-half of the city of BALASH fell down. And the earth
swallowed up many villages in SYRIA with their inhabitants. And portions of the walls of the Temple in
JERUSALEM fell down, and a minaret of the ARABS in ASCALON, and the top of a minaret in GAZA, and
a half of the city of 'AKO. And the sea retreated three parasangs, and men went into it to collect fish and
shellfish; but the waters returned and drowned some of them.

And in the month of SHEBHAT (FEBRUARY) the form of a pillar of light appeared, in the Sign of the
Zodiac the Ear of Wheat (i.e. the Virgin) from the evening until the morning for many days, from the
conjunction to the plenilune. And after [some] days a star fell like a flash of lightning, and the whole land of
SEN'AR was filled with its light. And many of the simple-minded said, 'The heavens have split open'. And
there was a pestilence in BAGHDAD, and about seventy thousand men died of the disease of suffocation.
And a year later violent winds blew over the SEA OF PERSIA, and more than fifty ships were sunk, and two
thousand five hundred men were drowned. And the sea and the rivers overflowed. And the water channels of
heaven were rent asunder, and the waters [mounted up and] submerged the villages. It is said that when
[some] men had saved themselves from drowning by the sea by means of planks of wood and the beams of
ships, and had gone forth on dry land, the water flood met them and drove them, back again [217] into the
sea, and they were drowned.

And in the year four hundred and twenty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1035) BAR WATAB, the
NUMAIRIAN, the governor of HARRAN, collected a vast number of KURDS and MA'DAYE (NOMADS)
and went against SIBABARAK, which belonged to the RHOMAYE, and captured it. And he killed therein
three thousand five hundred men, and carried off many women and children. And he came and encamped
against EDESSA, and prevented food from [entering] it; and the men of EDESSA being sorely afflicted with
hunger surrendered the city. And the RHOMAYE fled to the Citadel and made strong defences for themselves
in it. And the ARABS attacked the Citadel, and two hundred and fifty of their men were killed. And being
unable to capture the Citadel they looted the city and departed. It is said that the number of youths and
maidens which they carried off amounted to three thousand.

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Bar Hebraeus'
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x

Concerning the Beginning of the Kingdom of the Saljuks in Persia.

[217] In this year, which is the year thirteen hundred and forty-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 1036), a people
went forth from the HUNAYE (HUNS) who were called 'GHUZZAYE', with Amirs of the SALJUKS from
HYRCANIA, which is the land of the KHAZARS (KAZARAYE, or KARZAYE) in the north. Concerning
them, he who is [one] of the saints, MAR MICHAEL, the holy Patriarch, wrote at great length, and he saith,
"These are the children of MAGHOGH, the son JAPHET, the son of NOAH. And EZEKIEL prophesied
about them, saying: "Thus saith the Lord of Lords, Behold I am against thee, [O] governor and prince of
MUSHAK (MASHAK?) and of TUBIL. And I will gather thee together, and I will cast a hook in thy cheek,
and I will bring thee out from thy land, and all the PERSIANS, and KUSHITES, and POTITES with thee,
GAMAR and all his army, and BETH TOGERMA, and the skirts of the north. From the early days thou hast
been commanded, and at the end of years thou shalt come' (Ezek. xxxi. 3). Now I, the feeble one, have seen
that the writer thereof saith in a certain Persian book, which is called 'MULK-NAMAH"': I have heard from a
great Amir, and an old man, very far advanced in days, INAIG (NANAG?) BAG, who saith: When the
KHAKAN of the KHAZARS burst forth, he had with him in his service a certain warrior whose name was
TUKAK, who, because of his strength, was called TEMURYALIG, that is to say 'RON BOW'. There was a
son born to this man and he was called by the name of SALJUK. And after a short time [218] the Amir
TUKAK died, and KHAKAN took SALJUK, and he was reared in the palace and he loved him greatly. And
one day when he went into the presence of KHAKAN according to his custom, the queen was scandalized
and made a sign to the king, saying, 'If this [young man], though still a child, possesseth such freedom of
speech (or, behaviour) towards us now; when he groweth up how will he behave [towards us]?' Then the
Amir SALJUK, having been secretly informed of this, went out and took with him fellow tribesmen secretly,
and they marched away with horses, and camels, and sheep, and oxen in large numbers. And he went forth
from the land of TURAN, that is to say of the TURKAYE (TURKS) to the land of IRAN, that is to say of the
PERSIANS, under the pretence that they were shepherds. And when they saw that PERSIA was flourishing
with Islam, they took counsel together and said, 'If we do not enter the Faith of the people of the country in
which we desire [to live] and make a pact with them (or conform to their customs), no man will cleave to us,
and we shall be a small and solitary people’. And they all agreed and they sent to the city of ZANDAK, which
is in the country of KHAWARAZM, and was in the neighbourhood of the desert in which they were pasturing
[their flocks], and they asked the governor there for a scribe (or, learned man) who would teach them how to
worship God. And the governor with great gladness sent to them a scribe, an old man, together with gifts and
presents, and he taught them. And they remained there [for] years, and they prospered exceedingly and
increased greatly in number.

And there were born to the Amir SALJUK four sons, MICHAEL, and YABAGU (BIGHU), and MUSA and
ARLSAN. And MICHAEL had two sons, MAHAMMAD, who is TUGHREL BAG, and DAWUD, who is
JAGHRI BAG. And JAGHRI BAG gathered together a numerous army of TURKOMANS, and he came and
looted places (i.e. towns) of ARMENIA and KHORASAN. And he went back to TUGHREL BAG, his
brother, and said unto him, 'Here there are two great governors, viz. KHAWARAZM SHAH HARON, and

SULTAN MAS'UD, the son of MAHMUD, the son of SABUKTAKIN, and we are unable to go up with (i.e.
dispose of) them finally. But let us cross over into KHORASAN and ARMENIA, which I have spied out, and
I did not see in them any one who could stand up against us.’ And his brother approved of his words, and they
rose up and crossed GIHON, the river of PERSIA. And they came against the city of DAMGHAN and they
destroyed it utterly. And from there they came to the city of SEMNAN, and they also conquered [219] the
army of the ARABS and PERSIANS. And they invaded the city of RAI (RHAGES) and destroyed it utterly.
And from there they came to KAWIN and could not conquer it, but they laid tribute upon it and departed.
Now the story of the dog which the blessed old man said directed (or, led) them when they went forth from
their country we have not found anywhere. It is possible that he wrote it down from hearsay, or from some
book which we have not read, for we have not met with it in any book.

And in the year four hundred and twenty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1035), TAHIR, the Khalifah of EGYPT,
died of the disease of dropsy (or, retention of urine). From his youth up gangrene (?) attacked him, i.e. for a
period of twenty years. And his son MUSTANSER rose up after him. And in this year there was a
reconciliation between MUSTANSER, the Khalifah of EGYPT, and MICHAEL, king of the RHOMAYE.
And the Khalifah MUSTANSER released fifty thousand Christians who were imprisoned in EGYPT, and he
permitted the king of the RHOMAYE to build again the Temple of the Resurrection which was in
JERUSALEM. And that king sent certain nobles of the RHOMAYE with a vast quantity of silver and gold,
and he restored the Temple to its former condition.

And in this year the very distinguished old man 'ABU' ALI HUSAIN, BAR SINA (AVICENNA), died. Now
this man having received the one talent of ARISTOTLE added thereto not only five, but more than fifty
talents. His father came from the city of BALKH. Then he departed to the city of BUKHARA and dwelt
therein. And when BAR SINA (IBN SINA) was five years old, he handed him over to the scribes, and when
he was ten years old he had learned the Book of the Faith of the ARABS, and the grammar and the eloquence
of speech of the ARABS. And he began to frequent a certain man in a khan (or, market) who sold vegetables,
and he learned from him the Indian system of arithmetic. And a certain man, a philosopher, whose name was
NABALIT, having come to BUKHARA, he began to make AVICENNA read in the Book of ISAGOGI. And
when he came to the definition of GENSA (i.e. genus, sex), which treateth of 'how there are many that are
different in species because of what the substance is’, he said to his teacher, 'Is the genus assigned to each and
every species because of what [substance] it is?' [220] And the teacher replied 'Yes'. The young man then
made answer.' Suppose now some one asketh me, What is a man? Is it correct for me to say to him an
animal?!’ And the teacher replied, 'Yes'. The young man disputed [this] and said, 'I do not agree to regard the
matter thus. Moreover, I am not without intelligence concerning all this. For if a man asketh me concerning
what is a rational being, for me to reply to him an animal, [is only] half an answer.' From that moment he left
the teacher, and he read by himself all the sciences and understood them.

And when he was sixteen years old he was fully trained in medicine, for many aged physicians used to come
to him and read with him. And he also began to visit the sick, and he became expert in clinical work. And
when he was eighteen years old he wrote this great and famous work of the CANON. And then he wrote the
great BOOK OF HEALING in the four doctrines of philosophy; and he completed the sections on natural and
divine matters within twenty days. Now the Books of his which are extant and are read are ninety-two, and
most of them he composed in the house of the captives (or, prison). A marvellous book of his which is called
"Hints and Monitions', I, the feeble one, have translated from Arabic into Syriac. He was captured at the
breaking which came upon the governor whom he used to treat by another governor, who was his enemy, and
he was shut up in one of the fortresses. And when he was going in he said, 'As to my entrance herein there is
no manner of doubt whatsoever, but to my exit there cleaveth in truth every possible anxiety'. Now he
remained there forty days, when his own governor came and took the fort by fighting, and he brought him
out. Besides imprisonment on this occasion he was shut up [many] other times. And together with all the

excellence which this princely old man possessed, the lustful power of marriage vanquished him. And the end
of this enfeebled his strength, and his consorting was ineffectual, and there came to him at the end of his days
a disease of the colon. One day he applied to himself a clyster eight times. And having told them (i.e. his
servants) to put two danke (i.e. one-third of a disham) of parsley seed into the clyster, one of his servants put
in five, [221] and an ulcer appeared in his bowels. And he also suffered from the falling sickness, which
cleaveth to disease of the colon. And he commanded them to mix up for him the antidote of MITHRIDATES
(methroditus), and one of his servants put in an overdose of opium. And having taken this several times, his
natural warmth languished, and from this time he became careless about his own healing. And he said, 'That
governor which governed my body hath failed and is exhausted, and is no longer able to govern’; and he
remained in this state for a few days, and he died and was buried in the city of HAMADAN, aged fifty-eight
years.

And in the year four hundred and twenty-nine of the ARABS (A.D.1037), the GHUZZAYE came again to
ARMENIA, and they made a great slaughter of the KURDS and the ARABS who were there, and they took
much spoil. And from there they came to URMIAH (URM1]), a city of 'ADHORBIJAN, and they laid waste
the country, and killed many of the KURDS in that mountain who came down and engaged in fighting with
them. And when the Amir BAR WATAB, who ruled over SYRIA and ARMENIA, saw that he was unable to
fight two enemies, the RHOMAYE and the TURKS, he made peace with the RHOMAYE. And EDESSA
remained to the RHOMAYE, and they ruled and flourished therein. And during the year the GHUZZAYE
captured the city of MARAGHA, and they burnt the mosque which was therein, and they killed and took
prisoners many of its inhabitants. Then the tribes (or, clans) of the KURDS of the mountains gathered
together, and they prevailed over the GHUZZAYE and expelled them from 'ADHORBIJAN. And they went
back again to KHORASAN, and captured the city of TUS, and they killed therein about one hundred
thousand souls, and outside [the city], on the roads and in the villages, they killed about twenty thousand, and
took about one hundred and fifty thousand prisoners. And SUBASHI, the governor of KHORASAN, attacked
them with thirty thousand horsemen. And they broke him and put him to flight. And they came to the city of
NISABHOR, and though they wished to loot the city, TUGHREL BAG prevented them from doing so,
because the fast of the ARABS was at hand.

And KAIM the Khalifah also sent an envoy to them and reprimanded them, and [asked them] how it was,
seeing that they were ARABS, that they were doing such things to the sons of their Faith. And because, after
the fast, they were still ready to lay waste NISABHOR, TUGHREL BAG said [222] to JAGHRI BAG, his
brother, 'It is not right, because a writ of authority which is far greater, namely from the Khalifah, hath come’.
And when JAGHRI BAG insisted, TUGHREL BAG took a knife and said, 'I shall kill myself if thou doest
this'. And then he was quiet after he had taken from the citizens five hundred thousand zuze.

And TUGHREL BAG wrote an answer to the Khalifah thus: From his slave and subject TUGHREL BAG,
the son of MICHAEL. And KEZEL, their kinsman, that is to say the husband of their sister, also wrote: From
his slave and minister KEZEL, the son of YAHYAH. But JAGHRI BAG wrote nothing. And TUGHREL
BAG went to NISABHOR, and he sat on the throne of the SULTAN MAS'UD, and JAGHRI BAG sat down
in the city of SARKHAS and KEZEL in the city of RAI.

And in the year of the ARABS four hundred and thirty (A.D. 1038), snow fell in BAGHDAD, and it stood
about a span (i.e. was a span deep ), and it remained for days in the bazars. And after this, in the month of
KANON (DECEMBER), there came intense cold, and the waters froze for six days. And in this year
SULTAN MAS'UD collected multitudes of troops from INNER PERSIA and from OUTER INDIA, and he
attacked the GHUZZAYE, and conquered them by the side of MARU-RUD. And about three thousand five
hundred of their men were killed, and the remainder of them, together with their leaders TUGHREL BAG
and JAGHRI BAG, fled into the arid desert. And SULTAN MAS'UD sat down in the country of

KHORASAN for about two years, and then he left the troops in the country, and he himself returned to
GAZNAH, a city of KHAWARAZM. And when the GHUZZAYE heard [this] they came again to
KHORASAN in the year four hundred and thirty-two of the ARABS (A.D. 1040), and those who were there
were unable to stand up before them, and they reigned in'ADHORBIJAN. And during the year the
RHOMAYE went forth to SYRIA, and the Amir 'ANUSHTAKIN engaged them in battle by the side of
HAMATH and conquered them. And he made prisoner the son of the king's uncle, and killed one great
eunuch.

And in this year when SULTAN MAS'UD left [he went] to the country of INDIA, in the winter season,
according to [his] custom, because of the intensity of the cold of the country of KHAWARAZM. And his
wives, and the children who had been born in his house, were with him, also his blind brother
MAHAMMAD, both of whose eyes SULTAN MAS'UD had himself dug out. When they encamped on [223]
the river which is called HALAM, 'ANUSHTAKIN, the eunuch, leaped upon MAS'UD with one thousand
other slaves, and they bound him and brought him before his blind brother, whom they wished to reign over
them. And his brother MAHAMMAD said unto him, 'I will not do unto thee as thou hast done unto me, but
seek for thyself some place whither thou shalt be sent, together with those of thy retinue whom thou shalt
select'. And MAS'UD asked that he might be sent to the Citadel which is called KASA, and he was conveyed
there most carefully and with honour. Then the nobles took counsel together, and by a mistake (or, by a
pretence) they took from MAHAMMAD his ring, and sent it with certain men to the governor of that Citadel,
and [those who were inside it] opened [the gates] to them, and they went in and killed SULTAN MAS'UD.

Then MAWDUD, the son of MAS'UD, who was in KHAWARAZM, hearing what had happened to his father,
collected five thousand [men], and he attacked the twenty thousand [men] who were with his uncle, and he
conquered them and killed his uncle. And he bored holes in the ankle bones of the murderers of his father,
and tied them together with cords, and [his slaves] dragged them along the ground until they were reduced to
dust. And he went back to GAZNAH and his father's kingdom was established for him, with the exception of
KHORASANand 'ADHORBIJAN, in which the TURKS were rulers.

And in the year thirteen hundred and fifty-three of the GREEKS (A.D. 1042), which is the year four hundred
and thirty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1041), MICHAEL, the king of the RHOMAYE, died without sons; and
his daughters ZAI (ZOAJ) and THEODORA ruled the kingdom for three months. Then the nobles of the
RHOMAYE took counsel together, and they chose from among their sons (?) three persons who were suitable
for rulers. And they wrote their names on pieces of paper, and these they put in coverings of wax. And they
brought a little boy and he stretched out his hand and pulled out one of the papers, and the name of
MONOMACHUS came forth. And they gave him THEODORA, the daughter of King MICHAEL, to wife,
and they made him king and called his name 'CONSTANTINE'. And THEODORA gave to ZAI (ZOAIT) her
sister nine centenarii of gold instead of [her share in] the kingdom. Now this King CONSTANTINE was
magnanimous, and lavish in [his] gifts, but he suffered from the disease of the gout.

And in the year four hundred and thirty-four of tile ARABS (A.D. 1042) there was a severe earthquake in the
city of TABRIZ [224], and its Citadel, and wall and many palaces and baths were overwhelmed; and about
fifty thousand souls died under the ruins. Its lord, however, escaped, because he was outside [the city] in the
plantations, and he put on sackcloth and sat upon ashes because of the great disaster which had taken place.
And he left [the place] and went and shut himself up in one of his fortresses through fear of the GHUZZAYE,
who had also made themselves master of KHAWARAZM.

And IBRAHIM, the son of JOSEPH, rose up as governor of KHORASAN; he was the brother of TUGHREL
BAG through his mother. This man wrote a letter and sent [it], with an envoy, to BAGHDAD, and in it he
spake thus: 'The great SHAH-IN-SHAH, that is to say "king of kings", TUGHREL BAG, the SALJUK, is

king over KHORASAN and KHAWARAZM. And he is prepared to send an army to BAGHDAD, because he
hath heard what the nomads (MA'DAYE) are doing on the road of the HAJJ, and how they are seizing and
plundering those who are going to worship in the house of God. Therefore, see ye how ye can meet his troops
with honours and gifts, and how [we] can make peace to reign over the whole world.’ And at the top of his
letter were [drawn] figures of a bow and an arrow.

And in this year hailstones fell [weighing] between one and two /itres, according to the measure of
BAGHDAD, and they destroyed more than thirty villages in the province of BAGHDAD.

And in the year thirteen hundred and fifty-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 1043) there went forth a certain rebel
from the RHOMAYE whose name was MINAKOS (MANYAKOS ?), and about twenty thousand people
cleaved to him. Then king CONSTANTINE sent against him CHRISTOPHER, the eunuch, with forty
thousand [men], and he conquered the rebel and killed him, and set his head on a reed. And he mounted on
asses two hundred men of the army of the rebel, tied [to the beasts], with their faces turned towards the tails
of the asses. And he hung between the eyes (i.e. on the forehead) of each one of them four testicles taken
from the slain, and a portion of the lungs, and a liver, and heralds made a proclamation before them in the
bazars of the royal city, saying, "These are the just reward of every one who rebelleth against the king’. And
though he made them a laughing-stock, the king had mercy on them, and he did not kill them, but sent them
away and said, 'Get ye gone wheresoever ye please’. And the king gave gifts to the soldiers of his army, to
some seventy dinars and to some thirty-five dinars, according to their merit.

And in the year four hundred and thirty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1043) [225] TUGHREL BAG sent an
envoy to the Khalifah KAIM, and he said, 'I am a minister (or, servant) of the Head of the Kingdom of the
ARABS, and in all the countries over which I reign I have made to triumph the proclamation of the Khalifah,
and I have made men to rest from the oppression of the governors MAHMUD and MAS'UD, who were my
predecessors. And it is evident that I am not inferior in any way to them. Now they were slaves of the
Khalifah who enjoyed dominion (i.e. they ruled), but I am the son of free men, and am of the royal stock of
the HUNS. And besides these things, although I am honoured even as they were honoured, I think that
service to me, and the manner in which I am distinguished, should be greater than theirs.'

It is said that TUGHREL BAG used to sit on a high throne, and behind him were shields and spears, and
before him a very magnificent bow, and in his hand were two arrows, with which he used to play. He wore
the white apparel [made] of cotton. On the second and fifth days [of the week] he used to fast. And he never
at any time omitted [to say] his five prayers. And concerning his astuteness the chief of the judges of
BAGHDAD relates the following story: When I was sent on an embassy to him I wrote a private letter to
BAGHDAD in which I described his rule, and his mercilessness, and how he prayed his prayers as a matter
of form (or, routine) and not through fear of God, and various other matters. And I gave the letter to one of
the members of my house, and it fell from him, and it was found and taken to TUGHREL BAG. And though
he understood everything which was in the letter, he never turned his face away from me, nor did he in any
way lessen the honour which he paid me. As for me, I could not understand what had become of the letter,
until a certain scribe, a friend of mine, when [we were] on the road [back], informed me; and he, who was
also a notary said to me that he had lost the letter on the road.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Beginning of the Kingdom of the Saljuks in Persia (continued).

And his troops used to come, company by company, to do homage before him, each company consisting of
two thousand men, and they dismounted a certain distance from him, and kissed the ground and stood
upright. Then one of those who were before him made a sign that their salutations had been accepted. And
again they kissed the ground, and then mounted their animals and departed, and another company came up.
No man goeth near him, and no man hath speech with him. In every place, where his troops meet together
they plunder, and destroy and kill. And no one district (or, quarter) is able to support them for more than one
week because of their vast number. And from [226] sheer necessity they are compelled to depart to another
quarter in order to find food for themselves and their beasts.

And the army of TUGHREL BAG went and laid waste the country of NISIBIS, and MAIPERKAT, and
SHIGHAR (SINJAR), and HABURA, and 'AMID, and ZIRAK its governor was killed. And they also came
to MAWSIL, and they demanded from MU'TAMID AD-DAWLAH, the governor of MAWSIL, fifty
thousand dinars to leave [the city] and go away. And when he ignored their [demand] they made themselves
masters of the city. And MU'TAMID AD-DAWLAH fled by a gate which was underground by the river
TIGRIS. And the GHUZZAYE went in and they carried off from the palace a vast amount of stuff [worth]
two hundred thousand dinars, and they divided seventeen wives, who were ARABS and KURDS, among
them, and a great number of handmaidens. And they looted the city, all except the quarter of the
SHAHARSUI BAZAR, the owner of which gave them fifteen thousand dinars in the place of their houses.
And the fathers of the wives of the governor also bought them back.

And the GHUZZAYE left governors in MAWSIL, and they went and pitched their camp by the city of
BALADH, but they were not able to capture it. And after a few days a certain man of the GHUZZAYE was
fighting with a young man who was a native of MAWSIL, and he smote him with a spear (i.e. speared him).
Then the mother of the young man, who was a noisy and loquacious woman, smeared the blood [of her son]
over her face, and she shrieked out in the bazars, "The GHUZZAYE have killed my son and my daughter’.
And she stirred up a tumult with her voice, and she inflamed the ARABS with her words. and they rose up
against the GHUZZAYE and killed them. And when the GHUZZAYE who were in BALADH heard [this],
they came back again to MAWSIL and killed two thousand people, old and young. And they remained there
for twelve days plundering and killing. And to every one whom they seized they said, 'Purchase (i.e. ransom)
thyself’. And thus they took all the silver, both that in circulation and that hidden, which there was in
MAWSIL, and at the last they made peace. And they made the peasants go out to their villages and
commanded them to till their lands. And after a litthe MU'TAMID became strong, and he collected the
MA'DAYE (NOMADS) and conquered the GHUZZAYE, and made a great slaughter of them; and those who
remained fled to 'ADHORBIJAN.

And in the year which was the year thirteen hundred and fifty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1044), at the end of
the month of the FIRST TESHRIN, ABU AL-FARAJ, an upright Nestorian monk, died; he was an able and

capable man and a philosopher. This man interpreted [227] (or, translated) the Old and the New Testaments
into the Arabic language and also the Books of ARISTOTLE. And he charged the chief officials of their
Church with being ignorant in matters of ecclesiastical doctrines and other subjects. Personally I think that he
was weak in his knowledge of Syriac lexicography, for I have found blunders in various places in his
interpretations. Of these the following is an example from [the Book of] JOB, dhe harteh wa-laitaw where h
has the vowel a and the ¢ has the hardening point over it, the form being derived from hawra, that is hzaya,
‘vision’. But he understood the word to be hartheh, and he gave / the short vowel a and softened the ¢ into th
as if the form was taken from hartheh, 'the end’.

And in this year a great army of SCLAVS, that is to say RUSSIANS, came against the royal city by sea and
by land. And God helped the RHOMAYE, and they set fire to their ships and burned them on the sea, and the
greater number of them were burned and sunk. And similarly they made prisoners of many of those who had
come by land, and they cut off their right hands; and the RHOMAYE obtained a great victory. And at the time
when there were many aliens, ARMENIANS, and ARABS, and JEWS, in the royal city, a great tumult broke
out against CONSTANTINE the king. And the peoples gathered together at the gate of the palace and cried
out, "This CONSTANTINE hath killed two of our kings', and they were seeking for an excuse (or, reason) for
looting the palace and the mansions of the nobles. Then king CONSTANTINE gathered together the nobles,
and he brought out THEODORA and ZAI (ZOAJ) arrayed in gorgeous royal apparel. And when the agitators
saw them they became quiet. And the king having inquired into the cause of the tumult, he was told that the
aliens had made the tumult so that they might loot the city. Then the king commanded that there should not
remain in it anyone who had entered it during the last thirty years, and that the man who stayed should have
his eyes gouged out. Then there went out about one hundred thousand souls.

And in the year four hundred and thirty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1044) an envoy was sent by KAIM, the
Khalifah, to TUGHREL BAG, and his message was built on four stipulations.

I. The Amir of the Faithful (or, Believers) saith unto thee: O Amir TUGHREL BAG MAHAMMAD, the
countries which thou hast taken are sufficient for thee, and thou shalt not hanker after the countries of the rest
of the governors of the ARABS; and thou shalt not harm them.

II. Thou shalt hold thyself in strict subjection, inasmuch as thou art our vassal. And thou shalt swear unto us
legal oaths concerning the divorce of thy wives, and the freeing of thy slaves, and undertake to give dues
[228] of all thy possessions, if thou resistest our command.

II. And thou shalt act righteously, and not deceitfully, and thou shalt not set men of error (i.e. unbelievers)
over the members of the flock [of the Faithful].

IV. Thou shalt send each year the tribute of the countries which thou hast taken, according to the custom of
thy predecessors. If thou wilt do these things thou shalt be decorated with robes [of honour], and shalt be
addressed with the honorific titles which [men] may legally apply to thy kingship. And thou shalt not be a
tyrant.

And when TUGHREL BAG had heard the message of the envoy he said in answer to the FIRST POINT, 'My
troops are very many, and these countries are not sufficient for them'. The envoy replied, 'That is because
thou hast laid them waste. And if thou didst take the whole earth and lay it waste it would not suffice thee and
thy people.’

And in answer to the SECOND POINT he said, 'As to these various kinds of oaths, perhaps the scribes may
understand them, [but I do not]. And as for myself, how is it possible for me to keep careful watch that I do

not make a mistake, even in some very small matter, in my actions?’ And the envoy said: 'If thou wilt show
with all thy heart that thou art in subjection. and wilt do what is right, thou wilt never make a mistake’.

And in answer to the THIRD POINT TUGHREL BAG said, "How can I? I take care to be upright. And if
some of the hungry men who are with me act wickedly, what am I to do?’

And in answer to the FOURTH POINT he said, 'As to the tribute about which thou hast spoken; show me
how much it is, and if I am able I will not keep it back’.

What is certain is this—that TUGHREL BAG did not accept even one of the [four] stipulations.

And in the year thirteen hundred and fifty-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1045) the city of 'ARZENGAN was
submerged by the waters, and only the monastery of the sons of CYRIACUS, by race SYRIANS, was saved,
although it was entirely surrounded by a lake of water. Now there were merciful men and doers of good deeds
to every man.

And in the year four hundred and thirty-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1046) the GHUZZAYE captured the city
of HULWAN and burnt it, and they tortured the men until they brought out all their hidden treasures and gave
them to them. And they committed fornication with their wives before their eyes, and they also deflowered
their virgins.

And in this year the Nestorian Metropolitan of SAMARKAND sent a letter to the Catholicus, which was also
read in the palace of the Khalifah, saying, 'A people who are like unto the locusts in their swarms have made
a gap in the mountain between TEBIT and KHUTAN [229], the which ancient writers say that
ALEXANDER the Great closed up, and they have sallied out and gone as far as KASHGHAR. There are
seven kings, and with each king are seven hundred thousand horsemen. And the name of their great king is
"NASARATH", which is interpreted, "Ruling by the command of God". They are black like the INDIANS,
and they neither wash their faces nor dress their hair, but they plait it like a cloth and it serveth as a shield for
them. They shoot with the bow accurately. And they eat poor and miserable food. And they are merciful and
just. And their horses eat meat.’

And when they had read the letter one of the Arab nobles said, 'One I thing at least is an impossibility, that a
horse should eat flesh, forsooth!' And another replied, 'Do not be astonished at this, for I myself have seen
with my own eyes an Arab horse which ate flesh and cooked fish’. I, however, say that it is probable that they
dry the flesh and chop it up like straw, and feed the horses with it. For there is much game in that country and
very little grass.

And in the year four hundred and thirty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1047) a certain man who was a native of
RAS'AIN and whose name was 'ASFAR, declared concerning himself that of him it was said in the KUR'AN
that he should triumph over the Faith of the ARABS. And he went twice into the territory of the RHOMAYE
on thievish expeditions, and he carried off much spoil and went forth. Then the king of the RHOMAYE wrote
to BAR MARWAN, the governor, saying, 'Between us and thee there is peace. If this thief be one of thy
subjects it is right that thou shouldst restrain him; if he is not, inform us and we will act for ourselves.' Then
BAR MARWAN called the Amirs of the nomad ARABS, and he said, 'This 'AFSAR will provoke to wrath
the RHOMAYE against us, and if they come out there will be no rest either for us or for you. Therefore it is
right for you to make a plan and to seize him.' Then the nomad ARABS went to him and praised his
solicitude for the triumph of Islam. And he rejoicing in them rode with them. And they began to exercise the
horses and to exhibit feats of athletics until they were at a distance from the villages, and then they laid their

hands upon him and took him and brought him to BAR MARWAN. And he put him in fetters and shut him
up in prison, and peace with the RHOMAYE was confirmed.

And in this year sickness increased, and the pestilence (or, plague) became so severe in all the Fourth Clime
[230] that one blossom of the water-lily was sold in BAGHDAD for one zuza, and a small dove for two white
zuze. As for wheat and barley no man saw them at all in BAGHDAD. But in MAWSIL, in addition to the
sickness and the pestilence, there was also a famine, which was caused by the locusts, and a kora of wheat
was sold for sixty dinars.

And in the year four hundred and forty~two of the ARABS (A.D. 1048), which is the year thirteen hundred
and sixty-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1050), Sultan TUGHREL BAG sent an envoy tt BAR MARWAN,
governor of ARMENIA, ordering him to submit himself and to become subject unto him. And BAR
MARWAN received the envoy with alacrity, and he gave him thirty bales of rich stuffs, and five hundred
dinars, and hangings and curtains for tents, and ten mules loaded with goods, and an Arab horse, and a
certain prisoner who was a RHOMAYA noble, for whose price the RHOMAYE would have given thirty
thousand dinars, and he would not sell him. And he said, 'Besides this noble I have nothing which is suitable
(i.e. useful) for Sultan TUGHREL BAG. And TUGHREL BAG having received these things made peace
happily with BAR MARWAN.

Then CONSTANTINE, the king of the RHOMAYE, sent to BAR MARWAN, saying, 'I entreat thee to exert
thyself for the deliverance of that [prisoner] the Patrician. I know that Sultan, TUGHREL BAG is
magnanimous, and he will not detain him if thou wilt beg him from him by my mouth (i.e. in my name).’ And
when BAR MARWAN made known the words of the king of the RHOMAYE to TUGHREL BAG, he
showed magnanimity, and sent the Patrician with his own envoy to the king, without demanding any payment
or anything in exchange. Then the king of the RHOMAYE restored the great Mosque of the ARABS which
was in the royal city, and hung lamps therein. And he appointed Arab praying-men thereto, and appointed
regular wages for them. And he sent to TUGHREL BAG one thousand bales of silken cloth, and five hundred
pieces of various other kinds of stuff, and five hundred horses, and three hundred Egyptian asses, and a
thousand goats, with black eyes and horns, which were very nearly as large as asses.

And in this year the natives of the city of ISFAHAN being sorely afflicted by the imprisonment with which
TUGHREL BAG had imprisoned them—now he had sat down by them for nine months—sent to the
Khalifah asking him to entreat TUGHREL BAG on their behalf. And the Khalifah (because for a long time
past TUGHREL BAG had been asking him to honour him (i.e. TUGHREL) with names (i.e. titles) which
befitted [231] his kingship) would not consent. Then he agreed and he wrote [a letter] to him and called, him
"Lawful king', and 'Asylum of the Muslims', and 'RUKN AD-DIN SULTAN TUGHREL BAG’, and he
entreated him on behalf of the natives of ISFAHAN. And he sent [the letter] with an envoy.

Now TUGHREL BAG was expecting this [appeal], and he accepted the Khalifah's entreaty, and sent in return
for these things twenty thousand dinars to the Treasury of KAIM the Khalifah, and two thousand dinars to
the administrators of the kingdom. And from this time Sultan TUGHREL BAG began to inscribe the figure
or a bow at the top of his seal, and inside it were these titles. And that sign was called 'TUGHRA', and he
who wrote [it] being commanded, [was called] 'TUGHRAIT'.

And in the year four hundred and forty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1051) an envoy from CONSTANTINE,
king of the RHOMAYE, came to KAIM the Khalifah, who was in BAGHDAD, and with him was a letter
[written in] the RHOMAYA language, and between the lines was an Arabic translation written in letters of
gold upon purple paper (vellum?), which [read] thus: 'CONSTANTINE, the believing king, the exalted one,
who hath gotten power by Christ God; AUGUSTUS, Only One, in the kingdom of the RHOMAYE,

Monomachus, to [his] beloved and honourable friend ABU JA'FAR KAIM, the Head of the Muslims and the
Amir of the Believers’, and other words of love (or, affection).

And in the year four hundred and forty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1054), all the countries of the PERSIANS
being in subjection to RUKN AD-DIN TUGHREL BAG, he set his face towards the countries of the
RHOMAYE. And he attacked the Fort of MINASGERD, and sat down by it for a long time, but he was
unable to take it; and he seized the country district [round about]. And he came and seized also the country of
'ARZAN AR-RUM, which up to that time had been under the RHOMAYE. And he turned back to pass the
winter in'ADHORBIJAN so that he might return to the territory of the RHOMAYE.

And in the year thirteen hundred and sixty-five [of the GREEKS = A.D. 1054], CONSTANTINE, king of the
RHOMAYE, the husband of queen THEODORA, died in the month of the LATTER KANON (JANUARY).
And the queen governed for one year. And she sent an envoy to BAGHDAD, to the Khalifah, and she
strengthened the peace by means of the tribute which she had received for herself. And in (that] year Sultan
RUKN AD-DIN TUGHREL BAG sent an envoy to the Khalifah and said, 'I wish to come so that I may be
glorified (or, honoured) by the service of the Prophet [|MAHAMMAD] [232] and be blessed. And I would
also go and worship and pray in MAKKAH. And I wish to make peaceful (1.e. safe) the roads of those who
pray (i.e. pilgrims), and I will remove the crowds of the MA'DAYE (nomads) who rob them on the highways.
From there I will go to the war of the rebels, the SYRIANS, and the erring EGYPTIANS, if God will.' Then
the Khalifah, although unwilling, through sheer necessity wrote and praised his solicitude and his zeal in
respect of the Faith, and he urged him not to delay in coming to BAGHDAD.

Now the DAILOMITES and the TURKS who were in BAGHDAD, and their chiefs, objected strongly to this
arrangement, and they said, 'That the GHUZZAYE should come to BAGHDAD is impossible, but if they do
come we shall make ourselves ready for the sword'. And as their excuse benefited them in no wise, the troops
of the GHUZZAYE burst forth after a few days, and they came to the frontier of BAGHDAD. And the Prince
of the princes, and the chief of the judges, and many of the native magnates who were in BAGHDAD went
forth to meet the Sultan, and they drew nigh to the place where he had camped. And they spoke to him words
of admonition on the part of the Khalifah, so that he might not give an occasion to his troops to work
destruction in the land of BAGHDAD; 'because it is the throne of the Arab peoples, and the Law of the Faith
existeth in it'. And the Sultan received their words with love, and consented to accept their counsel.

And when he arrived and encamped at the gate which is called 'MESHAM-MASHANITHA' (1.e. 'the Servant
Gate’), the DAILOMITES, and the TURKS, and some of the peoples of BAGHDAD quarrelled uproariously,
and they drew their swords on the GHUZZAYE who were going into the city to buy food for themselves, and
straw and hay for their horses. And the Amirs of the GHUZZAYE mounted their horses and went into
BAGHDAD, and they killed many of the DAILOMITES, and the TURKS, and the pagans, and they seized
their chiefs and carried them to the Sultan. And he commanded and they were shut up in tents near him, being
bound with fetters. And the Sultan sent to the Khalifah and complained about the quarrel which the people of
BAGHDAD had provoked, and he informed [him] that certain of the DAILOMITES in his service had been
found killed, and others have not been found at all, and if I did not honour thee I would have destroyed all
BAGHDAD with the edge of the sword. And the Khalifah being comforted with such [words] as these, fear
departed from his heart, and he sent gifts with his eunuchs and nobles to the Sultan. And as soon as ever they
arrived in the neighbourhood of the Camp, the Sultan commanded, and they were all put in bonds, and
everything which they had with them was looted.

And in the morning of the [following] day the GHUZZAYE went into BAGHDAD, [233] and many of the
MA'DAYE (NOMADS) whom they found there they drowned in the TIGRIS. And many men fled from their
houses and took refuge in the buildings round about the palace of the Khalifah, and the GHUZZAYE camped

in their houses. And the Khalifah sent a letter to the Sultan saying, "This was not my expectation at all, for I
imagined that my glory would be increased by thy coming, and that the Faith would be triumphant through
thy nearness to me. Although I have suffered the very reverse of these things my trust is on God.' And the
Sultan replied, 'I am subject to thy command. And as to these things which have taken place, thou knowest
full well that they have happened because of the evil TURKS who were in thy service. I myself am not
blameworthy.' Then the Sultan commanded, and [his slaves] sent the elephants which were with him against
the ten TURKS who had made the fight, and they trampled on them and killed them. And the Sultan was
master of BAGHDAD, and he appointed governors and tax-gatherers from among his own people. And of the
TURKS who had been in BAGHDAD at an earlier period, some were bakers, and some were sellers of
vegetables, and others were stokers of the fires for the baths. And the GHUZZAYE became masters of the
country, and they laid it waste. Agriculture came to an end, and an ox for ploughing was sold for twenty zuze,
and an ass for ten zuze. And they struck money, zuze and dinars, in the name of the Sultan. And the Sutan
increased the grant which had been formerly given to the Khalifah at the time when the Dailomite and
Turkish slaves held authority-fifty thousand dinars and five hundred kor(s) of wheat. And the Sultan swore
an oath and said, 'If it were not for the very many troops who are with me, and who are a help to Arabdom, I
would restore to the Khalifah everything which those TURKS took away from him’. And the heart of the
Khalifah was glad and he wished to contract affinity with the ARABS, and 'ARSLAN KHATON, a Saljuk
princess, the daughter of JAGHRI BAG, the brother of Sultan TUGHREL BAG, was given to him. And the
Sultan built a great house by the side of the palace of the Khalifah. And the Khalifah sent [to him] a golden
throne, inlaid with precious stones, and he set it in [the building]. And the Sultan sat upon it, and the nobles
used to go to do homage to him.

And in the year four hundred and forty-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1056) sickness and a great famine came
upon BAGHDAD. One pomegranate was sold for a dinar, and herbs (or, drugs for medicines) were not to be
found, and there came great swarms [234] of flies which polluted the air, and more than one-third of the
population perished. And thus also was it in SYRIA, and in EGYPT, and especially in PERSIA. In the city of
BUKHARA eighteen thousand biers of the dead went out [of the city] in one day. And those who died, in a
short time, that is during a period of three months, were a thousand thousand and six hundred and fifty
thousand people. And in SAMARKAND, within two months, two hundred and thirty-six thousand people
died. It was said that from the beginning of the world there never was such a plague as this.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Beginning of the Kingdom of the Saljuks in Persia (continued).

And in the year four hundred and forty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1057) a force of the MA'DAYE
(NOMADS) encountered an army of the GHUZZAYE by the side of MAWSIL, and the GHUZZAYE gave
way and twelve hundred of their men were killed, and KATLAMISH their chief, together with those who
escaped with him fled to Mount SHIGHAR (SINJAR). And the sons of SHIGHAR shut the gates of the city
in their faces and jeered at them.

Then when the Sultan heard what had happened, he raged in his spirit and he wished to go to MAWSIL. But
the Khalifah did not wish [this], and he sent to him and said unto him, 'It is not right for thee to go now;
Restrain thyself until thy troops are gathered together and come from PERSIA". Then the Sultan became still
more angry, and he said, 'Now I know that your intention towards us is not sincere. In the beginning thou
didst give me advice, saying, "Thou shalt not go, but send troops," and I accepted it from you. And behold
my troops have perished, and now again thou givest me that very self-same counsel.' Up to this time the
Sultan had been in BAGHDAD for thirteen months, and he had gone out but hitherto had not seen the
Khalifah. And he commanded and they took his tents outside (the city], and his troops which were prepared
gathered together and destroyed the buildings on the eastern side of BAGHDAD, and they took their bridges
for fortifications.

And the Sultan went and encamped against TAGRITH, and he asked help from its inhabitants. But they said,
"We belong to the MA'DAYE (i.e. nomad ARABS), and without the command of BASASIRI their chief we
are unable to give any help at all’. And the Sultan became inflamed with fury, and he hurled the sword among
them, and carried off many of their women and children. And they submitting to him, he made peace with
them. And he went to BETH WAZIK and the inhabitants thereof gave him help. And from there he went to
MAWSIL, and he found that BASASIRI [235] had departed from it, and also that all the rich men of
MAWSIL had fled. And he camped in the palace for a few days. And from there he went to BALAD, and
HAZARASB, the captain of the host, commanded the Sultan that the town should not be plundered. And the
Sultan replied, "Behold, thou seest that our treasuries are empty, and that they who are with us are hungry, and
are pressing us, and, there is no means of [getting supplies] except by pillage. But go thou this night and
bring out all the inhabitants of the city, both great and small, and let them take whatsoever they are able [to
carry away] from their houses.' And having done this the GHUZZAYE went into the city and looted it. And
HAZARASSB sent the people of the city to MAWSIL, and there were ten thousand men besides women and
children, and he sent with them some one who would protect them on the way.

Then the nobles of the MA'DAYE, with the exception of BASASIRI, who had fled to SYRIA and had taken
refuge in EGYPT, when they saw that they were incapable [of conquering] the GHUZZAYE, sent [envoys]
and asked for peace. And the Sultan received them, and showed them affection (or, love), and arrayed them in
robes of honour. And he wished to go to ARMENIA, to the country of BAR MARWAN. But the nobles of
the MA'DAYE entreated him, saying, 'he also hath committed folly, even as we committed folly, but we ask

thee to forgive him even as thou didst forgive us'. And the Sultan replied, "Ye confessed your folly and were
forgiven; if he also will confess his folly he also shall be forgiven’.

And the Sultan went to the ISLAND OF KARDOU, and the people thereof submitted to him, and they gave
him much gold, and they were not plundered. And twenty horsemen of the GHUZZAYE rode up to the
Monastery of the NESTORIANS which is called AKHMUL, wherein there were at that time four hundred
monks, and they slew one hundred and twenty of them, and the remainder ransomed their lives for six
measures of gold and silver. Then BAR MARWAN sent envoys to the Sultan, and he abased himself greatly,
and he gave one hundred thousand dinars and the Sultan made peace with him.

And the Sultan went back and encamped against SHIGHAR, and captured it. And he slew four thousand
men, and at length their blood flowed down into their water-courses. And he burnt the great Mosque which
was in the city, and destroyed all its palaces. And because the air stank by reason of the bodies of the slain,
the Sultan removed himself from the town and encamped by the side of TELL 'AFR. And the nobles having
made supplication to him [236] to remove the sword from SHIGHAR, he accepted [it] from them on the
condition that no man should ever remain in it. And all those who were hidden went forth, and they dispersed
themselves in various countries, and the town was evacuated wholly by its inhabitants. Then guards who
prevented the GHUZZAYE from injuring those who went forth were appointed. All this took place because
of the insults which the men of SHIGHAR cast on the GHUZZAYE when they fled at the beginning from
before the MA'DAYE.

And from there the Sultan came to MAWSIL, and he gave it to SAIF AD-DAWLAH IBRAHIM, his brother
on his mother's side. And he was an upright (or, just) man. For a certain man who was a tax-gatherer, a native
of MAWSIL, came to him and said that he would give him every day one hundred gold dinars from the
contributions of those who bought and sold in the bazar. And IBRAHIM gathered together the men of
MAWSIL and he said unto them, 'Do ye agree with this tax-gatherer?’ And they replied. 'If thou wilt free us
from the PERSIANS who pry into our affairs, and the GHUZZAYE officers who make [excessive] demands
upon us, we do agree with this tax-gatherer, who is of our opinion’. And SAIF AD-DAWLAH showed
greatness of soul, and said, 'We will free you from this also, and we will not demand from you more than the
fair taxes on the produce and fruits of the earth in their season’. And he commanded the heralds, and they
proclaimed the freedom from taxation of those who bought and sold [in the bazars]. And all the population
lifted up their voices and prayed for the lengthening of his life.

And from MAWSIL the Sultan went down to BAGHDAD. And when he approached the city, the Khalifah
sent the Wazir, the chief of the chiefs, to meet him. And he offered to the Sultan a Chosroes-cup of gold,
inlaid with precious stones, jacinths, emeralds, and sapphires, and he said, "The Amir of the Believers hath
rejoiced in thy triumph, and he is comforted by thy near presence’, and other [words]. The Sultan
acknowledged [the compliment] and said, 'I am one who is satisfied with this Palace, and I am a recipient of
the great acts of goodness which have been showered upon me from it. Therefore nothing is lacking for me
except that I would meet and be honoured (or, beautified) by the sight of him which is as that of the Prophet
(?). And I cannot bear to be deprived of it any longer.’ And the Wazir replied, 'Nothing now hindereth this, for
ye have become of one house, and ye have mingled and mixed with each other, that is to say in betrothal'.
And the Wazir rose up and went into the presence of the Khalifah and he made these things known unto him.
And the Sultan went into the new palace which he had built. [237]

And after some days the Sultan was summoned to go in. And he rode a horse, and all the princes went before
him on foot. And when he drew near to the gate of the palace of the Khalifah, he remained for a time on his
horse, and then the gate was opened, and he went into the courtyard, and the nobles of the Khalifah went
forth to meet him. And [the slaves] lifted the curtain, and he went into the inner courtyard. And they lifted

another curtain, and he went in and saw the Khalifah seated upon a throne which was high above the ground,
about seven cubits. And on his head was a black sudarium, and he was dressed in a cloak which was also
black; This was the apparel which the sons of 'ABBAS put on and wore in BAGHDAD, but when the
Khalifate was transferred to EGYPT the Khalifahs put on and wore white apparel. And in his hand was a
sceptre of gold, and on the two sides of him were two eunuchs. And when the Sultan saw him, he bowed
down to the ground, and did homage several times. And the Khalifah commanded, and [the slaves] raised him
up upon another throne, which was less high than the Khalifah's, about the height of the stature of a man. And
the Khalifah said unto the dragoman: 'Say thou unto the Sultan: The Amir of the Believers praiseth thy
solicitude, and applaudeth thy labours, and is comforted by thy near presence, and rejoiceth in thee. And
behold, he handeth over to thee all the provinces and countries which God hath handed over to him.
Therefore, fear God, and perform righteousness (or, justice) in thy dominion, and do thou give thanks unto
the Lord for all His gracious deeds towards thee.' And the Sultan stood up, and bowed himself to the ground,
and said, 'I am the slave and the subject of thy command; I put my trust in God that He will help me to fulfil
thy will’.

And the Khalifah commanded, and [the slaves] arrayed the Sultan in seven black garments with one neck-
band (?), and they placed a black sudarium [shot with] gold upon his head, and on the sudaritum a crown
inlaid with two precious stones of jacinth, and above each stone were fifteen exceedingly choice pearls, and
two bandlets of gold on its ends (?). The Sultan would not put the collar of gold round his neck, but it was
iaid on his shoulders, and a eunuch carried it before him. And when the Sultan wished to bow down again to
the earth, it was impossible for him to do so, because of the heavy crown which was on his head. And the
Khalifah also gave him three purple banners [inscribed with] letters of gold: And these were suspended
before him. And the Khalifah also gave him [238] a royal seal. And he commanded the heralds and they
proclaimed him 'King of the East and the West', And when the Sultan was inclined (?) to depart, he asked the
Khalifah to stretch out his hand to him. And when the Khalifah stretched it out to him, the Sultan kissed it
twice and made it to pass over his forehead. And he went forth and [the slaves] mounted him upon one of the
horses of the Khalifah, and with great pomp and ceremony he went to his palace.

And in the year thirteen hundred and sixty-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 1058), in the winter time, three
thousand TURKS came and invaded MELITENE, because its wall had been breached since the time when
CYRIACUS took it from the ARABS. And after they had heaped upon it piles of the slain, they tortured the
rest of the inhabitants in order that they might reveal their hidden treasures. And many died under the
tortures, as for example PATROS, the deacon, the scribe and teacher of the young. This man was seized
whilst he was writing the copy of a manuscript. And as he was writing 'The head of JOHN resembled the
bunch of grapes which HERODIAS plucked' the TURKS seized him. And they melted wax and poured it
over his head, and they set a bowl with hot coals in it on his breast. And when he was near to finishing [his
life] he saw the fire attacking his feet, and he said. 'It is a blessed thing for you to be cleansed’. And his soul
departed.

And the TURKS were twenty days in MELITENE, laying waste [the towns] and looting. And when they had
burned it with fire and departed, a severe winter overtook them by the side of MOUNT SANSANAYE, and
the ARMENIANS came down and killed them all. And those who saved themselves from being crushed with
stones returned to it. And among them was JOSEPH the monk, who wrote three discourses on the event, and
MAR JOHN the son of SHOSHAN composed four discourses on the destruction of MELITENE, two in the
metre of MAR APHREM, and two in the metre of MAR BALAI. And in this raid the Monastery of BAR
GAGAI was destroyed, and it was never inhabited again.

And in the year four hundred and fifty of the ARABS (A.D. 1058), BASASIRI, the captain of the host of the
MA'DAYE, and another general who was called KURAISH, collected a numerous army of ARABS, and

PERSIANS, and TURKS from among those who were in subjection to the Khalifah of EGYPT, and
BASASIRI came and encamped against TELL 'AFAR. And INANAGH, the captain of the host of the
GHUZZAYE, fled and went to the fortress of MAWSIL. And the MA'DAYE came after him and encamped
against MAWSIL; and there was a great famine, and at length the GHUZZAYE ate their horses and their
mules. And they destroyed the large houses, [239] and burnt the villages and the bridges. And when they
were sorely afflicted they fled to BAGHDAD, and urged the Sultan to go in person and engage the
MA'DAYE. And he having gone out from BAGHDAD, the report thereof reached BASASIRI, and he laid
waste MAWSIL in an evil manner and departed into the desert.

When the Sultan arrived in MAWSIL he found that it was wholly destroyed. And it was reported to him also
concerning IBRAHIM IANT'EL, his brother on his mother's side, 'He is meditating rebellion. And letters are
coming to him from the Khalifah of EGYPT.' Therefore the Sultan, being afraid that IBRAHIM would make
himself master of PERSIA, and cause the armies of the TURCOMAN GHUZZAYE to rebel with him,
marched off hurriedly into PERSIA, and he went and sat down in HAMADAN. And he sent an army against
his brother in the mountains of SHAHARZUR, and it seized him and killed him.

Then when BASASIRI and KURAISH, the captains of the army, heard that the Sultan had gone away, they
came to BAGHDAD and took possession of it easily. And they seized the Khalifah KAIM, and mounted him
on a camel, and sent him to HADITHAH, and they looted the palace. And they proclaimed MUSTANSER,
the Khalifah of EGYPT, in BAGHDAD, and they struck money, dinars and zuze, in his name. And they
appointed judges, and lawyers, and readers, and arrayed them in white apparel, according to the custom of the
EGYPTIANS, instead of in black apparel. As to the Wazir, the prince of princes, inasmuch as it was he who
had brought the GHUZZAYE to BAGHDAD, they placed him in the hide of a bull which had been recently
flayed off the animal, and they sewed it up about him. And they left his face visible, and they placed on the
top of his head the horns of a bull, And they suspended him on a stake, having put hooks in his cheeks, and
he remained thus during the whole day in agony (?). And he died after he had received the spittle and insults
of the mob of BAGHDAD, and also their curses, because it was through him that all these evils had
happened.

And the mother of the Khalifah KAIM sent to BASASIRI from the place where she was hidden, and said, 'I
am dying of hunger, and I entreat thee to have mercy upon me’. Then he sent and had her brought, and he
seated her in one of the rooms of the palace, and he appointed two of her handmaidens to minister unto her.
And he allotted to them each day twelve /itres of bread, and four /itres of meat, according to BAGHDAD
measure. Now this woman was an ARMENIAN by race. And 'ARSLAN KHATON, [240] the wife of the
Khalifah, was with KURAISH, and when the Sultan TUGHREL [BAG] sent an envoy and asked for her, they
dispatched her to him with great honour.

And in this year the Amir DAWUD JAGHRI BAG, the brother of the Sultan TUGHREL [BAG], died, and he
left a grown-up son, ALB 'ARSLAN, and two other sons. And the Sultan sent an envoy to KURAISH and
thanked him for ARSLAN KHATON, and for having entreated her honourably, and sent her [to him]. And he
said unto him, 'I beg thee also to send back the Khalifah to his throne, and thou shalt be administrator to him.
I shall never again come to BAGHDAD, but shall devote myself to administering the kingdom of PERSIA.
And if thou art unable to do this because of BASASIRI, who doth not agree with thy wish, it will be right for
thee to entrench thine honourable self and thy followers strongly in some Citadel, or in the desert, so that
when our troops come they may not through igporance do harm to any of those who belong to thee. For a
great debt to thee lieth upon us, and if we were to give unto thee everything which we have, it would amount
to far less than that which thou hast given to us, for thou hast restored to us our child carefully.’ Then
KURAISH sent to BASASIRI, who was in WASIT, saying, 'To what end and for whom are we fighting all
this fight? For an EGYPTIAN who, behold, hath not even visited us with a common letter in return for our

having made the proclamation of him to triumph as far as BAGHDAD. But it is right that we should repent
with the Sultan, and restore the Khalifah to his place again.' And BASASIRI not being persuaded by him,
KURAISH took his property and marched to the desert.

And the Sultan and his troops drew nigh to the frontier of BAGHDAD. And the Amir of HADITHA, with
whom the Khalifah was a prisoner, took him to the Sultan, and the Sultan sent him again to his palace with
great honour. And he apologized to him, saying, 'I was prevented from [coming to] thee through the death of
my brother JAGHRI BAG, and the [necessary] arrangements for his sons, and through my other brother
IBRAHIM, who behaved treacherously to me, and he was conquered’. And when he fled the GHUZZAYE
overtook him and they cut off his head and brought it to the Sultan. And he commanded and the head was
fixed on a reed, and suspended above the gate of the palace. And the Sultan, resting from the war on the [241]
MA'DAYE, turned back and went to KHORASAN.

And in the year four hundred and fifty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1063), KHATON, the wife of Sultan
TUGHREL BAG, died; she was greatly beloved by him, and all the business of the kingdom was
administered by her. And he sent to the Khalifah that he might be betrothed by him to his daughter; and when
the Khalifah would not consent to a daughter of theirs marrying a stranger to them, both as regards family
and race, the Sultan was offended. And after many bickerings, open enmity began to make itself manifest.
Then the Khalifah was afraid, and though unwilling, he gave his daughter to him on the condition that she
should not depart from the palace, but that whenever the Sultan came to BAGHDAD she should live with
him in there. And after prolonged discussion it was decided that she should depart to the new mansion which
the Sultan had built. And the Sultan came to BAGHDAD, and he offered one hundred thousand gold dinars,
and one hundred and fifty thousand zuze, and four thousand bales (or, rolls) of priceless stuffs for [her] dowry
(dora). And he took the daughter of KADER (KAIM?) to wife.

It is related that when she went into her mansion, the Sultan and the nobles of the TURKS stood up and
danced according to their custom, and bent down on their knees and stood up again and sang songs in the
Turkish manner. And a throne of gold was prepared for her, and the Sultan went in and bowed himself down
to the ground, and did homage to her, and he did not sit down but left [the chamber] and went out. This he did
for seven days, without her uncovering her face for him to see. And at this feast there was great gladness to
the Sultan, and sorrow to the Khalifah, especially because when the Sultan went forth from BAGHDAD to go
to KHORASAN, he would necessarily take the Khalifah's daughter, his wife, with him. And the Sultan did
not observe the condition that she was not to go forth from BAGHDAD.

And in this year, which is the year thirteen hundred and seventy-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 1063), an army
of the RHOMAYE went forth and encamped against the city of 'AMID for many days. And the armies of the
TURKS and ARABS being gathered together against them, and very many having been killed on both sides,
they left the city and departed. And on the seventh day of the month of ILUL (SEPTEMBER) of this year the
Sultan TUGHREL [242] BAG died in RAI (RHAGES), a city of PERSIA. Now he lived seventy years. He
was king for thirty years, and for eight of these years he was master of BAGHDAD. And the Sultan
commanded that SULAIMAN, the son of JAGHRI BAG, should sit on his throne. But 'ALB 'ARSLAN, the
brother of SULAIMAN, because he was strong made an end of him and he himself reigned. And he was
proclaimed in BAGHDAD and in all the countries as SAYA AD-DIN SULTAN.

And in the year four hundred and fifty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1063), certain hunters, who were KURDS, in
BAGHDAD reported as follows: 'When we were hunting in the desert we saw black tents, and [heard] the
sound of beatings of the breasts, and weeping, and great lamentation. And when we drew near we heard a
voice saying, "To-day B'ELZEBHUBH, the prince of the devils, is dead and every place which doth not make
itself a house of weeping for three days we will dig up by the roots".' And when the women of BAGHDAD

heard this foolish talk, they went out to the graves, and they sat down for three days and wailed, and wept,
and rent their garments, and plucked out their hair, and blackened their faces with soot from the cooking pots.
And they said, 'By this we shall propitiate the devils. And they will not kill their friends’. And the report of
this (proceeding] flew through all the land of SEN'AR, and in every country was done that which was done in
BAGHDAD, namely in MAWSIL and in ARMENIA.

And in this year 'ALB 'ARSLAN, the Sultan, went against the city of 'ANI, which was the first city of the
RHOMAYE, on the quarter of ARMENIA, and he captured it and made a great slaughter therein. Now as
concerning the strength of the city of 'ANI, the great river of 'ARAS surroundeth three-quarters of it, and on
the other quarter a deep ditch was dug, through which much water from the 'ARAS, with a strong current,
passed. And the citizens entered it and went out from it by a bridge. There were seven hundred thousand
houses in it and one thousand churches. And when the TURKS were in despair about capturing it, suddenly,
at the nod of high heaven, one of its towers fell down, and they laid a bridge across and went into the city.
And from this time the Sultan was called 'ABU AL-FATH.

And in the month of the FIRST TESHRIN (OCTOBER) of this year a fierce heat prevailed in BAGHDAD
until the month of the FIRST KANON (DECEMBER). And there accompanied it so much sickness and
pestilence that a manya of tamar-Hendi (1.e. tamarinds) was sold for four gold dinars. [243] And in the month
of the LATTER KANON (JANUARY) intense cold came, and the river TIGRIS was frozen over, and much
snow fell in BAGHDAD.

And in the year four hundred and fifty-eightof the ARABS (A.D. 1065), which is the year thirteen hundred
and seventy-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 1066), Sultan 'ALB 'ARSLAN went to KHAWARAZM and
appointed his son SALAR SHAH over it, and he himself returned to NISABHOR. And in this year about
three hundred men who were ARMENIAN thieves gathered together with the sons of KAZRIG, the
ARMENIANS, and they lay in ambush in the mountains of MELITENE, and plundered the country of
GHUBOS and KLAWDIA, and especially the monasteries. For they attacked the Monastery of SARGISIA,
and threw the bones of the martyrs about on the ground, and carried off the coffins. And from the village of
SANGIS, which is near the Monastery of MADIK, they took grain worth eleven hundred dinars, besides
oxen and asses, and from the monastery they took five hundred dinars. Then the governors of MELITENE
decided to give them the unmeasured (uncultivated) lands of GHUBOS and KLAWDIA. And they also sent
to the king and brought back a patent ordering that they were to have four villages and they were not to thieve
any more. But they, by reason of their wickedness, did not cease [to rob]. And they made up their minds to
attack the Monastery of MAR BAR SAWMA, that is to say, to steal it and to entrench themselves in it. And
at that moment suddenly a word of the TURKS came, saying that 'they were going to invade again the
country of MELITENE'. And the men of KLAWDIA fled to the monastery, and with them were ten
ARMENIAN thieves, and the remainder lay in ambush in the mountain, 'that in the night their companions
might open [the monastery] to them. and they might camp there, and go in and take possession of it’. And
when IWANNIS (JOANNES), the monk and steward, perceived this, he took with [him] certain strong and
bold men from TELL TAWRA, the blessed village, who were living in the monastery, and they captured the
ten [ARMENIANS], and in the night-time they hurled them from the rock on which the monastery [was
built], without the archimandrite knowing anything about it. And when the day broke they were seen lying
dead at the foot of the rock. And their companions heard [of it] and fled. And after a few days, when the
monks and servants were coming from MELITENE to the monastery, the thieves fell upon them and killed
three monks and two servants. And after these things the monks built in three years [244] two high towers,
and thirty-two years later the new tower was built between the two other towers.

And in the year fourteen (sic) hundred and seventy-five [of the GREEKS = 1064] the blessed MAR
MICHAEL built the southern tower. And in the year ... he built a horn to the upper fortress of the monastety.

And in the year four hundred and fifty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1066), KEMUSHTAKIN
(GUMUSHTAKIN), the captain of the host of the TURKS, attacked EDESSA. And the Duke of EDESSA
went out and met him, and be was conquered and was also made prisoner. And he ransomed himself with
twenty thousand dinars, and went into EDESSA again. And KEMUSHTAKIN became master over
HARRAN, and SERUGH, and KALONIKOS. And then he turned back to come to Sultan 'ALB 'ARSLAN.
And he came to KHALAT, and being angry with one of the Amirs who were with him, he killed him. And
this Amir had a brother whose name was 'AFSHIN, and he rushed upon KEMUSHTAKIN, who was drunk,
and killed him. And he gathered together to himself an army of TURKS, and he turned and came to the
country of ANTIOCH, taking captives and plundering. And in this year the daughter of the sister of
PAKRAT, the king of the IBERIANS of 'ABKAZ, was brought as a wife to Sultan 'ALB 'ARSLAN, and he
made a nuptial feast for her in the city of HAMADAN. And after a little he gave her a bill of repudiation (or,
divorce), and betrothed her to one of the nobles.

And in the year four hundred and sixty of the ARABS (A.D. 1067), when the Patrician, an ARMENIAN,
whose name was 'ARISTAKIS, went out from a certain fortress to another stronger fortress, having with him
through [his] fear of the TURKS two hundred men, a certain Turkish Amir whose name was SHIRWAN
SHAH fell upon him. And the ARMENIANS because of their fear said, 'We are going to the Sultan to
become Muslims through him'. And thus they carried them in honour to the Sultan. And though they were
unwilling, they all became Muslims and were circumcised. And the Sultan gave the Patrician each year
twenty thousand dinars as his salary. And afterwards they fled to INNER ARMENIA, and then returned to
their Christian Faith. And CONSTANTINE the Duke, the king of the RHOMAYE, being dead, ROMANUS,
who is DIOGENES, reigned.

And in the year thirteen hundred and eighty of the GREEKS (A.D. 1069) he went forth into SYRIA with two
hundred thousand horsemen, and he met an army of the MA'DAYE kuniko'’, that is to say Dog-men
(Kalbaye), and he conquered them and took [245] two fortresses, 'IM and 'ARTAH, from the ARABS. And
the RHOMAYE spread abroad as far as MABBUGH, and many of the inhabitants thereof fled to ALEPPO.
Now the hire of a camel from MABBUGH to ALEPPO went up to eighty gold dinars. And the RHOMAYE
made themselves masters of MABBUGH, and they made a great slaughter therein. And they destroyed its
wall. And out of its stones they built the old Citadel which is there now. And because the RHOMAYE were
very many, and because they could get no supplies from the place (i.e. locally), there was a very severe
famine among the TURKS who were raiding the marches. A /itra of bread [cost] a dinar, and six handfuls of
barley [cost] a dinar. And certain of the Dog-like MA'DAYE related the following: 'We slew one of the
RHOMAYE, and when we cut open his belly we found therein whole (undigested) grains of barley'. And
when the report came to the king, saying, "AFSHIN, with [other] TURKS, hath invaded the territory of the
RHOMAYE, and he hath captured the city of 'AMURIN, he set guards in the new Citadel which he hath built
in MABBUGH and returned to the territory of the RHOMAYE'.

And in the year four hundred and sixty-two of the ARABS (A.D. 1069) there was so great a famine in
EGYPT that men ate each other. For in all EGYPT there remained no horses except the three which belonged
to the Khalifah; as for all the other animals, horses, and mules, and asses, their owners had eaten them. And a
dog was sold for five dinars and ten zuze. A mathkal of onions was sold for one silver zuza. It is said that one
day when the Wazir had alighted from his mule, and gone in to the Khalifah, three men came and snatched
the mule from the hands of his syce, and cut its throat and ate it. And when this act had been made known to
the Khalifah, he commanded and those three men were impaled. And during the night other men came and
took the three men off the posts, and they cut off slices from the fleshy parts of their bodies and departed.
And when the day broke the bones of the three men which were stripped bare were found heaped together
under the impaling posts. And the famine waxed strong, not only among the common folk, but in the palace
also. And at length all the royal apparel and ornaments were sold for very small prices. For ten pearls, which

weighed ten mathkals, were sold for four hundred dinars. In one of the cities of EGYPT, the name of which
was TANNIS (SAN, the Biblical ZOAN), [246] a short time before [the famine] there were counted three
hundred thousand men who [paid] the poll tax, and during the time of the famine fewer than one hundred
souls were found in it.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Beginning of the Kingdom of the Saljuks in Persia (continued).

And in the year four hundred and sixty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1070), which is the year thirteen hundred
and eighty-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1071), the Sultan went against 'ARKESTIA, that is the city of
'ARGISH, and captured it, and he made a great slaughter therein, and took a vast amount of spoil and sent [it]
to KHORASAN. And he did the same thing in the city of MINAZGERD. And he went to MAIPERKAT,
which was on the side of the ARABS, and he took from the lord thereof more than one hundred thousand
dinars, and then passed on to 'AMID. And he drew nigh to its wall, and he passed his hand over it and then
over his face, as if to be blessed by its strength. And he went to SABABAROK, which was on the side of the
RHOMAYE, and he took from them one thousand dinars and left them. And from there he went and
encamped against EDESSA, and he fought against it for many days, and was not able to capture it, but they
cut down its trees and laid waste its gardens. And the EDESSENES undertook to give him fifty thousand
dinars, and [expected] him to depart from them. And when the Sultan agreed, the EDESSENES said unto
him, 'We cannot give thee anything until ye have burned the engines and the machines for siege attack, and
all the [other] instruments of war. For we are afraid lest peradventure thou wilt deceive us, and take our gold
and not stop fighting.’ And the Sultan believed them, and burnt the implements of war, and the EDESSENES
treated him with contempt, and would give him nothing. And the Sultan left them, and with a bitter (i.e.
bilious) liver he crossed the EUPHRATES.

And an envoy of DIOGENES, the king of the RHOMAYE, came and said unto the Sultan, 'If because of
MABBUGH thou didst remove thyself from thy country, and didst come [here], behold we will give thee
MABBUGH back again, and thou shalt restore to us 'ARGISH and MINAZGERD, and we will also give to
you each year the customary tribute’. And when the Sultan, accepting [this proposal] restored [to them the
country] as far as the city of KHALAT, 'AFSHIN sent and informed him, saying, 'Behold, I invaded the
territory of the RHOMAYE, and have come forth with great loot, and there is not among the RHOMAYE
anyone who can meet us in battle’. And the Sultan was encouraged, and he went back again into the territory
of the RHOMAYE with such swift feet and such great joy that many of the camels which were loaded with
his possessions perished on the road through the hurry of the journey.

Then 'AFSHIN [247] continued to penetrate into the territory of the RHOMAYE until he encamped on the
shore the sea which flows by the wall of CONSTANTINOPLE; and he raided and looted and departed to
MACEDONIA. And when he arrived at the country of SIMNADU, the winter overtook him and much snow
[fell]. And he sent to a certain Greek woman whose name was MARYAM (MARY), and who was mistress
over the Citadel of SIMNADU, and asked from her permission for the troops of the TURKS to go into her
city and villages to buy food for themselves. And she reluctantly gave the permission, but only after he
threatened her that he would cut down the trees, and uproot the vines, and destroy the gardens in her country.

Then king DIOGENES collected a numerous force, and went forth from the quarter of ARMENIA with great
splendour, and he came against MINAZGERD. And he drove the Sultan's men out from it, but he did not kill

them, and he took possession of the city. When the Sultan heard of [this] he turned his gaze to the territory of
the RHOMAYE. And because the TURKS were few in number the Sultan'ALB 'ARSLAN was afraid, and
he sent an envoy to DIOGENES, a certain noble whose name was SAWTAKIN, that they might make peace
and say to each other, 'we will go back each to his own country'. Now DIOGENES boasted himself, and said,
"Now that I have brought out my treasures, and collected all these troops, and the victory was mine, shall I go
back? For you there is nothing with me except the sword.' Then God, praise be to His goodness who bringeth
low the arrogant, gave strength to the Sultan. And he made ready his troops, and he addressed to them words
of encouragement. And he cast the bow and the arrows from his hands, and he put on his armour, and took
his shield and spear in his hand, and tied up the tail of his horse, and mounted [it]. And, all the TURKS did
likewise. And they charged the RHOMAYE on the sixth day of the week (Friday) at noon, at a place between
KHALAT and MINAZGERD. And they cried out a mighty battle-cry, and rushed in among them. And terror
fell on the RHOMAYE, and after many of them had been killed they began to flee, and others were taken
prisoners.

And at the time of evening a eunuch, whose name was KAHARYA, came from the Turkish nobles and said to
the Sultan, 'One of my slaves hath said that he hath made prisoner the king of the RHOMAYE, and that he is
with him'. And when the horsemen were being counted the Amir who was counting was contemptuous of that
slave, and did not write down pay for him. And laughing at him [248] the Amir said, 'Yes, this slave hath
made the king of the RHOMAYE prisoner for us!' And by the nod of God, the word which was laughed at
turned out to be an actual fact. Now although the Sultan did not believe it, he did not persist in saying so, but
he sent one of the young men whose name was 'SHADI', and who had often been with the envoys to the king
of the RHOMAYE, to go and look at him (i.e. the prisoner). And when SHADI went and saw DIOGENES,
he bowed himself down to the ground, and did homage to the king and then he ran back to the Sultan and
reported that the prisoner was the king. And the Sultan gave orders quickly, and they pitched a great royal
tent for DIOGENES and took him there. And they put iron fetters on his hands and round his neck, and set
one hundred TURKS to keep guard over him.

And in the morning the Sultan commanded and they brought DIOGENES before him, and with his own
hands he smote him four buffets, and said unto him, 'How came it that thou didst not listen when I entreated
thee for peace?! Then DIOGENES, because he was a wise and understanding man, spake words carefully
chosen and arranged, and said, 'In all these things which are possible for a man, and which kings are bound to
do, I have fallen short in nothing. But God hath fulfilled His Will. And now, do what thou wishest, and
abandon recriminations.' Then the Sultan said unto him, 'Inform me now forthwith what was thy intention (or,
object) to do with me if I had fallen into thy hands?! And DIOGENES replied, 'Every evil thing [possible], for
enemy doth not encounter an enemy except to do evil to him'. And the Sultan said, "Thou hast spoken the
truth. If thou hadst answered in any way different from this I should not have believed thee. Now tell me
further, What dost thou think I shall do with thee?’ And the king replied, 'One of three things. Firstly, that
thou mayest kill me. And secondly, that thou mayest make a show of me and haul me round about through
thy dominions, so that every man may know and see thy victory. And thirdly, it is unnecessary for me to say
it for it is an imagination (or expectation) due to delirium, and remote from anything which thou art likely to
do.' And the Sultan said, 'And why dost thou restrain thyself from saying it?’ And DIOGENES replied, 'That
thou shouldst send me back again to my royal city. And I would be to thee as one of thy Patricians, and when
thou didst call me I would come, and when thou didst say unto me, "Do this", I would do it.’ And the Sultan
replied, 'I had no intention of doing anything except this third thing, for thou wast [249] in despair.'

And the Sultan demanded from him ten thousand thousand dinars so that he might ransom himself. And
DIOGENES said, 'If I had the whole kingdom of the RHOMAYE to give, it would have been a little thing in
comparison to that wherewith I myself shall profit. But from the time when I became king I have scattered
freely the treasures of the kingdom of the RHOMAYE on the armies which I have commanded.’ And

DIOGENES was released, on the condition that he paid a thousand thousand dindrs for his ransom, and gave
an annual tribute of three hundred and sixty thousand dinars. And the Sultan commanded, and they removed
the iron fetters from him, and they seated him on his throne which had been carried off from him. And
DIOGENES and the Sultan ate and drank together. And the Sultan demanded from him ANTIOCH,
EDESSA, MABBUGH, and MINAZGERD which the RHOMAYE had taken from the ARABS. And
DIOGENES replied, 'When I return to my kingdom do thou send an army and fight for them, and I will send
to them [a message] that they must surrender. If I were to send now they would not hearken to me.' And
DIOGENES said unto the Sultan, 'If now thou art going to send me away, send me quickly, before the
RHOMAYE can appoint [another] king, and do so immediately, even though I cannot fulfil one of these
[stipulations].' And this actually took place.

And the Sultan commanded, and he appointed to ride with him one hundred slaves and two Amirs, and they
were to go with him to CONSTANTINOPLE. And the Sultan himself accompanied him for a distance of one
parasang, And when he wished to go back DIOGENES wanted to alight, but the Sultan adjured him not to
alight. And thus riding side by side they kissed each other and separated.

Now I have found this history in two manuscripts, [one] Arabic and [one] Persian. But the blessed MAR
MICHAEL wrote, 'The son of the sister of the Sultan captured the king, and another TURK came and killed
the Sultan's nephew, and took the king, so that the merit of the capture might be his.' And when the Sultan
asked DIOGENES, 'What didst thou intend to do with me if I fell into thy hands?’ DIOGENES replied, 'I
should have wished to burn you in the fire'. Now it is evident that such a vulgar thing as this' would never be
said by one king to another. Moreover, it would have been impossible for the TURK to have killed the
Sultan's nephew, and to pluck the king from his hands. For he would have been afraid [250] that he would be
discovered, even by the king himself.

Now when the YAWNAYE (GREEKS) heard that DIOGENES had been captured, they appointed as their
king MICHAEL, the son of CONSTANTINE. And this king took his mother, now she was the wife of
DIOGENES, and forced her to live in a nunnery. And IWANI, his uncle, became his Kisarios (Caesarius, 1.e
Deputy or second in command). Now when DIOGENES entered the territory of the RHOMAYE and heard
what had taken place, he went up to the fortress of DUKIA and found therein two hundred thousand dinars,
and he sent them to the Sultan with those two Amirs who had escorted him, and informed him about the
matter. And he attired himself in the garb of monkhood, and sat down in DUKIA. And he sent to MICHAEL
and said, 'Up to the present I have fought a triumphant fight on behalf of the Faith of the Christians, and it is
sufficient for me. As for thee, blessed be thy kingdom. And thou hast done well in that thou art king (or, dost
reign), for it was right for thee. But as regards the Faith (or, Belief), I advise thee not to dissolve the peace
which I have made with the Sultan, and if thou dost not [accept my advice] there will be no rest, neither for
thee nor for the Christians. And MICHAEL thanked him and said, 'I shall not depart from thy advice.

Now after some days certain men worked upon him, and he sent [a letter] to DIOGENES and said to him, 'If
thou art in truth a monk, why hast thou a dwelling-place which is in a fortress? It is right for thee to go down
to one of the monasteries, so that we may send guards (i.e. a garrison) into the fortress.' Then was
DIOGENES wroth, and he said, 'Of all the kingdom of the RHOMAYE there is not even one fortress which
he would leave me!' And he rose up and stripped off the woollen garments [of a monk] and borrowed some
apparel from the merchants of DUKIA, and collected an army. And when BAR SANHRIB, the Patrician of
LESSER ARMENIA, came to him, he seized him and gouged out his eyes, and took from him eighty gold
centenarii. And he increascd in power greatly and he came to MELITENE. And he sent to the Sultan 'ALB
"ARSLAN and asked him for help. And the Sultan promised him that he would go in person and help him
wherever there was cause for it.

And after these things DIOGENES departed from MELITENE to CILICIA. And IWANI (JOANNES)
attacked him, and captured him in the city of 'ADANA. And having taken him he sent and informed
MICHAEL the king. Then MICHAEL commanded, saying, 'Thou shalt not harm him, but with care bring
him here to us, so that we may make him settle in a [251] monastery. When DIOGENES came near to
CONSTANTINOPLE, IWANI (JOANNES) treated his eyes with kohl and blinded him, and DIOGENES hit
his head against a wall until he died. And the king and the nobles were offended with IWANI (JOANNES)
because he had done this without the command of the king.

And in this year the FRANKS took SICILY from the ARABS, for the governor [of the island] sold it; thus he
acted treacherously towards the Khalifah of EGYPT, to whom it belonged. And in the year four hundred and
sixty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1072), 'ALB 'ARSLAN died, and his son MALIK SHAH succeeded him.
Now his death took place in this wise: whilst SHAMS AL-MULK, the son of TABAJAG, was khan of
BUKHARA, and SAMARCAND, and the rest of the countries beyond the river GIHON, WILYAS, the son
of 'ALB 'ARSLAN, reigned over KHAWARAZM. These two quarrelled with each other. And the son of
TABAJAG attacked his wife, who was the daughter of the Sultan, and he killed her with the sandals of his
feet, saying, 'Thou art not my wife, but a spy upon me. And thou stirrest up thy brother to come and lay waste
my countries.' Now when the Sultan heard that his daughter had been killed, he was furiously angry and
collected his troops and crossed the river. And when he encamped against a ccrtain Citadel, the governor of
whom was a native of KHAWARAZM, he made war upon him. And he deceived the native of
KHAWARAZM with promises, and brought him down, and he commanded them to tie his hands and his feet
to four stakes, and to shoot at him with arrows. Then the native of KHWARAZM in his rage reviled the
Sultan and said, 'O thou poltroon'(or, coward), is it in this way that thou killest those who are like myself?"
Then the Sultan, with his blood boiling, said, 'let him go free, so that I may shoot him when he is unfettered,
and I will kill him'. And when they set him free the Sultan shot an arrow at him, but it did not reach him. And
the native of KWARAZM leaped upon the Sultan, and smote him in his back with a knife which he found
there. Then one of the eunuchs threw himself on the Sultan, and the native of KHAWARAZM left the Sultan,
and began to stab the eunuch with the knife. Then one of the ARMENIANS who were pitching the tents
came and smote the native of KHAWARAZM on his head and killed him. Now the Sultan lived a few days
and then died of the wound, and he was carried to MARW (MERV) and was buried [252] by the side of his
father JAGHRI BAG, after he had made a will [in which he decreed] that his son MALIK SHAH should
reign in his stead and that the Amir KARUTH BAG, his brother, should take KHATUN, his wife, to wife;
and that SHIRAZ should be his country (or, place), besides those fortresses which should be rightly under the
command of the Sultan.

Then when KARUTH (KAURATH) BAG, who had been expecting the death of his brother for a long time,
heard that he was dead, he rose up hurriedly from KERMAN, and went down into the sea in the time of
winter, and came to SHIRAZ. And he went forth to KHORASAN and he collected an army in order to meet
in battle MALIK SHAH his brother's son. Then MALIK SHAH made ready to fight against his uncle, and
God gave him the victory and he conquered and he bound his uncle in fetters and killed him, and his sons he
blinded. Two of them, the youngest, died, and three of them lived [and were] blind viz. SULTAN SHAH, and
TURKAN SHAH, and WARDAN SHAH. And if [any one of these] remained in his country honour similar
to that which was paid to the Sultan his brother was to be paid to him.

And in the year four hundred and sixty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1073), which is the year thirteen hundred
and eighty-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 1073), violent rains came from the month of the LATTER TESHRIN
(NOVEMBER) to the twenty-fourth day of the month of SHEBHAT (FEBRUARY). And the rivers
overflowed, and the waters poured forth from the houses of Baghdad, bursting through the earth and flowing
out, and many great buildings were overthrown, and the people fled to the Western Quarter. And the waters
entered the quarter of the Khalifah by the Gate of the NUBAH, that is to say, of the Nubian eunuchs who

were the guardians of that Gate. And the eunuchs, and the handmaidens, and all those who lived in the houses
of that quarter fled. Now at that time there were fifteen hundred houses in that quarter, and the inhabitants
swam out, and went by the northern side and took refuge in the houses of the common folk. And when the
waters rose up under the bed of the Khalifah he fled to the door, but could not find his way out. And a eunuch
carried him out and placed him in a boat; and thus they did with his wives; and also with such goods as they
were able to save from being submerged. And the Khalifah put on the tunic of their Prophet, and took the rod
in his hand as if he could stay the inrush of the waters, and it did no good whatsoever. And many remained in
the shallow boats for days without food, and the Khalifah himself was for two days unable to find anything to
eat. [253] And in like manner the Wazir remained in a boat for two days lying on a plank without food. And
in the desert also the waters prevailed and many of the MA'DAYE (NOMADS) were drowned. It is related
that when the waters (i.e. the flood) came one wretched man mounted his wife on one horse, and his daughter
on another, and he rode a third. And the waters came on and overtook the two women, and they fell from
[their horses] and were drowned. The man himself ran to a tree and climbed up it, and abandoned the horse;
and he remained there for several days before the waters subsided. And the lions and the buffaloes were seen
together on the top of the hills, with the waters surrounding them, and being utterly stupefied they did not
harm each other.

And in the year four hundred and sixty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1074) the Khalifah KAIM died of the
disease angina at dawn on the fifth day of the week (Thursday), on the thirteenth day of the month
SHA'BAN, at the age of seventy-five years. He was green (or, yellowish-green) in colour, because [he ate]
too many figs (?) with his food.

After him rose his son who was called MUKTADI. On this night (i.e. the night of his death), the fear of death
was upon him, according to the opinion of the astrologers. For ARIS the lord, his rising was in SCORPIO; in
the night he went down to GEMINI, his house of death, by the diameter of KRONOS, which was in
SAGITARIUS, and both made a fetragonisa (right angle) with the Zodiacal Sign PISCES, which is the Sign
of the Zodiac of the completion of the year.

After KAIM, MUKTADT his son ruled nineteen years and five months. And in the year of the ARABS four
hundred and sixty eight (A.D. 1075), the ARABS took the new Citadel of MABBUGH from the RHOMAYE;
and the greater number of the eight years during which the RHOMAYE were in it they were imprisoned by
the ARABS.

And after one year a great war broke out in SYRIA between the troops of the TURCOMANS and the
EGYPTIANS, and famine and pestilence clung close to the operation, especially in DAMASCUS, for with
the exception of an exceedingly small number, all its inhabitants perished. Only three thousand souls
remained in it, whereas formerly the population had been three hundred thousand. There were only two
bakers, whereas formerly there had been two hundred and forty. And a quarter (or, mansion) which had been
bought for three thousand dinars could have been bought for one dinar, and there was no one to buy. And
there was very little food, and the mice (or, rats) increased over men because of the lack of weasels which had
already been eaten up. [254] There was a woman in the city who possessed two mansions, the one was
bought for three hundred dinars, and the other for four hundred dinars. And because of the damage done by
the mice, she sold one of them for seven zuze, and with them she bought a cat.

And in the year four hundred and seventy of the ARABS (A.D. 1077), which is the year thirteen hundred and
eighty-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 1078), MICHAEL was governing the kingdom of the RHOMAYE in a
feeble manner. This was caused by a disease of the kidneys (retention of urine?) which had attacked him; he
sat in the palace and devoted himself to the physicking of his body, and he was wholly incapable of holding
any intercourse whatever with any man. Then did a certain man called NICEPHORUS BOTANICUS rebel

against him. This man was at one time a husbandman, and he rose step by step and ruled first over the
ISLAND OF CYPRUS, and then over ANTIOCH. Then he was deprived of his authority (or, dominion), and
behold he became poverty stricken. He was akin to a certain Amir of the race of the SALJUKS whose name
was 'KATLAMISH', the son of YABAGHU 'ARSLAN, the son of SALJUK, who had fled from Sultan 'ALB
'ARSLAN, and had taken refuge in the dominions of the RHOMAYE. And they besieged
CONSTANTINOPLE for four months. And there was so great a famine that two bread cakes were sold for
one dinar, and a cock for a dinar, and fifteen eggs for a dinar. And the pestilence followed on the heels of the
famine.

One of the men who removed the dead and took them into the sanctuary which was in the great church, and
brought the bodies from the naos when it was full, and cast them into the sea, by way of the gate which was
by the sea, this man I say related that for every dead person they carried they received one obolus, and that in
four months they received one hundred and sixty thousand oboli. The present chronographer (i.e. BAR
HEBRAEUS) saith that it is incredible that such a vast sum as this [can have been given], but according to
what I have heard so have I written.

And when the Patriarch and the nobles saw that MICHAEL was not able to vanquish the besiegers, they
opened the gates, and surrendered the city to NICEPHORUS. And when he entered in MICHAEL went forth
openly carrying the crown in his hand, and he said unto NICEPHORUS, 'Take [this], and withhold the sword
from the people; and if thou hadst asked me I would have given it [to thee] without war. And he gave orders
that he was to be shaved, and having become a monk, and refrained from the eating of flesh, he was healed of
his sickness; and he ended his life as a monk in a monastery.

Then NICEPHORUS castrated the two sons of MICHAEL [255] and took his wife to wife. And he was
despised by every man, and goodness departed from him and fear fell upon him. And he sat down in his
palace, and never went out to war. Then Sultan MALIK SHAH sent BURSUK, his servant, with an army to
bring back KATLAMISH. And when he drew nigh to the temple of CONSTANTINOPLE, he sent to
NICEPHORUS and asked him to deliver up to him KATLAMISH. And NICEPHORUS said, 'It is not in
conformity with our Faith to deliver up the man who hath taken refuge with us, even though we all perish.
But behold, this is before thee: if thou canst take him, take him.'

Then KATLAMISH and BURSUK met each other [in battle]. And as very many of the TURKS on both sides
were killed, BURSUK sent to KATLAMISH and said unto him, 'Why should the TURKS perish betwixt me
and thee? But let us two meet each other in battle, and he who conquereth the other shall be master of all of
them. And when KATLAMISH agreed to his [proposition], BURSUK acted craftily, and he dressed one of
his slaves in his apparel and armour, and mounted him upon his own horse, and he sent him forth against
KATLAMISH, and he himself stood up, with twenty horsemen, like one who was gazing at a theatrical
spectacle. And when the slave and KATLAMISH were fighting together, KATLAMISH smote the slave a
blow, and hurled him from his horse, and he dismounted to cut off his head. Then BURSUK and those who
were with him leaped upon him and killed him. And KATLAMISH being killed in this treacherous manner,
BURSUK was able to flatter (i.e. persuade) only a very few men to carry [the news?] to the Sultan. And the
remainder, who were very many, cleaved to SULAIMAN, the son of KATLAMISH, and they departed from
the territory of the RHOMAYE, and went and captured the cities on the sea coast, viz. ANTARADOS and
TARSOS, in the year four hundred and seventy-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1082), and subsequently
SULAIMAN, made himself master of ANTIOCH.

And in the year four hundred and seventy-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1083) SHARAF AD-DAWLAH, the son
of KURAISH, took HARRAN, and he impaled KRASI who ruled over it. And in the year which is the year
thirteen hundred and ninety-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 1083), on the twenty-third day of the month of ILUL

(SEPTEMBER), PILARDOS, the ARMENIAN, took EDESSA from the TURKS, and of him we will speak a
little later. [256]

Now NICEPHORUS having reigned in a contemptible manner for two years, and the affairs of the kingdom
having gone to ruin, a certain captain of the host whose name was ALEXIS COMENINUS made a secret
agreement with the nobles, and they went to a convenient place outside CONSTANTINOPLE, and
proclaimed him king. And they returned quickly to the city, and no man stood up against them, And ALEXIS
went in to the palace, and NICEPHORUS went out, and he was rewarded according to what he had done, and
he had his fill of disgrace and contempt.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Beginning of the Kingdom of the Saljuks in Persia (continued).

And in the year four hundred and seventy-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1084), BAR MARWAN was ruling
from MAWSIL to the banks of the EUPHRATES; he placed his confidence in the armies of the MA'DAYE,
and was not as submissive to the Sultan as it was proper for him to be. Then the Sultan MALIK SHAH sent
to the Amir 'ARTUK [commanding him] to collect the armies of the TURCOMANS, and to be ready for war.
When BAR MARWAN heard this, he sent to SHARAF AD-DAWLAH, the son of KURAISH, the great Amir
of the MA'DAYE, [asking him] to come to his help. And they gathered together and came to the
neighbourhood of 'AMID; and 'ARTUK also came. And when SHARAF AD-DAWLAH saw the great
number of the TURCOMANS he sent to 'ARTUK and said, 'I am the servant of the Sultan, and this BAR
MARWAN is also, and why this quarrel? But I ask you to go back, and I will go back, and there shall be
peace.’ Now although 'ARTUK agreed to that, the TURCOMANS were angry, and they murmured, saying,
'Do ye wish to turn back empty and without spoil?' And at midnight they mounted their horses, and when the
day broke they attacked the MA'DAYE and killed many [of them], and the rest fled. And as no other hope
remained to SHARAF AD-DAWLAH, he fled to 'AMID, to BAR MARWAN. And the TURCOMANS went
to the tents of the MA'DAYE and plundered them, and made the women and children prisoners, and [captured
their] goods. And they tied ropes round the necks of the Amirs of the MA'DAYE whom they overtook, and
brought them before the wall of 'AMID, and they sold the [best of them] for ten dinars each, and the inferior
Amirs for less than five dinars. And a fine ARAB horse was sold for five dinars, and a camel for one dinar,
and an ass for five zuze, and a sheep for half a zuza. And they broke more than ten thousand spears, and burnt
them under the cooking pots. And when dissension broke out among the TURCOMANS, [257] they left
'AMID and departed. And SHARAF AD-DAWLAH went forth and departed to CALONICUS.

At this time when the kingdom of the YAWNAYE (GREEKS) had become enfeebled, and the TURKS were
seizing countries everywhere, a number of ARMENIANS, who were brave and bold men, banded themselves
together, and formed themselves into a gang of about fifty men; and they also went into [the territory of the
RHOMAYE] and robbed and plundered, And when they were in the country of MARASH, a certain young
man, who was also an ARMENIAN, and whose name was PILARDOS, met them. And when they saw that
he was strong and cunning, and bold in looting and killing, they took him with them, and he became their
leader and chief. And they began and stole (i.e. seized) certain strongholds in the country of CILICIA, and
they became a numerous band.

And when the king of the RHOMAYE heard [this] he sent gifts to him. And PILARDOS himself went to
CONSTANTINOPLE, and the GREEKS rejoiced in him, and they gave him gold, and weapons of war, and
appointed him SEBASTUS. And he went forth and reigned over CILICIA and ANTIOCH, and he became
mighty and also captured MARASH, and KHISHUM, and RA'BAN, and EDESSA, and the country of the
river GIHON and MELITENE. And there were also in his own army and with him men who were
PERSIANS and TURKS, and ARMENIANS. And because he was very unjust he laid his hand on the princes
of ANTIOCH, and took their riches and divided them among the troops who were with him. And because of

this the men of ANTIOCH hated him, and he also hated them. And he appointed as governor over them a
PERSIAN whose name was 'ISMA'IL', and he left the city and departed. Then when SULAIMAN, the son of
KATLAMISH, who was killed in the royal city, as we have already said, heard that PILARDOS had turned
aside, he made ready ships for himself, for he had already taken ANTARADUS and TARSOS, and he
attacked ANTIOCH on the side of the mountain, and made himself master of it; and the Persian governor
gave him help.

And he opened the great church of KAWSYANA (i.e. MAR CASSIANUS, the Martyr), and he took from it
the furniture and curtains, and the vessels of gold and silver and the rest of the objects which had been
deposited therein by the citizens, a vast quantity, and he made the church into a Mosque. And he proclaimed
peace in the city, and suspended the sword, and he prohibited the TURKS from entering the house of any of
the Christians, and also from taking their daughters, even by betrothal. And they were not to send out [258]
any of the loot which they had taken from ANTIOCH, but were to sell it again in the city, even though they
received a very low price for it. And he made happy the hearts of the inhabitants of ANTIOCH; and the
governor surrendered the fortress to him, and he reigned [there]. And the inhabitants of ANTIOCH were very
much more pleased with him than with PILARDOS, who was nominally a Christian.

And SULAIMAN, the son of KATLAMISH, again invaded the territory of the RHOMAYE, and he captured
NICAEA, and NICOMEDIA, and ICONIUM, and he set over them KELIJ 'ARSLAN his son, and he
returned and came to ANTIOCH. Over SEBASTIA, and CAESAREA, and PONTUS there ruled a certain
Amir whose name was ISMA'IL, the son of D'ANISHMAND, and that country is called after his name to this
day, 'the country of D'ANISHMAND'.

These things took place in the year four hundred and seventy-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1084), which is the
year thirteen hundred and ninety-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1085), in the month of the LATTER TESHRIN
(NOVEMBER). And in this year SHARAF AD-DAWLAH took SAMOSATA from the ARMENIANS, and
the uncle of the son of KATLAMISH took the country of MELITENE. And in the year four hundred and
seventy-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1085), SHARAF AD-DAWLAH collected the troops of the MA'DAYE
and attacked ANTIOCH, and SULAIMAN, the son of KATLAMISH, sallied out and engaged him in battle;
and the MA'DAYE were broken and SHARAF AD-DAWLAH himself was killed in the battle. Then
'ARTUK, who, as we have said, conquered the MA'DAYE by 'AMID, perceiving that the intention of the
Sultan MALIK SHAH was changed in respect of him, marched off with his company to go to SYRIA. And
when he arrived at MAWSIL, the Sultan sent to him two of the nobles together with royal apparel, and a
horse, and a Patent of authority, with five thousand dinars, so that he might rejoice his heart and return to
him. But he would not be persuaded, and said, 'Thou art an enemy of mine in the service of the Sultan, and I
know that thou wilt not allow his mind to be sincere with me. And behold, I am going to attack SULAIMAN,
the son of KATLAMISH, and I will not permit him to go forth and destroy in the countries of the Sultan.’
And they were pleased thus, and they left him and went back.

And in this year there was a great pestilence in PERSIA, and in SEN'AR, and in SYRIA, and many villages
were entirely depopulated. For a man when standing up would [suddenly] totter and fall down dead. And for
the most part the fatal sickness did not prolong itself beyond six days. [259] One of the Turkish horsemen
related the following: 'I passed by a door in MUHAWAL, a village by the side of BAGHDAD; and behold
there was a little girl by the door who was weeping and saying, "Who will deliver me from death and take
me? For behold, it (i.e. death) hath entered our house and killed my father, and my mother, and my brothers,
and my sisters." And when I went in I counted nine dead people in that house. And I was afraid, and I left
[the house] and fled, but compassion for the girl awoke in me, and when I went back to take her away, I
found that she had fallen on her mother's breast and was dead.

And on the twenty-seventh day of the month of ILUL (SEPTEMBER) of this year, which was the year
thirteen hundred and ninety-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1085), a black wind blew in BAGHDAD, and
darkened the air, and a dense [cloud of] dust was raised up between the earth and the sky, and it moved
through the air like a great mountain. And a great many men and cattle, and even the wild beasts in the desert,
died. And ruffians went into the baths and carried off their furnishings, and they also looted the bazars. And
many ships were sunk.

And in the year four hundred and seventy-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1086) war broke out between the Amir
'ARTUK BAG and SULAIMAN, the son of KATLAMISH, the lord of ANTIOCH. And SULAIMAN
himself was killed in the war. It is said that when he saw that his party was broken he killed himself with a
knife. And it was found to be even so, for he was discovered lying on the ground and there was a knife fixed
in his belly. Now when the Sultan heard that SULAIMAN was killed, he transferred himself from
KHORASAN to SYRIA. And the Amir 'ARTUK went to JERUSALEM, and he placed his men and the
members of his household in the Tower of DAVID, the king, and he made his forces strong therein. And
when the Sultan arrived at EDESSA, which was on the side of PILARDOS, the inhabitants surrendered it to
him easily. And PILARDOS, because he perceived the hatred which the men of EDESSA bore towards him,
set out to go to KHORASAN, to the Sultan. And as the Sultan came by another road, he did not meet him in
PERSIA, but he turned back and came and overtook him in BETH NAHRIN, after he had taken EDESSA;
and he promised to pay him tribute, and to proclaim the Khalifah and the Sultan. And he became a Muslim by
the hands of the Sultan, and he was circumcised, and became sick; and he travelled with the camp of the
Sultan during [his] expedition. And because the men of EDESSA hated him, [260] he did not give him
EDESSA again, but MAR'ASH. And there that wretched man went and sat down for a certain time, and he
perished. And they say that he believed once again in Christ, and that he died a Christian.

And from EDESSA the Sultan went to KAL'AH JA'BAR, where there was a band of highway robbers. And
when they went out to fight with the TURKS, three of the TURKS scaled the wall on the other side, where no
man thought there was a place which could be scaled, and they cried out the name of the Sultan. And when
the robbcrs heard the voice they were astonished, and their hands dropped down helplessly, and the TURKS
seized them and killed their chief JA'BAR. Now the wife of this man was a woman of great strength, and she
threw herself down from the wall, and the wind rushed in under her cloak and let her come down gently on
the ground, and she was unhurt. And when they carried her to the Sultan. and he asked her why she had done
this, she replied. 'I wished to die, and no man other than my husband shall ever have dominion over me’. And
he asked her whence she came. And she said; 'I am a woman of DAMASCUS". And the Sultan commanded,
and they set her on a beast and carried her to her kinsfolk. And from there the Sultan went to ALEPPO and
ANTIOCH, and he took possession of them. And he turned and came to BAGHDAD because of the scarcity
[of food] and the famine which prevailed in SYRIA. And he gave his daughter to the Khalifah to wife. And
from there he went to KHORASAN. And the Amir BUZAN was appointed chief of EDESSA and
MELITENE, and 'AKSENKUR (‘AGHSENKUR?) [was appointed] over ALEPPO.

And in the year four hundred and eighty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1092) the Sultan came from KHORASAN
to BAGHDAD. And there was strife between him and the Khalifah because he asked the Khalifah to
proclaim that the son who was born of the Sultan's daughter should be Khalifah after him. And when the
Khalifah excused himself, the Sultan sent him a message saying, 'Then get thee forth from BAGHDAD". And
the Khalifah replied, 'I will fulfil thy command, but wait ten days for me until I have prepared myself for
departure". And on the ninth day the Sultan had fever, a consuming burning fever, and he died. And it is said
that KHURDIK, his slave, made him drink poison. Now TURKAN KHATUN, his wife, because she was a
woman of intelligence, administered the affairs of the kingdom, and her son MAHMUD, the son of [261]
MALIK SHAH, was proclaimed Sultan in BAGHDAD, when he was five years old. Concerning his
intelligence it is related that when the Khalifah sent [his men] and they arrayed the boy in royal apparel, and

seated him on the throne, he stretched out neither a hand nor a foot, and he did not move his eyes, and he
neither bent himself nor salaamed, and not one of his members did he move. And his manner of sitting was so
much like that of a stone (or, rock) that every man marvelled at him.

And TURKAN KHATUN took her son the Sultan MAHMUD and went to ISFAHAN. Now certain other
TURKS gathered together and they brought out another son of Sultan MALIK SHAH, who was born of the
daughter of his uncle—now his name was TURK YARUK—and they made him king over them. And he had
with him ten thousand [men], and with MAHMUD his brother there were twenty thousand. And when they
met each other, the nobles of MAHMUD acted treacherously, and they passed over to the side of
TURKYARUK, and were with (i.e. they sided with) him. Also TAJ AD-DAWLAH TATASH, the brother of
Sultan MALIK SHAH, reigned over MAWSIL, and NISIBIS, and MAIPERKAT, and over SYRIA and
DAMASCUS. And he came to 'ADHORBIJAN, and the Sultan TURK YARUK, his brother's son, went to
meet him, and they interviewed each other in the country of TABRIZ, in a village, the name of which was
'SA'TIDABAD', and TATASH returned to DAMASCUS, and the Amirs 'AKSENKUR and BUZAN went into
the service of TURK YARUK. And TURK YARUK himself went to BAGHDAD, and he was received by the
Khalifah, who arrayed him in royal apparel, and wrote a Patent of authority for him, and proclaimed him
Sultan.

And in the year four hundred and eighty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1094), when the Khalifah MUKTADI
was reclining at his table and was eating a roasted cock, hallucinations came to him. And he said unto the
handmaiden who was standing before him, 'What are these [men] who have come upon us without
command?’ And she turned herself round and saw no man. And she replied to him, and then she saw that he
had fallen backwards and that he was dead before he could wash his hands. In this wise he died suddenly, and
his son MUSTATHER rose up after him.

After MUKTADI, MUSTATHER, his son, [ruled] twenty-five years and five months. And in this year
TURKAN KHATUN, the mother of Sultan MAHMUD, died. This woman was courageous and wise, [262]
and she was descended from 'APDASYAB, the first king of the HUNS. Her father was TAPRAGH, king of
the KHAZARAYE (or, KHARZAYE). And only 'ISFAHAN remained with her son.

And after a little Sultan TURK YARUK went to 'ISFAHAN with only a few of his troops. And the nobles of
his brother Sultan MAHMUD shut the gates in his face; later they decided that they would let him come in
and lay hands upon him. And when they opened [the gates] and he went in, and had lived there for one day, a
violent fever attacked his brother MAHMUD, and in his day he died, being seven years old. And the nobles
made their peace with TURK YARUK, and they made him king over ''ISFAHAN.

And in the year four hundred and eighty-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1095), which is the year fourteen
hundred and six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1095), KELEJ 'ARSLAN, the son of SULAIMAN, the Sultan of
ICONIUM, came and encamped against MELITENE, and made war upon it. Then a certain chief minister
who was with the Sultan approached as an ambassador [from him] and wished to talk with the holy man of
the city; that is to say with SA'ID BAR-SABUNI, who was called MAR JOHN of his Liturgies (?), a holy
and marvellously learned man. And when the holy man drew nigh by the command of GABRIEL, an
accursed GREEK (YAWNAYA) and the governor of the city, that minister said unto him in the Syriac
language, 'The Sultan saith unto you: Ye must surrender the city, and will do good things for you (i.e. treat
you handsomely). If ye will not, he will take it with the sword, and God will require from you your own
blood and the blood of all the people.' The holy man replied. "Talk not foolishly. No man is able to capture
this city—by God's might! For there is bread enough in it for ten years, the waters flow through and out of it,
and the soldiers, who are mighty men of war, in it are many, as thou seest.' And whilst the holy man was
saying these things, that accursed GABRIEL was standing behind him listening, And when the minister

departed, the holy man said unto GABRIEL, 'Behold, thou didst hear, my lord, the things which I said. It is
better for us to make this Sultan to pass us by with peaceful words and gifts, so that he may go away from us,
because thou seest in what tributation we are placed, the rich [263] and the poor [alike].' Then this accursed
governor felt a bitter feeling in his heart against the holy man, and after one day be commanded one of the
soldiers that he must be killed. And the holy man ran to him to make supplication, and he found him riding
between the two walls. And when the accursed one saw the holy man, he became furiously angry, and reviled
him, and smote him with the spear which was in his hand and killed him. And after two days the believers
were able to take possession of him, and they prepared him for burial and buried him in the great church. And
when the Sultan heard of the arrival of the FRANKS, he left [the place] and departed.

And in the year four hundred and eighty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1095), which is the year fourteen hundred
and seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 1096), the astrologers concluded that a flood similar to that which took
place in the days of NOAH was about to come. And the Khalifah MUSTATHER called BAR 'ISAN the
astronomer, and asked him whether this was so. And the astronomer said unto him, 'In the days of NOAH the
Seven Wandering Stars (i.e. the Planets) were gathered together in the Sign of the Zodiac PISCES, and that
great flood took place. And this year CHRONOS alone is not in PISCES, and if he was side by side with
them, it is very possible that a flood like that [of NOAH] might take place. Yea, I myself declare that in a
certain country there will be gathered together many peoples from many countries, and they will all be lost in
the waters.' And after some days the report arrived that a mighty storm had come upon those who were going
to worship in MAKKAH, and that all of them were drowned. And in this year, when GABRIEL the GREEK
was ruling in MELITENE, he killed by means of a deadly poison a man whose name was 'ABU SALIM, an
orthodox prince and kinsman of the children of 'ABU 'IMRAN. And a year later that accursed man killed the
believing and God-fearing merchants BAR SAWMA BAR-DAIRAITA, and his two sons, and BASIL of
HAWA and the martyr-deacon of TIANTINI. And he took from their homes, and from [the house] of 'ABU
MANSUR BAR-MALKA, gold, and silver, and furniture, and from the church of the holy man, crosses, and
censers, and a box of MURON oil, and all the curtains and furniture, and he destroyed their houses. And he
built the fortress and the wall.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The History of the Crusades.

And in this year, which is the year fourteen hundred and eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 1097), two Frankish
kings, and seven Counts, sallied forth, and they came against ANTIOCH and took it from [264] the TURKS.
The reason for their expedition was as follows: When the TURCOMANS were ruling over SYRIA, and
PALESTINE, and all the [other] countries, they made the Christians who were coming to pray in
JERUSALEM to suffer very many serious evils, and especially those who were coming from ROME
(RHOMI) and other countries of ITALY. Then the FRANKS became filled with rage, and they collected
troops, and went forth first of all to SPAIN, and they took possession of the cities there and they shed much
blood in them. And they cut off the ears, and noses, and lips of many of the ARABS, and they blinded their
eyes. Then they came against CONSTANTINOPLE, and because ALEXIS, the king of the GREEKS
(YAWNAYE), would not grant them a passage, they made war on the city for seven years. Then they went
forth and came and encamped against ANTIOCH, and they made war on it for nine months, but they were
unable to capture it. And they made a secret arrangement with the PERSIAN whose name was 'RUZBAH',
who guarded the tower which was by the side of the ravine which is called 'KASHKARUF’, and they
promised [to give] him gold, and iron poles were laid across this ravine, and upon them a tower was built.
And the FRANKS came by night and went in by that place, and others by means of ropes scaled the wall.
And when there were many of them in number they blew blasts on the horns during the last watch of the
night.

And the Turkish governor, whose name was GAISGAN, being woke up, thought that the FRANKS were in
possession of the Citadel, and fear and trembling fell upon him. And he opened the gate of the city and fled
along the ALEPPO road with thirty men. And when the day dawned he began to gnaw his fingers, saying,
"How was it that I left the city, and my men, and my famlly, and my possessions, and came away?’ And he
turned and looked towards ANTIOCH, weeping. And by reason of the greatness of his sorrow he fell from
his horse. And those who were with him having lifted him up upon his horse several times, and he continuing
to fall, they left him and departed.

And there came along a certain man who was an ARMENIAN, who was a wood-cutter in the mountain, and
he cut off the head of GAISGAN and carried it to the FRANKS. And the FRANKS, having gained
possession of the city, plundered the ARABS and the TURKS who were in it, and they killed many of them.
And BAIMOND (BOEMUNDUS), [265] one of the Counts who were with them, ruled over it (i.e. the city).
And the FRANKS remained in it for thirteen days, without finding anything to eat, and many ate their horses.
And when Sultan TURK YARUK heard [of this] he sent one hundred thousand horsemen to ANTIOCH, and
they came and encamped on the BAGHRAS. And one of the kings of the FRANKS saw a dream. And they
opened a certain place in the church of MAR CASSIANUS, and they found there some splinters of the Cross
of our Lord, and they made out of them a cross, and the head of a spear, and they took them and went forth

against the TURKS. And God gave victory to the FRANKS and they filled (i.e. covered) the ground with the
slain.

And they came and encamped against the city of MU'ARAH, and took possession of it. And they killed more
than one hundred thousand souls, and having remained in it for forty days, they carried off a vast quantity of
spoil. And from there they went to the MOUNT OF LEBANON, and they killed therein a great multitude of
those who are called 'NUSIRAYE'. And they came and encamped against 'ARKA, which is by the side of
TRIPOLI, and they fought against it four months, but were unable to capture it. And they left it and departed
to SHAIZAR, and BAR MUNKED, the ARAB who was in it, submitted to them, and he gave them tribute,
and they departed from him. And they went to EMESA, and JANAH AD-DAWLAH, who was there also,
went out to them and became subject unto them.

And they left him and went to JERUSALEM, and they fought against it for more than forty days. And there
was there a certain chief, a man from the quarter of the EGYPTIANS, whose name was 'EFTEKHAR AD-
DAWLAH. And the FRANKS set up two wooden siege towers, one on the south side at a place which is
called 'SEHYON' (SION), and the other in the middle of the eastern gateway, that of MAR STEPHEN. And
when the ARABS had set fire to the tower at SION, before the burning was finished, a cry went up, and the
FRANKS rushed in from the east side, and they put the population to the sword for a Sabbath of days. And in
the Temple of SOLOMON they killed more than seventy thousand ARABS, and they took from the
SAKHRAH (i.e. the stone which JACOB set up at BETHEL) forty silver lamps, each lamp weighing three
thousand six hundred zuze. And [they took] other small lamps, one hundred and fifty, and of these twenty
were [made] of Egyptian gold. And they also took [266] a silver furnace for lamps, the weight of which was
forty litre (the Syrian /itra),which is equal to six BAGHDAD litre, together with other vessels, and many
other things.

And the first king of the FRANKS [who began to] reign in the city was GONDOFRE (GODOFREDUS), in
the year fourteen hundred and nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 1098), and he reigned two years. And after him
BAGHDUIN (BALDUINUS, or BALDWIN), seventeen years. And when the EGYPTIANS in EGYPT
heard what had happened, 'AFDAL, the son of the captain of the soldiery, went forth with a numerous army,
and the FRANKS came and engaged them near ASCELON, and the ARABS were defeated. And the
FRANKS killed a great number of them, and the remainder fled and went to ASCELON. And the men of
ASCELON having given them twelve thousand dinars, they left them and returned to JERUSALEM.

And in the year four hundred and ninety-two of the ARABS (A.D. 1098) the Turkish nobles rebelled against
the Sultan TURK YAROK because the Wazir MAJD AD-DAWLAH treated them cruelly, and they killed the
Wazir. And they left TURK YARUK and went to his brother MAHAMMAD, and made him king over them.
And he was also accepted by the Khalifah, and a Patent of authority was written for him and he was
proclaimed GHAYATH AD-DUNYA WA AD-DIN ABU SHUJA' MAHAMMAD SULTAN. And
TURKYARUK fled to BAGHDAD and Sultan MAHMMAD pursued him; and they met in battle on several
occasions and broke and were broken.

At this time, namely in the year four hundred and ninety-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1099), YAHYAH, the
BAGHDAD physician, the son of JAZLAH, died. He was the author of the famous book of MENHAJ, which
is in the hands of the physicians of our time; it treateth of medicines and foods both simple and compound.
This man was a Christian, and he learned rhetoric from an Arab rhetorician whose name was 'ABU AL]
BAR-WALID. And persuading himself sophistically that it is impossible, as the NESTORIANS assert, to
understand bodily and personal unity in connexion with the Divine Nature, he fell into error and became a
Muslim. It is said that he was a rich man, [267] and that it was only his friends whom he visited without
demanding a fee when they were sick.

Then GABRIEL the GREEK, who was ruling over MELITENE, being oppressed by the Amir BAR-
DANISHMAND, who came from SEBASTIA in the summer, and laid waste the country, and ate up the
crops, and went away in the winter, sent [messages] to the FRANKS and promised them three times that he
would give them MELITENE. And trustingly king BOHEMUND set out to go to MELITENE. Then the
ARMENIANS, who from the days of PILARDOS had held certain places, and one Khoj (i.e. lord) BASIL,
that is to say thief, who held KHISHUM and RA'BAN, and the sons of RUFIN who held places in
ARMENIA, being afraid lest the FRANKS would become their masters, and expel them from their places,
sent secretly to 'ISMA'IL, the son of DANISHMAND, [asking him] to make an ambush for the FRANKS.
And he also, the accursed one of GABRIEL, when the Frankish king arrived at the village of GAPNA, which
is above MELITENE, began to lead him astray and made to pass day by day until the son of DANISHMAND
could arrive. And he laid ambushes before the king, and he bound him in fetters and sent him to SEBASTIA.
And he himself came and encamped against MELITENE, and made war upon it. And GABRIEL, the wicked
one, added to his wickednesses, and robbed (or, pillaged) unmercifully those who were in the city. Then two
of the soldiers became inflamed with wrath, and they surrendered the city to the TURKS, on the fourth day of
the week, the eighteenth day of the month ILUL (SEPTEMBER), in the year fourteen hundred and thirteen of
the GREEKS (A.D. 1102). In certain Arabic manuscripts we have found, fourteen hundred and twelve. And
when the TURKS went in to MELITENE, the wretched (i.e. unfortunate) place, they plundered all its wealth,
because BAR-DANISHMAND had [already] given to his troops all its wealth, with the exception of the
inhabitants. He did not leave one soul to perish, for he took the people upon himself, and he sent them back to
their houses; and he brought wheat and oxen, and other necessaries, from his own country and gave them to
them. And very many blessings came to MELITENE in his days, and he appointed in it a 'Kataban' (1.e.
Governor), a man whose name was BASIL, and who was just and God fearing.

Concerning GABRIEL, justice woke itself up, and the TURKS and also the Christians made him to suffer
terribly, especially when they made him to remember the murders of the holy man and the governors who
were wrongly accused. And [268] when they had made him to suffer (?) insults, they carried him to the front
of the fortress of KATI'A, wherein his wife had been placed. And though the TURKS ordered him to tell his
wife to surrender the Citadel, he still with his devilishness deceived the TURKS. And he said to his wife
"Surrender the Citadel. And this shall be to thee a sign. Some days ago I sent to thee a young man whose
name is "MIDAS", that is to say, "Thou shall not give it," in the Aramean tongue.’ And when the TURKS
knew this they killed him and cast him to the dogs.

And BAR-DANISHMAND brought BOHEMUND, the Frankish king, to MELITENE, and he sold it for one
hundred thousand dinars. And BOHEMUND gave ANTIOCH to his sister's son and he went back to his own
country.

And in the year fourteen hundred and fourteen of the GREEKS (A.D. 1103) SANJEL (SAINT GILLES) was
in the city of TARSOS. And the ARABS heard that the soldiers with him were few in number, and the armies
of the TURKS that were in TRIPOLI, and DAMASCUS, and EMESA gathered together against him. And
the Frankish king, because he only had three hundred horsemen with him, sent out one hundred against the
DAMASCENES, and one hundred against the TRIPOLITANS, and fifty against the troops from EMESA,
and he kept fifty with him. And when they met in battle the men of EMESA and the DAMASCENES quickly
fled towards the mountains, and they were more than five thousand men. But the troops of the
TRIPOLITANS, who were about three thousand in number, maintained the struggle. And when SAINT
GILLES saw that the TURKS were getting the upper hand, he attacked them in person, together with the fifty
FRANKS who were with him, and he broke them. And he also pursued those who had fled and killed about
seven thousand ARABS. And he sallied out from CILICIA and came and encamped against TRIPOLI, and he
made fierce war upon it; he captured ANTARADUS, and killed all the ARABS who were in it, and he made
war on other fortresses. And another Count also came by sea and besieged 'AKKO, and he afflicted it greatly.

And they took possession of EDESSA, and they began taking and plundering the countries of SYRIA which
were in the hands of the ARABS and TURKS.

And in the year four hundred and ninety-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1104), when various diseases, phthisis,
and fistulas, and other painful ailments, increased their attacks upon Sultan RUKN AD-DIN TURK YARUK,
[269] and he perceived that he was going to die, the made his nobles swear fealty on behalf of his little son
MALIK SHAH, and he sent him to BAGHDAD. And he was proclaimed JALAL AD-DAWLAH MALIK
SHAH SULTAN when he was four years old. And TURK YARUK died and was buried in 'ISFAHAN. And
when MALIK SHAH, the son of TURK YARUK, was in BAGHDAD, his uncle Sultan MAHAMMAD also
came there. And the people of BAGHDAD feared greatly lest they should be dragged into the strife which
would take place between the two of them. And because the Amir 'AYAZ, unto whom was committed the
management of the kingdom [of MALIK SHAH], was a man of understanding, and all the troops of
TURKYARUK were under his command, and were subservient to him, he took from Sultan MAHAMMAD
an oath and said, 'This child is thy brother's son, and it is especially right for thee to show care for him. And
thou must not deprive him of the kingdom and the inheritance of his father, any more than [thou wouldst
deprive me of] what is mine.' And the Sultan said, 'This [child] is my son’; and he promised him good
treatment. And the Amir 'AYAZ (‘ANAZ) went out to the Sultan and was received with honour.

And the day after 'AYAZ the Amir made a great feast, and he invited the Sultan to be present thereat, and the
Sultan accepted and went. And by ill luck there happened to be among the assembly of the Amir 'AYAZ a
certain scribe who was wearing a coat of mail under [his ordinary apparel], and he was standing with those
who were serving, and he could only move with difficulty. And when the Sultan cast his glance upon him, he
said unto one of the little slaves who were standing before him, 'Go and search that man and see what he has
on him, [and why] his going and coming is impeded in this manner’. And when the young man had gone, and
according to the narrator, had searched him, he came and said to the Sultan, 'He is wearing a coat of mail
under his apparel’. And the Sultan said, 'When scribes wear coats of mail, what will the Turkish horsemen
wear?’ And he thought that there was treachery in tne heart of 'AYAZ, and he commanded the soldier-scouts
who were before him and they cut off his head. Then when the TURKS of 'AYAZ heard this, they took what
they were able to take of their own property and that of others, and they fled to SYRIA. And in the year four
hundred and ninety-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1105), which is the year fourteen hundred and seventeen of the
GREEKS (A.D. 1106), in the [270] month of 'ADHAR (MARCH) a rising of the rivers took place, and the
river EUPHRATES (sic) was swollen, and it destroyed very many houses (or, quarters) of BAGHDAD. A
certain rich man in BAGHDAD, when the waters reached his threshold, was afraid that the whole house
would be destroyed. And he made ready two boats, and loaded them with his goods, and his wives, and his
children, and his handmaidens. And he commanded the sailors to carry them to higher ground. And when
they had travelled a little way one ship sank; now there were in it nine noble handmaidens, and a young
woman, one of seven, whose mother had made her flee with them. And they were all drowned, and the many
treasures that were with them were lost. And when those who were in the other boat saw the catastrophe, they
went back to their house. And on the morrow the waters abated, and men praised the incomprehensible
judgements of God, and they knew that the deliverance which is of man is an empty thing.

And in this year TANUSHMAN died in SEBASTIA, having reigned two years over MELITENE. And on the
twenty-eighth day of the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE), KELEJ 'ARSLAN came and encamped against
MELITENE. And he set up battering rams against the round tower on the north-east of the city. And after
very severe fighting he took it on the second day of the month of ILUL (SEPTEMBER), in the year fourteen
hundred and seventeen of the GREEKS (A.D. 1106), not by the sword but by oaths. And when he had gone
in and was reigning there, he harmed no man.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The History of the Crusades (continued).

And in the year five hundred of the ARABS (A.D. 1106), when GABARMISH (JAGARMISH) the Turkish
Amir was ruling over MAWSIL, and was plotting rebellion against Sultan MAHAMMAD, the Sultan made
ready another Turkish Amir whose name was JAWALI, and gave him MAWSIL, and sent him [there] with
his troops. And when JAWALI came to the country of 'ARBIL, JAGARMISH collected his army and went
and met him in battle there, and he was defeated and made a prisoner. Then the men of MAWSIL swore oaths
of fealty to the son of JAGARMISH, whose name was ZANGI, and they made ready for war with JAWALI.
And they sent to KELEJ 'ARSLAN, the son of SULAIMAN, the son of KATLAMISH, the Sultan of
ICONIUM, and they asked him to come to their help. Then JAWALI came and encamped against MAWSIL,
JAGARMISH being a prisoner with him. And he dug a pit (or, cave), and therein he placed him, because he
was afraid that the men of MAWSIL would kidnap him; and there JAGARMISH died. [271]

Now there was present with JAGARMISH at the breaking (i.e. defeat) a certain native of MAWSIL, whose
name was 'ABU TALIB, the son of KUSAIRATH, who had fled to 'ARBIL, and JAWALI asked BAR
MUSAK, the lord of 'ARBIL, to send him to him. And when he was sent to him, JAWALI released the son of
the lord of 'ARBIL, who was a prisoner in his hands. Now when the son of KUSAIRATH came to JAWALI,
he promised that he would surrender MAWSIL to him, and that he would collect for him a large quantity of
gold from places of which he knew. And he kept him with him in honour. Then the Judge of MAWSIL,
whose name was BAR WAD'AN, because enmity existed between him and the son of KUSAIRATH, sent to
JAWALIT, and promised to surrender MAWSIL if he would kill the son of KUSATRATH. And when he
answered his request, he sent to him the head of his enemy.

Now the action of BAR WAD'AN vexed the TURKS who were in MAWSIL, and they leaped upon him and
killed him. And in this way within a few days one evil was avenged by another.

And in those days KELEJ 'ARSLAN came from the territory of the RHOMAYE to the ISLAND OF
KARDU. And JAWALT left and fled, and went and took the city of BALADH. And he departed to SYRIA.
And KELEJ 'ARSLAN came against MAWSIL and very soon took possession of it. And he did no harm to
ZANGI, the son of JAGARMISH, nor to those who were with him, nor to any of the citizens. On the
contrary, he commanded saying, "Whosoever calumniateth a man to me shall die the death’. And he sent back
the Judge 'UBAID ALLAH, the son of KASIM, of SHAHRAZUR, to his former office. And he annulled the
proclamation of the Sultan MAHAMMAD in MAWSIL, and they proclaimed him after the Khalifah. And he
set in the fortress of MAWSIL a man whose name was 'BAZMISH'. And he left his son MALIK SHAH,
being a boy eleven years old, in MASWSIL, and called him ‘king’, and the mother of the youth was also with
him in the palace.

And he made straight his way towards the HABUR, and with him were five thousand horsemen. Then the
Amir JAWALI came to terms with RADWAN, the lord of ALEPPO, and he collected four thousand

horsemen, and they were bold and courageous men, and they came and met KELEJ 'ARSLAN on the
HABUR. And when the battle was set in array, KELEJ 'ARSLAN performed an act of splendid bravery. For
he went in among the host [272] of JAWALI by himself, and he smote the hand of the standard-bearer and cut
it off, and he smote JAWALI also with the sword, and he preserved the coat of mail which he was wearing
uninjured. And when the partisans of JAWALI and RADWAN saw that KELEJ 'ARSLAN by himself had
displayed such might, their hearts were stirred up against his partisans, and they made them to break and flee.
Then when KELEJ 'ARSLAN saw that his troops had fled, and had left him by himself, he feared for his life.
For although these men would not kill him, yet when he was bound and carried to the Sultan, he would
certainly not allow him to live, because he had made an end of the proclamation of him in MAWSIL.
Therefore as he was riding along he cast himself into the river HABUR, and he shot arrows at those who
were pursuing him when he was in the water. And because of the weight of the iron armour which was on
himself and his horse, and also because those who were behind him were shooting arrows at him, the horse
stuck fast in a deep hole in the river, and both he and the horse were drowned. And after some days he was
cast up on the river bank by the waters, and he was taken and buried in the village which is called
"DAMSHAM ' (?).

And when RADWAN went against CALONICUS, JAWALI came to MAWSIL. And the men in the bazar
opened the gates immediately, and he went into the city. And he seized a certain eunuch among the slaves of
JAGARMISH, and he took from him forty thousand gold dinars. And he sent a message to BAZMISH to
surrender the Citadel and to send back everything which he had taken from MAWSIL, and to return to his
own country in peace, with whatsoever had come with him. Now BAZMISH was unable to resist, because all
hope had been cut away from him by the death of KELEJ 'ARSLAN, his lord. But he went down quietly, and
he took the wife of KELEJ 'ARSLAN, and all their people, and they went to MELITENE, with the exception
of MALIK SHAH, the son of KELEJ 'ARSLAN, because JAWALI had sent him to the Sultan.

And he went to JAZARTA (i.e. the 'ISLAND’), and besieged it. And when HABASHI, the son of
JAGARMISH, gave him six thousand dinars and an Arab horse, he left him and went back to MAWSIL. And
he dismissed BAR SHAHARZURI from his judgeship, and he appointed to the office 'ABI BAKR, of
ARBELA. Because such a splendid victory as this had come to JAWALI, he became puffed up in spirit, [273]
and diminished his service to the Sultan, and he did not send to him what he had been wont to send of the
spoil which he had captured. For this reason the Sultan GHAYATH AL-DIN MAHAMMAD was offended
with him. And he sent against him the Amir MAWDUD, together with other Amirs, and a large army in the
year five hundred and two of the ARABS (A.D. 1108). And when JAWALI heard that they were coming to
attack him he fortified MAWSIL. And he left in it his wife, who was a sister of BURSUK, one of the Amirs
who had come to attack MAWSIL. And he set in order the fighting men on the wall, and he himself left and
went forth ostensibly to bring other men to his help, so that he might not be shut up in the city. And he
brought out with him also BO'DWIN, a Frankish Count, who was a prisoner with him in MAWSIL. And he
stipulated that he should receive for him seventy thousand dinars, and that he should set free the Arab
prisoners who were with him; and that whenever the occasion called he should come to his assistance with an
army of the FRANKS. And he sent him to KAL'AH JA'BAR that he might be there until he had fulfilled his
promises.

When BO'DWIN had come out, he sent and brought JOSLIN (JOSCELYN?), his sister's son, and established
him as a hostage in his place, and he himself departed to make ready the gold. Then the wife of JAWALI,
who had been left in MAWSIL, began to ill-treat the natives of MAWSIL, and to afflict them with heavy
taxes. And because of this certain men of the city, that is to say, the workmen who make gipsin (i.e. lime for
building purposes, which is made by the lime-burners), made themselves masters of one of the towers, and
they cried out '[Long] live the great Sultan GHAYATH AL-DIN’, and so likewise for the Amir MAWDUD,
and those who were with him. And they made themselves masters of MAWSIL. And the wife of JAWALI

went forth to her brother BORSUK. Then JAWALI went to 'ILGHAZI, the lord of NISIBIS and MARDIN,
whilst he was in 'ARABAN, a village of the HABUR. And he struggled greatly to come to an agreement with
him, but 'ILGHAZI was unwilling to do so, on the contrary, he departed and went up to the fortress of
MARDIN.

And JAWALT attacked RAHBUTH, and he made war upon it for seventy days. And he sent and brought
JOSCELYN from KAL'AH JA'BAR, and arrayed him in royal apparel, and gave him the horse on which he
was riding, and sent him to BO'DWIN, his uncle, that he might hasten the making ready of the gold, and the
setting free of the prisoners. And when JOSCELYN went to ANTIOCH, TACRITH (TANCRED?), the king
of ANTIOCH, gave him [274] thirty thousand dinars, and sent [them] to JAWALI with one hundred Arab
prisoners, men and women, from the country of ALEPPO. Then JAWALI, leaving RAHBUTH, went and
encamped against CALONICUS, and he made war upon it for many days.

Then the Sultan GHAYATH AL-DIN sent an Amir to him, a man whose name was HUSAIN BAR-
'ATABAG, [ordering him] to submit, and to return to MAWSIL to the office which he had held formerly. But
he would not obey, and he went and encamped against BALASH; and he captured it and plundered it, and
wrought great destruction therein. Then RADWAN, the lord of SYRIA, being defeated by JAWALI, who had
laid waste his countries, sent and asked for help from TANCRED, the king of ANTIOCH. And he came to
him with fifteen hundred Frankish horsemen, and six hundred Turkish horsemen of the troops of RADWAN.
And JAWALIT also sent to BO'DWIN and JOSCELYN to come to his assistance. And when they came, the
battle was set in array by the side of TELL BASHIR. And the FRANKS and TURKS of RADWAN prevailed
over the FRANKS and TURKS of JAWALI, and broke them. And many of the TURKS were killed during
the fight; now the FRANKS did not kill FRANKS, but only threw them off their horses. And BO'DWIN and
JOSCELYN fled and went to TELL BASHIR, and with them were certain TURKS who were partisans of
JAWALI. And when they had treated their wounds with medicines, they sent them to JAWALI. But JAWALI,
being defeated, found that he could do nothing except to take refuge again in the mercy of the Sultan.

And having disguised himself, and concealed his name, he, together with a few men, came quickly from
SYRIA to KHORASAN—three hundred and sixty parasangs in seventeen days! And when he arrived at the
Camp of the Sultan he said unto those who patrolled the roads, 'I, even I, am JAWALI, and I beg you to
conduct me, to the tent of the Amir HUSAIN’; it was he who had been sent by the Sultan when he was
encamped at RAHBUTH. And HUSAIN took him and conducted him to the Sultan, carrying his cloak (?).
And the Sultan had compassion on him and gave him the word of peace, and he entered his service.

Then BAZMISH, having taken the wife of KELEJ 'ARSLAN from MAWSIL and gone to MELITENE,
proclaimed king TUGHREL 'ARSLAN, the little son of KELEJ 'ARSLAN. And there was there [275]
another Amir whose name was 'ARSLAN, and the mother of the young man made an agreement with him
and he killed BAZMISH, and he took her to wife. And as he made the people of MELITENE to endure many
evil things in respect of the collecting of gold, the mother of the young man made an agreement with the
young man her son, and they seized 'ARSLAN, and shut him up, and it was thought that he had been killed.
And after a year they brought him out and sent him to the Sultan GHAYATH AD-DIN in KHORASAN. And
the Sultan sent MALIK SHAH, the son of KELEJ 'ARSLAN, to MELITENE, and he was proclaimed king.
And he dismissed TUGHREL 'ARSLAN, his younger brother, and shut up in prison his two other brothers,
MAS'UD and 'ARAB. And MALIK SHAH, having remained for many years in MELITENE, and being
troubled by BAR DANISHMAND, went to ALEXIS, the king of the GREEKS, so that he might help him.
And he was received joyfully, and much gold was given to him. And when he went forth BAR
DANISHMAND laid an ambush for him, and captured him, and he blinded his eyes. Then the Amirs who
were in MELITENE brought out MAS'UD from prison, and proclaimed him Sultan. And MA'SUD left

"ARAB and TUGHREL 'ARSLAN, his brothers, in MELITENE, and he went to ICONIUM and made it the
seat of his kingdom.

And in the year fourteen hundred and twenty-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1110) the FRANKS took TRIPOLI
from the ARABS, having made war on it for seven years. And after a year TANCRED, the king of
ANTIOCH, went forth with a large army of FRANKS, and they captured many fortresses, and took them
from the ARABS, and they killed every one they found in them. And they came to MABBUGH and they
found no one in it. And in BALASH they also found no one, and they set it on fire and burnt it. And they
returned to TRIPOLI that they might feed their horses on hay in the springtime and return [later]. And the
ARABS, who had been reduced to a state of great fear of the FRANKS, were unable to do anything except to
pacify the FRANKS with gold. Therefore REDWAN, the lord of ALEPPO, sent to the Frankish king
TANCRED thirty-two thousand dinars, and twenty Arab horses, and forty bales of costly stuffs. And the lord
of TYRE sent to him seven thousand [276] dinars, and the lord of ASCALON four thousand dinars, and
BAR MUNKED, the lord of SHIRAZ, four thousand dinars, and 'ALI the KURD, the lord of HAMATH, two
thousand dinars. And they made peace, but only until they had reaped the harvest, [when] they were to
deliver the crops.

And in this year the JENWAYE (i.e. GENOESE) FRANKS attacked many of the ships of the ARABS which
were coming from the cities of TANNIS and DAMIETTA, and they made prisoners of seventy Arab
merchants, and they sold them at very high prices. And they took from them four hundred boxes of Egyptian
sugar, and fifty loads of bales of Damietta cloth, and other things.

And at that time a certain man who was an ARAB, and a master of Muslim Law, a native of ALEPPO, came
to BAGHDAD, weeping, and shrieking out lamentations concerning the error which had prevailed through
the FRANKS. And the peoples (or, crowds) gathered together and went into their great Mosque on the Friday,
where they smashed the pulpit, that is the rostrum, and stopped the prayer. And they complained bitterly of
the Khalifah and the Sultan, because they were not inflamed with zeal for the Faith. Then when the Sultan
heard these things, he made ready 'ABU AL-FATH MAS'UD, the son of the Amir MAWDUD, and a great
army, and he sent them to MAWSIL so that they might be there ready for war with the FRANKS.

And in the year fourteen hundred and twenty-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1111), the 'ATABAG of the Sultan
of MELITENE took the country of the river GIHON from the FRANKS. And in the year five hundred and
five of the ARABS (A.D. 1111) the Amir MAWDUD, the lord of MAWSIL, went to SYRIA with a large
army. And on his road he captured certain Citadels in the country of SHABAKTAN, and he killed the
FRANKS who were in them. And he came and camped against EDESSA for a certain time, but was unable to
capture it; and he left it and went to TELL BASHIR, which was in the hands of the FRANKS, and he was
unable to capture that also. And having left it and gone to ALEPPO, REDWAN, the lord of ALEPPO, shut
the gates in his face. And he left ALEPPO and went to DAMASCUS, and TUGHTAKIN, the Amir, went out
and showed him kindness; but subsequently he was afraid of him, lest he should act treacherously, and take
possession of DAMASCUS. And TUGHTAKIN sent to the FRANKS and made peace with them, and acted
boldly towards MAWDUD (or, treated him with contempt).

In this year GHAZAZ 'ALI, the great teacher [277] of the ARABS, died, and he was buried in TARSUS of
CILICIA. This man abused the ARABS greatly in his teachings because they were careful only concerning
ablutions and the adornment of the body, and were careless about the purity of the heart from whence sins
spring. And he urged them strongly concerning abstinence and poverty, and in his great compilation he
brought forward many proofs (or, examples) from the lives and conversations of the [Christian] fathers who
lived in the desert; it is for this reason that we make mention of him.

And in the year fourteen hundred and twenty-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 1113) the wife of KELEJ
'ARSLAN, the Sultan of MELITENE, sallied forth, and went to BALAK, the lord of the fortress of BULA.
For, she said [to him], 'I have on many occasions heard the Sultan praising thee and saying, "Among all the
Turkish Amirs there is none so wise or so mighty a man as BALAK", and therefore I wish that I and my sons
may be protected by thy name.’ And thus she was protected.

And BALAK increased in power greatly, and he became the husband of the wife of the Sultan. And when the
Khaton herself returned she drove out the 'ATABAG, and she and her son sat down in the Citadel of
MELITENE. And another TURK also, who was ruling over the fortress of ZAID, and was afflicted by
BALAK, sold the fortress to the Sultan of MELITENE. And after a little [time] the son of Sultan
MAHAMMAD (MAHMUD?) of KHORASAN came, and he took the fortress of ZAID from the Sultan of
MELITENE. At this time the natives of MELITENE showed great compassion, and they bought many
prisoners from the country of the fortress of ZAID, and from the country of 'ARKA from the TURKS, and set
them free.

And in the year five hundred and seveQof the ARABS (A.D. 1113), which is the year fourteen hundred and
twenty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1114), TANCRED, the lord of ANTIOCH, died, and ROGER reigned
after him. And MAWDUD, and the seven thousand horsemen who were with him, met in battle BO'DWIN
and JOSCELYN with two thousand foot-soldiers, and the few Frankish horsemen who were with them, by
the side of the SEA OF TIBERIAS; and the FRANKS were broken, and thirteen hundred of their foot-
soldiers were killed. And then help came to the FRANKS from TRIPOLI with BAR SANJEL, and ROGER,
king of ANTIOCH, came and his army. And the FRANKS marched up on a certain mountain which
overlooked the ARABS, and both sides remained there for twenty-six [278] days, without encountering each
other [in battle]. And from there the FRANKS came down to the river JORDAN. Then the ARABS, who
were suffering from the pangs of hunger, for they were far away from their towns, left and went and
encamped in the neighbourhood of DAMASCUS. And on the Friday the Amir MAWDUD went into the great
Mosque to pray. And when he had finished the prayer, he and the Amir TUGHTAKIN took hold of each
other's hands, and gazed earnestly at the marvellous buildings. Then a certain man leaped upon MAWDUD
and stabbed him with a knife four times. And having been lifted up and carried to the house of TUGHTAKIN
he ended his life. And the slaves of MAWDUD hacked the man who murdered him limb from limb on the
spot. And some people have thought that REDWAN, the lord of ALEPPO, sent the ISHMAELITE. And
others think that it was TUGHTAKIN himself who incited the murderer, who was one of the evil-doers who
were shut up in prison, and that he promised him gifts to do this, because he was afraid for his city by reason
of MAWDUD.

And MAWDUD being dead there rose up a captain of the soldiery, the Amir 'AKSENKUR BURSUK and he
and fifteen thousand men encamped against EDESSA for two months.

And in the year five hundred and eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1114) the FRANKS were always sallying forth
from EDESSA and killing the ARABS. On one occasion they went out and captured eleven ARABS and
brought them into the city. And they impaled them on the wall in sight of the TURKS, after they had cut off
their hands and their feet. And 'AKSENKUR, being grieved that matters were thus, brought fifty Frankish
prisoners and killed them. And the TURKS, being sorely afflicted by hunger, left EDESSA and went to
SAMOSATA, over which the wife of KHOGH BASIL, the ARMENIAN, ruled, together with MAR'ASH,
KHISHUM, and RA'BAN. The husband of this woman being dead, she ruled over these countries with great
wisdom. And she gathered together a large army of horsemen and footmen, and each month she gave twelve
gold dinars to [each] horseman, and three dinars to [each] foot-soldier. Now the Sultan of the ARMENIANS
was this kind of man. When the GREEKS (YAWNAYE) prevailed somewhat, and recovered from the
ARABS certain of their countries, [279] although they were wholly unable to resist the TURKS, they invaded

their inner countries. And those ARMENIANS who were governed by the GREEKS remained and
entrenched themselves strongly in the mountains and in inaccessible places.

Now in CILICIA there were the two brothers, the sons of CONSTANTINE, the son of RUFINUS. And in
GARGAR and BETH BULA there were MICHAEL and 'IOHANNIS. And in KHISHUM, and RA'BAN, and
in BETH HESNE, and in KAL'AH RHOMAYA, KHOGH BASIL, that is "THIEF WASIL.' And also in the
district of SAMOSATA, CONSTANTINE and TABTUG. And in YASTAFOR the sons of SANBIL. These
were SYRIANS who had gone forth to KHOGH BASIL and DHEGHA BASIL, that is YOUNG BASIL, who
was the steward of the wife of KHOGH BASIL. And KHURTIG (KHURDIK?), who was the administrator
of this woman. This man was wicked and a hater of the SYRIANS. For he took DAIRA SUMAKTA, near
KHISHUM, and gave it to KHRIKORIOS (GREGORIUS?), the Catholicus of the ARMENIANS, and he
also made the five monasteries of BETH KENAYA, which is in the mountain of ZABAR, into villages. And
the Citadel of 'ARNISH was [originally] a monastery, and KHURTIG drove away the monks and placed
therein soldiers and a guard. And he tortured the monks, demanding from them two thousand dinars. And
TANCRED, the king of ANTIOCH, made war upon KHISHUM for two years, and only with the greatest
difficulty was he able to capture it. For KHURTIG was very crafty, and the FRANKS were wholly unable to
overpower it until they devised a scheme and gave to him a Frankish woman, in the same way that the
PHILISTINES [gave a woman] to SAMSON, and that Frankish woman, whose name was KALAMARI,
killed him by poison.

Then when the wife of KHOGH BAsiL saw the Turkish troops who had invaded her country and were laying
it waste, she sent to 'AKSENKUR, the Amir of HABURA, and promised him love and help. And he sent to
her an envoy, a man whose name was SENKUR DHE-RAZ, that is 'long'. And she sat on the royal throne,
and set round about her her young handmaidens arrayed in gorgeous apparel. And when SENKUR entered
her presence, she set a throne for him before her, and discoursed craftily with him in humble phrases in
ARABIC. And when the TURKS who were with SENKUR were pitching their tents outside the city, she said
unto him, 'Command thy men to go into the city. [280] Do not let them pass the night outside [it], for my
spies have informed me that the FRANKS are waiting ready to capture them.' And SENKUR in [his] pride
paid no attention to her, and would not accept her advice, and seven hundred Frankish horsemen came and
captured the TURKS, and only a few of them escaped. And after this she sent SENKUR DHE-RAZ carefully
with gifts and presents to 'AKSENKUR. the Amir. And he removed from her country and went to SERUGH,
and fought against it for five days, and the troops that were with him ate up its vegetables and crops. And
from there he went to SHABAKTAN, and he made a great feast. And there came to hm MALIK MAS'UD,
the son of the Sultan, who had remained in HARRAN, and he did not cross the EUPHRATES with
MAWDUD. And then he made prisoner 'AYAZ, the son of 'ILGHAZI, the son of 'ARTUK, the lord of
MARDIN, and he also took the land of MARDIN.

And in this year, which is the year fourteen hundred and twenty-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1115), on the
twenty-ninth day of the month of the LATTER TESHRIN (NOVEMBER), which is the twenty-ninth day of
the sixth month of the ARABS, a terribly violent earthquake took place, and the whole city of MAR'ASH
sunk underground and became the tomb of the inhabitants thereof. And very many houses fell down in
SAMOSATA. CONSTANTINE, the lord of GARGAR, was present in the town, and he, together with many
others, was suffocated in the ruins. And there fell down thirteen towers of the wall of EDESSA; and portions
of the wall of HARRAN; and a hundred houses and one-half of the Citadel of BALASH; and two churches of
KHISHUM, viz. the church of MAR JOHN, and the church of the Forty Martyrs. And through the care and
solicitude of DIONYSIUS, its bishop, they (i.e. the churches) were rebuilt,

And in the year five hundred and nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1115), which is the year fourteen hundred and
twenty-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 1116), ROGER, the lord of ANTIOCH, burst forth with five hundred

horsemen against 'AKSENKUR, the Amir, between ALEPPO and MU'ARAH. And he and ZANGI, his
brother, fled, and they went up on a certain mountain (or, hill). And the FRANKS occupied themselves with
the killing of TURKISH soldiers, and with the robbing of the merchants and shopkeepers in the bazars who
were with them. And'AKSENKUR and his brother fled with a very few followers, and the FRANKS pursued
them for about a parasang, but did not overtake them. And they returned and made prisoners three thousand
TURKS, and they smashed the boxes, and the poles of the tents of the TURKS, and they burnt them, [281]
and they burnt all the young children and the feeble old men who were useless for work; and the remainder of
the people they carried off with them to ANTIOCH, bound in fetters. And they sent to REDWAN, the lord of
Aleppo, because he was their friend, eight fast-running (1.e. trotting) camels, and three horses, and two mules,
and two men learned in the Law, and two young TURKS, and the head of 'ABU AL-WAFA, one of the Amirs
of the TURKS. And there was great joy in ANTIOCH.

And in the year five hundred and eleven of the ARABS (A.D. 1117) the Sultan GAYATH AD-DIN
MAHAMMAD, the son of MALIK SHAH, died in 'ESFAHAN; and there rose up after him his son Sultan
MAHMUD. And in this same year also the Khalifah MUSTATHER died in BAGHDAD. And there rose up
after him his younger son MUSTARSHID. And in this year also, which is the year fourteen hundred and
twenty-nine [of the GREEKS, A.D. 1118], died ALEXIS, the king of the GREEKS, in the month of 'AB
(AUGUST). He was a wise and strong man, and by his wisdom he saved CONSTANTINOPLE from the
FRANKS. And his son ''WANI (JOANNES) reigned after him. And his brother, and sister, and mother acted
treacherously in respect of him. And having cast out his brother and sister into exile, and tonsured his mother
and established her in a nunnery, the kingdom was established for him. And in this year the iord of EGYPT
died, and the lord of GAZNAH also. And after a short time ROGER, the lord of ANTIOCH, was killed.
Thirteen kings died within two years. Before they died a violent earthquake took place, and the death of the
kings followed soon after it.

After MUSTATHER, MUSTARSHID his son [ruled] seventeen years and eight months. When he (began to]
reign, he found many jars of wine which were his father's, and he smashed them all and scattered [the
fragments]. And he expelled the singing men and singing women from the palace. And in a dream he saw his
father, who said unto him, "Take me out from being near thee, so that I may not take thee to myself’. And
trembling he took him out and buried him in another place. And he began to show signs of modesty (or,
chastity). And he seized the palace of 'ABU TAHIR, the son of 'AHMAD the treasurer, and he found therein
a church and all the furnishing for an altar. And when he was spoken to on the subject, he replied, 'I have a
Christian wife, and she hath done this without my knowledge’.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The History of the Crusades (continued).

And in the year five hundred and twelve of the ARABS (A.D. 1118), the Amir [282] 'ILGAZI, the son of
'ARTUK, took HARRAN, and he made prisoners of the famous sages who were therein and its judge. And in
this year, which is the year fourteen hundred and thirty of the GREEKS (A.D. 1119), although the lord of
ALEPPO gave much gold to ROGER, the lord of ANTIOCH, he was able to make peace with him for four
months only, viz. until they had reaped the harvest and heaped up the barns. Then ROGER came and
encamped against ALEPPO, and the people of ALEPPO took refuge with the Amir 'ILGAZI, the son of
'ARTUK, the lord of MARDIN. And he collected seven thousand TURKS, and came and met the FRANKS
in battle, and he broke them, and ROGER the king was himself killed in the fight. And those FRANKS who
escaped during the war fled to ANTIOCH. And the TURKS took possession of the country of ANTIOCH
and, killed many monks in BLACK MOUNTAIN. And at length BO'DWIN (II, the king of JERUSALEM,
heard of it, and he pursued the TURKS. And the Frankish foot-soldiers having destroyed an ambush of the
TURKS, king BO'DWIN went back against them, and made an end of them all. And he turned again and
pursued 'ILGAZI, and he snatched the loot from the hands of the TURKS, and went to ANTIOCH.

The blessed MAR MICHAEL saith, 'GHAZI, the son of DANISHMAND, broke the FRANKS and slew
ROGER’; perhaps the mistake is due to the similarity of the name. And in this year the Sultan of MELITENE
subjugated the country of GHIHAN and 'ABLESTIN, and he made himself master of the fortress of KATI'A.
And in the month of SHEBHAT (FEBRUARY) of this year the FRANKS took the country of MELITENE,
and the TURKS took the country of GARGAR. And the Sultan of MELITENE took the country of KAMAH,
and the lord thereof went and took refuge with the GREEKS in TRAPIZON (TREBIZOND), and GABRAS
came with him. And the Sultan and BALAK met the GREEKS in battle and conquered them. And GABRAS
was captured, and he bought (i.e. ransomed) himself again for thirty thousand dinars, and he went to his own
country. And 'TWANI (JOANNES), king of CONSTANTINOPLE, took three fortresses from the TURKS.
And 'ILGAZI burnt the crops in the country of EDESSA, and he also took the country of ANTIOCH. And
TUGHTAKIN, the lord of DAMASCUS, died. And his son sitting in his stead, a certain TURK, whose name
was 'ALTUNTASH, leaped upon him and killed him, and he made himself king over DAMASCUS.

And in the year five hundred and fifteen of the ARABS (A.D.1121), MALIK [283] MAS'UD in MAWSIL
rebelled against his brother Sultan MAHMUD, and the Amir ZANGI did not agree with him. And MAS'UD
having collected an army met his brother in battle, and the Sultan broke him, and seized him, and bound him
with iron fetters. And he gave MAWSIL to an Amir whose name was BURSUKI, together with JAZIRAH,
and SHIGHAR (SINJAR), and NISIBIS, and he sent him there.

And at this time the Greek king of CONSTANTINOPLE sent to 'ILGAZI, the son of 'ARTUK, and said,
"Behold, there is a great host of people coming out of the sea to SYRIA, therefore prepare to fight them. And
behold, I can help thee with thirty thousand [men] if thou hast need [of them].' Then 'ILGAZI made haste and
went and seized the harbours, and they killed many FRANKS, and the rest returned to FRANK-LAND. And

this took place through the treacherous GREEKS. And at this time the ARMENIANS of GARGAR were
secretly laying waste the country of the Citadels of ZAID, and of BULA, and of MELITENE. And BALAK,
the Turkish Amir, sent to MICHAEL, the ARMENIAN, the lord of GARGAR, [a message], saying that he
would give him every year one thousand loads of wheat, and three villages in his country, if he would restrain
his thieves. And MICHAEL swore oaths to BALAK several times, but he did not stand on (i.e. observe) his
oaths; on the contrary, the wheat was sent to him and his thieves burnt the villages in HANZIT. Then
BALAK devised a plan, and in the month of SHEBHAT (FEBRUARY), when the mountains were covered
with heaps of snow, he crossed over the ice of the EUPHRATES to GUBOS. And he made one thousand
unharnessed horses to take a straight path over the high mountain which is called 'KERYONA' and the snow
was trodden flat. And the armies of the TURKS crossed the mountain, and one day they arrived before the
monastery of MAR BAR SAWMA. And during the night they crossed the mountain which is called
"ESETHA'. And in the morning he burst out on the wretched country and took it on the second day of the
week, at the beginning of the month of the LATTER KANON (JANUARY), in the year fourteen hundred and
thirty-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1121), and he seized the people, and the cattle, and everything and went
forth. And the Amir behaved most mercifully towards the soldiers (or, peasants) who were Christians, and he
did not make them slaves, but he settled them in the country of HANZIT and gave them everything which
belonged to them. And he made them to swear that they would not go back to GARGAR, and if they did so a
second time, when he came in he would not spare them.

And in the year [284] fourteen hundred and thirty-three [of the GREEKS] (A.D. 1122), the Sultan
MAHMUD sent a great army to the country of the IBERIANS, and when the TURKS went in the king of the
IBERIANS shut the fortifications and destroyed many of them. And JOSCELYN the FRANK took the
country of GUBOS. And in the year five hundred and sixteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1122), 'ILGAZI, the son
of 'ARTUK, died. And JOSCELYN, his wife having died, took a second wife, the daughter of ROGER, the
lord of ANTIOCH, and he wished to take her to EDESSA. BALAK, however, laid an ambush for her, and he
took her and carried her to BULA. MICHAEL, the ARMENIAN, being defeated by the TURKS, gave
GARGAR to king BO'DWIN, and took a town in his country.

And in the year five hundred and seventeen [of the ARABS] (A.D. 1123), BAR-SHAHARZURI, the Judge
of MAWSIL, came to BAGHDAD, and he presented to the Khalifah five thousand dinars, and he took
possession of all the country on the west of the TIGRIS, from MAWSIL to BASRA. And in the year fourteen
hundred and thirty-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 1123), whilst the FRANKS were encamped on the river
SANGA, there burst upon them troops from an ambush laid by BALAK the TURKISH Amir. And they
smote the camp of the FRANKS and captured king BO'DWIN on the fourth day of the Week of White
Apparel. Then Counts JOSCELYN and GALERAN made ready during the whole summer to meet the
TURKS in battle, and when they did so in the month of ILUL (SEPTEMBER), the FRANKS were broken,
and JOSCELYN and GALERAN were made prisoners at dawn of the day of the Festival of the Cross. And
BALAK shut the three of them up together in a cave in the fortress of ZAID.

Then the Armenian workmen who were in the city, knowing that there were very few soldiers in the fortress,
gathered together at the gate [of the city], and when grumbling about their pay, they leaped up suddenly and
seized the swords that were there, and killed the Turkish guards. And they ran towards the cave, and they
brought out king BO'DWIN, and JOSCELYN, and GALERAN. And they killed the ARABS, and they
reigned over the fortress of ZAID, that is KHARTABERT (or, KHARAT-BARAT). And JOSCELYN made a
plan, and he went out during the night with an Armenian, to go and fetch the army of the FRANKS, so that if
it were possible they might guard the fortress, and if not they would take it for the king.

And JOSCELYN having gone forth, [285] BALAK came and set up engines of war against the fortress and
captured it. And he killed seventy FRANKS and ARMENIANS, and he took BO'DWIN, the king, and

GALERAN, his sister's son, and he went and encamped at MABBUGH. And whilst he was fighting against
it, he was shot by an arrow from the wall and he died. And his troops fled to ALEPPO, and they set up as
chief over them his uncle's son whose name was TIMURTASH. And he ransomed the king and his sister's
son for one hundred thousand dinars, and BO'DWIN the king returned to JERUSALEM. And SULAIMAN
—of the family of BALAK—took the fortress of ZAID, and the Sultan of MELITENE took MASARA and
GARGAR. And a great star appeared, the length thereof was from south to north, and the width thereof was
like the neck of a horse; and it was visible for two months.

And in the year fourteen hundred and thirty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1124), on the thirteenth day of the
month of HAZIRAN (JUNE), on Friday, the Amir GAZI, the son of DANISHMAND, the lord of
SEBASTIA, burst forth against MELITENE; and he took the whole country and afflicted the city for one
month. Then in the great village of SAMAN he left his son MAHAMMAD, with a large army, and he
commanded them to attack as far as the gates every day, and not to allow any man to go in or to come out.
Now 'ARAB, because he was always sallying out spoiling the country of DANISHMAND after the manner
of a brigand, was not present in the city. Then the city was stricken sorely with cruel famine, for a kepiza that
is to say an ass's load, of wheat was sold for thirty-six gold dinars. Finally, all food of every sort and kind
came to an end, and men began to steep worn-out leathers in water, and the bindings of books and shoes (or,
sandals) and stew them and eat them. As for cats and dogs and even a dead donkey, where were they to be
found? Now the city, which was to be compassionated, was smitten with three bitter blows. From the outside
by the sword, which destroyed every one who fled, and from the inside, by the famine which put an end to
every one, and by the mother of the Sultan, a second JEZEBEL, the woman who was saved from MAWSIL.
She tortured the sons of free men for gold, so that she might plunder [them] and flee. She was prepared to kill
the whole population and then to go forth. And stars appeared which fell from heaven.

Then the Lord had mercy [286] on the remnant of the Christians, and at dawn on the fourth day of the week,
on the tenth day of the month of the FIRST KANON (DECEMBER), in the year fourteen hundred and thirty-
six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1125), that accursed woman and her son went forth, and GAZI, the Amir, came in.
And when he saw those who had been left by the famine, [who looked] as if they had come forth from the
tombs, he comforted them. And he gave the peasants wheat to sow, and he brought herds of cattle and flocks
of sheep, and the city began to be prosperous [again]. And the blessed MAR MICHAEL saith concerning this
year, that the Khalifah MUSTATHER died, and his son MUSTARSHID rose up (i.e. succeeded); and it is
possible that he made a mistake because of the inequality in the course of the lunar years of the ARADS, and
the solar years of the GREEKS.

And in the year fourteen hundred and thirty-seven [of the GREEKS, A.D. 1126], the lord of HAMATH was
killed by the FRANKS at KEFAR TAB. And the FRANKS took GABALA, and besieged TYRE until ships
of the VENETIAN FRANKS arrived. And the king of JERUSALEM also came to their help, and after a
fierce war they took it. And MALIK 'ARAB collected an army and attacked his brother MAS'UD, the Sultan
of ICONIUM, because he had made an agreement with DANISHMAND. Then MAS'UD fled to
CONSTANTINOPLE, and he was received joyfully by 'TWANI, the king of the GREEKS. And he gave him
an army, and much gold, and he went forth and came to GHAZI, and the two of them attacked MALIK
"ARAB. Then 'ARAB fled to TOROS (THEODORUS?), the ARMENIAN, the governor of CILICIA.

In this year, which is the year five hundred and twenty of the ARABS (A.D. 1126), ten ISHMAELITES
leaped upon 'AKSENKUR BURSUK, the Amir of MAWSIL, in the great old mosque in MAWSIL, and with
his own hands he killed three of them and then was himself killed. And there ruled in his stead 'AZ AD-DIN
MAS'UD his son, over MAWSIL, and the island of KARDU, and BETH NAHRIN, and HAMATH, and other
places. And living for one year he died, and his younger brother rose up, and the Amir JAWALI, who was a
Turkish Amir, and was one of the slaves of his father BURSUKI, became his administrator.

And JAWALI sent the Kadi of MAWSIL, who was 'ABU AL-HASAN 'ALIT, the son of SHAHARZURI, and
SALAH YAGUBSANI, as ambassadors to BAGHDAD, to the Sultan, in order to confirm the dominion of
the younger son of BURSUKI. And when they went they said unto the Sultan, 'MAWSIL hath need of a
warlike man [287] who is able to stand up against the FRANKS, for behold they make the whole Arab people
to tremble’. And they hinted at 'ATABAG ZANGI, the son of KASIM AD-DAWLAH 'AKSENKUR, who
was the governor of WASIT and BAGHDAD. The Sultan agreed, and he gave a Patent of Authority to
ZANGI and sent him to MAWSIL, and he went. First of all he took possession of BAWAZIGH (BETH
WAZIK), and from there he went to MAWSIL. And JAWALIT sallied out to meet him; he gave him
RAHBUTH and sent him there. And ZANGI went to MAWSIL, and he gave the governorship of the fortress
to SALAH YAGUBSANT, and the judgeship of MAWSIL and of all the country over which he was master to
the son of SHAHARZARI, to him and his seed for ever. And ZANGI took JAZIRAH, and ARBIL, and
SHIGHAR, and RAHBUTH, and ALEPPO, and HAMATH, and EMESA.

And in the year fourteen hundred and thirty-eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 1127), GAZI and 'ARAB met again
in battle, and 'ARAB was conquered. And GAZI pursued him and looted his tents. And he went and
encamped against KUMANA and ANCYRA, and he fought against them violently and took them, and he
brought out his son MAHAMMAD, who had been shut up therein by MALIK 'ARAB. And 'ARAB again
collected an army, and met GAZI in battle, and he was conquered; And as he was fleeing to the GREEKS he
perished (or, was lost), and no news of him went forth.

And in the year fourteen hundred and thirty-eight (A.D. 1127), BOHAIMOND, the son of BOHAIMOND,
went forth from RHOML, and he came and reigned over ANTIOCH. And dissension (or, strife) fell among
the FRANKS, and JOSCELYN took the whole country of ANTIOCH. Then their Patriarch was wroth, and he
shut the doors of the churches, and he stopped the ringers of bells and prayers until JOSCELYN gave back
the whole of the spoil.

And in the year fourteen hundred and thirty-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 1128), when the fear of JOSCELYN
fell upon the ARABS of ALEPPO, they undertook to give him each year twelve thousand dinars, and he was
not to oppress them. Then the TURKS of ALEPPO bribed the Frankish cooks of JOSCELYN with gold, and
they made him and the six horsemen who were with him to drink deadly poison; the six horsemen died, but
by God's providence and the treatment of the physicians, JOSCELYN was saved, and he killed those who had
given him the poison and their sons. And in [that] year TUGHREL 'ARSLAN, from whom MELITENE had
been taken, [288] invaded the country of MELITENE; and he took some of the outer frontiers and departed,
and was not seen again.

And in the year fourteen hundred and forty (of the GREEKS, A.D. 1129] JOSCELYN went to the country of
"AMID, and he plundered the TURCOMANS and the KURDS who were in the mountain of 'ASHOMA, and
he looted the villages up to the gate of the city.

And in the year five hundred and twenty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1128), when ZANGI, the Amir of
MAWSIL, heard that the Sultan wished to give MAWSIL to DUBAIS, he came to BABYLON to the Sultan,
and behaved towards him with humility; and he offered one hundred thousand dinars to the Sultan and
entreated him not to supersede him. And similarly he offered many gifts to the Khalifah so that he might not
permit DUBAIS to have dominion over any place (i.e. town) whatsoever.

Now we are not equal to recording the many wars which took place between the Khalifah and this DUBAIS,
the king of the MA'DAYE (NOMADS), and how DUBAIS clung to the Sultan and vexed the Khalifah, and
how he came to BAGHDAD; and how he began to ride, and to go in and to come out fearlessly, and to show
that he did not tremble before the Khalifah; and how after a little, when the Sultan was sick, DUBAIS

kidnapped the youngest son of the Sultan and fled; and how he took KUFAH, and BASRA, and HILLAH;
and how he collected much gold; and how he had with him ten thousand horsemen; and how he took them
and went into the desert; and the rest of his cunning devices, because this brief summary will not permit of it,
It is related that during one of the fights which took place between DUBAIS and the Khalifah, when
DUBAIS was defeated, he alone escaped while all his companions fell by the sword. And as he was crossing
the EUPHRATES by the swimming of his horse, a certain old nomad woman saw him, and she said unto him
boldly, 'Dubair (that is to say, unlucky one), hast thou come?' But he was not angry, and he replied to her
pleasantly, saying, 'Dubair (that is to say, unlucky one) is he who cometh not’.

And in this year the FRANKS met the ISHMAELITES in battle, and they broke about ten thousand of them,
and they made themselves masters also over very many fortresses which they had in PHOENICIA. And all
the ARABS who were in SYRIA trembled before the FRANKS. And they went and encamped against
DAMASCUS and besieged it closely. And having decreed that the DAMASCENES were to pay as yearly
tribute twenty thousand dinars, they left them (289] and departed. And at this time the FRANKS were
masters of the country from MARDIN and SHABAKTAN to 'ARISH, which is on the border of EGYPT.
And in all SYRIA there remained to the ARABS nothing except ALEPPO, and HAMATH, and EMESA, and
DAMASCUS, which paid tribute. For from the country of ALEPPO they took one-half of the crops, and they
went so far as to take it from the mill which is by the gate of ALEPPO and is called 'Gate of the Gardens'.
And they sent envoys to all the Christian slaves who were in DAMASCUS, and counted [them], and they
took him that did not wish to dwell with the ARABS from his masters without (paying] the price [of him].
And their chiefs came as far as 'AMID, and NISIBIS, and RAS 'AIN, and the people of CALONICUS and
HARRAN were reduced through them to complete helplessness, and only with the greatest difficulty were
the ARABS able to travel by the desert road from the east to DAMASCUS.

And in the year fourteen hundred and forty-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1130), TOROS, the governor of
CILICIA, died, and LEON his brother rose up after him. And BOHAIMOND the FRANK, the lord of
ANTIOCH, quarrelled with him. And on the eighth day of the month 'ADHAR (MARCH) of this year, which
is the year five hundred and twenty-four of the ARABS (A.D. 1129), there was a violent earthquake in
BAGHDAD, and many houses were reduced to ruins. And in MAWSIL a great cloud rose up, and there were
torrents of rain; then coals of fire came down out of the air to the earth, and it burnt up many houses with
their furniture. And this was a frightening and terrifying sign. And in this year the satrap of the GREEKS,
whose name was CASIANUS, went out to the Amir, GAZI, the son of DANISHMAND and transferred to
him many fortresses in the country of PONTUS, and he ruled over all CAPPADOCIA. And he collected
many troops and went into CILICIA to plunder it. And it happened that in the same day BOHAIMOND, the
lord of ANTIOCH, went in there from another side, and neither knew of the presence of the other. And
straightway the TURKS and the FRANKS met each other in battle. And LEON the ARMENIAN evaded a
fight with them both. Now the TURKS conquered the FRANKS, and they killed BOHAIMOND, because
they did not know that he was the king. Then LEON shut the fortifications against the TURKS and destroyed
many of them.

And in the year five hundred and twenty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1130), the lord of DAMASCUS took
prisoner DUBAIS, the MA'DAYA (i.e. nomad ARAB), and gave him to ZANGI, [290] the lord of MAWSIL,
and he took his son who was a prisoner with ZANGI.

And in this year, which is the year fourteen hundred and forty-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1131), the king of
JERUSALEM and JOSCELYN came from JERUSALEM to ANTIOCH to reign over it. But the people of
ANTIOCH shut their gates in their faces, until they swore that ANTIOCH should be kept for the daughter of
BOHAIMOND, until she grew up and could be married to a man who should be lord of ANTIOCH. And the
Amir GAZI, the son of DANISHMAND, invaded CILICIA, and captured fortresses. Then LEON the

ARMENIAN humbled himself before him, and swore that he would never again send raiders to his country,
and that he would give him tribute each year. And when he had gone forth LEON lied and gave him nothing.
And ISACIUS (?), the brother of the king of the GREEKS, went to LEON in CILICIA, and gave him his
daughter to wife, and MASISTA(MOPSUESTIA) and 'ADANA [as] a dowry. And afterwards strife took
place between them, and ISACIUS (?) and his son fled to MAS'UD, the Sultan of ICONIUM.

And JOSCELYN died, and JOSCELYN I reigned over EDESSA. And in this year when Sultan MAHMUD
went forth from BAGHDAD to go to KHORASAN, MAS'UD his brother came to him, and humbled himself
before him, and he carried before him a ghashyah, that is the covering of a saddle. And they embraced each
other, and Sultan MAHMUD transferred to him countries and troops (or, armies). And he himself went to
HAMADAN, and there he died, being eight-and-twenty years old. Then there quarrelled together DAWUD,
the son of Sultan MAHMUD, and the two brothers of MAHMUD, MAS'UD and SALJUK SHAH, the sons
of MAHMUD,and TOGHREL their brother, who was with MALIK SENJAR, their uncle. And they sent to
the Khalifah, and each one of them asked for the Sultanate on his own behalf. Now the Khalifah approved of
SENJAR at the beginning, and sent to the others saying, 'He who wisheth for MALIK SENJAR, the son of
MALIK SHAH, and to whom he giveth a writing of agreement, let him come to me and he shall be received".
And to SENJAR he sent saying, "Besides thyself we seek no other; therefore do not permit one of these two to
rule. When MAS'UD heard the answer of the Khalifah he came to ZANGI in MAWSIL, and he asked him
[291] for gold and help to make war on the Khalifah. And he also asked for DUBAIS, the Amir of the
MA'DAYE, that he might carry him to the Khalifah and heap benefits upon him. Then ZANGI replied, 'Gold
I can give unto thee, fifty thousand dinars, and as many slaves and handmaidens and horses as thou pleasest,
but DUBAIS I cannot give thee, because an order of the Sultan SENJAR hath reached me, saying, Thou shalt
deliver him up to no man, and I cannot transgress his command’.

Then MAS'UD being offended, crossed [the TIGRIS] and encamped in the western suburbs of MAWSIL.
And ZANGI shut the gates of the city, and he expelled all the poor folk who were unable to live under
restraint, and he entrenched himself strongly in the fortress of MAWSIL. MAS'UD did not make war on
MAWSIL, but went down to BAGHDAD. And MALIK MAS'UD sent to the Khalifah, saying, 'If thou wilt
proclaim me, behold I am your friend and subject; and if thou wilt not, I have nothing except the sword for
you'. And the armies of BAGHDAD went out and met the armies of MAS'UD in battle, and they broke and
were broken. And whilst they were struggling, the reports of SENJAR arrived, saying: "he hath arrived in
BAGHDAD with armies'; and the people of BAGHDAD were afraid. And the Khalifah saw that he was more
able to subjugate MAS'UD than SENJAR, and he gave the word of peace to MAS'UD, and brought him in
and made him lodge in the royal house; and every one made ready for war against SENJAR.

And in the year five hundred and twenty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1131) SENJAR came and took
HAMADAN, and he proclaimed therein TUGHREL, the son of MAHMUD, who was with him. Then
MAS'UD KARAJA, the captain of the host of the Khalifah, went to HAMADAN, and he pursued the troops
of SENJAR. And they sent to the Khalifah, saying that he himself in person should go to the war against
SENJAR. And when he was ready and had gone out, there arrived the report that ZANGI and DUBAIS, the
MA'DAYA, have made a covenant with each other, and behold they are coming down to BAGHDAD. For
this reason the Khalifah turned back and went into his quarter, and he prepared for the war with DUBAIS and
ZANGI. And he went out and met them in battle with two thousand men, and he conquered them. And
ZANGI fled to TAGRITH, and DUBAIS to the banks of the EUPHRATES. And ZANGI sent as an envoy to
the Khalifah, the Judge, the son of SHAHARZURI, and asked forgiveness. And he asked for authority to
come to [292] BAGHDAD, and to be therein the governor from the quarter of SENJAR. Then the Khalifah
replied, 'We have no sovereignty in respect to SENJAR, and we do not receive (i.e. acknowledge) its
governor. If ZANGI wisheth for peace from us, let him deliver DUBAIS to us, and he shall dwell in
MAWSIL in peace. If he will not, behold we are going against him.'

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The History of the Crusades (continued).

And in the year five hundred and twenty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1132) Sultan MAS'UD invaded
BAGHDAD. And he was proclaimed, after the Khalifah and his son, SENJAR, then MAS'UD, and then
DAWUD his brother; the three of these Sultans were proclaimed at one time. And the Khalifah
MUSTARSHID went against MAWSIL, and he invested it for eighty days, but was unable to capture it. And
the report came to him that Sultan MAS'UD had rebelled against him, and he left MAWSIL and returned to
BAGHDAD.

And JOSCELYN II took the fortress in SHABAKTAN, and he uprooted it utterly. And 'TWANI (JONNES),
the king of the GREEKS, went forth and took the fortress of KASTAMUNA from the TURKS peaceably, and
he took also two other fortresses by fighting and destroyed them. And BO'DWIN, the Frankish king of
JERUSALEM, took by fighting the fortress of KUSAIR, which is by the side of ANTIOCH, and he went to
IAM, and there the TURKS were gathered together against the FRANKS as [numerous as the] locusts. And
at first the FRANKS fled before the TURKS until they drew them out to the plain. Then they came down and
asked each other's pardon; and [the FRANKS] turned back upon the TURKS, and made a great slaughter of
them until the evening. These things took place in the year fourteen hundred and forty-five of YAWAN (A.D.
1134).

In this year the locusts came in great swarms in the country of EDESSA. And the Christians took asylum
with the chosen man MAR BAR SAWMA, and they sent and brought the coffin wherein was the right hand
of the saint. And with its arrival a miracle took place, and the locusts removed themselves without having
done any harm whatsoever in any part of the country. Then the GREEKS, who were burning with jealousy,
stirred up PAPYAS, the Metropolitan of the FRANKS, to open the coffin so that the right hand might be
visible. And when the monks were unwilling to do this, the GREEKS burst out laughing [293] and said,
'They have nothing in the coffin'. And the monks being thus forced to do so, opened the coffin in the church
of the FRANKS. Then suddenly there was a terrifying peal of thunder, and dark clouds obscured the sky, and
heavy hailstones smote the ground, and the bazars were filled therewith. And all the people began crying out,
Kuryalaison , i.e. 'Have mercy upon us, O chosen one of God'. Then the GREEKS fled and hid themselves.
And when the hail ceased, all the people gathered together, and made prayer for three days,

And when the ARABS of HARRAN saw the miracle, they asked [the monks] that the right hand might go to
them, but the FRANKS would not allow this, and they sent it back to the monastery with honour. And the
natives of MELITENE came and carried the right hand to their city with services of prayer and hymns. And
at the same time the mouth of the locust was fettered, and he did no harm at all to the crops.

And on the twenty-third day of the month of ILUL (SEPTEMBER) the lightning burnt seven oxen and one
young man, and in SIMNADU it burnt one TURK. And a severe earthquake took place in ARMENIA and
the city of DOGODAP fell. And there was a hard winter in MELITENE and red snow fell.

And in the year fourteen hundred and forty-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1135) there went forth from ITALY a
FRANK whose name was BEDEWI (RAYMOND of POIOTIERS?), and he took to wife the daughter of
BOHAIMOND, the lord of ANTIOCH, who was killed, and he reigned over ANTIOCH. And in the year
BO'DWIN II the king of JERUSALEM died, and he took to wife the daughter of a man whose name was
FUG (FOLK = FOULQUES?), and he reigned over JERUSALEM.

And in the year which is the year five hundred and twenty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1134), ZANGI, the lord
of MAWSIL, sent his son to BAGHDAD, and with him the keys of MAWSIL, and also some of his wives as
hostages. And he swore oaths of fealty and promised submission, and he was received with honour. And the
Khalifah also made friends with Sultan SENJAR, and sent him a crown and a collar and a horse which was
shod with shoes of gold. And SENJAR rose up and kissed the hoofs of the horse, and said, 'I am a slave and a
subject’. At this time the Catholicus of the NESTORIANS who was called 'BAR GABBARA', on going out
one night into the garden, trod upon a snake, and [the reptile] bit him and he died. And some people say that
he was not bitten at all, but that he died of fright. And in the year the Khalifah sent to GHAZI, the Amir, the
son of DANISHMAND, [294] the lord of MELITENE, a collar of gold for his neck, a sign of subjection, and
a staff of gold, and four black flags, and drums which were to be beaten before him. And GHAZI was
proclaimed Malik. And when the envoys arrived they found him sick, and after some days he died. Then they
fulfilled [the ceremonies] for his son MAHAMMAD, and went away.

Then this Malik MAHAMMAD restored CAESARAEA of CAPPADOCIA, which had been destroyed for a
long time, and there he dwelt. And he came to MELITENE because he was afraid lest [the people] would
give help to his brother, and he took with him hostages, the sons of free men, and he departed. He met
YAGHAN his brother and killed him. Another brother, DAWLATH, he carried off to the country of
MELITENE.

And in the seventh month of this year the Khalifah stopped the proclamation of Sultan MAS'UD. And he
collected troops, seven thousand men, to make war upon him, because he heard that he had only fifteen
hundred men with him. At that time there were five thousand with the Khalifah, and with MAS'UD there
were fifteen thousand. And they met each other in battle, and the side of the Khalifah was broken, and the
Khalifah himself, MUSTARSHID, was taken prisoner; and the treasure that was with him was looted. And
there were with him seventy mule loads of gold and silver, and five thousand camel loads, and four hundred
mule loads of bales of cloth, and apparel, and supplies for the road. It is said that there were with him more
than forty thousand turbans and head coverings, and sewed tunics with sleeves. Then MAS'UD commanded
the heralds to proclaim [to the soldiers], 'The goods and all the wealth are yours, and the blood is mine.
Whosoever killeth a man, I will kill him on behalf of him that he has killed.' Therefore, with the exception of
five souls, no man was killed. And he also caused to be proclaimed, 'Every man who was among the
adherents of the Khalifah and who remaineth here, assuredly I will kill’. Then the men of BAGHDAD
crushed each other, and without sandals and naked, they fled to the right hand and to the left.

And the Sultan MAS'UD sent his governor to BAGHDAD, and told the Khalifah that he must write [and
send] with him a letter containing a Confession of the Faith for BAGHDAD, and that he was [held] in honour
by MAS'UD, and that behold he would come to them quickly. Now when the governor went and took the
letter, the men of BAGHDAD knew that [295] the Khalifah had written such things as these unwillingly and
through fear. And a great tumult broke out, and about one hundred and fifty of the mob were killed; and [the
people] only became quiet with difficulty.

And in those days frequent earthquakes began to take place in BAGHDAD, five or six times each day. Then
Sultan SENJAR sent an envoy to Sultan MAS'UD, and with him were two letters. One was a secret letter in
which he reviled MAS'UD and made a mock of him, and [asking him] 'Why didst thou not kill the Khalifah

during the confusion of the war?' And the other letter was an open one in which he said unto him, 'At the time
when thou art reading these lines, [my] son GHAYATH AD-DUNYA WA-AD-DIN MAS'UD, thou shalt go
in to the Amir of the Faithful, and thou shalt kiss the ground before him, and shalt ask for forgiveness of thy
folly. Because I cannot endure the signs (or, portents) of the heavens and the earth, which God is making
because of this, [viz.] storm winds, and thunders, and lightnings and quakings of the earth. And behold to all
the Arab peoples there is the suffering of the Evil One. Prayers have ceased, the gates of the Mosques are
closed in all PERSIA and SEN'AR. Therefore without pretext and excuse send him with honour to his throne,
and deliver DUBAIS that he may work out his will on him, for he himself is the cause of all these evils.’

When MAS'UD understood these [words], he gave orders and they pitched the great tents, and he made the
Khalifah to sit in them, and he carried the saddle cloth before him about half a parasang, and he made him to
encamp in the great royal tent, and he asked for the forgiveness of his folly. And he brought DUBAIS before
him bound with fetters, and there were with him a sword and burial equipment, and he said, 'He hath done
everything. And behold I deliver him over into thy hands; command thou that there shall be done unto him
according as he hath done.' The Khalifah knowing that he said these things with his lips only, and not from
his heart, extended forgiveness to DUBAIS also. Then MAS'UD began to urge the Khalifah to go to
BAGHDAD, but the Khalifah excused himself, saying, 'I will not go unless thou wilt go with me in person’,
And MAS'UD said, 'I will send with thee Amirs who shall be in thy service, and thou shalt go with honour
and shall dwell in thy palace’. But the Khalifah was unwilling [to go], for he was afraid that they would lay an
ambush for him on the road, and would kill him treacherously, because they could not kill [296] openly the
head of their Faith.

Then MAS'UD made his way direct to 'ADHORBIJAN to make war upon DAWUD, his brother's son, and he
took the Khalifah with him. And again SENJAR sent envoys to MAS'UD whilst he himself was encamped at
the gate of the city of MARAGHA, and he urged him to send the Khalifah to BAGHDAD without delay. And
there also came many troops from SENJAR, and with them were seventeen ISHMAELITES. And on the fifth
day [of the week], at noon on the sixteenth day of the eleventh month of the year five hundred and twenty-
nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1134); whilst he was sitting reading their Book inside the tent, fifteen men rushed
in upon him with knives in their hands, and they killed him, and with him were three other men from among
his nobles. Then MAS'UD rode away and closed the tents, and they killed those who had killed him. Some
say that SENJAR did not know [about] the ISHMAELITES, but the truth is that it was he himself who sent
them. But MAS'UD did not know.

After MUSTARSHID his son RASHID [ruled] one year. The Khalifah MUSTARSHID having been killed,
Sultan SENJAR sent to the governor of BAGHDAD, and ordered that the nobles, and judges should be
gathered together, and that they should swear fealty to RASHID, the son of the Khalifah MUSTARSHID, and
seat him in the place of his father. And thus they did. And at [this] time DUBAIS, the son of SADAKAH,
acted treacherously in respect of Sultan MAS'UD, and he wrote a letter to ZANGI and said, 'Behold, I am
scheming to go forth from the presence of this man, and I will come to thee, and will gather together armies
of the MADAYE, [in number] like the sand on the sea shore,’ (and the two of them made a covenant) 'and we
will do to MAS'UD what will be had in remembrance by the generations to come.'

Now this letter fell into the hands of someone who brought it to MAS'UD. Then one day when the nobles
were gathered together about MAS'UD, and he had given them sweet water to drink, according to custom,
they rose up to go out. And the Sultan made a sign to DUBAIS, saying, 'Remain, for I have a secret matter [to
discuss] with thee'. And when the others had gone out, and DUBAIS remained, MAS'UD rose up and went
into the inner part of the chamber. And he gave a letter to an ARMENIAN slave who carried a sword, and he
said unto him, 'Go forth and take [this letter] to DUBAIS, and when he beginneth to read it, do thou smite
him from behind [297]" and cut off his head'. Now when the slave went out he found DUBAIS prodding the

earth with his finger and saying, 'Death is better than life without rest’. And the slave handed out to him the
letter, and when he had taken it and opened it and was beginning to read [it], the slave smote him from behind
on his neck and cut off his head. This was the end of DUBAIS, the cunning, warlike man. He was killed
thirty-five days after the murder of MUSTARSHID the Khalifah, his enemy.

And in the year five hundred and thirty of the ARABS (A.D. 1135), which is the year fourteen hundred and
forty-seven of the GREEKS [A.D. 1136], MICHAEL the ARMENIAN, who in the days of BALAK had sold
the fortress of GARGAR to the FRANKS and had evacuated it, came back and stole it from them. And he
fought with them and robbed their villages. One day the TURKS caught MICHAEL the ARMENIAN in the
district of the village of ZIZONA, which is on the banks of the EUPHRATES. And as they had surrounded
him on all sides he was unable to escape and he cast himself from a rock into the river. And as he was
wearing a coat of iron mail he sank to the bottom of the waters; but he rose again, and through the ferry (?)
which was there he escaped, and did not die. It is said that he did not even throw away the shield which was
in his hand. Then he gave GARGAR to JOSCELYN I and he took from him the place which is called
SOPROS. And JOSCELYN sold GARGAR to BASIL, the brother of the Catholicus of the ARMENIANS.

And MICHAEL collected an army and went and took the country of KHISHUM. And the FRANKS laid an
ambush for him and killed him. And DEGHA BASIL went to LEON in CILICIA and became his son-in-law.
And he collected ARMENIANS and came to make war on the FRANKS who were in KEPHAR-ZAMAN,
and many of the ARMENIANS were killed. In this year, in the month of the LATTER KANON
(JANUARY), there was such a hard frost that the birds of the mountains, partridges and such-like, and also
the wild beasts of the desert, oryxes and such-like, fled [from their nests and dens] and came into the towns,
and especially into the city of 'AMID. And the governor commanded that no man should harm them, and the
people gave them food until the month of NISAN (APRIL), and then he drove them out. It is said that before
the frost came, from [the time of] autumn, the birds and the beasts began to go into caves, and this showeth
[298] that God hath implanted in irrational creatures a knowledge as to what kind of weather is about to come
before the changes take place.

And in this year Sultan MAS'UD sent to the Khalifah RASHID and demanded from him the three hundred
thousand dinars which his father MUSTARSHID had promised him when he was with him, and also the
three hundred thousand dinars which, he said, 'he had collected for me as assistance from the people of
BAGHDAD ', and send me also the sum which, according to custom, is due to me [as beginning] a new
Khalifate'. Then the Khalifah collected his nobles and took counsel with them, saying, "What reply shall we
make?' And they advised [him] saying, 'We will gather together troops and meet the TURKS (?) in battle’;
and he accepted their advice. And he opened up his treasuries, and brought out much gold, and enlisted very
many soldiers. And he sent to the envoy of MAS'UD and said unto him, 'The gold which my father promised
was intended [to pay] for his saving (or, deliverance) from you. And ye killed him, and I am ready to take
vengeance for him on you. There is nothing for you with me except the sword.’ When the envoy heard these
things he left and fled. And the Khalifah devoted zealous care to the building of the wall and towers.

And in those days ZANGI, the lord of MAWSIL, came to the assistance of the Khalifah, and DAWUD, the
son of the brother of Sultan MAS'UD, also came. And the Sultan wished to stop the proclaiming of MAS'UD
and to proclaim DAWUD. But ZANGI did not wish [it] and he said, "Ye shall not traffic much with
MAS'UD". And they replied to this young man, 'Go and fight thine uncle. If thou conquerest and art
confirmed we will proclaim thee.’ But the Khalifah did not accept this, and he suppressed the name MAS'UD,
and proclaimed DAWUD Sultan.

Then MAS'UD sent to the Khalifah and said unto him, 'We have no longer any need of thee. Behold, we will
set up a suitable Khalifah of the family of 'ALI. Do thou then look out for another place for thyself, and get

thee gone and depart whithersoever thou wishest.' Then was the Khalifah agitated, and he sent to BAHRUZ,
the Amir of TAGRITH, and asked him to let him go to him, and make himself safe in the fortress of
TAGRITH. And BAHRUZ replied, 'I myself am a servant of MAS'UD, and if he should demand, thee of me I
should be unable to stop him'. Then the Khalifah was compelled to prepare for the war of MAS'UD, and he
brought his tents outside BAGHDAD, and with him were ZANGI and the rest of the nobles. Then arrived the
report, [299] 'MAS'UD hath arrived with a great army’. Then ZANGI spake with the nobles and said, 'Ye
know what happened to MUSTARSHID because of the dissension of his nobles, and that neither he nor they
obtained any benefit. Therefore if your object (or, intention) is honest (or, upright), and ye are ready to make
war on Sultan MAS'UD willingly, tell me so that I may know; and if not why meet him in battle and be
plundered and broken? Get you gone, every man to his country, keeping for yourselves the property which is
yours.’ And although the mouths of all of them were silent, and they made no reply, but each one of them was
looking, ZANGI knew that they were traitors, and he told the Khalifah [so]. And they all stood up again and
went into the city, and they pitched their tents within the wall. Then ZANGI departed immediately and went
to MAWSIL. And the Khalifah also seeing him depart was unable to restrain himself, and he fled with
ZANGI to MAWSIL.

Then Sultan MAS'UD went into BAGHDAD, and he treated the people thereof with kindness, and he did not
wish to loot a single house. And he gathered together all the nobles, and he produced and showed them the
document of the Khalifah RASHID [in which was written], 'On the day in which I collect troops, and go forth
to fight even one of the Amirs of Sultan MAS'UD, I shall be dismissed from the Khalifate'. And as the
witnesses who had signed the document were present, and their testimonies were confirmed, they dismissed
RASHID legally from the Khalifate. And they brought other charges against him, namely, 'That he had had
union with his father's concubines, that he drank wine, that he neglected prayers, that he played with balls,
that he was unjust and an oppressor, and that he shed innocent blood’.

After RASHID, MUSTAFI his uncle, the son of MUSTATHIR, [ruled] for twenty-four years and two months.
RASHID being dismissed, the Sultan called SHARAF AD-DIN ZAINI the Wazir, and committed to him the
choice of the man who was to succeed. But he chose his uncle, who had been dismissed, because he was his
son-in-law and the husband of his daughter. And Sultan MAS'UD went into the palace with the nobles and
brought MUSTAFI, and they gave assent to his election after he had testified concerning him that he would
give to the Sultan one hundred [300] and twenty thousand dinars. For at that time there was not one dinar in
the Khalifah's treasury, whilst the Khalifah MUKTAFI had ten housand dinars before he began to rule, and
from them he supplied his need in connexion with taking his seat on the throne. And the proclaiming of
RASHID and of the Sultan DAWUD ceased, and the proclaiming of MUSTAFI and of Sultan MAS'UD
succeeded. It is said that when the Sultan went out from the palace of the Khalifah, he called the Wazir to him
and blamed him for his choice. And he said, "Thou hast done wrong in making to succeed a full grown,
middle aged man with intelligence. If thou hadst set up a young man and trained him, he would have looked
upon thee with a kindly eye, and the command and the administration of the kingdom would have remained
in thy hands for a long time, that is until he attained to the estate of completed manhood. Believe [me],
believe [me], thou wilt not benefit by this choice of thine, and thou wilt see [that I am right].'

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The History of the Crusades (continued).

And when the year five hundred and thirty one of the ARABS [A.D. 1136] began, the son of
DANISHMAND, the lord of MELITENE, sent an envoy to the Sultan in BAGHDAD in order to persuade
him to let him return again to his office. And when they brought the envoy to kiss the door-sill according to
custom, he objected, and refused [to do so], and said, 'I am not going to kiss the door-sill, from which the lord
thereof hath been expelled'. Then ZANGI collected an army and came to TAGRITH, and smote the cavalry
(?) of Sultan MAS'UD and returned to MAWSIL. And the Khalifah MUKTAFI sent to ZANGI and promised
to give him ten famous places (towns?), and [told him] that he must not help RASHID. And ZANGI replied,
'T have sworn an oath that I will not deliver him into thy hands, not even if ye give me these places. I will
proclaim you, and agree with you; and although I will not help this man, I will not drive him forth from me.'
And the ten places were given to him, HARBI, and HADIRAH, and SARIFAYN, and HILLAH, and others.
And ZANGI proclaimed MUKTAFI and Sultan MAS'UD. And he made RASHID to dwell in a quarter of
MAWSIL which is called 'the Golden’.

At this time there was in BAGHDAD an old woman, the wife of a certain man, and she was living as a
servant in the house of a wealthy merchant, near the Gate 'AZGHA (BAB AL-'AZAJ). When the merchant
went on the road, [301] his wife and his daughter remained in the house. And the old woman took her son
and some other young men who were thieves, and they came by night and went into the house of the
merchant, and stole everything [in it]. And when they had gone out the old woman said to the wife of the
merchant,’ Blessed be God who hath made blind their eyes, and they did not open the casket (i.e. safe)'. And
when the thieves heard this, they turned back and opened the box and took from it four thousand dinars, and
precious stones, and pearls and departed.

And MA'UD and DAWUD met each other in battle. And MAS'UD was broken, and many of his partisans
were killed. In this year, which was the year fourteen hundred and forty-eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 1137),
TTWANNI (JOANNES), the king of the GREEKS, went forth in wrath against LEO the ARMENIAN, and he
captured TARSOS, and 'ADANA, and MOPSUESTIA. And he took LEO, and his wife, and his sons, and
sent them to CONSTANTINOPLE. And he departed and went down to ANTIOCH, and being unable to
capture it, JOSCELYN came, and they agreed that ''WANNI should take ALEPPO and other cities of SYRIA
and give [them] to the FRANKS and that they should give him ANTIOCH. And they were of one mind. And
they came and encamped against ALEPPO, and took the fortress of BUZAI'AH, and posted warriors against
SHAIZAR. Then MAS'UD, Sultan of ICONIUM, attacked CILICIA, and he captured the city of 'ADANA,
and he took all the people and the bishop; and brought them prisoners to MELITENE. When 'TWANNI the
king heard these things he burnt the engines of war, and went back to CILICIA, and made peace with
MAS'UD, the lord of ICONIUM, and went to CONSTANTINOPLE.

And MALIK MAHAMMAD, the lord of MELITENE, drove out his brother DAWLAH (DAWLATH), and
he took from him ABLESTIN and the land of GHIHAN. And DAWLAH crossed the HANAZIT, and went

from there to 'AMID, and from there to JOSCELYN, and went about from place to place. At this time, the
Amir 'ISA, the lord of SIBABARAK, which is SABUKT, a descendant of BOGHOS, the ARMENIAN who
went to BAGHDAD and became a Muslim, collected an army, and went to plunder the country of GARGAR.
And when he saw that the country had already been laid waste, he set his face against the monasteries and
Convents. And he attacked the Monastery of MAR (302) 'ABHHAI, which is DAIRA DHE SEBHLATHA.
And being unable to enter on the side which was on the bank of the EUPHRATES, he went up on the top of a
rock and he let men down from there. And the monks were afraid and went out to him. And he took
possession of everything, and carried off all the equipment and furniture [of the church] which he found, the
chalices and phials of silver, and the crosses, and everything which had been there from the time of MAR
JOHN the Patriarch, the son of 'ABHDON; and he took also the piscina. And he transferred RABBAN
DAVID, the anchorite, and his companions to the convent of SHIRA, and no one remained except 'ABU
JALIB at the table of the king.

And in the year five hundred and thirty-two of the ARABS (A.D. 1137), RASHID the Khalifah abandoned
MAWSIL, and went to KHORASAN, to Sultan DAWUD, and he received him with honour; and the two of
them went and took HAMADAN from sultan MAS'UD. From there RASHID attacked 'ESFAHAN, and he
became sick with a severe sickness; and whilst he was [lying] ill four men of KHORASAN attacked him and
killed him by the gate of 'ESFAHAN. It is said that even if he had not been killed he would very soon have
died of his illness, because deadly poison had been administered to him three times. And he was buried by
the gate of 'ESFAHAN, where he was killed, even as his father was buried by the gate of MARAGAH, where
he was killed.

And in the year fourteen hundred and forty-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 1138), when EDESSA was besieged
by the TURKS, three hundred Frankish horsemen assembled, and about four thousand fighting foot-soldiers,
and others, and they sallied out from SAMOSATA, and they went to take food into EDESSA. And an ambush
of TEMURTASH, the lord of MARDIN, attacked them, and the greater number of the Christians were killed,
and the remainder were carried off as slaves. Present with the was 'ABU SA'D, a minister, physician and
philosopher, and MICHAEL, the son of SHMONA, and his son. And TEMURTASH also took the fortress of
KESOS from the FRANKS. And MAS'UD of ICONIUM attacked the country of KHISHUM, and he
captured and burnt the villages.

And in the year five hundred and thirty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1138), in the second month, there was a
severe earthquake in GANZAH, a city in Persian territory. And there perished therein two hundred and thirty
thousand souls, and the whole city was completely engulfed, and black waters burst up from the ground; and
those who escaped [303] went out and took up their abode in the cemeteries and bewailed their [dead]
relations.

And in the year fourteen hundred and fifty of the GREEKS (A.D. 1139), MALIK MAHAMMAD, the lord of
MELITENE, went to the country of CILICIA, and captured the two fortresses BAHGAI and
GABNUPIRATH. And he invaded also the country of KASINOS, which is on the coast of the SEA OF
PONTUS, and he plundered and made captives of all the people and sold them into slavery.

And in the year fourteen hundred and fifty-one of the GREEKS (A.D.1140) the earth was rent in the country
of CALONICUS, and it swallowed up forty horsemen with their horses, and only one who had turned aside
to make water was saved. And the sound of the groans of men and their horses came up for a long time.

And in the year five hundred andthirty-four of the ARABS (A.D. 1139) the word which Sultan MAS'UD
spake to the Wazir SHARAF AD-DIN was actually fulfilled; now he said that he had been foolish in the
choice of a Khalifah. For that Khalifah began to meddle in political matters without the advice of the Wazir,

and the Wazir was cut off in his house. And when he brought him he discussed matters with him
disingenuously. And the hand of the Wazir was suppressed in very many affairs, and after a little the Khalifah
dismissed him finally from his office of Wazir.

And in the year five hundred and thirty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1140), which is the year fourteen hundred
and fifty-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1411), in the month of the FIRST TESHRIN (OCTOBER), the TURKS
of MELITENE attacked the monasteries of BETH ZABAR, that is of BETH KANYA, and they looted them
and went away. And in the month of 'TYAR (MAY) the FRANKS came to take vengeance, and they came to
ZOBATRA and to 'ARKA, and they carried off the possessions of the Christians, and they killed many
TURKS and took their children and women prisoners. And the TURKS went forth with great haste from the
country of HANAZIT to invade the country of the FRANKS. And they met a holy man of KALISURA as he
was crossing the mountain of 'ABHDAHAR, and they seized him and those who were with him and tied
them up to kill them. And suddenly there fell upon them the terrifying sound of the FRANKS, and they left
the monks and fled. And the FRANKS came and unbound their fetters.

And 'TWANNI (JOANNES), the king of the GREEKS, went forth and came to NEO-CAESAREA. And the
camps of the GREEKS and TURKS who had already encamped faced each other for six months, and they
separated without fighting a battle. At that time every Christian who mentioned the name of the king [304] of
the GREEKS or of the FRANKS, even unwittingly, the TURKS slew. And because of this many of the
people of MELITENE perished.

And in the year five hundred and thirty-six of the ARABS (A.D, 1141) KHAWARAZM SHAH sent to the
king of the HUNS the men who had not gone back to Islam, who were called 'Turk kafir' by the ARABS (_.e.
Turkish infidel), and he invited and summoned him to war with Sultan SENJAR, because Sultan SENJAR
had killed the brother of KHAWARAZM SHAH. And whilst those HUNS were satisfied with three hundred
thousand men, SENJAR collected one hundred thousand, and crossed the river GIHON. And he met the
HUNS in battle, and his partisans were utterly broken. It is said that SENJAR escaped with six souls [only];
and he came to the city of BALKH. And his wife and his daughter's daughter, and four thousand other
women, were carried off captives. And of that hundred thousand not one escaped the sword or capture as a
prisoner.

And in the year fourteen hundred and fifty-fourof the GREEKS (A.D. 1143) MALIK MAHMUD died in
CAESAREA, and he commanded that DHUAN-NON, his son, should reign in his stead. Now his wife
brought his brother YA'KUB 'ARSLAN, and she became his wife; and he reigned in SEBASTIA. And
DHUAN-NON fled to SIMNADU, and ruled over CAESAREA. And DAWLAH, another brother, came, and
YUNUS, the lord of the fortress of MASARA, made a covenant with him, and they attacked MELITENE,
but they could not take it, and they left and went and encamped against 'ARKA. Then the KHATON, who
was with YA'KUB 'ARSLAN, sent for two thousand [men] to come to MELITENE and protect it, and to
expel the TURKS who were therein and send them to SEBASTIA. Then the TURKS who were therein
rebelled, and they smashed the gate of the city which was called BURIDYAH with axes, because the
governor would not allow them to go out; and they sallied out and put to flight those two thousand [men].
And on [that] day they sent and brought DAWLAH, and made him ruler of MELITENE.

Then Sultan MAS'UD of ICONIUM came against SEBASTIA, and he captured it and destroyed it. And he
also came against MELITENE, and encamped against it on the seventeenth day of the month of NISAN
(APRIL), and he set up engines of war, and afflicted it with fighting. And DAWLAH also, who was inside,
made the chiefs of the Christians to suffer terribly through the heavy taxes which he took from them and gave
to the combatants. And suddenly, after three months, [305] at dawn, on the day of the Feast of the Cross, in

the month of ILUL(SEPTEMBER), the Sultan burnt his engines of war and departed, and the people of
MELITENE had relief.

And in the month of NISAN (APRIL) of this year, ''WANNI, the king of the GREEKS, when hunting in
CILICIA, was gored by a wild boar and died. And because his eldest son was not present, he commanded that
MANUEL, his younger son, should reign. And he [began to] reign in NISAN (APRIL) of the year fourteen
hundred and fifty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1144). And when he went in to CONSTANTINOPLE his
brother received him and did homage to him, and he was confirmed in the kingdom. And the king of the
FRANKS of JERUSALEM, also when hunting, fell from [his] horse and died. And his younger son
BO'DWIN [III] reigned, and because he was very young his mother administered the kingdom.

And in the year fourteen hundred and fifty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1144), DAWUD, the governor of the
fortress of ZAID, died, and his younger son KARA 'ARSLAN rose up after him. And because 'ARSLAN
TOGHMISH, the eldest son of DAWUD, was with ZANGI, the lord of MAWSIL, ZANGI came that he
might expel KARA 'ARSLAN and appoint 'ARSLAN TOGHMISH. Then KARA 'ARSLAN went to Sultan
MAS'UD of ICONIUM, and took asylum with him. Then he gave him twenty thousand horsemen, and he
took them and went against ZANGI. When ZANGI heard [this] he returned to his country. And MAS'UD of
ICONIUM also came and encamped against MELITENE for three months, and he left it and departed.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Taking of Edessa from the Franks.

In the year fourteen hundred and fifty-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1145), when JOSCELYN the lord of
EDESSA went to ANTIOCH, the men of HARRAN informed ZANGI, the lord of MAWSIL, that EDESSA
was empty of troops. And ZANGI collected armies, and on the third day [of the week], on the twenty-eighth
day of the month of the LATTER TESHRIN (NOVEMBER), came and encamped against EDESSA. And
they pitched their camps by the Gate of SHA'E, close to the Church of the Confessors. And they set up seven
engines of war against it, and troops who shot in arrows [as thick] as drops of rain. And all the natives of the
town, great and small, and the monks of the mountains were standing on the wall and fighting. And all the
women were on the wall also, and they were pushing out stones, and water, and food for the combatants. And
whilst those who were outside had dug underground, and had reached the wall, [306] those who were inside
had dug underground and went forth against those who were outside. And they killed those whom they found
in the excavations, and went back and built up a wall before the part which was breached. Then those outside
dug under two other towers.

And when the towers were nigh to fall, ZANGI sent 'ATABAG to the EDESSEANS and said, 'Take ye two of
our men with you, and give us two men of yours so that they may see that the towers are nigh to fall;
surrender the city before ye are captured and perish by the sword'. Now PAPYAS, the chief of the FRANKS
who were in EDESSA, because he was confident that JOSCELYN and the king of JERUSALEM would
arrive to help them, was not convinced, but he scoffed at and made a mock of ZANGI. Then those who were
outside [the wall] set fire to the posts of wood which supported the towers, and they fell. And when the
TURKS began to pour in through the breach, the people of the city, and PAPYAS, and the holy men took
their stand inside the breach, and prevented the TURKS from coming in. And the breach was filled with
heaps of the slain of those who were inside and those who were outside.

And all the people being huddled together at the breach, the TURKS saw that the wall was emptied of
combatants, and they placed ladders in position and went up. And when those who were inside saw that the
TURKS were masters of the wall, their hands dropped, and they began to flee to the Citadel of the city. And
from that moment—what mouth would not be hampered in narrating, or what finger would not tremble in
writing, the account of the awful and horrible happenings which took place at the third hour of the day of the
Sabbath, on the third day of the month of the LATTER KANON (JANUARY)—the TURKS pushed in with
drawn swords, which drank the blood of old men and young men, of strong men and women, of priests and
deacons, of monks and anchorites, of nuns and virgins, of children of tender years, and of bridegrooms and
brides. O what a bitter history ! The city of ABHGAR, the friend of CHRIST, had become a thing to be
trampled under foot because of our iniquity! Woe on the tribulation! Sons denied their fathers, and fathers
their sons! The mother forgot to show mercy to her children! And every man ran to the top of the mountain.
And when the aged priests who were carrying the coffins of the martyrs saw the wrath of which the prophet
said, 'I will bear the wrath of the Lord because I have sinned' (Micah, vii. 13), they neither fled nor did they

cease to pray until the sword [307] silenced them. And afterwards they were found with the blood mingled in
their vestments. And a great many mothers collected their children about them as a hen collects her chicks,
expecting to die altogether by the sword, or that they would be carried off into slavery in a body.

And the guards of the Citadel would not open the doors to those who fled there until they saw the face of
PAPYAS, and as he did not flee to come with the first [fugitives], thousands were suffocated in the crush.
And when he arrived he was unable to enter because of the piles of dead bodies that were before the door of
the Citadel. And there he was shot by an arrow from the TURKS and he died. And when ZANGI saw the
horrible sight, he stopped the sword, Then the holy man BASILIUS was found naked and shoeless, and he
was dragged along by the TURKS with a rope. And when ZANGI saw him he recognized the graciousness
which was in his face and he asked who he was. And when he knew that he was the Metropolitan, he
commanded and [his servants] clothed him, and he had him brought into his tent. And he began to chide the
holy man because he had not surrendered the city and spared the wretched people from being killed. And the
holy man replied: "Divine Providence wished this to take place—that such a victory as this should be thine,
and a great and splendid name among thy fellow kings. And there is openness of face with us poor folk (i,e.
we are innocent) towards the Lord, for we have neither acted treacherouslv nor broken our oaths.’ And his
words pleased the 'ATABAG, and he said unto him, "Thou speakest truth, O Metropolitan, for those who keep
their oaths are honoured by God and by men, and especially those who endure to the death.’ As for those who
were in the Citadel, after two days they received the promise that their lives should be spared, and they
surrendered it. Now wherever the TURKS found a FRANK they killed him; but they left alive our people and
the ARMENIANS that were left. Now it is not for such as I am to relate the history of this calamity, but the
prophet JEREMIAH and those who are like unto him. Let men read the wise dirges which they have
composed, and the lamentations with [their] mournful songs and thoughtful comments concerning the people
which are to be pitied. For on the day in which EDESSA was taken, fire broke out in the Monastery of
KARARIT, which is in the country of KARSHENA, and it burnt up all the cells and one old monk, and the
others escaped as from a furnace of fire. And on that same day a village in the country of MAR'ASH was also
burnt. And fire broke out in the Monastery of [308] MAR BAR SAWMA. When three cells had been burnt
out they were able, though with considerable difficulty, to extinguish the fire. Now the pious MAR
DIONYSIUS BAR-SELIBHI composed two discourses on the capture of EDESSA, and MAR BASIL, a
native of EDESSA, composed three discourses, all of them in the metre of MAR JACOB.

And ZANGI having taken EDESSA went and encamped against BIRAH, a rebel fortress, which
overshadowed the EUPHRATES. And whilst he was harassing it with war, there came to him the report that
dissension had broken out in MAWSIL, and that his deputy there, NASIR AD-DIN, had been killed. Then he
left BIRAH and returned to MAWSIL. And the FRANKS who were in BIRAH, being afraid lest ZANGI
would come back and attack them again, sent [a letter] to HUSAM AD-DIN TEMURTASH, the son of
'ILGHAZI, the son of 'ARTUK, the lord of MARDIN, and delivered the city over to him. But 'ILGHAZI,
fearing lest ZANGI would come and attack his country, and capture the fortresses thereof, and rule by means
of them over all his country, destroyed many of the fortresses himself, namely, that of HUR'BHAR and that
of TELL-BESME, and that of THUMA, and that of TELL-SHIH, and that which was near the Monastery of
MAR HANANYA which is called 'Of the woman’. And at that time TEMURTASH took the fortress of
HATHKHA from a certain KURD, after he had encamped against it for one year and four months, by means
of the oaths (i.e. assurances), and gold and villages which he gave to the KURD its lord. And 'ARSLAN
TOGHMISH, the son of DAWUD, the lord of the fortress of ZAID, went forth from ZANGI and encamped
against TELLA of 'ARSANYAS, and he wanted them to surrender it, but they did not wish [to do so] because
their sons were hostages in the fortress of ZAID. And having made war upon it he captured it quickly. And
about fifteen thousand souls were found in it, captives from all parts of the country. And he commanded, and
they all, together with their bishop TIMOTHY, became slaves, and were sold.

And in the year five hundred and forty of the ARABS (A.D. 1145), ZANGI sent an army against the fortress
of PANAK, which is by the side of the island of KARDU, and is called [after] the 'Sons of 'OMAR'. This was
a rebel fortress which overshadowed the TIGRIS, and it had been in the hands of the BASHNAWAYE
KURDS for a period of three hundred years. And in the year five hundred and forty-one of the ARABS (A.D.
1146), ZANGI, having made peace with the natives [309] of MAWSIL after the murder of his deputy NASIR
AD-DIN, went to ALEPPO, because it belonged to him, and he collected an army and went and encamped
against the fortress of KAL'AH JA'BAR. And one day when he was sitting in his tent with the metal workers
who had made for him a bowl of gold which they had brought to him [for inspection], he bowed his head and
was examining it. And one of the slaves who were his armour-bearers smote him with a sword from behind
him, and cut off his head. And others say that one night when he was sunk in a drunken sleep three of his
slaves killed him. And they fled to the base of the wall [of the city] and said to the sentries [on top], 'Pull us
up that we may give you some good news'. And the sentries let down an earth basket and pulled them up one
by one with a rope. And when they reached the top they said to the men of the fortress, 'We have just killed
ZANGI, and at present no man knoweth anything about it, therefore do ye inform them’. And the sentries
blew the horns, and cried out to those who were below, saying, 'Rise up and bury ye your lord who hath been
killed, before he stinketh'. And when they went to ZANGI they found him dead.

Then MAHMUD his son, who was called NUR AD-DIN, because he was with him, attacked the fortress with
greater violence, and when he and those who were inside it were wearied by the struggle, he said unto them,
"Hand over to me my father's murderers and there shall be peace to you'. And they handed over the three
slaves to him. And after cruel torturings they killed them and burnt their bodies.

Now there remained to ZANGI four sons and one daughter: SAIF AD-DIN GHAZI, NUR AD-DIN
MAHMUD, KUTB AD-DIN MAWDUD, NUSRATH AD-DIN, Amir of the Amirs, and their sister. Now
ZANGI built the royal palaces which are in MAWSIL, because before his time there was only one royal
habitation there, namely that which is opposite the Stadium, that is to say the Maidan. He raised the walls
thereof, and he deepened the ditch thereof. And he opened the gate which is called 'EMADI after his name.
And he also planted gardens round about it. It is said that formerly vegetables (or, fruits) and grapes were so
very scarce in MAWSIL that when the waiter in the tavern was cutting bunches of grapes to sell, he would
cut the bunch off with a razor, taking care that not a single grape should fall upon the ground. [310] And it
was he who multiplied therein all kinds of fruits.

And he had in the palace of the Sultan men who gave him hints secretly about everything which was done
there by day and by night. And when an ambassador came to him he would never permit him to hold
converse with any of the members of his administration and his city. And one day he gave a precious object
to one of the slaves and said unto him, 'Guard this for me'. And the slave took it and wrapped it up in a
kerchief and placed it in his bosom, and it was with him for a full year. And after a year the 'ATABAG said
unto him, 'Where is that precious object?’ And straightway the slave brought it forth Out of his bosom, and
handed it to him. And the service of this slave pleased him, and he said, 'In like manner it is meet to fulfil the
guardianship of the fortress'; and he gave him the governorship of the fortress of KAWASHI, and sent him
thither. And he possesed also other [remarkable] characteristics, [e.g.] modesty coupled witn great ability, and
severity in dealing with offenders, but because of the length [of a summary of them] we must leave them. He
ruled over SYRIA nineteen years.

And when the 'ATABAG ZANGI was killed at KAL'AH JA'BAR there was with him a great and wise man
whose name was 'ASAD AD-DIN SHIRKUH. This man approached NUR AD-DIN, the son of ZANGI, and
said unto him, 'Behold I see the Wazir of thy father leading astray all the troops together with thy brother
SAIF AD-DIN, whom he wisheth to carry to MAWSIL, that he may reign there. Because of this what I now
propose is better for thee; viz. that I should carry thee to ALEPPO, so that thou canst reign there, and through

that place canst reign over all SYRIA. When this happeneth [thou wilt reign over] the East also, that is
MAWSIL, and its clime will be subject unto thee. And this operation was carried out. And the heralds made a
proclamation to [this effect] among the armies of SYRIA, and they all gathered together to NUR AD-DIN,
and they took ALEPPO, and NUR AD-DIN ruled over it, and over its Citadel. And SAIF AD-DIN, his
brother, took MAWSIL and ruled therein. And Sultan MAS'UD, because he loved SAIF AD-DIN—now
during his father's days he had served the Sultan greatly—sent to him royal apparel and confirmed him in the
Sultanate of MAWSIL. Now NUR AD-DIN was afraid of his brother SAIF AD-DIN, [311] and he showed by
gifts and other kinds of homage that he was afraid to meet him. And after [swearing] oaths, when SAIF AD-
DIN went to SYRIA, NUR AD-DIN came to him. And when they met each other NUR AD-DIN bowed
down and kissed the ground before his brother, and SAIF AD-DIN also bowed down, and they embraced
each other and wept. And SAIF AD-DIN said unto NUR AD-DIN, 'Why didst thou not come to me? Is it
possible that thou wast afraid of me? Believe me, my brother, there hath never entered into my mind the
thought which thou hast imagined. What good would life and countries be to me if I worked evil on my
brother?’ And thus being reconciled to each other, each returned, to his own place.

And at the time when ZANGI was killed, BAYMOND (RAYMOND?), the lord of ANTIOCH, went forth to
the country of ALEPPO and HAMATH, and he made a great slaughter of the ARABS. And haying made
many captives, SHIRKUH overtook him, and sent them back. And MUJIR AD-DIN, the lord of
DAMASCUS, went against B'ELBAK, and harassed it with war, and took it from NAJM AD-DIN IYUB, the
father of SALAH AD-DIN. And he gave certain villages to NAJM AD-DIN, and carried him with him to
DAMASCUS.

And in the year fourteen hundred and fifty-eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 1147), in the month of the FIRST
TESHRIN (OCTOBER), JOSCELYN and BO'DWIN the lord of KHISHUM came to EDESSA. And during
the night the Frankish foot-soldiers ascended by ladders the two towers through the plan which they had
made with certaln ARMENIANS who were guarding the walls, and the TURKS fled to the Citadel. And in
the morning the Water Gate was opened and JOSCELYN went in. And when the FRANKS had remained in
EDESSA six days, NUR AD-DIN, with ten thousand TURKS, burst out upon them. Then JOSCELYN
harassed the wretched people of EDESSA, and he seized men, and women, and youths,and maidens, and
expelled them with violence at the second hour of the night. And, when the day broke the TURKS overtook
them, at the same time raining upon them arrows like hail-stones, and wounding them seriously. Alas for the
cloud of wrath, and the day which was without mercy! Alas for the night of death, and the dawn of
GEHENNA! Alas for the day of destruction which burst upon the wretched citizens and natives of the city
which had been envied!

For the horsemen of the FRANKS, since they could not stand against the TURKS, left and fled. [312] And
the foot-soldiers of the FRANKS who were unable to flee fixed their gaze on the great ruined fortress which
is called the 'Star', and went up there. And there remained the hapless people (or, mob) who were to be pitied,
and the sword of the TURKS mastered them as fire mastereth straw. And when the TURKS were exhausted
through slaughtering, they stripped those who remained of their shoes and apparel, and they tied cords to
them, men and women alike, and they forced them to run naked with horses. The number of the killed on the
first onrush and on the second onrush amounted to thirty thousand, and sixteen thousand people were carried
off as captives. And those who escaped with the foot-soldiers of the FRANKS into the ruined fortress were
one thousand men. Not a single woman or child was saved, and those who did not perish were sold into
slavery in foreign countries. And EDESSA remained a waste place, and saturated with blood, and filled with
the limbs of her sons and her daughters; and the sirens used to go into it during the nights to feed upon the
flesh of the slain, And it became a habitation for jackals. Even the dead body of BO'DWIN, the lord of
KHISHUM, was not found, and the accursed JOSCELYN escaped to SAMOSATA. Our holy man BASIL
was saved by flight, but he of the ARMENIANS was seized, together with many others.

Now when the FRANKS heard of the disaster which had taken place in EDESSA, they were greatly moved,
and many armies rushed out from ITALY, the king of ALLEMAGNE (GERMANY, CONRAD?) with ninety
thousand horsemen, and the king of 'AFRANZIS (FRANCE), whom the ARABS call FONIS (LOUIS?), with
fifty thousand [horsemen], and an endless number of foot-soldiers.

And in the year of the GREEKS fourteen hundred and fifty-nine(A.D. 1148) they waged war against
CONSTANTINOPLE, because they knew the treachery of the GREEKS. Then king MANUEL, after much
gold which he gave to them, swore that he would guide them without treachery. And straightway he deceived
them, sending before them guides who took them into difficult mountains where there was no water. And
when they had remained in this state for five days and had wandered about, their guides having fled, myriads
of them died of thirst, both they and their horses. And the TURKS heard [of this], and they rushed out on the
FRANKS who were scattered about [313] among the mountains, and when they found them in groups they
destroyed them. And the countries of the TURKS were filled with the spoil of the FRANKS, and talents of
silver were sold as if they were lead in MELITENE. And those of the FRANKS who escaped returned to the
sea-coast of PONTUS. The GREEKS mixed lime with the flour of wheat and gave it to the FRANKS to eat
[in their bread]. And whilst they were eating company after company of them fell down and died.

The king of GERMANY, with three Counts, alone escaped, and came to JERUSALEM, and he prayed and
was blessed by the Holy Tomb. And after he had rested a few days he came against DAMASCUS with ten
thousand horsemen and sixty thousand foot-soldiers. Now the TURKS and the ARABS were in number about
one hundred and thirty thousand foot-soldiers, besides horsemen. And the FRANKS, seeing that the ARABS
and TURKS though very numerous, were not formidable, plucked up courage and approached until they
pitched their camps by the rivers and among gardens. Now MU'IN, the lord of DAMASCUS, seeing that his
hope had already been cut off, sent secretly to the king of JERUSALEM a letter of flattering words and gold,
viz. two hundred thousand dinars, all of them [being] copper (or, brass) plated with Egyptian gold, and he
sent likewise to the lord of TIBERIAS (?) fifty thousand [dinars] made of this adulterated gold, which was
tested and discovered [to be base] having gone into circulation. And this gold crumbled away. Although I
have read through five different Arabic manuscripts, I have not found this story in them; it is only the blessed
MAR MICHAEL who hath recorded it in writing.

Now when the great king of GERMANY perceived the treachery, he left DAMASCUS and went back to his
own country in great sadness, And this was the evil end which came upon that great people. And when the
king of SICILY understood about the treachery of the GREEKS he was furiously angry. And he came against
the city of THEBES and took it and destroyed it; and he made the GREEKS who were therein to perish by
the sword. And he also treated thus ADRIANOPLE, and PHILIPOPOLIS, and he came also to
CONSTANTINOPLE, and laid waste the whole of its surrounding lands.

And LEO, the ARMENIAN, the governor of CILICIA, died at this time in CONSTANTINOPLE, and his son
[TOROS] fled on foot like a beggar and came to CILICIA. And he went to [314] our holy man MAR
ATHANASIUS and asked for help from him in prayer so that God might restore to him the heritage of his
fathers. And whilst he was praying over him he gave him as a blessing (i.e. a gift) the price of a horse. And
having acquired a mount there joined him twelve men, ARMENIANS, and they went first of all and attacked
the fortress which is called 'AMUDHA". And when the men of the fortress saw their lord outside, they
surrendered the fortress to him quickly, and he went in and killed the GREEKS who were in it. And the fear
of him fell upon the GREEKS who were in the rest of the fortresses, and he captured many positions without
difficulty. And the ARMENIANS and the GREEKS joined themselves to him, and they met the TURKS in
battle, and destroyed about three thousand of them. And he was triumphant, and renown accrued to him. And
the TURKS also took good heed to him and never contended with him. Then he also reigned over the cities,
'ANAZARBA and the rest.

And in this year NUR AD-DIN, the son of ZANGI, took APAMEA and other fortresses from the FRANKS.
And the lord of ANTIOCH laid an ambush for him, and killed many of his army; but NUR AD-DIN himself,
together with a few men, escaped and went to ALEPPO.

And in the year fourteen hundred and sixty of the GREEKS (A.D. 1149), which is the year five hundred and
forty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1148), NUR AD-DIN went against HARIM, and he took the suburbs thereof
and laid waste the buildings which were outside its fortress. And when PRAYNS, the lord of ANTIOCH,
sallied forth to drive him away from HARIM, the FRANKS were conquered by the TURKS, and PRAYNS
himself, than whom, among all the kings of the FRANKS, there was none more feared by the TURKS, was
killed. And dissension broke out among the men of ANTIOCH, and many of them wished to surrender the
city to NUR AD-DIN. Then others of them sent hurriedly to the king of JERUSALEM, and he arrived
quickly, and gave courage to the remnant of the horsemen who remained [there]. And he appointed their
Patriarch to be their governor until BOHAYMOND, the son of PRAYNS, who had been killed, grew up. And
the lord of KHISHUM was killed at this time, and JOSCELYN reigned over KHISHUM and over BETH
HESNE.

And in this year the son of MAS'UD, the Sultan of ICONIUM, whose name was KELEJ 'ARSLAN,
encamped against MAR'ASH, and he took it from the FRANKS. And having allowed the Frankish horsemen,
and the bishop, and the elders to depart [315] to ANTIOCH, because forsooth of the oaths which he had
sworn to them, he dispatched the TURKS to attack them [whilst they were] on the road, and they killed them.
During this capture the furniture and equipment of our church which was in MAR'ASH perished by the hands
of the elders who were rebelling against the bishop, namely, the box of Muron [oil], and the chalices and
phials, and the silver censers, and the curtains and the draperies.

And the lord of the fortress of ZAID, that is KARA 'ARSLAN, took BABHULA from the FRANKS and sent
raiders to the country of GARGAR. And when they saw that the whole people with their riches were hiding
in the mountains of MAR BAR-SAWMA, they laid an ambush in three places, and at dawn they burst forth
and took the beasts (i.e. sheep and goats) and cattle. And three of the vassals of the monastery were killed,
and two of the TURKS. And the TURKS sent a message to the monastery, saying, 'Give us the men of
GARGAR so that we may give back to you everything which we have taken. For we reverence this saint, and
to him we pay vows, and we have not come to do evil to his monastery. As for the people whom we have
taken, it is not to carry them off into slavery, but to remove them and transport them to their villages so that
they may do work on the farms for us.'

And dissension broke out in the monastery, and some of the monks said, 'Let us surrender [them]', and others
said, 'No, [we will not],' and at length the men of the monastery were nearly ready for a sword to descend
between them. Then an aged monk took two persons from each of the two parties, and they went out to the
TURKS, and the old man said unto them, 'If what ye say is true, and ye really wish to have these men to do
work on the farm and not as slaves, let some of you come with us, and we will go to the Amir who is your
protector, and whatsoever he in his justice commandeth we will do'. Then their treachery was laid bare. And
the [two parties of] monks agreed together and with one voice they all cried out, 'We will not surrender
[them]'. Then the TURKS burned the wine presses and the props of the vineyards, and they left [the place]
and departed. And the monks went to the fortress of ZAID and appeared before the Amir, and God placed
mercy in his heart, and he had everything which had been taken given back.

And in [that] year JOSCELYN went forth from TELL-BASHIR to go to ANTIOCH with two hundred
horsemen, who were hoping to meet with a ship, and as they were journeying along by night a few
TURCOMANS met them; and they trembled at the mere sound of the word (i.e. name) and fled. And the
TURKS pursued and overtook them, [316] and captured JOSCELYN, and they brought him to NUR AD-

DIN, the lord of ALEPPO, and he bought him from them for one thousand dinars, and he bound him in
fetters and imprisoned him. And he lived in prison for nine years, and although they were constantly urging
him with promises and threats to become a Muslim, he never yielded.

But he persisted in his Faith, and he confessed saying that it was because of his sins and because he had taken
the Monastery of MAR BAR SAWMA, as by God's help we will show in [our] 'ECCLESIASTICAL
HISTORY ', that the Lord had punished him. And when his end drew nigh, he asked for the Bishop, and they
brought him to him, and he offered confession; and the Bishop administered to him the Holy Mysteries, and
there in a cave he ended his life. And when JOSCELYN was made a prisoner, the TURKS plucked up
courage, and took many places from the FRANKS, GARGAR, and GHAKHTI, and also HSEN MANSUR
and TIGHINKAR, which is by the side of the monastery. Now when JOSCELYN fell, the FRANKS who
were in TELL-BASHIR set up his son, a youth, in his place; and he also was called JOSCELYN.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Taking of Edessa from the Franks (continued).

And in the year fourteen hundred and sixty-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1150), when the men of KHISUM saw
the growing power of the TURKS, they sent the holy man MAR 'TWANNIS (JOANNES) to MAS'UD, Sultan
of ICONIUM, and received a pledge concerning the FRANKS who were with them, that they should depart
in peace to 'AINTAB; and this actually took place. And the Sultan of ICONIUM himself reigned over
KHISHUM and BETH HESNE, and RA'BAN and PARZAMAN, and MAR'ASH. And when he encamped
against TELL-BASHIR, NUR AD-DIN, the son of ZANGI, came to him, and the Sultan gave him his
daughter to wife. And he left her at TELL-BASHIR, and departed, because he was unable to take her. Then
came the king of JERUSALEM, and he expelled the wife of JOSCELYN, and his children, and all the
FRANKS, and carried them to JERUSALEM; and he established in TELL-BASHIR certain men of the king
of the GREEKS. And these GREEKS also ruled over 'AINTAB and 'AZAZ. And afterwards, when NUR AD-
DIN harassed them with war and famine, they handed over to him these places peacefully.

And TEMURTASH, the lord of MARDIN, ruled over BIRAH, and SAMOSATA, and KHURIS, and
KEPHAR SUT. Now there was in that Rhomaytish castle a certain man, an ARMENIAN, whose name was
MICHAEL. [317] This man sent a message to the wife of JOSCELYN and to his son, [ordering] them to
command GREGORIUS, the Catholicus of the ARMENIANS who was in DAIRA DHE YAMETHA, to
come and dwell with him and be his helper. And when he came he acted treacherously towards MICHAEL,
and he took all his possessions and drove him out, and he himself remained, in that Rhomaytish castle.

And in the year which was the year five hundred and forty-four of the ARABS (A.D. 1149), SAIF AD-DIN,
the son of ZANGI, the lord of MAWSIL, took the city of DARA from TEMURTASH, the lord of MARDIN,
and he also went and encamped against MARDIN. Then TEMURTASH, being defeated by him, gave him his
daughter to wife, and made peace with him. And when SAIF AD-DIN went back to MAWSIL he fell sick
and died.

And after him KUTAB AD-DIN MAWDUD, his brother, rose up in his place, and he took to wife the
daughter of TEMURTASH. Then certain nobles sent to NUR AD-DIN in ALEPPO and asked him to come to
them. And forthwith, without any delay, NUR AD-DIN with seventy horsemen came to SHIGHAR, and [the
men] thereof surrendered it to him. And he sent to KARA 'ARSLAN, the lord of the fortress, and promised
him the fortress of HAYTAM that he might come to his assistance. And KUTAB AD-DIN, his brother,
collected an army and went out to TELL 'AFAR to meet NUR AD-DIN in battle. Then the nobles spake to
him and he gave EMESA, because it belonged to SAIF AD-DIN, to NUR AD-DIN. And NUR AD-DIN gave
back SHIGHAR to KUTAB AD-DIN, and he left and went back to ALEPPO.

And in this year there was a flood in the fortress of ZAID, on the twenty-third day of the month of 'AB
(AUGUST), and it carried away a child and his mother, and two mules, and two buffaloes, and a donkey, and
they were all drowned.

And in the year fourteen hundred and sixty-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1151), the wife of the lord of
'IZANGE strangled him with a bowstring, and she brought her brother from DIBARIGI, and he took her to
wife and became king. And a certain Turkish AMIR went up to the monastery of SIRIKHA of the GREEKS
of PONTUS, and he took away the gold cross wherein was a piece of the wood of the Crucifixion, and he
visited the troops who were in that country. And afterwards he brought back again to the monastery the great
amount of spoil which he took from the monks. Then were put to shame, and covered with disgrace, the
GREEKS who uttered blasphemies against Saint MAR BAR-SAWMA and said, 'If there was any power in
him,why did he permit JOSCELYN [318] to carry off his right hand?

And in this year NUR AD-DIN went to the country of DAMASCUS. And he sent word to the
DAMASCENES, saying, 'I have not come to fight with you, but to remove disgrace from you. For behold, ye
are yoked under the tribute of the FRANKS, and the sons and daughters of your country are prisoners with
the FRANKS, and ye have no helper.' Then the DAMASCENES sent word to him, saying, 'We are at peace
with the FRANKS, and we do not need your help. And if thou dost not leave [us] and return to thine own
country, behold, we will send for the FRANKS to come, and we together with them will meet thee with the
sword.' And when NUR AD-DIN heard such a message as this he was filled with transports of rage, and he
wished to and encamp against the city; but God sent violent and destructive rains, and he was unable to
march. And the nobles of DAMASCUS went out and pacified him, and they proclaimed him after the
Khalifah and the Sultan; and he left them and returned to ALEPPO.

And in the year fourteen hundred and sixty-three of the GREEKS (A.D. 1152), the FRANKS again sallied
forth in anger against the treacherous GREEKS and they came and burnt the whole of the country-side of
CONSTANTINOPLE. And they also went forth to PALESTINE, and burnt many villages in the country of
ASCALON, and they shed much blood of the TURKS and ARABS whom they found. And they also went
forth to EGYPT and laid waste and burnt many villages in the west of EGYPT, and then they returned to their
own country. And in that year, DAWLAH, the lord of MELITENE, died, and DHU'L-KARNAIN his son
reigned after him. And when MAS'UD, the Sultan of ICONIUM, heard [of this] he attacked YA'KUB
'ARSLAN, the brother of DAWLAH. And having subjugated him he encamped against MELITENE, and he
destroyed all the beautiful suburbs thereof.

Then the mother of the young man went forth—now she was his brother's daughter—and she entreated him
on behalf of her son. And the Sultan said, 'If he will come forth to me and tender his submission, he will be
received by me, and the city shall remain his’. Then the young man went forth carryring a sword and a
shroud, and the Sultan received him, and confirmed his authority; and then the young man went forth and
departed. Then the mother of the young man ruled the city, and she made [the people] thereof to suffer very
many evils—not only the Christians but the ARABS, especially in the matter of imposts and levies and taxes.
And she gathered together about her women of sorceries (i.e. witches), and women who [319] raised up the
dead, and they prophesied to her that she would reign, and could marry anyone she pleased. And because of
this she planned to kill the young man her son, but when her plot was discovered, the nobles cast her out and
drove her away, and the sorceresses who were her friends. To that woman the word of prophesy applieth:
‘Rise thou up now with thine enchantments and thy sorceries, perhaps thou wilt be able to profit therefrom. I
am weary with the multitude of thy thoughts' (Isaiah, xlvii. 12).

And in that year violent rains fell, and they washed away great rocks and hills, and a portion of the mountain
also was detached and it slid down into the valley of BETH 'ABDAHAR, the Citadel of the village of
TARSHANA. And the flow of the EUPHRATES was impeded for three hours, and the waters mounted up to
the village of PROSIDIN, which was situated at the top of the mountaln. And then the obstacles on the skirts
of MOUNT CLAUDIA were burst asunder, and the waters poured down and wrought great destruction in
SYRIA. And in this year the plague waxed strong among the natives of MEYAT, and about twelve thousand

persons died, and very many monasteries were emptied, of their inhabitants. And when NUR AD-DIN again
attacked DAMASCUS the FRANKS gathered together to help the DAMASCENES. And when NUR AD-
DIN heard [this] he returned to ALEPPO.

And in this year, which was the year five hundred and forty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1151), SALAH AD-
DIN went forth from NAJM AD-DIN 'TYOB his father, who was the governor in B'ELBAK, and he came to
ALEPPO, to his uncle'ASAD AD-DIN SHIRKUH. And he brought him to NUR AD-DIN, and he received
him and gave him sustenance.

And in the year fourteen hundred and sixty-four of the GREEKS, which is the year five hundred and forty-
seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1152), the king of JERUSALEM quarrelled with his mother, and the queen
fortified herself in the Tower of DAVID. Then the nobles acted as intermediaries for them, and she abdicated
the queenship of JERUSALEM, and left the remaining cities and the troops to the king her son. And the king
attacked the city of ASCALON, which was in the hands of the Egyptian ARABS, and he set up against it a
wooden tower, and engines of war, and he made a breach in the wall. And four hundred Brothers (Freres?)
leaped up and went in through the breach, and the ARABS killed them all; for twenty thousand armour-clad
men were standing inside the breach. [320] And the king himself was suffering greatly, and he was about to
abandon the place and depart, when a certain warrior captured it. And the FRANKS kept guard over the
breach the whole night and did not permit the ARABS to build it up.

And at the time of dawn the king took a cross, and cast it into the city and cried out, 'Any man who will not
go in with the cross is no Christian’. And they all leaped up and went into the city. And about fifteen thousand
ARABS were killed in ASCALON, and the remainder in thousands fled to EGYPT. Now what is correct is
(i.e. the truth is) that in the year five hundred and forty-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1153), which is the year
fourteen hundred and sixty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1154), the FRANKS took ASCALON, but MAR
MICHAEL states that it was [taken] the year before. And by this triumph which the king of JERUSALEM
won the sovereignty of ANTIOCH became his by right, and he took to wife the wife of its lord who was
dead. And TOROS, the ARMENIAN, the governor of CILICIA, went forth to the country of CAPPADOCIA,
and he made captives of the TURKS and went to his country.

And Sultan MAS'UD of ICONIUM gave his daughter to YA'KUB 'ARSLAN, and they agreed to invade
CILICIA, but because all the garrison towns were strongly held by the ARMENIANS, the TURKS returned
from the fortifications with shame. Then TOROS increased in power, and he took the places which were left
in the hands of the GREEKS from them. And MANUEL, the king of the GREEKS, became hot with anger,
and he sent ANDRONICUS, the captain of the host, who belonged to the royal family of CILICIA. And the
ARMENIANS and the GREEKS gathered together, and they met the GREEKS in battle at the Gate of
TARSOS, and the GREEKS were defeated; and about three thousand of them were killed, and the rest fled by
sea.

And in [that] year there was discovered a goat which had brought forth a kid which had three eyes and two
mouths. And a terrible pestilence broke out in CILICIA and in ICONIUM. And in the month of TESHRIN
(OCTOBER) of that year, when men and women were crossing the EUPHRATES from the country of the
fortress of ZAID to go to the festival of MAR' AGHRIPAS, which was taking place in the country of
GUBOS, an abandonment [by God] took place among them, and they all sunk in the water and were
drowned. And as very many people were offended, the doctors of the Church made three kinds of apology,
viz., FIRSTLY, 'It is not right to scrutinize the incomprehensible judgements [321] of the Creator".
SECONDLY, 'At this time men and women do not throng to the commemoration of the martyrs in order to be
blessed thereby, but to make themselves contemptible with [carnal] pleasures.' THIRDLY, 'It is not right to

consider that those people have perished. For God judged that death was better for them than life. The
heathen would perish but not the Believers.’

In this year MAS'UD, the great Sultan of KHORASAN, died in the city of RAMADAN, and his brother's son
MALIK SHAH, the son of MAHAMMAD, reigned after him, and KHASBAG the Amir became his
governor. And in the year fourteen hundred and sixty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1154), MAS'UD, Sultan of
ICONIUM, invaded CILICIA with a numerous army of TURKS. And having encamped against TELL
HAMDUN and harassed it with war, the Lord smote them with a plague of gnats and flies which was like
unto that of the EGYPTIANS in the days of MOSES the Great. And in these days the air which they breathed
became foul and stinking, and they and their horses became sick. And when they saw that the plague had
begun among them they abandoned all their treasure and fled, And TOROS and the ARMENIANS came
down upon them from the mountains, and killed them until they were exhausted. And he also went forth to
GABDANYA, which is DAWALU, and plundered the TURKS and went back.

And in this year the FRANKS took ASCALON (according to correct reckoning), and it remained theirs for
thirty-five years—until SALAH AD-DIN took it. And in [that] year also, which is the year five hundred and
forty-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1153), HUSAM AD-DIN TEMURTASH, the lord of MARDIN, died, and
his son NAJAM AD-DIN reigned after him. At the beginning [of his reign] he dealt very severely with the
Christians, but at the time of his death he commanded his sons to deal kindly with the Christians, and not to
treat them harshly. It is said that Saint MAR 'ABAI appeared to him in a revelation. And another son of his,
JAMAL AD-DIN, ruled over HANI, and another [son], SAMSAM AD-DIN, over DARA.

And in the year fourteen hundred and sixty-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1155), MAS'UD, the Sultan of
ICONIUM, died, and after him his son KELEJ 'ARSLAN reigned. And whilst he only with difficulty could
protect his country from the men of the house of DANISHMAND, and especially from YA'KUB 'ARSLAN,
NUR AD-DIN attacked PARZAMAN and 'AINTAB, and he took them without fighting. And in this year,
which is the year five hundred and forty-nine of the ARABS (A. D. 1154), NUR AD-DIN took DAMASCUS
[322] from its lord MUJIR AD-DIN without fighting, having first of all cast dissension between its lord and
his nobles. For he wrote to him secretly, saying, 'In respect of so-and-so and so-and-so, beware of their
treachery (now they are sending messages to me continually that they will surrender DAMASCUS to me). I
am unable to decide whether or not I shall leave the FRANKS and make war on the ARABS.' And whilst he
led astray that wretched man with such messages as the above, he killed the captains of his host one by one.
And when NUR AD-DIN saw that there remained in DAMASCUS no one who could meet him in battle, he
attacked it and took it easily. And he gave unto MUJIR, its lord, certain villages in the country of EMESA,
and sent him there. And he dealt kindly with the DAMASCENES, and they rejoiced in him as one who was
able to stand up against the FRANKS.

And in this year TAFIR, the son of HAFIT, the Khalifah of EGYPT, died, and his son 'ISA, a child three
years old, was made king after him; now he was called FAIZ. And a man whose name was 'ABBAS became
his Wazir. And because the great Amir FARIS AD-DIN did not approve [of him], he was wroth and
dismissed 'ABBAS [on the grounds that] he acted without his advice. Then 'ABBAS was afraid, and he took
everything which he possessed and went forth with three thousand ARMENIANS who were in his service,
and he began to flee and to take asylum with NUR AD-DIN. And when the EGYPTIANS pursued him the
ARMENIANS turned upon them and killed the greater number of them. And 'ABBAS and those who were
with him marched into the desert, where for some days they were in a miserable condition through hunger
and thirst, because their guide had deceived them, even as in the time of JULIAN the Apostate. And having
brought them out opposite ASCALON, the FRANKS went forth against them. And when the ARMENIANS
saw the crosses which were affixed to the tops of the spears of the FRANKS, they threw down their weapons
and mingled themselves with the FRANKS. And on that day about five thousand ARABS were killed. And

MUJIR (‘ABBAS?) himself was captured and sold by the FRANKS to the EGYPTIANS and they impaled
him.

And in that year the Khalifah, who was MUKTAFI, went and encamped against TAGRIT, and he made fierce
war upon it and destroyed the district entirely; and he began to fight against the Citadel thereof. Then
MAHAMMAD SHAH, the son of Sultan MAS'UD, sent to the Amirs of MAWSIL, and said unto them, 'My
fathers, [323] in order that ye may be a help to me, I make you governors over these countries. And now in
the whole land of SEN'AR there remaineth to us no territory except this fortress of TAGRIT. And this man,
that is to say the Khalifah, wisheth to remove this from our hands; therefore I entreat you to come without
delay and to save me from him.' Thereupon the men of MAWSIL straightway gathered themselves together,
and they went forth and set their gaze directly on TAGRIT. Then when the Khalifah heard that they were
willing and were coming to him fear fell upon him, and he abandoned all his treasure and implements of war,
and departed to BAGHDAD. And after some days the Amir, a TURK, collected about twelve thousand men,
and he sent and brought out 'ARSLAN SHAH, the son of TUGHREL the SALJUK, from the prison of
TAGRIT, for the name (or, fame, renown) which appertained to the royal race of the SALJUKS was with
them, and he went forth. And the Khalifah, with his forces, also went forth to meet them in battle. And when
they had been encamped facing each other on the side of the road of KHORASAN for eighteen days, they
attacked each other. And the party of the Khalifah was broken and wished to flee. Then two of his nobles
entreated him to make some small resistance, and they brought him by force to his horse in front. And the
men of BAGHDAD plucked up courage and turned upon the TURKS, and broke them, and put them to
flight, and captured all their treasure, And it is said that they looted from the TURKS fourteen thousand
sheep, besides oxen and camels.

And in this year the waters of the TIGRIS ran very red, like blood, and at various places in the country of
WASIT blood bubbled up from the earth; and no man knew why it did so.

And in the year fourteen hundred and sixty-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 1156), PRAYNS, the lord of
ANTIOCH, fought with TOROS, the governor of CILICIA, because the FRANKS demanded those fortresses
which the ARMENIANS had taken from the GREEKS, as they ought to belong the Brethren (Freres?), whose
labor was for the benefit of all Christians, because the GREEKS had taken them from the FRANKS. And the
ARMENIANS were resisting the demand. And the two parties met each other in battle near the Gate of
SUNKRATON (SEKUNTARON?), and the ARMENIANS were defeated, and TOROS fled. And then he
made peace and gave the towns to the Freres (?).

And in the year when the lord of MAR'ASH [324] went to make war on a certain village of the
ARMENIANS, STEPHEN, the brother of TOROS, collected ARMENIANS, and they came by night and hid
themselves in the houses of the ARMENIANS. And in the morning, when the gate of the fortress was
opened, they leaped out and went in, and they seized the gate and the outer wall, and they began to dig out
those who were inside. And suddenly terror fell upon them because of the report, "The Amir and many
TURKS are coming’. And being afraid lest they should be shut in between the two walls, and that they would
have to fight those who were inside, and those that were outside, they looted the city, and set fire to the
houses and to whatsoever they were unable to carry away, and they took all the people and fled.

And among those who were taken captive was also the holy man MAR DIONYSIUS BAR-SALIBHI. He
was captured by the accursed ARMENIANS, but he escaped on foot to the Monastery of KALASYUR
(KALASYUD?). And he composed three DISCOURSES on the destruction of MAR'ASH, because it was at
that time his pasture. Now when the TURKS came they entreated mercifully the Christians who remained
[there]. And they did not withhold the houses and vineyards and farms from any ARMENIAN who had run
away and returned. But the priest, inasmuch as he had had speech (i.e. an understanding) with the

ARMENIANS, they flayed whilst he was alive, and after three days they cut out his tongue, and cut off his
hands and his feet, and then they burned him in the fire. And when the ARMENIANS heard [this] they
treated certain TURKS in precisely the same way.

And in this same year, also in MELITENE, another priest, who was likewise an ARMENIAN, was flayed
alive because he had debauched a maiden of the neighbourhood who had been recently betrothed. He had
taken her into the church, and wished to commit fornication with her, and when the miserable maiden began
to cry out he placed the palm of his hand over her mouth until he had accomplished his shameful act. And
when he rose up from her he found her drawing her last breath, and then he strangled (or, choked) her
completely. And he cut off her ears and some of her fingers because they were swollen, and the rings of her
fingers and her earrings would not come away from her, and he hid them in the lamps. And he wrapped her
body up in a garment and placed it inside the altar. And after an hour, when her kinsfolk and parents began to
seek for her, the children who were playing in the street said to them, [325] 'We saw her go into the church’.
And when they asked the priest he said unto them, "Yes, she came into the church, and when she saw that I
was in the church she was shy of me and went out hurriedly without stopping for one moment'. And those
believing folk believed him as they would naturally believe the priest.

And as they were going round about in the city and making search in the houses of their relatives, they saw
the filthy man, who was no priest, with boots on his feet, and he was going out through the gate of the city;
and they seized him and carried him to the governor. And when they had beaten him a little he confessed, and
showed them the maiden's body and her ears and her fingers. And the whole city assembled there, ARABS
and Christians, men and women, and with much weeping and loud lamentations they took the maiden out and
buried her. And they flayed the filthy man and dismembered him, whilst he was alive, and [then] they burnt
him.

And in the year fourteen hundred and sixty-eight of the GREEKS. (A.D. 1157), PRAYNS, the lord of
ANTIOCH, went to CYPRUS, which was with the GREEKS, and he took the whole island, men, and sheep,
and oxen, and horses, and all [its] riches. And when they brought them down to the seashore the
CYPRIOTES undertook to ransom themselves and their beasts with much gold, and the FRANKS released
them, but they took away all the treasure. And the bishops, and the archimandrites, and the governors of the
people they carried off with them as hostages to ANTIOCH, until the gold was paid

And in the year fourteen hundred arid sixty-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 1158) STEPHEN acted treacherously
against TOROS his brother, and he wished to kill him. When TOROS perceived this he seized him and shut
him up for ten months. And afterwards, at the entreaty of the FRANKS, he brought him out and he entered
the service of the FRANKS. And in this year, which is the year five hundred and fifty-two of the ARABS
(A.D. 1157), severe earthquakes took place in SYRIA and they destroyed many towns. As for HAMATH, its
fortress and its town and all its large houses fell down upon old men, and women, and children, and tens of
thousands of its inhabitants perished therein. And the fortress of SHAIZAR fell, every part of it, and only one
woman and one eunuch escaped. And the people of EMESA went forth in great haste and were delivered, but
their monasteries and its fortress perished. And in like manner the people of ALEPPO fled from the city, and
sat down outside it for days and were delivered, and their houses were thrown down, but only five hundred
souls perished in it. And so with KAPHAR TAB, and APAMEA, not one man escaped [326] from them, and
many other places as far as RAHBUTH. And also the cities of the FRANKS, HESEN AL-AKRAD and
'ARKA, fell completely. In LAODICEA the great church only remained, and all those who were in it were
delivered. And the ground inside it was rent asunder, and a chasm which was full of clay appeared, and in the
middle of the clay a molten image was standing upright. And similarly the greater part of ANTIOCH and
TRIPOLI was destroyed.

And in the year JOSCELYN died a prisoner in ALEPPO, after a complete repentance, according to what saith
IGNATIUS, the bishop of ALEPPO, who administered to him the Mysteries. And in this year Sultan
MAHAMMAD, the son of Sultan MAHMUD, came with a numerous army to BAGHDAD, and he encamped
against it for four months, and harassed it greatly with war. Then the Khalifah having induced the nobles of
the Sultan, by means of bribes, to agree, stopped him from fighting. And then came to them the report that
MALIK SHAH, his brother, had captured HAMADAN and plundered it, and had taken also the wives of the
nobles. Then the Sultan ceased to fight and he removed from BAGHDAD. And the armies of the people of
BAGHDAD pursued him, and every one of the TURKS whom they captured they killed without mercy,
because those TURKS had wrought great damage in the western side of BAGHDAD, where they were
camped. And they used to commit fornication with married women in the Mosques in the sight of their
husbands, and the murders which they committed, and the burnings of houses (or, quarters of the city) which
they carried out were many.

And in this year Sultan SENJAR, the son of MALIK SHAH, the son of 'ALB 'ARSLAN, the son of
DAWUD, died, after he had been saved from the hand of the GHUZZ who had made him prisoner. And in the
year fourteen hundred and seventy of the GREEKS (A.D. 1159-58), MANUEL, the king of the GREEKS,
went to CILICIA, and TOROS, the ARMENIAN, fled. And he, the king, ruled over TARSOS, and
'ANAZARBA and the other cities, and he remained there the whole winter. And the king of JERUSALEM
and of ANTIOCH, together with the Patriarch of the FRANKS, came to him and they made an agreement
with him; And they made peace between him and TOROS, and they brought him to him, and he made him
captain of the host of all the cities of the GREEKS which are on the seashore. And all the Christians banded
themselves together, GREEKS, and FRANKS, and ARMENIANS, to go and attack ALEPPO, [327] and
DAMASCUS, and all SYRIA. Then came a report of treachery from CONSTANTINOPLE to the effect that
they (i.e. the people) wished to appoint another king. Then MANUEL, the king, returned hurriedly to
CONSTANTINOPLE, and the plan which they had planned did not come into effect. And in [that] year, in
the month of NISAN (APRIL), a flood took place in BAGHDAD, and the waters destroyed a part of the
walls of the palace of the Khalifah. And the people fled to the western part [of the city] carrying the sick, and
the aged, and the young children on their shoulders, because wrath hurried them. And the hire of a boat for
one journey amounted to four gold dinars.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Taking of Edessa from the Franks (continued).

And in the year fourteen hundred and seventy-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1160), the son of JOSCELYN, the
prisoner, used to go out from HARIM continually and plunder the country of ALEPPO like a thief. And NUR
AD-DIN laid an ambush for him, and caught him, and he was deposited in the cave wherein his father had
been placed.

And in the year five hundred and fifty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1160), on the second day of the third month,
in the month of 'ADHAR (MARCH), the Khalifah MUKTAFI died of the disease of angina, and his son
MUSTANJID reigned after him. After MUKTAFI his son MUSTANJID [ruled] twelve years. When his
father was dead this man rose up to go into the place where the dead body was laid. And his father's wife, that
is to say, the mother of his young brother, who was a Turkish woman, prepared her handmaidens, and they
took knives and were ready to kill MUSTANJID when he went in, so that the kingdom might come to the
younger son. And one of the women went out and informed MUSTANJID. And he collected soldiers (or,
scouts), and he captured his brother and bound him in fetters and imprisoned him. And he also attacked those
women, and he shut up each one of them in a certain place apart, and he killed whichever he pleased. And the
Khalifate was confirmed on him and he was proclaimed.

And in the year fourteen hundred and seventy-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1161), SIR (SIRE) AMORI
(AMAURY), the brother of the king of JERUSALEM, went to the country of EGYPT; and the FRANKS
seized great riches (or, treasure) and went away. And after a short time FAIZ, the Khalifah of EGYPT, died.
And in connexion with this the EGYPTIANS undertook to give tribute to the FRANKS every year one
hundred and sixty thousand gold dinars. And GEORGE, the king of the IBERIANS, sallied forth and
captured [328] the great city of 'ANI from the TURKS, and he took great spoil, and very many Arab
prisoners, and returned to his own country.

And the Amir JAMAL AD-DIN, who was in MAWSIL, now he was a most merciful man and his alms were
abundant, sent the MAPHRIAN IGNATIUS as an envoy to GEORGE to buy (i.e. ransom) the Arab prisoners.
And he went and was received honourably, and a large number of prisoners were given to him for nothing.
And he was sent [by him] with gifts to the lord of MAWSIL, and he also sent with him an Iberian envoy at
his own expense. And when they came and arrived in MAWSIL the governor went forth to meet them. And
the MAPHRIAN and the envoys went in to MAWSIL with crosses hanging on the heads of their spears. And
there was consolation both for the Christians and the ARABS, because of the freeing of the prisoners. And in
[that] year there was a certain FRANK who was a robber in BAGHRAS, and because the FRANKS wanted
to seize him, he fled and went to NUR AD-DIN; and he took TURKS and came to plunder the country of
ANTIOCH. And the FRANKS laid an ambush for him and captured him and burned him in the fire.

And in the year fourteen hundred and seventy-three of the GREEKS (A.D. 1162), in the month of the FIRST
TESHRIN (OCTOBER), DHU'L-KARNEN, the governor of MELITENE, died, and his son, who was a

child, rose up after him. And Sultan KELEJ 'ARSLAN of ICONIUM, seeing that YA'KUB 'ARSLAN and the
rest of the Amirs wished to dismiss him and appoint his brother, went to CONSTANTINOPLE, and he was
honoured greatly by the GREEKS. And he remained there eighty days, and twice each day food was sent to
him in vessels of silver and gold without [his being obliged] to send back the vessels, all of which were left
with him; and two meals were sent to him in other vessels which were new. And on the last day, when the
king and the Sultan reclined at the same table, all the vessels and the table decorations were given to the
Sultan, together with the other gifts which were given to him and to the one thousand TURKS who were with
him. And when the Sultan went out YA'KUB 'ARSLAN was afraid, and he humbled himself before him and
there was peace. And at [this time] when STEPHEN, the brother of TOROS, the governor of CILICIA, was
bidden to a feast with ANDRONICUS the GREEK, the governor of TARSOS, [329] he was found to have
been killed and [his body was] lying by the gate of the city. Then TOROS became furiously angry with the
GREEKS, and he killed more than ten thousand of them. And the king of JERUSALEM came and made
peace between the ARMENIANS and the GREEKS.

And in the year fourteen hundred and seventy-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 1163), KARA 'ARSLAN, the lord
of the fortress of ZAID, encamped against 'AMID, and he made cruel war on it. And afterwards dissension
broke out among his troops, and he left and departed. And YAK'UB 'ARSLAN also went to his own country,
and he took the fortress of SHUMUSHKI, and he carried away into captivity about one hundred thousand
souls, and he left the village deserts. Then the pious ''GNATIUS of TELLA OF ARSENIUS was carried off
captive as far as KAMAH, and being released he came to MELITENE. And the saint of the fortress of ZAID
was seized, and after two days they let him go free. At [that] time the wife of PRAYNS, who had been
captured and shut up in ALEPPO, quarrelled with her son and did not want him to reign. And being vexed by
the opposition of the nobles she sent to the king of the GREEKS, who was her son-in-law, to come, and she
handed over ANTIOCH to him. And when the Patriarch and the nobles perceived this they sent and brought
TOROS from CILICIA. And he went into ANTIOCH, and drove the queen out of the city, and confirmed her
son in the kingdom.

And in [this] year, which is the year five hundred and fifty-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1162), NUR AD-DIN
collected a numerous army of TURKS, and went and encamped against the Citadel of the KURDS
(‘AKRAD), pretending that he intended to go in and take the country of TRIPOLIS. And one day, at the time
of noon, when the Turkish people were lying in ease and comfort in their tents, the crosses of the FRANKS
burst upon them, and terror fell upon the TURKS. It is said that when NUR AD-DIN saw the banners of the
FRANKS he jumped up and went out from his tent, in his agitation, without his tunic (or, coat of mail). And
he leaped on his horse, which was tethered [close by] according to custom. Then a KURD came and cut the
tetherings of the horse, and NUR AD-DIN fled and saved himself. And the FRANKS pursued the KURD and
killed him. And they destroyed many of the TURKS and put them in fetters, and they captured spoil and went
into TRIPOLI.

And in the year fourteen hundred and seventy-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1164), YA'KUB 'ARSLAN died
suddenly on the river KANGAR (SANGAR), which is on the banks of the [330] river 'ALIS. And there rose
up in his place ISMA'IL, the son of his brother's son, and he took to wife the wife of YA'KUB 'ARSLAN,
who was the daughter of the Sultan. And NUR AD-DIN encamped against HARIM. Then were gathered
together five governors, PRAYNS of ANTIOCH, and the Count of TRIPOLI, and TOROS of CILICIA, and
the GREEK Duke of TARSOS, and the MAISTIR (MAISTRE) of the FRIRE (Freres); and with them there
were about thirteen thousand horsemen and footmen. And they came and engaged in battle with NUR AD-
DIN, and the FRANKS were badly broken. And the Count, and the Duke, and PRAYNS were captured and
carried into ALEPPO, and all the Freres were killed, and TOROS escaped to ANTIOCH. And the Patriarch
of the FRANKS made a great lamentation, and he broke the bellringers (or, bells) and stopped the prayers.

And NUR AD-DIN took HARIM and DAIRA SEM'AN of the GREEKS, and he made the monks slaves
together with the inhabitants of the whole country.

In this year, which is the year five hundred and fifty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1163), NUR AD-DIN sent
'ASAD AD-DIN SHIRKUBH, the brother of NAJAM AD-DIN 'AYUB, the father of SALAH AD-DIN, to
EGYPT. For these two brothers, SHIRKUH and 'AYUB, the sons of SHADI, were from the district of
DAWIN, a city of ARMENIA, and were KURDS by race. And they were in the service of MAJAHID AD-
DIN BAHRUZ, the eunuch, the Amir of TAGRIT, who was a lover of the Christians. And SHIRKUH having
killed a certain Christian of TAGRIT, who was greatly beloved by the Amir, the two brothers fled to ZANGI
in MAWSIL, and he received them and they prospered [whilst] they were with him. And when ZANGI took
B'ELBAK he appointed NAJAM AD-DIN 'AYUB governor in its Citadel; and when ZANGI was killed,
NAJAM surrendered the fortress to the lord of DAMASCUS. And 'ASAD AD-DIN SHIRKUBH, his brother,
was in the service of NUR AD-DIN, and he gave him EMESA and RAHBUTH. And 'AYUB also helped, and
he surrendered DAMASCUS to NUR AD-DIN, and they lived with him in great honour. And when the
occasion demanded that he should send troops to EGYPT, for the EGYPTIANS were helpless, and SHAWIR,
the Wazir of EGYPT, came and begged for assistance, he saw that SHIRKUH was the better [man], and he
sent him [331] with SHAWIR.

And having departed together and arrived in EGYPT, SHAWIR knew from the actions of SHIRKUH that he
was anxious to remove sovereignty (or, the kingdom) from the EGYPTIANS. Therefore he sent and made
peace with the FRANKS. He paid no attention to SHIRKUH, and he did not give him any of the gold and the
famous towns which he promised him. Then SHIRKUH sent his armies and took the city of BULBAIS. And
SHAWIR sent and brought the king of JERUSALEM with a numerous army of FRANKS. And SHIRKUH
went and made his position very strong in BULBAIS. And the EGYPTIANS allied themselves with the
FRANKS, and they attacked SHIRKUH in BULBAIS, and they shut him up therein for three months. And
when the report concerning the FRANKS came, that they had been broken and taken prisoners, near HARIM,
the king of JERUSALEM sent to SHIRKUH and persuaded him to go forth in peace and to depart to his own
country and leave EGYPT to its lords. And SHIRKUH agreed to this readily, and he went forth and departed
to DAMASCUS.

And in the year fourteen hundred and seventy-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1165), KELEJ 'ARSLAN, Sultan of
ICONIUM, reigned over GADUG and 'ABLESTIN, and TURANDA, and he began to persecute the sons of
DANISHMAND. And NUR AD-DIN reigned over BANYAS and he fortified it strongly. And TOROS the
ARMENIAN pillaged MAR'ASH and captured four hundred TURKS. And he sent to NUR AD-DIN, saying,
If thou wilt not sell the Christian chiefs who are with thee, I will burn them all in the fire'. Then NUR AD-
DIN was compelled [to sell], and he sold every one who was with him, and also the young man PRAYNS, for
one hundred thousand dinars. And BOHAIMOND PRAYNS, having escaped, went to the king of the
GREEKS, whose son-in-law he was, in CONSTANTINOPLE, and much riches (or, money) was given to
him, and he came to ANTIOCH, and brought with him the Greek Patriarch whose name was ATHANASIUS.
And the Patriarch of the FRANKS was offended at this, and he went out and sat in the fortress of KUSAIR,
and he sent out excommunications to the FRANKS of ANTIOCH.

And in this year, in the month of SHEBHAT (FEBRUARY), AMIN AD-DAWLAH the son of TALMIDH, a
Christian physician, died in BAGHDAD at the age of ninety years. This man was learned in many sciences,
but in his time he stood alone in the art of healing. And he was equally skilled in the art of rhetoric, and in the
grammar of the ARABS, and in their poetry, [332] he was not inferior to anyone of their eminent men.
During the whole period of his life he lived in affluent circumstances, and in the honour [which was paid to
him] by kings. It is related that when he was dying his son said unto him, "What is it that aileth thee?’ And he

replied, 'The greatness of these ninety years'. And again his son asked him, 'What dost thou desire?’ And he
replied, 'That I desire’.

And in the year fourteen hundred and seventy-six [of the GREEKS, A.D. 1165] we heard [the following]
wonderful story from the sons of the city of 'ALINAS. When there was a plague in this year in GRUPIA,
there was present in that place a certain TURK, and he said unto the people, 'See ye: who was the first person
to die of this plague?' And when they knew [who it was] they opened his grave, and they found that after four
months his body had not suffered corruption. And his eyes were unclosed, and his mouth was open about one
span and four fingers, and the cloth in which his head and breast were swathed was undamaged, and the parts
of his beard round about his jaws and chin were shaved as with a razor, and his right arm which came straight
down from the shoulder was by his side. Then that TURK brought together (i.e. closed) his mouth, and he
drove into it a large peg, and from that day no other man died.

And in the year fourteen hundred and seventy-seven [of the GREEKS, A.D. 1166], MANUEL, the king of
the GREEKS, during the war with the BULGARIANS, was wounded, and fell from his horse. And when a
certain BULGARIAN stood up over him to kill him, MANUEL informed him that he was the king, and with
many strong oaths he promised great gifts to him that had taken him prisoner if he would carry him to
CONSTANTINOPLE. And the BULGARIAN believed him and brought him to the city; and the king
fulfilled his promise, and added thereto. And it is related that some time MANUEL acted deceitfully towards
the queen because she did not bear him a child, and that he killed her with poison. And he took another wife,
which it is illegal for a king to do.

And in the year fourteen hundred and seventy-eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 1167), which is the year five
hundred and sixty-two of the ARABS (A.D. 1166), NUR AD-DIN sent the Amir 'ASAD AD-DIN
SHIRKUH, and SALAH AD-DIN, his brother's son, a second time to EGYPT. And because SHIRKUH was
greatly inclined and anxious [to go], he arrived in EGYPT with a few footmen. And he crossed the river
NILE to the western bank, and he advanced as far as the country of the SA'ID (i.e. UPPER EGYPT). Then
SHAWIR, the Wazir [333] of EGYPT, sent for the FRANKS. Thereupon many armies of the FRANKS and
of the EGYPTIANS made ready, and they also crossed over to the western bank in pursuit of SHIRKUH.
Then the nobles who were with him advised him, saying, 'No other means is left to us except to cross over to
the eastern bank, and to go again to SYRIA, because we are wholly without the strength to cope with all these
[forces]. And if we meet them in battle we shall undoubtedly know that defeat is nearer to us than victory.
And moreover, what place for refuge (or, retreat) shall we have? For behold the peasants, and the soldiers,
and all the natives of this country are our enemies.

Then one of the slaves of NUR AD-DIN, whose name was BUNGUSH, a brave and warlike young man, said
unto them, 'Believe [me], O all ye nobles, that if ye do not meet the enemy in battle now ye will have to go to
NUR AD-DIN [either as] the victors or as the vanquished—and there will have to be on your part a full
explanation to him. And he will cut off your rations, and he will withdraw from you what ye have been in the
habit of eating for a long time. For he who trembles at the prospect of fighting is not a soldier of the king's,
but is a field labourer, or he should dwell with the women in the houses.’ And when SHIRKUH heard these
[words] he said, 'I myself am also of the same opinion'. And then they all wished to engage in battle, and the
EGYPTIANS and the FRANKS came to an agreement quickly, and then, though unwilling, they met in
battle.

Then SHIRKUH placed SALAH AD-DIN, his brother's son, and all his valuables, in the middle of the battle
array, so as to make their number appear larger. And he commanded them, saying, 'The FRANKS and the
EGYPTIANS think that I myself am in the middle, and they will direct the whole of their strength (or, forces)
against you. Now, do not contend against them too vigorously, but little by little turn your backs towards

them. And do not be afraid that they will pursue you, because I myself shall be behind them.’ And when the
battle line was being set in order, SHIRKUH selected for himself certain trained hunting men, on whom he
could rely because of their strength and endurance in the stadium. And when the FRANKS and EGYPTIANS
met them in battle, those who were in the middle turned their backs, and the FRANKS and the EGYPTIANS
pursued them, and then SHIRKUH pursued the pursuers, and the fugitives turned back and the EGYPTIANS
and the FRANKS were caught in the midst, and a smashing defeat overtook them; [334] and he who escaped
slaughter fled. It is said that those who were with SHIRKUH were only two thousand in number, and that the
FRANKS and the EGYPTIANS were ten thousand [in number]. Then SHIRKUH marched against
ALEXANDRIA, and he took it without fighting.

Then the EGYPTIANS and the FRANKS gathered together in the city of KAHRAH (CAIRO), and they sent
to SHIRKUH and asked for peace. And he agreed on condition that fifty thousand dinars should be given to
SHIRKUH to go to his own country, and that ALEXANDRIA should be restored to the EGYPTIANS, and
that one hundred thousand dinars should be given yearly to the FRANKS, and that they should return to their
own country. But they were to have an officer and horsemen [stationed] as guards at the gates of
ALEXANDRIA, lest they should be prevented from passing through the town by the partisans of NUR AD-
DIN. Thus SHIRKUH left and went to DAMASCUS.

And in this year KARA 'ARSLAN, the lord of the fortress of ZAID, went against AMID, and through the
treachery of the watchmen he became master of two towers. But those who were inside gained the upper
hand, and they killed those who had gone up into the towers. And KARA 'ARSLAN was ashamed, and he
returned to his own country in sorrow and disgrace. A little later, on the seventeenth day of the month of
TAMMUZ (JULY), he died, and his son rose up (i.e. succeeded him).

And in the year fourteen hundred and seventy-nine [of the GREEKS, A.D. 1168], TOROS, the governor of
CILICIA, died in the month of KANON (DECEMBER). He was a monk at the time of his death, and he
commanded that his youngest son, a boy, should rise up in his place, and that THOMAS, the son of his aunt,
should be his administrator. And he deprived his brother MALIH wholly of [his] inheritance. Then was
MALIH angry, and he went forth to NUR AD-DIN, and received from him an army of TURKS, and attacked
CILICIA. And he took sixteen thousand youths, and maidens, and men and women, and monks, and bishops,
and carried them to ALEPPO. And he sold them to the merchants and gave the price paid for them to the
TURKS who were with him. Then the ARMENIANS sent and summoned him to them, and they gave him
one-half of the country; and he swore to them that the other half should remain to the young [governor]. And
then he broke the oath and took possession of the whole country, both the fortresses and towns; And he put
out the eyes of many of the bishops and governors, and cut off their hands and feet, and others he flayed alive
and cast their bodies to the wild animals.

And in this year, which is the year five hundred and sixty-three (A.D. 1167) of the [335] ARABS, ZAYN AL-
DIN, the Turkish Amir who was the director of affairs of KUTB AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, being old
and deaf and blind, handed over the countries which were under his rule to KUTB AD-DIN, that is to say,
SHIGHAR, and HARRAN, and the fortress of HAKARIAH, and TAGRIT, and SHAHARZUR. And he left
to himself nothing except 'ARBIL, because this was his from the time of the 'ATABAG ZANGI. And he
departed thereto and in it he died. And his son, MUTAFAR AD-DIN succeeded him, and MUJAHID AD-
DIN became his director of affairs. It is said concerning this ZAYN AL-DIN that he was a Turkish Amir, and
to his justice, and almsgiving and generosity there was no end. And though he was the most astute of men, he
exhibited simplicity. Now, one of the horsemen came to him, and he had in his hand a horse's tail, and he
pretended that his horse was dead. And ZAYN AL-DIN gave the order and [another] horse was given to the
horseman, who took the tail and went away and gave it to another horseman. And he also came to ZAYN AL-
DIN and pretended that [his] horse was dead. And ZAYN AL-DIN commanded and gave him also [another]

horse. And in this way the tail passed from hand to hand, and twelve horsemen brought that tail to him; and
he gave the twelfth man a horse. And unto the last man he said, "Why are ye not as much ashamed of me as I
am of you? Behold, twelve times this self-same tail hath been before me, and I recognized it. But I wished
that ye should not be ashamed and that ye should keep your self-respect, and that my gift should come to you
without subjecting you to any burden, whilst I added to my beneficence, even as one who discharged a
liability.’ And a certain poet came to him and began to read before him some metrical compositions. And
ZAYN AD-DIN replied, 'I do not know what thou art saying, but I do know that thou art begging for
something'. And he commanded that there should be given to him five hundred gold dinars, and a horse and
raiment with five hundred others.

And in the year fourteen hundred and eighty of the GREEKS (A.D 1169), KELEJ 'ARSLAN, the Sultan of
ICONIUM, took CAESAREA of CAPPADOCIA and SIMNADU from the sons of DANISHMAND. And in
the year, which is the year five hundred and sixty-four of the ARABS (A.D. 1168), NUR AD-DIN took
KAL'AH DHE JA'BAR from SHEHAB AD-DIN, the Ma'dian Amir, from the sons of 'UKAIL, and gave him
SERUGH, and MALAHTA, and BAB BUZA'AH, and twenty thousand dinars. And when he was once [336]
in SERUGH certain of his friends asked him, 'Where now art thou happier; here or there?' And he replied,
"Here there is much money; but we have left honour in KAL'AH'. And in [that] year Sultan KELEJ 'ARSLAN
took the city of 'ANKURA (ANCYRA) and KANKAR from the GREEKS.

And at that time the FRANKS who were stationed in EGYPT and in ALEXANDRIA to collect the gold of
the tribute and to keep guard over the gates, sent to 'AMORI, king of JERUSALEM, saying, 'This country is
empty of troops, and ye could easily take possession of it'. And though all the nobles wished to set out, the
king in his wisdom restrained them, saying, 'Behold, the whole of the gold of EGYPT is gathered together
with us. If we attack EGYPT, the ARABS in their hatred of us, and inclining more to NUR AD-DIN [than to
us], will send and fetch him. And we shall have on our hand war with those who are within and those who are
without, and we are incapable of undertaking this.' Now the nobles were not convinced by the advice of the
king, but they said, 'We will go and take possession of EGYPT, before it is possible for NUR AD-DIN to
muster his troops to come’. And thus their king was defeated, and they collected their troops and departed
hurriedly. And they took the city of BULBAIS, and plundered it, and they carried away its inhabitants as
captives. And they came and encamped against KAHRAH (CAIRO) and MESRIN. Now the EGYPTIANS
being afraid lest what had happened to the people of BULBAIS should happen to them also, encouraged each
other, and they manned the walls, and they fought the FRANKS bravely and steadily. And 'ASAD, the
Khalifah of EGYPT, cut off the plaits of hair of his wives and daughters, and sent them to NUR AD-DIN and
said, 'Behold these! My wives are sighing, and weeping, and groaning, and are entreating thee to come to
their help and to deliver them from the hands of the FRANKS.' And NUR AD-DIN spent about two months
in collecting troops, and whilst he tarried, the war against EGYPT grew fiercer. SHAWIR, the Wazir of
EGYPT, sent to 'AMORI, and to the nobles of the FRANKS, and said; "Ye know my debt to you, and if I
knew that the ARABS would agree that I should hand over EGYPT to you, I would hand it over to you
immediately. But [337] I know that if they heard concerning me anything of this kind, they would without the
least hesitation destroy me. But this [plan] I see is better, that is to say, that ye should take as much gold as ye
wish and depart to your own country, and that ye should be your own deputies and collectors of tribute with
us as formerly. And do not let NUR AD-DIN come and take possession of EGYPT, for in that case ye would
neither receive country nor tribute.

And when the FRANKS heard these things they made peace on the condition that one thousand thousands of
dinars should be given to them. And SHAWIR gave them one hundred thousand dinars straightway, and he
said, 'If ye will leave the country and depart I will collect the rest [of the dinars] and send [them to you]'. And
thereupon the FRANKS left and departed to their own country.

Now when NUR AD-DIN heard that the FRANKS had departed from EGYPT, he did not stop the dispatch of
troops, for it was not his object to do good to the EGYPTIANS, but to rule over them. Therefore he
commanded SHIRKUH to place himself at the head of the army and to set out, and [to take] with him
SALAH AD-DIN, his nephew. And SHIRKUH having gone to CAIRO went into the presence of the
Khalifah 'ASAD, and was honoured by him. Because the whole administration was in the hands of SHAWIR,
the Wazir, the Khalifah put SHIRKUH off with vain words, and he gave no refreshment either to him or to
those who were with him. On the contrary, he was plotting to make a feast for 'ASAD AD-DIN, and to
capture him and his brother's son by guile, but the son of SHAWIR prevented him. And SALAH AD-DIN
was plotting to kill SHAWIR, and his uncle SHIRKUH prevented him. And one day when SHAWIR went
according to custom to SHIRKUH he could not find him, because he had gone to receive a blessing at the
tomb of one of the Rabbis of their Faith. And on that occasion SALAH AD-DIN was riding with him, and as
they were talking together, he suddenly threw himself off his horse and gripped [SHAWIR], but because he
could not do so without the command of his uncle, he was unable to kill him. And having made known to his
uncle [that it was SHAWIR] he said, 'We cannot do anything without the command of the Khalifah'. And
when they made this known to the Khalifah 'ASAD, he urged them to kill him, because there did not remain
with the Khalifah any authority whatsoever over SHAWIR. And thus SHAWIR was killed, and his house was
plundered, and SHIRKUH himself became [338] Wazir in his place. And he was also called 'King', and
‘Captain of the Host', for the Wazirs of EGYPT were called by these names. And when SHIRKUH had lived
two months only in his office of Wazir, he died of the disease of strangury, and his brother's son, SALAH
AD-DIN, the son of NAJAM AD-DIN 'AYUB, rose in his place. And by the generosity of his gifts he made
all his troops his friends, and he ruled over EGYPT.

And to 'ASAD AD-DIN SHIRKUH there remained one son whose name was NASIR AD-DIN, and EMESA
belonged to him and his sons. And his brother NAJAM AD-DIN 'AYUB had six sons. The first was SHAMS
AD-DAWLAH TURAN SHAH, who ruled over ALEXANDRIA. The second was SHAH EN SHAH, the
father of 'EZ AD-DIN FARUKH SHAH, and of TAKI AD-DIN 'OMAR, and to him and his sons HAMATH
belonged. The third was SAIF AL-ESLAM TUGHTAKIN, who ruled over the South. The fourth was
SALAH AD-DIN YUSIF, who reigned over EGYPT, and PALESTINE, and SYRIA and BETH NAHRIN.
The fifth was MALIK 'ADIL ABU BAKR, who succeeded SALAH AD-DIN. The sixth was TAJ AL-MULK
TURI, who died when SALAH AD-DIN was encamped against ALEPPO.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Taking of Edessa from the Franks (continued).

And in the year fourteen hundred and eighty-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1169-1170), MAHAMAD, the
governor of MELITENE, being hated by the nobles and citizens, because he clung to a woman who was a
whore and a sorceress, took the whore and the sorceress and went forth from MELITENE, and he travelled
about from one place to another. And the nobles and the citizens set up in his stead his younger brother ABU
AL-KASIM. And when the king of JERUSALEM heard of the evil things which MALIH, the ARMENIAN,
the governor of CILICIA, made the Christians to suffer, he was filled with indignation, and attacked him, and
shut him up in a certain fortress. And MALIH being made to suffer brought forth repentance, and swore an
oath that he would live in subjection to the king, and that he would not join the party of the TURKS. And
then he left him and departed.

And in [that] year, whlch is the year five hundred and sixty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1169), died KUTB AD-
DIN MAWDUD, the son of ZANGI, the lord of MAWSIL. And he commanded that his son 'EMAD AD-DIN
ZANGI, the son of MAWDUD, son of ZANGI, should succeed him. And KUTB AD-DIN had a deputy and
administrator of his kingdom who was called FAKHR AD-DIN 'ABD AL-MASIH, [339] who was from the
country of ANTIOCH, and he fell into captivity (or, bondage). Now because this 'ABD AL-MASIH hated
"EMAD AD-DIN he shared the opinion of the wife of KUTB AD-DIN, and they changed the command. And
they set up SAIF AD-DIN GHAZI, his younger son, in the place of his father, and the nobles swore fealty to
him. And 'EMAD AD-DIN departed and went to SYRIA to his uncle NUR AD-DIN, weeping and
complaining that 'ABD AL-MASIH had robbed him of his inheritance and his kingdom. And on the second
day of the week (Monday), on the twenty-ninth day of the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE), which is the twelfth
day of the tenth month of the ARABS, there was a severe earthquake, and the earth rocked like a ship on the
sea. [This was] an event (or, happening) the like of which had not been heard of for many generations. For
the blessed Patriarch MAR MICHAEL said, 'When we were standing in the temple (i.e. church) of the
Monastery of MAR HANANYA during the morning service, on the day of the festival of ST. PETER and ST.
PAUL, a sound like heavy thunder was heard from the earth. And we were lying prone on our faces before
the holy table, to which we clung, and we were tossed about from one side to the other, And after a long time
when, contrary to expectation, we returned as from the graves, and then our eyes like those of a man who is
woke up from sleep, began to shed tears, and our tongues [to utter] praise.’ And during that earthquake the
walls of ALEPPO, and BA'ELBAK, and HAMATH, and EMESA, and SHAIZAR, and BAGHRAS and of
their fortresses and great buildings fell down upon their inhabitants. The whole of the great church of the
GREEKS which was in ANTIOCH fell down, and the altar of the church of KUSYANA of the FRANKS. As
for us, that is to say the remnant of our people, He rendered us great help, having consideration of our
feebleness, for there was among us neither king nor governor. Whilst all else in ALEPPO fell down, one
church was protected. And in ANTIOCH three churches were protected for us, viz, the Church of the Bearer
of God, and the Church of GEORGE, and the Church of MAR BAR SAWMA. And in GABBALA also our

little church was protected, and so also in LAODICEA, for the glory of God, and the heartening of the feeble
orthodox remnant. And that earthquake lasted twrenty-five days.

And in the year fourteen hundred and eighty-two of the GREEKS (A,D. 1171), the governor 'ABU AL-
KASIM brought for himself a wife who was the daughter of KARA 'ARSLAN of the fortress of ZAID. And
in the course of the rejoicing, and making merry at the wedding feast, [340] they went out to enjoy
themselves with feats of horsemanship; and then, owing to the violence of the riding he fell from his horse
and died, and their joy was turned to mourning. Then the people of MELITENE set up 'AFRIDUN, his
younger brother, in his place, and they gave him his brother's wife, although she was unwilling. Then KELEJ
'ARSLAN, the Sultan of ICONIUM, collected an army and attacked MELITENE, and he was unable to take
it, but he carried off into captivity the people of the country, and he turned back to CAESAREA. Then NUR
AD-DIN, and the lord of MARDIN and of the fortress of ZAID, and the ARMENIANS of CILICIA, and
BAR DANISHMAND, the lord of SEBASTIA, made an agreement, and they all gathered themselves
together in SEBASTIA so that they might begin a war with KELEJ 'ARSLAN. And they advanced as far as
the Gate of CAESAREA. Now KELEJ 'ARSLAN did not go forth to fight, but he asked for peace, and he
gave back the people whom he had carried off from MELITENE. And when they demanded from him the
four sons of his brothers who were shut up in prison with him, he did a most accursed thing. He slew one of
them, and roasted [him] and set him on a dish, and sent him to his father. And he swore that if they went on to
demand the others, he would treat the three of them in exactly the same manner. And thus they left him and
went their way.

And in the year which is the year five hundred and sixty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1170), KELEJ 'ARSLAN
ruled over all the countries of the sons of DANISHMAND. And in that year, when NUR AD-DIN heard that
his brother KUTB AD-DIN was dead, and that SAIF AD-DIN his son reigned, and that 'ABD AL-MASIH
was governing the kingdom of MAWSIL according to his own good pleasure, and making heavy the yoke on
the people, he became indignant in his spirit and said, 'Is it right that I or'ABD AL-MASIH should govern
my brother's sons?' And he marched from ALEPPO and encamped against CALONICUS and took it, and he
had dominion over the whole of HABURA and reigned over NISIBIS also. And MAHAMAD, the son of
KARA 'ARSLAN, the lord of a fortress, came to him, and he came and made war on SHIGAR and took it,
and he set therein 'EMAD AD-DIN, his brother's son. And from there he came to the city of BALADH, and
he crossed the TIGRIS and went and encamped on the east side of MAWSIL, that is to say in the quarter of
NINEVEH. And on the day on which he arrived a miracle was performed, for one of the great towers of
MAWSIL fell down of its own accord, and it is probable [341] that that tower was shaken during the violent
earthquake which had taken place the year before. And, as if by chance, it collapsed that day.

Now when 'ABD AL-MASIH saw that the whole of the Arab people was inclining towards NUR AD-DIN,
he was afraid that they would take him by the sword. And he sent and demanded a pledge of safety for his
life, that he might deliver MAWSIL to him, but that he would not take it from SAIF AD-DIN. Then NUR
AD-DIN replied, 'I have not come to snatch the city or the kingdom from my sons, but that I may save the
populace from thy injustice (or, oppression), O 'ABD AL-MASIH. Therefore, beyond my allowing thee to
live, and expelling thee from MAWSIL, and carrying thee with me to SYRIA, thou must expect nothing from
me.' And so there was peace. And NUR AD-DIN went to MAWSIL, and he encamped in the Citadel thereof.
And he left SAIF AD-DIN GHAZI as he was, the lord of MAWSIL. And he appointed as DIZADAR, that is
to say, 'Governor,' a certain eunuch whose name was SA'D AD-DIN KUMISHTAKIN. And the riches which
his brother had left he divided equally between his sons. And he remitted many taxes to the people, and he
built the great Mosque which is called 'NURI.' And he gave to SAIF AD-DIN besides MAWSIL also the
island of KARDU. And having tarried in MAWSIL for seventeen days, he returned to SYRIA, and with him
was FAKHR AD-DIN 'ABD AL-MASIH. And he changed his name and called him 'ABD ALLAH' (i.e.
‘Servant of God’) instead of 'Servant of Christ’, and gave him other generous allowances whereon to live.

Now although this 'ABD AL-MASIH pretended by his external acts that he was a Muslim, his inner man
practised Christianity. And he performed great acts of kindness for the Christians, and he was an open enemy
of the ARABS and their teachers. And the blessed Patriarch MAR MICHAEL compareth him to
MORDECAI.

And in this year the Khalifah MUSTANJID fell sick through a disease of the colon, and when his sickness
waxed sore, certain of the nobles, 'AUSTADDAR and others, gave up all hope of his life, and they opened
the doors of the prison, and brought out their brothers who were imprisoned therein. Then the Wazir sent and
informed the Khalifah [of this], and the Khalifah was wroth, and he commanded the physician, who was a
Christian, that is to say BAR-SAFYAH, who was attending him, to write to the Wazir [ordering him] to arrest
these nobles and to cut off their heads. And having written (now the lawyers [342] did not go into the
presence of the Khalifah because of the severity of the disease) the Khalifah set his sign (or, mark, or, seal) on
the document. And he called to a young eunuch and said to him, 'Take this document, and go out as if thou
wast going to amuse thyself, and do not run, and approach the Wazir and give him this'. And when the
eunuch had taken the document and gone forth as he had been commanded, the physician remained for a
short time [with the Khalifah], and then he went out, ostensibly to relieve himself, and hurried to
'AUSTADDAR and informed him about the matter. And 'AUSTADDAR sent quickly other eunuchs, and they
went and found the young eunuch carrying the letter, and he had not yet joined in the games. And they rushed
upon him and carried him to 'AUSTADDAR, and he searched him and found the document; and having taken
it he killed the young eunuch and cast him into a pit. Then 'AUSTADDAR and his companions rose up
hurriedly, and went into the inner apartments (i.e. the harim) of the palace. And when the women cried out in
their faces, saying, '[Ye] dogs! How have ye dared to intrude upon us as if we were common women in the
bazar’, they paid no heed to them and passed on and went into the apartment wherein the Khalifah was lying
down. And they said unto him, 'The physician hath commanded us to take thee to the bath’, and although the
Khalifah was wroth, and said, 'I do not want a bath’, they did not listen to him, but they stripped him naked by
force, and carried him in and cast him into an inner chamber. And though he was in sore distress through the
fever, and he had not strength enough to stand up, and he was moaning and groaning, they kept on
hammering on the door so that the sounds of his outcries might be concealed from the women and slaves who
were there, for it was impossible for them to drive the women out, so that they might not accuse them of
having killed him. And after a time one of the nobles went in and stamped upon his belly with his foot. And
when he was nigh to yielding up his spirit, the nobles brought him out whilst breath still remained in him so
that the inferior slaves and the women might see that he had not been killed by strangling. And when they
went out he begged for some water, and they would not give any to him, saying, "Thou wilt be harmed by
water’, then the physician said unto them, 'Give him [water], for as soon as the water touches his lips he will
die'. And having given him the water he was unable to swallow it, for his throat was already dried up and
tightly closed. And straightway he died.

And we have found [written] in another manuscript that this Khalifah loved one of the women, whose name
was [343] BANAPHSHAH (i.e. Violet), very much, and that the wife of the Khalifah was jealous of her. And
she stirred up the son of the Khalifah, and she made him to sleep with the handmaiden. And when the
Khalifah asked for her according to custom, his wife said unto him, 'That woman is not suitable for thee,
because thy son hath slept with her’. When the Khalifah heard about what had happened, he was troubled, and
his mind was confused, and he fell ill because of his son. And in a fit of anger he commanded that his son
should be killed, but the nobles did the thing exactly opposite, that is to say, they killed him and set up his son
in his place.

After MUSTANJID, his son MUSTADI ruled nine years, and those nobles having put to death MUSTANJID
in this manner, chose one of his sons who had no prospect of becoming Khalifah because of his gentleness
and humility. And they made him swear that he would not kill any of them, and that he would restore to them

everything which his father had taken from them. And having sworn to them, they brought in his brother, and
by force and with threats of death made him to swear the same things. And thus they did with all the sons of
the Khalifah's family, and they also swore oaths of fidelity to him. And they proclaimed him 'MUSTADI'.

And in the year fourteen hundred and eighty-three of the GREEKS (A.D. 1172) heavy snow fell on the whole
country. It was so heavy that even in INDIA, where they had never seen snow, snow fell, according to what is
said, to a depth of fourteen spans. The rivers and the wells were frozen hard, and the wild animals and birds
perished through hunger and thirst. And men likewise were imprisoned in their houses as in tombs, and they
were unable to travel even from one village to another, and many dwellers in tents and [many] travellers on
the roads were suffocated by the snow. But in SEBASTIA, where the famine was especially severe, because
of the length of the roads [to be travelled over], the nobles begged ISMA'IL, the son of DANISHMAND, the
governor of CAPPADOCIA, to give corn to them and to their dependants, so that they might live thereon
until the summer and not die, for he had a large number of granaries which were loaded full of wheat. And
when he refused and would not give [it to them], they gathered together and killed both him and his wife,
who was the sister of KELEJ 'ARSLAN the Sultan, and five hundred people of his household and his slaves,
and his women; and they took possession of his barns and store-houses. And they sent to DAMASCUS and
brought DUALNON, his uncle, who [344] had fled thither from the Sultan, and he came and reigned over
SEBASTIA.

And in this year, which is the year five hundred and sixty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1171), NUR AD-DIN
sent a message to SALAH AD-DIN ordering him to cease proclaiming 'ADID, the Khalifah of EGYPT, and
to proclaim the Khalifah of BAGHDAD. And SALAH AD-DIN, fearing lest the EGYPTIANS would be
stirred up to revolt against him, delayed [in carrying out] the matter. Then NUR AD-DIN brought pressure to
bear upon him, and being unable to disobey his command, he took counsel with the nobles concerning the
means for giving effect to it. And whilst some of them were saying that it must be, and others that it must not
be, a certain PERSIAN who was there, and was called 'Amir' and 'Doctor', said unto them. 'I will make the
proclamation first, and do you avoid doing so intentionally’. And when the day of Friday arrived, that man
drew nigh and went up into the pulpit, and instead of saying, "ADID BAR 'ALT’, said 'MUSTADI BAR
'ABBAS', and no man was able to grumble. And similarly on another Friday the other men who made the
proclamation, they being commanded, also made the [same] proclamation in all the Mosques. And thus the
mention of the Khalifate of the EGYPTIANS received its conclusion. Now because the Khalifah, 'ADID was
ill in those days his people did not inform him of what had taken place, so that it might not grieve him and
cause him to die. And he died without knowing the fact.

Then SALAH AD-DIN shut up his sons and the members of his household in prison, and he removed the
males among them from the females so that their posterity might be cut off. And even so it came to pass, and
he set free his slaves and his handmaidens, and there was joy to the heretical folk of the FATALISTS among
the ARABS, and the sovereignty of the heresy of those who assert with certainty [the existence of] free will
and self-rule was stripped bare, and who say, 'Their descent was not from 'ALI and FATMAH, but from a
man who was a, JEW or a MAGIAN'. And the poets also have composed a multitude of verses, saying, 'The
kingdom of PHARAOH hath come to an end, and that of JOSEPH hath begun'. For fourteen of them rose up
in the West, three of them in AFRICA, MAHDI, KAIM, MANSUR, and eleven in EGYPT, MU'IZ, 'AZIZ,
HAKIM, TAHIR, MUSTANSER, MUSTALI, AMIR, HAFIT, TAFIR, FAIZ, 'ASID.

Then SALAH AD-DIN reigned alone over EGYPT, and there remained to him [345] among the
EGYPTIANS no enmity whatsoever like unto that hatred (or, jealousy) with which he was regarded by NUR
AD-DIN. Therefore NUR AD-DIN wrote to him, saying, 'Behold I am encamped at KARAK, do thou,
without delay, collect thy troops and come there’. SALAH AD-DIN was afraid and he did not go, thereupon
NUR AD-DIN was wroth, and he wished to go in person to EGYPT and to drag him out therefrom. Then

SALAH AD-DIN collected his nobles and took counsel with them about the administration of the
Government. And as they all held their peace, and did not know what to urge, rebellion or submission, a
young man, the son of SALAH AD-DIN'S brother, rose up and said, 'If NUR AD-DIN cometh we will fight
him; we will not allow him to come into EGYPT". And in this manner spake all the young men his
companions.

Then the father of SALAH AD-DIN was wroth, and his uncle also, and his father reviled those young men.
And he said unto SALAH AD-DIN, 'Is there among all these nobles anyone who is so anxious for thy
prosperity (or, welfare) as myself, or thine uncle?’ And SALAH AD-DIN said, 'No’, and his father said, ' Be
very certain that if I myself or this thine uncle were to see NUR AD-DIN, there would be nothing else for us
to do except to go down [on our knee] and kiss the ground before him. And whilst we hold this view, who is
there among these [nobles] who when he saw NUR AD-DIN would draw his sword against him? And since
all these countries of EGYPT and elsewhere belong to NUR AD-DIN, if he wisheth to dismiss thee from
[thy] governorship, what need hath he to attack thee with troops? Nay, he has only to send a single person
with a couple of strings, who will cast a rope about thy neck and drag thee to DAMASCUS, and he can make
governor of his country any man he pleaseth.'

And the old man NAJAM AD-DIN 'AYUB rose up from his place, and rebuked all the nobles and said, 'Rise
ye up, we are all the slaves of NUR AD-DIN, and whatsoever he wisheth to do unto us he can do'. And when
they had gone forth and departed, that old man said unto SALAH AD-DIN, 'Thou art a child without
understanding, and faulty in thine actions. Dost thou not know that when NUR AD-DIN heareth that thou
hast rebelled against him, he will leave everything he is doing, and will pursue thee until he hath uprooted
thee? And what soldier is there who will forsake him and cleave to thee? And these words which I have
spoken will reach him immediately. Do thou also send an envoy, and speak words of humility, [saying] that
thou art a slave and [346] one who is in subjection to him, that the affairs of EGYPT are not yet in a settled
state, and that fear of the FRANKS preventeth thee from going [to him]. Then will his wrath be appeased,
and he will cease to trouble thee.’ And as the old man said, even so did it come to pass.

And about that time a great number of people from among the NUBIANS sallied out and they came as far
[north] as the country of SA'ID (UPPER EGYPT), and plundered many villages. And SALAH AD-DIN
heard [of this] and sent an army there. And the ARABS met the NUBIANS in battle, and on both sides very
many were killed; now the party of the BLACKS was exceedingly strong. Then SALAH AD-DIN sent his
brother SHAMS AD-DAWLAH TURANSHAH with a numerous army, and when he went [there] the
NUBIANS fled. And the ARABS pursued them and looted and killed, and they took possession of the
fortress which is called 'ABRIM' (i.e. Primis), and they stationed an Arab garrison therein. And when the
army of the ARABS retreated, the NUBIANS returned and [re]captured their fortress, and the king of the
NUBIANS sent an envoy to SHAMS AD-DAWLAH when he was in Kus and begged for peace. Then
SHAMS AD-DAWLAH replied, 'There will be peace if [thou] payest tribute'. And he sent with the Nubian
envoy an envoy of his own who was called MAS'UD, a man of ALEPPO. And he departed and came to the
royal city of the NUBIANS which is called DUNUKLA (DONGOLA), and he saw a miserable country, and
with the exception of millet the inhabitants thereof had no other grain. And they had a few palms, and they
ate bread [made] of their millet with their dates, they having nothing else. And there was in it one large
building only, which was the palace of the king, and the remainder of the natives of the towns dwelt in huts
(or, booths) and caves. Now that envoy said, 'One day I saw that the king of the NUBIANS went forth naked,
and he rode upon a horse which was similarly barebacked. And the king went about in a vestment of atlas
cloth which was without seams, his head, which was without hair, being uncovered. And when I drew nigh
and saluted him he laughed with a chuckle, and he commanded and they burnt a mark like a cross on my
hand, and he gave me fifty /itre of grain and dismissed me.

And in the year five hundred and sixty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1173) this SHAMS AD-DAWLAH, the
brother of SALAH AD-DIN, went to the country of the South, and he took possession of it and reigned
therein.

And in this year, which is the year fourteen hundred and eighty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1174), in the
month of 'TYAR (MAY), [347] NUR AD-DIN died of the disease of strangury in DAMASCUS. One of the
skilled physicians who were in DAMASCUS, the famous RAHABAYA (whose two sons I the feeble one met
when they were eminent aged physicians), related the following: 'After the disease waxed in strength in him,
I and the other physicians were summoned. And when we went in we found him lying in a little house which
was very uncomfortable, and we said that a vein must be opened, but he would not allow it. And because he
was afraid of every one we were unable to repeat our words, and forthwith he died. His complexion was dark,
he was tall, he was beardless and had only a few hairs under his chin. He was simple in his manners and
dress. He was a violent hater of the ARABS who were descended from 'ALI. He took more than fifty towns
and fortresses from the FRANKS. And he built a great guest-house (or, Khan), and a college in
DAMASCUS, and a great Mosque in MAWSIL.' On the death of NUR AD-DIN his son MALIK SALIH
ISMA'IL succeeded him. And all the nobles swore oaths of fealty to him, and SALAH AD-DIN in EGYPT
also proclaimed him, and stamped his name on the zuze and dinar moneys.

And when SAIF AD-DIN GHAZI, the lord of MAWSIL, heard that his uncle NUR AD-DIN was dead, there
was great gladness in him, and the heralds proclaimed publicly in MAWSIL that every man should drink
freely, and get drunk, and enjoy himself [at his expense]. And he collected armies and came to BETH
NAHRIN, and took possession of EDESSA, and HARRAN, and other places. And the Amir SHAMS AD-
DIN, the captain of the host of ALEPPO, sent to the nobles in DAMASCUS, and said, 'Bring ye me MALIK
SALIH to ALEPPO; if [ye do] not, it hath gone out of his hands (or, power)’. But the nobles said, 'We will not
give authority to SHAMS AD-DIN to rule the kingdom’, and they would not allow SALIH to depart from
them. And SALAH AD-DIN sent and rebuked the nobles of DAMASCUS, and asked them how it was that
they had been unmindful that countries had been taken and why they had not informed him and called him to
come to help. And he also spake unto them, saying, 'If NUR AD-DIN had known that there was among you
one who was more vigilant than myself, he would have handed over to him the kingdom of EGYPT. And
now behold I am coming, for it is right for me to govern my lord and the son of my lord and not you.'

Then the nobles sent SALIH to ALEPPO, and [348] the eunuch SA'AD AD-DIN became his minister. This
eunuch was he who was left by NUR AD-DIN to be the governor of the fortress of MAWSIL, and he fled
from SAIF AD-DIN and came to the son of his lord. Then the men of DAMASCUS, being afraid of SALAH
AD-DIN, sent and begged for peace from 'AMORI, the king of JERUSALEM, and undertook to pay tribute.
And after a few days the king fell sick and died in 'AKKO, in the month of TAMMUZ (JULY), forty days
after the death of NUR AD-DIN. And very great mourning took place among the Christians at the death of
this righteous king, the terror of whom had fallen on all the Arab peoples of EGYPT and SYRIA. And
BO'DWIN (IV) his son rose up in his place.

And when KELEJ 'ARSLAN, the Sultan of ICONIUM, heard that NUR AD-DIN, the supporter of
DUALNON, the son of DANISHMAND, was dead, he went to their countries and became master of
SEBASTIA, NEO-CAESAREA, and KOMANA. And DUALNON fled to CONSTANTINOPLE and sought
asylum with the king of the GREEKS. And thus their headship came to an end after they had ruled for one
hundred and twenty-two years. And the ARMENIANS of BETH SASAN, being aweary of the Amir of
MAIPERKAT, sent to SHAH 'ARMAN, the lord of KHALAT, and handed over to him all their fortresses.
And the king of the IBIRAYE also came back and took the city of ANI from the PERSIANS.

And in the year five hundred and seventy of the ARABS (A.D. 1174), SALAH AD-DIN collected his armies
and came from EGYPT to DAMASCUS, pretending that he had come to the help of the son of his lord, and
he went in and encamped in the palace of his father. And in secret he flattered RIHAN the eunuch, the
governor of the fortress, and he opened the door to him. And SALAH AD-DIN introduced SAIF AL-
ESLAM, his brother, and his men into the fortress of DAMASCUS, and he took possession of it without
making an end of the proclamation of MALIK SALIH ESMA'IL. And he went forth from DAMASCUS and
attacked EMESA and took it. And from there he came to HAMATH and took possession of it. And he came
and encamped against the mountain which is called JAWSHAN which is by the side of ALEPPO. Then the
Amirs who were in it appointed heralds and collected all the people of ALEPPO, both great and small, in the
MAIDAN of the 'Irak Gate, and they advised SALIH to go forth to [349] the people, and to speak [to them]
with groanings. And having gone forth he stood up on the top of the MAIDAN and said, 'O sons of ALEPPO,
I am the son of your bringing up, for I took refuge among you, and I have neither father nor mother except
you'; and saying these words he groaned and almost burst into tears. And all the people wept, and they lifted
up their voices in a cry and said, 'We all of us are thy slaves, and before thee we will die’. And the FRANKS
also sent envoys to SALAH AD-DIN and they complained, saying, 'This is not a thing which should be done,
for thou art awarding evil instead of good to the house of thy lord. If thou dost not hearken unto us and turn
aside from ALEPPO, behold we all will come against thee’.

And when SALAH AD-DIN saw that the matter was not to be effected according to his will, and that it was
impossible to cajole the sons of ALEPPO, he turned back and went to B'ELBAK, and took it. And he came
from there to EMESA, and he also took the fortress thereof. Then the sons of ALEPPO sent [messengers] to
SAIF AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, and said to him, 'If thou permittest SALAH AD-DIN to take ALEPPO,
do not imagine that MAWSIL will remain thine’.

Then SAIF AD-DIN sent, together with his brother 'IZ AD-DIN MAS'UD, a numerous army, and they came
to ALEPPO. And they and the men of ALEPPO gathered together and went and encamped against
HAMATH, and they sent an envoy to SALAH AD-DIN at EMESA. And they demanded from him that he
should restore all the fortresses which he had taken without his lord's [authority], and that only DAMASCUS
should remain his, and that he should only be there as one of the Amirs in subjection to MALIK SALIH.
Then SALAH AD-DIN replied, 'I have not come for war with the son of my lord, but to protect him, and I
will protect his territories and his treasures. And I will never go forth because of what ye say’. And when they
saw that he was inclined for peace they imagined that he was faint-hearted, and they treated him arrogantly
and said, 'Thou shalt not even tarry in SYRIA, but shall go into EGYPT. For thee, as far as we are concerned,
there is nothing but the sword’. And they went away and encamped against RAS 'AIN. And SALAH AD-DIN
also came to meet them, and they met each other in the place which is called KARNE DHA-HAMATH. And
the men of MAWSIL and the men of ALEPPO were defeated, and they turned their backs to flee. And
SALAH AD-DIN prohibited his armies from pursuing the fugitives over-diligently, and from killing any
man. Then [350] MALIK SALIH sent to him and begged for peace, and said that SALAH AD-DIN should
rule over DAMASCUS, and HAMATH, and EMESA, and that the rest of SYRIA, viz. OUTER SYRIA, he
must leave to SALIH. And when SALAH AD-DIN did not agree to this, he added also MU'ARAH and
KEPHARTAB; and he agreed and swore that in all the countries which were under his hand, the proclamation
of Sultan MALIK SALIH should be observed, and that whensoever the occasion demanded he would come
to help him. And when the Khalifah heard of the victory of SALAH AD-DIN, he sent to him royal apparel,
and a sword, and flags, and a Patent of Sovereignty.

And at [that] time KUTAB AD-DIN KAIMAZ. one of the Amirs of BAGHDAD, lifted up his head against
the Khallfah MUSTADI, and he collected his men and set in array the battle close by the palace of the
Khalifah. Then the Khalifah trembled, and he went up to the roof, and commanded the herald and he cried
with a loud voice, 'O0 men of BAGHDAD, behold the time when ye should help your Lord, and the Head of

your Faith, and should make manifest your zeal for your Belief’. And the voice fell in the city, and they all
gathered together [armed] with swords, and staves, and bricks, and slings, and they made KAIMAZ and those
who were with him to betake themselves to flight. And having departed to the desert they became thirsty.
And they found water in a certain tank wherein snakes had drowned themselves, and having drunk therefrom
they all and their horses became ill. And they directed their gaze towards MAWSIL, and many of them
perished on the road, and even those who arrived in MAWSIL did not live.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Taking of Edessa from the Franks (continued).

And in that year, which was the year fourteen hundred and eighty-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1175), the
Armenian nobles who were in CILICIA rebelled against MALIH, the governor of CILICIA, and they wished
to kill him. And when he perceived [this] he fled to one of the fortresses. Now the guards of the Citadel,
because they knew the evil things which the Christians had suffered, and were still suffering through him,
seized him and hacked him limb from limb and cast him to the dogs. Then the nobles brought his brother's
son, RUPIN (REUBEN?), the son of 'ESTAFANA, who [came] from TARSOS, and made him king over
them. And he killed those who had killed his uncle MALIH because 'they had cast him to the dogs and did
not bury him when they had killed him’.

And in the year five hundred and seventy-one of the ARABS (A.D. 1175), SAIF AD-DIN, the lord of
MAWSIL, sent [a message] to SALIH BAR NUR AD-DIN to ALEPPO, [351] and he rebuked him and
blamed him because he had not made peace with SALAH AD-DIN. And the lord of MASIL collected about
twenty thousand horsemen, and came to ALEPPO. And he brought out the nobles of the FRANKS who had
been imprisoned there for a very long time, and he sold the Count of TRIPOLI for eighty thousand dinars,
and JOSCELYN, the son of JOSCELYN, for fifty [thousand] dinars, and PRAYNS (?) of ANTIOCH for one
hundred and twenty [thousand] dinars; and he made them swear that they would always be allies. And
SALAH AD-DIN also sent to EGYPT and collected his armies, and they all mustered between ALEPPO and
HAMATH, in the place which is called 'GUBHAI TURKMANAYE', and they met each other in battle. And
SALAH AD-DIN conquered the soldiers of ALEPPO and MAWSIL and put them to flight, and he took
possession of their tents and plundered their treasures, and he found in them large numbers of birds, turtle-
doves, and doves, and parrots, and grasshoppers, in cages, and one hundred wanton young singing women.
And he called one of the kamodhe (cage men?) and sent him to SAIF AD-DIN [as] an envoy, together with
the cages, and he said to him, 'Go thou and proclaim peace on my behalf to SAIF AD-DIN, and say unto him:
Return to thy state of honour and to the enjoyment of thyself with thy birds, for they are beautiful and they
must not fall into danger'. And he gave apparel to the nobles of MAWSIL also whom he had captured, among
whom was FAKHR AD-DIN 'ABD AL-MASIH, and he gave them horses and gifts, and sent them away in
peace. Then, leaving ALEPPO meanwhile, he crossed over and encamped against the fortress of BUZA'AH
and took it. And from there he came to MABBUGH, and he took possession of it, and he found in the fortress
thereof a sum of three hundred thousand dinars. And he attacked 'AZAZ and captured it within forty days.

And in [that] year, which is the year fourteen hundred and eighty-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 1176),
MANUIL, king of the GREEKS, went forth and built two cities on the frontier of the TURKS, and stationed
troops in them. And they oppressed greatly those who were of the house of KELEJ 'ARSLAN, and this was
because the king besought the Sultan to restore their territories to those of the house of DANISHMAND, and
he would not do so. Therefore the king sent thirty thousand GREEK horsemen with DUALNON the TURK,
the son of DANISHMAND, and they encamped against NICOMEDIA. [352] Then the TURKS who were

inside wrote a letter in the Greek language by the mouth of the Christians who were in NEO-CAESAREA,
and they said to the GREEKS, 'Ye shall not believe DUALNON, whom ye have brought, because his letters
are not cut off (or, separated) by the TURKS who are inside; and he wisheth by craft (or, deceit) to deliver
you over to the people of his race’. And because of this, tumult broke out among the GREEKS, and they
removed themselves from NEO-CAESAREA. And the TURKS pursued them and slew the son of the sister
of the king.

And when the king heard that the son of his sister had been killed, he collected a large army and went forth to
the Turkish frontier. And he left the chariots which were loaded with their heavy gear and food, and the
GREEKS marched in, looting and burning those villages of the TURKS which had already been depleted of
means of subsistence and population. Then the TURKS, particularly the foot-soldiers among them, went
through the mountains and into the deep passes of BETH THOMA, and they arrived at the great camp of the
heavy baggage of the GREEKS and plundered it, and they burnt the wagons (or, chariots). And through this
the hope of the GREEKS was cut off and the TURKS gained the mastery over them. And they rolled down
rocks upon the GREEKS from the tops of the mountains, and made confusion among the men and the horses.
Then in the night the king sent an envoy to the Sultan and begged for peace, and because he himself was
placed in a terrible position, straightway he agreed. And he selected three Turkish Amirs and they went in the
service of the king until they entered into his boundaries. And because there were in the camp of the
GREEKS which had been plundered churches, and crosses, and a great quantity of stuffs (or, hangings and
curtains), and a cross in which was a piece of wood of the Crucifixion had also been carried off, the king sent
much gold to the Sultan and took the cross.

And in this year died NAJM AD-DIN, the lord of MARDIN, who had reigned for two-and-twenty years, and
the Christians, and the churches, and the monasteries were on very friendly terms with him. And his son
KUTAB AD-DIN reigned after him. And he quarrelled with his uncles, the lord of HANI, and the lord of
DARA, but afterwards he was reconciled with them, and they came to him, and were subject unto him. And a
report went out concerning him that he was dead, and the MA'DAYE began to make raids in his territory; but
he being strong and in good health slew thousands of the ARABS, and took from them [353] twelve thousand
camels, and the rest of them fled.

And in the year five hundred and seventy-two of the ARABS (A.D. 1176) SALAH AD-DIN encamped again
against ALEPPO. And when SALIH saw their force was unable to cope with him, he employed humility and
begged for peace. And SALAH AD-DIN made peace generally with ALEPPO, and MAWSIL, and LITTLE
ARMENIA. And the peace being confirmed, SALIH made a little sister of his go out to SALAH AD-DIN,
and she begged from him 'AZAZ, and he gave [it] to her. And he departed and went to DAMASCUS, and
took to wife the wife of NUR AD-DIN who was called 'ESMATH AD-DIN. And he made his brother
SHAMS AD-DIN TURANSHAH governor in DAMASCUS, and he returned to EGYPT. And he built the
two cities MESRIN (Fostat?) and KAHRAH (CAIRO), one wall surrounding them, and on the mountain
which is between them he built the Citadel.

And in the year five hundred and seventy-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1177), which is the year fourteen
hundred and eighty-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 1178), SALAH AD-DIN went forth from MESRIN with a
great army, and he encamped against ASCALON, and he looted the town and made prisoners, and shed much
blood of the Christians. Now the FRANKS were in a state of great fear, because the young king of
JERUSALEM began to be attacked by the disease of elephantiasis. But even though such was the case, the
sick king collected the remnant of his troops, and he descended from his saddle and fell down on his face
before the Holy Cross weeping. And the hearts of all were stupefied, and they swore that they would never
turn their backs in flight, but would continue to fight the fight to the death. Therefore they left [matters as
they were] until the TURKS had worked their way into the country, for they were occupied in plundering,

and neglected to make ready for war, and they were supine and careless, because they felt certain about the
weakness of the FRANKS. Therefore the FRANKS mounted their animals, and came and overtook (i.e. fell
upon) the TURKS when they were crossing a river. And the Lord made a mighty storm of wind to blow, and
it hurled the sand away from the side where the FRANKS were on to the TURKS. And being blinded thereby
the sword of the FRANKS had dominion over them, and they turned their backs in flight, and they wandered
about confusedly in the trackless region in those waterless deserts. And the FRANKS spent five days in
overthrowing them, and they found companies and companies of them and they made prisoners and killed;
and SALAH AD-DIN together with a few of his men escaped to CAIRO.

The Chronicler saith, 'When I saw [354] the bearers of the good news, who were mounted on horses, and the
heralds in the bazars of MESRIN crying out, "The Sultan hath conquered, and the FRANKS are defeated", I
ran so that I might learn from the announcers what manner of victory [it was]. And when I drew near I heard
that they were saying, "Rejoice and be ye glad that the Sultan is safe". And straightway I knew that the
tidings were the reverse of what they were proclaiming.’

And in this year when the Sultan KELEJ 'ARSLAN made peace with MANUIL, the king of the GREEKS, he
came to MELITENE and encamped against it for four months with a great camp. He never set war in motion
(i.e. began hostilities), but he gave orders to the troops, and they built themselves houses of bricks wherein
they might pass the winter. And they also built for him great houses with the stones that were on the graves.
Now the Amir who was in it was of the race of the house of DANISHMAND, and he was afraid of his nobles
lest, being as they were pressed by hunger, they should deliver him over (i.e. betray him ). And he sent a
message quickly to the Sultan and received a pledge for the security of his life, and went forth and passed
over to the fortress of ZAID. And KELEJ 'ARSLAN was master of MELITENE from the fourth day of the
week, the twenty-fifth day of the FIRST TESHRIN (OCTOBER), of the year fourteen hundred and eighty-
nine of the GREEKS.

And in the year of the GREEKS fourteen hundred and ninety (A.D. 1179), all the FRANKS came to terms
with BO'DWIN the king, and they began to build a city on the banks of the JORDAN, at a place which is
called the, 'FORD OF JACOB", that through it they might harass DAMASCUS. And SALAH AD-DIN went
forth from EGYPT and attacked B'ELBAK, because the governor thereof had rebelled against him. And
when he had harassed him with war, the governor took a pledge for his life and delivered B'ELBAK to him.
And SALAH AD-DIN waxed strong. And he went to the country of PALESTINE. And the FRANKS
attacked him and put him to flight, and they plundered the country of the ARABS and returned. And when
they were encamped, and were refreshing themselves, and rejoicing as if they had conquered, an ambush of
the ARABS burst upon them. and they made prisoners of about one hundred Frankish fighting men, and they
captured also the Master of the Freres. And SALAH AD-DIN attacked that place which the FRANKS had
built recently, and subjugated it. Now there were five hundred Freres therein. And when they saw that they
were overpowered by the ARABS, some of them cast themselves into the fire and were burned to death, and
some of them [355] fell into the river JORDAN and were drowned, and others hurled themselves down from
the wall upon the rocks [beneath] and were dashed in pieces and died; and those who found themselves alive
were killed by the ARABS.

And in the year fourteen hundred and ninety-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1180), MANUIL, king of the
GREEKS, fell sick, and when he felt that he was going to die he became a monk, and he set aside the crown
for his son ALIX, whom he proclaimed king. And he made his wife, who was the mother of the young man
ALIX, a nun, and he entrusted to her the treasures of the kingdom. And they appointed twelve nobles to
govern the troops. Now the royal nun after a little [time] fell into fornication with one of the twelve nobles.
And though the remaining nobles wished to dismiss her and her son, and to set up the daughter of MANUIL,
who was born of [his] first wife, and to proclaim her husband king, they were unable [to do so]. For a plot

was discovered, and those nobles were afraid and fled to the great church. And there was [civil] war in the
city for seven days, and much blood was shed in CONSTANTINOPLE. And those who were on the side of
the king and his mother set up engines of war against HAGIA SOPHIA.

Then THEODOSIUS their Patriarch, and the king and his mother having sworn that they would not harm
those who were in the church if they would go out, went to them, and by means of his pledge [of safety]
brought them out. And the king and his mother trod under their feet their oaths. and they put out the eyes of
those eleven nobles and killed all their adherents. Then the Patriarch being greatly troubled cut off (i.e.
excommunicated) the whole city, and he left it and went to a monastery outside it; and he stopped the [ringing
of the] bells and prayers for nine months. And their dead were buried without any processions, and with the
burial of a donkey.

And in the year Sultan KELEJ 'ARSLAN sent an army against RA'BAN, and an army of the
DAMASCENES came against them and the CAPPADOCIANS fled, for they were very experienced in wars
with the FRANKS.

And in this year, which is the year five hundred and seventy-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1179), the Khalifah
MUSTADI died, and after him his son NAS'IR rose up. After MUSTADI his son NASIR ruled forty-seven
years. When this Khalifah rose up (i.e. succeeded) he seized the Wazir BAR 'ATARA and shut him up in
prison, and he cast iron fetters on him and took everything which he possessed. And on the night of the fourth
day of the week, on the twelfth day of the eleventh [356] month, he was brought out dead. And when the sons
of BAGHDAD knew this, they threw him off the shoulders of the man who was carrying him, and they
stripped him naked, and tied a rope round his member and dragged him through the bazars. And the little
boys put sticks in his hand and said, 'Put thy mark on our books, O lord'. And thus they mocked him until the
TURKS came and buried him. And in this year there was a terrible famine, and a pestilence wasted the whole
earth.

And in the year fourteen hundred and ninety-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1181), which is the year five hundred
and seventy-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1180), SALAH AD-DIN went to war with Sultan KELEJ 'ARSLAN
because of NUR AD-DIN, the son of KARA 'ARSLAN, the son of DAWUD, the son of 'ARTOK, the lord of
the fortress of KIPA. For this man was the son-in-law of Sultan KELEJ 'ARSLAN, and he committed great
folly with the daughter of the Sultan, and had brought adultery upon her. And when the Sultan sent and
threatened him, he was afraid and took refuge with SALAH AD-DIN. And SALAH AD-DIN sent an envoy
to the Sultan and begged him to forgive the offence of his son-in-Iaw. And when the Sultan would not accept
[the suggestion], SALAH AD-DIN made friends with the FRANKS of the sea-coast, and he collected his
troops and went to the country of ALEPPO, and encamped in a meadow which was called 'KARA
HEDARAR’, for the river floweth between the territory of the fortress and the fortress of MANSUR. And
from there he went and encamped on the river LUGASU (LUGASIK?). And NUR AD-DIN, the son of
KARA 'ARSLAN, came to him and was received with honour. Then God set peace in the heart of Sultan
KELEJ 'ARSLAN, and he sent an ambassador to SALAH AD-DIN. And he was reconciled with his son-in-
law after he had made him to swear that he would not again live in wantonness, and would hold the daughter
of the Sultan in honour, and that he would be in subjection to him like a son.

And SALAH AD-DIN moved from that place and went and encamped on the river UKAMA. And his armies
went to plunder the country of CILICIA, because ROPIN (REUBEN?), the governor of CILICIA, had killed
many of the Turcoman shepherds who were in his country, and he made captives of their wives and children
and [seized] their possessions (i.e.cattle).

Then RUPIN sent words of humility and submission to SALAH AD-DIN, and he gave him much gold, and
he set free five hundred Turkish prisoners. [357] And then there was peace, and SALAH AD-DIN departed.
And KELEJ 'ARSLAN returned to MELITENE and rebuilt the two walls thereof. And at this ttme PRAYNS
of ANTIOCH left the Greek wife which he had taken from CONSTANTINOPLE in the days of MANUIL the
king and committed fornication. And the Patriarch of ANTIOCH excommunicated the priest who had blessed
him with the whore, and also the whole city, and he stopped the bell-ringers and the prayers. Then PRAYNS
was furiously angry, and he looted all the churches and monasteries of the FRANKS. Then the Patriarch of
JERUSALEM came with men of authority (Counts) and pacified PRAYNS. He permitted him to keep that
unlawful wife, and he gave back everything which he had taken from the churches and monasteries.

And in the year dieds SAIF AD-DIN TAZI, the son of KUGHABAD-DIN MAWDUD, the son of ZANGI,
the lord of MAWSIL. He was a man who loved luxurious living, and he was always drinking wine, and in his
days the men of MAWSIL enjoyed prosperous peace and great happiness. And there rose up in his place as
governor of MAWSIL 'IZZ AD-DIN MAS'UD his brother, and he was called ABU AL-FATH, and he had
been trained systematically in all matters of administration. And SALAH AD-DIN went to DAMASCUS,
and from there he went to EGYPT, and he finished the building of the Citadel of CAIRO; and his brother
SHAMS AD-DAWLAH died in ALEXANDRIA.

And in the year five hundred and seventy-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1181), king SALIH ISMA'IL, the son
of NUR AD-DIN, the son of ZANGI, the lord of MAWSIL, fell sick with the sickness of death. And when he
perceived that he was going to die, he sent to the son of his uncle 'IZZ AL-DIN MAS'UD, the lord of
MAWSIL, and he urged him to come quickly so that ALEPPO might be handed over to him, and not to
SALAH AD-DIN. And he also collected the nobles, and made them to swear fealty to the son of his uncle,
and he died. It is said that one of the slaves made him drink poison in a cluster of grapes. And others say, 'No,
he died of disease of the colon’. And the sons of ALEPPO mourned for him greatly, for he was glorious in the
beauty of his body, and he was excellent in spiritual and mental faculties. And when he died dissension fell
(i.e. broke out) between [358] the people of ALEPPO, that is to say between those who lived in the city and
the YARUKAYE, who were outside ALEPPO. And the YARUKAYE sent to 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI, the
lord of SHIGHAR (SINJAR), and brought him to them that they might deliver ALEPPO [into his hands]. But
the dwellers in ALEPPO sent and threatened him that if he did not leave and depart, they would fetter him
cruelly.

And when he left and departed, 'IZZ AL-DIN MAS'UD came to ALEPPO and went up into the fortress and
took possession of it. And he took the mother of MALIK SALIH to wife and sent her to MAWSIL. And he
opened those treasure houses which of old had belonged to NUR AD-DIN and ZANGT his father, and were
filled with boundless treasures, and he sent them (i.e. their contents) all to MAWSIL. And he made peace
with BOHAIMOND PRAYNS, the lord of ANTIOCH, for a period of two years. And he left NUR AD-DIN,
his son, who was a little boy, in the fortress of ALEPPO and appointed him governor. And he departed and
encamped in the meadow of KARA HESAR, and he sent an envoy to his brother 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI,
the lord of SINJAR, because he had gone forth with all his treasure, and his sons, and his household. And he
came to CIRCESIUM in order to go and take asylum with SALAH AD-DIN, that he might help him and
restore to him the kingdom of his father. Then 'EMAD AD-DIN made answer to his brother's ambassador,
saying, 'I will not go back unless he giveth me ALEPPO, or MAWSIL, or the whole of BETH NAHRIN'.
And 'IZZ AD-DIN agreed to give him ALEPPO, the city only, but his son was to remain in the fortress. And
'EMAD AD-DIN replied, 'I do not agree that I will be governor for thy son in ALEPPO’. And 'IZZ AD-DIN
replied, saying, 'I will give thee in addition 'ARBAN, and MAQDAL, and other places from the HABUR'.

And whilst he was disputing and refusing [the offer of] 'EMAD AD-DIN, the nobles advised him, saying,
'Give him ALEPPO and the fortress thereof, and quarrel not with thy brother about something which thou

canst not protect, nor is he [able to do so] against SALAH AD-DIN. And what hast thou left therein over the
loss of which thou wouldst be sorry? Behold, the whole of the wealth [of the place] thereof thou hast carried
off to MAWSIL.' And the two brothers swore oaths to each other, and 'EMAD AD-DIN took ALEPPO and
the country thereof, and he left SINJAR to 'IZZ AL-DIN together with MAWSIL.

And in this year a great ship was dispatched by the FRANKS to DAMIETTA, because between them and the
ARABS [359] there was peace. And the ARABS acted treacherously, and they made prisoners of the two
thousand five hundred men of the Frankish merchants and sailors who were in it, and the pretext they put
forward was that the period of peace (armistice) had expired. Then the FRANKS went forth to a city which
was on the shore of the SEA OF REEDS, which was called 'AYALAH', and they constructed a large fleet of
ships and vessels and sailed on the SEA OF REEDS where one said the FRANKS had never before sailed on
the RED SEA. And they captured many ships of the ARABS which were filled with rich merchandise (or,
valuable cargoes), and they killed a great many people of the inhabitants of the city which was called 'IDAB.
And SALAH AD-DIN sent ships from ALEXANDRIA with bales of packages for camels, and launched
them on the SEA OF REEDS. And the ARABS overtook the FRANKS and a great many men were killed on
both sides.

And in the year fourteen hundred and ninety-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 1183), ANDRONICUS, a Greek
nobleman, whom king MANUIL had driven out from CONSTANTINOPLE, cajoled the young ALIX and his
mother, and he went again into CONSTANTINOPLE, and for a short time he manifested submission. Then
he cast the mother of the young man, and her daughter, and her son-in-law, into the sea, and he destroyed the
young ALIX secretly. And he killed more than one thousand nobles and burned them in the fire, and he
plucked out the eyes of many. And that filthy old man took the young wife of ALIX to wife. And he expelled
the FRANKS from CONSTANTINOPLE. And when they had gone forth they burned fourteen thousand
monasteries and villages in the territories of the GREEKS. And the king of SICILY also came, and he
overthrew and laid waste many of the cities of the GREEKS.

And in the year five hundred and seventy-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1182), SALAH AD-DIN sallied forth
from EGYPT and came to DAMASCUS, and from there [he went] to ALEPPO, and he wished to make war
on it. Then one of the nobles advised him to cross the EUPHRATES first of all, and to make himself master
over the cities of BETH NAHRIN and 'ATHOR, after which he would be able to take it (DAMASCUS)
forthwith. And accepting his advice, he crossed the EUPHRATES and came to EDESSA, and he took it and
also HARRAN. And he went also to CALONICUS and took it. And from there he went to ARABAN, and
the guards thereof brought down its keys to him, and he took it, and with it MAKSIN. And he treated the sons
of the HABURA with kindness, and he went [360] to NISIBIS. And the lords thereof made ready to fight, but
SALAH AD-DIN did not wish to make war on the town. He placed an army round about it and commanded
them to prevent the inhabitants thereof from coming out or going in; and being in sore straits; the men of
NISIBIS surrendered the town quickly.

And SALAH AD-DIN came to MAWSIL and captured it, an army attacking (it) on every side. Then 'IZZ
AD-DIN, its lord, sent to the Khalifah and begged him to intercede on his behalf with SALAH AD-DIN; and
the Khalifah sent an ambassador to him and entreated him. Then he demanded that the men of MAWSIL
should give him either the gold which he had expended in his coming, or give him ALEPPO. And the men of
MAWSIL replied, 'We have no gold. And as for ALEPPO, it hath another lord, viz. 'EMAD AD-DIN. And
how can we give thee a country which is not ours?"

And when SALAH AD-DIN saw that he was not able to subjugate MAWSIL, he left it and went to SINJAR.
And he made war upon it, and took it from SHARAF AD-DIN, the son of KUTAB AD-DIN MAWDUD.
And from there SALAH AD-DIN went against the city of DARA. And its lord SAMSAM AD-DIN

BIHRAM, of the sons of 'ARTUK, went forth to do service to him, and he exhibited humility and subjection.
And SALAH AD-DIN left him his city and went to HARRAN. And he disbanded his troops so that each man
might go to his own country and rest in his own house, for it was the season of winter, and the days of a fast
and a festival of the ARABS were upon them; and he remained with a small body-guard in HARRAN.

Then the men of MAWSIL, fearing that he would return to them in the spring and take MAWSIL as he had
taken SINJAR, sent to SHAHARMAN, the lord of KHALAT, and asked him for help. And SHAHARMAN
responded to their petition gladly, and he sent to his sister's son, KUTAB AD-DIN ILGHAZI, the son of
'ALBI, the son of TEMURTASH, the lord of MARDIN, the uncle of 'IZZ AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL.
And all the men of MARDIN and the men of MAWSIL, and the adherents of SHAHARMAN gathered
together at BARA'YAH, and seventeen hundred YARUKAYE horsemen came to them from ALEPPO, and
they prepared themselves to engage in battle with SALAH AD-DIN. When SALAH AD-DIN heard that his
enemies were gathered together he was troubled, and trembling seized upon him, and he sent and made his
troops hurry to gather together about him. And within eight days they were all with him, from HAMATH,
and from EMESA, and from BETH [361] NAHRIN, and also the son of KARA 'ARSLAN, the lord of the
fortress of KIPA. And when SHAHARMAN saw the alertness and promptness of the troops of SALAH AD-
DIN, and the inertness of his own soldiers, he said to the lords of MAWSIL and MARDIN, 'It is the season of
winter, and it is [a time un]suitable for war. Let us return each man to his own country, and towards the spring
we will gather ourselves together again.’ So they melted away, and their assembly was dissolved, having
effected nothing. And SALAH AD-DIN sent and informed the Khalifah what the men of MAWSIL had done,
and that they were always quarrelling with him and not he with them; and he also received the command
from the Khalifah to make war on 'AMID.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Taking of Edessa from the Franks (continued).

And in the year five hundred and seventy-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1183), in the first month, that is to say in
the month of 'TYAR (MAY), of the year fourteen hundred and ninety-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 1183),
SALAH AD-DIN took 'AMID, after he had harassed it sorely with war. Now at that time the governor of
'AMID was BAR-NISAN RISHANA. And he fought valiantly against those who were outside [the walls],
but the men in the city turned their faces from him because on one occasion when some of the men of
SALAH AD-DIN went in between the two walls of 'AMID, the men of 'AMID rushed out and shut them all
in there and killed them. Then the Sultan SALAH AD-DIN wrote severe threats [to the governor], coupled
with violent oaths on arrows, that he would not turn aside from the city until he took it, and that then he
would burn them all in the fire, unless they helped. And those who were inside were afraid because things
were thus, and they dropped their hands helplessly. And BAR-NISAN trembled, and he took a pledge of
security for his own life and for his household and possessions. Then the Sultan gave him permission to take
out everything he wanted from his palace in three days, and thus he surrendered up the city. And BAR-
NISAN began in the three days to take out from his palaces gold, and silver, and precious stones, and
furniture. And it is said that he was unable to take out one-tenth of his possessions in three days, because he
had collected a great mass of property in 'AMID.

And when SALAH AD-DIN had taken 'AMID he gave it to NUR AD-DIN, the son of KARA 'ARSLAN,
together with everything which was therein. Then certain men said unto SALAH AD-DIN, 'Thou hast
promised him the city, and not everything which is in it. This great mass of possessions [is worth] far more
than thousands of thousands of dinars.' And SALAH AD-DIN replied, [362] 'It is not seemly for us to give an
empty city to our friend’. It is said that one hundred thousand wax candles were found in one of its towers,
and in the Library a thousand thousand and forty thousand volumes. SALAH AD-DIN took these books only
from 'AMID, and he gave them to the KADI AL-FADIL, that is to say the 'excellent judge’ his scribe. And
SALAH AD-DIN confirmed [the appointment] of KARA 'ARSLAN with oaths.

And SALAH AD-DIN crossed the EUPHRATES and went against 'AINTAB, and NASIH AD-DIN, the son
of KUMARTAKIN, its lord, submitted to him. And he went and encamped against ALEPPO and invested it.
Then 'EMAD AD-DIN, its lord, because he found it empty, was sorely pressed by his troops to give them
their pay (or, rations). And he had nothing whatsoever in the city, and nothing came into the city from outside
because SALAH AD-DIN had shut up the whole country. And when he said to one of the nobles, 'I have
nothing to give thee’, the noble replied to him, 'Sell the chains of thy wife and give [the price] to the fighting
men if thou wishest to be king'. And his case went from bad to worse until his dinner came to him every day
from the inhabitants of the city, and he and his household ate it. And it was because of this that his nobles and
his soldiers put war aside (or, were apathetic). Now the inhabitants of the city fought with great zeal. And
when SALAH AD-DIN saw that it was impossible to take the city by fighting, he made a secret arrangement
with the nobles who were inside it, and he coaxed them with gifts. And they counselled 'EMAD AD-DIN that

it was better for him to deliver up ALEPPO, and to take other towns in its stead, and not to permit others to
deliver it up, whilst he himself remained empty (i.e. a beggar). And they also said to him, 'Art thou relying on
the common folk to fight for thee, and to eat from their own houses? Behold their food supply hath come to
an end, and thou hast nothing at all to give them. See now what thou canst do!' And being persuaded by their
counsel he sent to SALAH AD-DIN, and demanded from him SINJAR, and NISIBIS, and HABURA, and
CALONICUS instead of ALEPPO. And SALAH AD-DIN agreed, and he wrote a letter himself and sent it to
him, and he also swore to him that he would give him all these things. And when the people [363] of the city
heard that 'EMAD AD-DIN wished to deliver up the city, it was very grievous in their sight. And they
gathered themselves together before the Citadel and reviled him with filthy abuse. And they dangled before
him a wash-basin and a smock, and cried out, 'O thou effeminate one, the washing of clothes is fitting for
thee and not royalty’. And he was looking at them from a building, and he heard their abuse of him with his
ears. And in the night of the eighteenth [day], in the second month of this year of the ARABS, 'EMAD AD-
DIN came down from the Citadel of ALEPPO, and went out and sat in a tent which had been pitched for him,
And [thus] those who were with SALAH AD-DIN took possession of the Citadel and the city, and 'EMAD
AD-DIN [took] possession of those towns [which have been already mentioned], and he went and sat down
in SINJAR. And SALAH AD-DIN had great gladness over the taking of ALEPPO, more than over all the
[other] cities which he had taken. It is said that when he went up the steps in front of the gate of the Citadel
he recited that [passage of] DANIEL which is written in their Kur'an, saying, 'The Most High God is the
governor in the kingdom of the earth, and He giveth it to whomsoever He pleaseth, and He setteth up over it
the lowliest of men' (Daniel iv. 32). And he turned back to those nobles who were with him, and he said unto
them, 'Now know I that a kingdom hath been founded for me. Believe ye [me], I never coveted the happiness
of NUR AD-DIN, but only ALEPPO, and I longed for nothing but that.' And when he became master of
ALEPPO he abolished many taxes, and he reduced imposts and levies, and he distributed lavish gifts which
were equivalent to eight hundred and fifty thousand dinars.

And during the war against ALEPPO TAJ AL-MLUK BURI (TURI?), the young brother of SALAH AD-
DIN, was wounded, and he was ill for a few days and died. It is said that when SALAH AD-DIN visited him
in his sickness he said unto him, ‘Rejoice, for behold we have taken ALEPPO, and henceforth it shall be
thine’. And the young man replied, 'Lordship belongeth to life, and behold, I am counted with the dead.
Believe [me] thou hast acquired it at a heavy price; for like myself thou hast suffered loss in finding it." Now
behold he was strenuous in war, and SALAH AD-DIN and all those who were present with him wept bitterly.

And at that time the governor of HARIM wished to sell it to the FRANKS, and the guards knew what [he
wanted to do]. And one day when he went forth to enjoy himself, and he came to enter in, they shut the gates
in his face, [364] and they sent to SALAH AD-DIN so that they might deliver it over to him. Then the Sultan
sent his brother's son and his uncle's son to receive it. But the guards were not content until SALAH AD-DIN
went in person and took possession of it. And he gave gifts to those Muslims, and sent them out from the
fortress. And he inflicted no evil upon that governor, because the nobles helped him and said, 'The guards lied
about him’,

Now SALAH AD-DIN, having set his son MALIK AD-TAHIR in the Citadel of ALEPPO, went to
DAMASCUS. And from there he collected an army, and went and encamped against the fortress of KARAK,
and he made fierce war upon it. Then the FRANKS gathered together and wished to capture it, and when he
perceived this he left KARAK and returned to DAMASCUS. And his brother MALIK 'ADIL came to him
from EGYPT and brought him much gold, and he made him governor of ALEPPO and its dominions as far as
RA'BAN and the banks of the EUPHRATES, as far as HAMATH. And 'ADIL went in to the Citadel of
ALEPPO, and TAHIR the son of SALAH AD-DIN went out, having been therein six months, and he went to
his father.

And in the year five hundred and eighty of the ARABS (A.D. 1184), SALAH AD-DIN made ready to fight
against KARAK. And he sent and brought NUR AD-DIN from the fortress of KIPA, and 'ADIL his brother
from ALEPPO, and TAKI AD-DIN from EGYPT; and they were all gathered together against KARAK. And
the FRANKS also gathered together, and the TURKS trembled. And SALAH AD-DIN commanded [his
troops] to burn the machines of war which they had set up against KARAK, and they went away and departed
to the country of SHAMRIN (SAMARIA) and looted it. Then PRAYNS 'ARNAT (ARNALDUS; RENAUD
DE CHATILLON), the lord of KARAK, went on the mountains and he entered KARAK and he made it
exceedingly strong. And PRAYNS also, the lord of ANTIOCH, went out to HARIM with two hundred
horsemen, and he spoiled the country and killed many of the ARAB horsemen who were on duty on the
bridge which is called Iron’. And the FRANKS captured it and also the ambush of the ARABS which was in
the mountain, four hundred footmen and twenty horsemen, and they killed them all.

And in this year died KUTAB AD-DIN ILGHAZI, the son of NAJAM AD-DIN 'ALBI, the son of
TEMURTASH, the son of ILGHAZI, the son of [365] 'ARTUK, the lord of MARDIN, and there rose up in
his place HUSAM AD-DIN YAWLAK 'ARSLAN, who was a little boy. Because TAHIR AD-DIN
SHAHARMAN was the uncle of the boy, he appointed as his administrator one of his father's slaves whose
name was NETAM AD-DIN. And this NETAM AD-DIN took the mother of the boy to wife and he governed
the kingdom well. Then the bby HUSAM AD-DIN died. And he had a brother who was younger than himself
whose name was KUTAB AD-DIN, his father's name, and NETAM AD-DIN appointed him in his brother's
stead. The boy only had the name [of ruler], for the whole of the government was in the hands of NETAM
AD-DIN and his slave LULU.

And when the boy grew up and saw that he was governor in name only and not in fact, he went in one day to
NETAM AD-DIN when he was sick, ostensibly to pay him a visit. And when he went out LULU went out
with him as far as the door, as it were to pay him honour, and when they reached a narrow passage KUTAB
AD-DIN smote LULU with a knife (or, dagger) and killed him. And he went back to NETAM AD-DIN as he
lay on his bed and killed him also. And he took the heads of both of them and cast them from the fortress to
the nobles. And when they saw them they were all afraid of him, and they became subject unto him. This
murder was carried out in the year six hundred and one of the ARABS (A.D. 1204) after NETAM AD-DIN
had ruled for twenty years.

And in the year five hundred and eighty-one of the ARABS (A.D. 1185) SALAH AD-DIN went to ALEPPO.
And from there he crossed the EUPHRATES and took EDESSA from MUTAFAR AD-DIN, the son of
ZAYN AD-DIN its lord. And he went to RAS 'AINA and from there to DARA. And 'EMAD AD-DIN, the
son of KARA 'ARSLAN, came to him in the place of his brother NUR AD-DIN who was sick and was not
able to come. And from there he came to the town of BALADH, and he went and encamped against
MAWSIL. And the lord of 'ARBIL, ZAYN AD-DIN, the son of 'ALI KUJK, came to him, and his brother
MUTAFAR AD-DIN, the lord of HARRAN, was with SALAH AD-DIN. And SALAH AD-DIN harassed
MAWSIL and besieged it strictly. And the mother of 'IZZ AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, now she was the
daughter of 'ARTUK, together with the daughter of NUR AD-DIN, the son of ZANGI, went out and
entreated him to leave MAWSIL to 'IZZ AD-DIN, and to remember [366] early days, and the benefits which
those of the house of ZANGI had shown him; and they wept before him, and laid hold of the skirts of his
apparel. But he would not accept their proposal, and he put to shame their hope. And when they left [him]
and went in [again] in despair, the people of MAWSIL, both great and small, became indignant and they
showed definite signs of their affection for the house of the ATABAG ZANGI. And with all their hearts and
souls they manned the walls, and they fought strenuously and poured out upon SALAH AD-DIN words of
abuse which hinted that he was one who had disgraced the goodness of his masters. Therefore he left the
army to capture it, and he himself went against KHALAT. For he heard that SHAHARMAN its lord had died,

and that his slave BUKHTAMAR had risen up in his place, and that he was good to the KHALATAYE, and
that they loved him greatly.

Now this BUKHTAMAR, because he had heard that PAHLWAN, the son of IEDAGUZ (ILDAGUR?), the
governor of PERSIA, had set out to attack him, sent a message to SALAH AD-DIN to go to his help, and [he
promised that] he would deliver KHALAT to him. But when SALAH AD-DIN went to the country of
KHALAT he found that BUKHTAMAR was entrenched strongly in his city, and that he did not go forth to
meet him. And SHAMS AD-DIN PAHLWAN also had come from PERSIA, and had pitched his camp on the
other side of KHALAT. And he was prepared to make war on KHALAT, [and he would have done so] if it
had not been said to him, 'If thou afflictest BUKHTAMAR he will deliver KHALAT to SALAH AD-DIN,
and thou wilt find no peace in his neighbourhood’. Because of this PAHLWAN sent to BUKHTAMAR, and
spake kindly to his heart, and also gave him a wife from the daughters of his kinsfolk, and he left and
departed.

And when SALAH AD-DIN saw that the men of KHALAT and the PERSIANS were reconciled, he turned
back and came to MAIPERKAT, because its lord, KUTAB AD-DIN, the lord of MARDIN, was dead, and he
had made king his son, who was a little boy, even as we have said. And SALAH AD-DIN made war on it.
Now there was in [that city] a captain of the host [called] 'ASAD AD-DIN BRIKAS, and the Khatun, the
wife of KUTAB AD-DIN, the lord of MARDIN, and her daughters were also there, and she greatly
encouraged the men of war who were therein. And the war being prolonged, [367] SALAH AD-DIN coaxed
the woman with promises, and said that he would take one of her daughters for his son. And being
vanquished she begged that the fortress of HATHKA might remain to her; and she delivered MAIPERKAT
over to SALAH AD-DIN and went to HATHKA. And KUTAB AD-DIN SOKMAN, the son of NUR AD-
DIN, the son of KARA 'ARSLAN, the lord of 'AMID, came to SALAH AD-DIN, and he was received with
honour, and returned to his city.

And SALAH AD-DIN went forth from MAIPERKAT and departed and pitched his camp on the bank of the
river KARAMAN, and from there he went to KEPHAR ZAMMAR, which is on the river TIGRIS. And the
men of MAWSIL who were suffering from the investment [of their city] sent those same women to SALAH
AD-DIN a second time to supplicate for peace. And among them was 'EMAD AD-DIN, the lord of SINJAR,
and 'IZZ AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, gave the country of SHAHARZUR, and all the country of the East,
from the two rivers ZABHE [and] BETH WAZIK, &c., to SALAH AD-DIN. And he undertook that SALAH
AD-DIN should be proclaimed in MAWSIL, and that the coins zuze and dinars should be struck in his name.
And in this manner peace came.

And SALAH AD-DIN went to HARRAN, and he fell sick there of a grievous sickness, but he recovered.
And when SALAH AD-DIN was in HARRAN he was sick, and he had with him, the son of his uncle NASIR
AD-DIN BAR 'ASAD AD-DIN SHIRKUH. This man, thinking that SALAH AD-DIN was not going to live,
left him and went to his city EMESA. And he gathered together to him the young men and made them swear
on his behalf that when SALAH AD-DIN died, he should receive the kingdom. And God willed, and SALAH
AD-DIN recovered, and NASIR AD-DIN himself died. And SALAH AD-DIN went to EMESA, and took
everything which NASHIR AD-DIN had, and he named his son MALIK MUJAHID, who was a little boy,
and set him up in the place of his father. It is said that after one year the young man appeared before SALAH
AD-DIN who asked him, 'Up to what passage canst thou recite the Kur'an?' And the young man replied, 'As
far as the verse "The eaters of the possessions of orphans eat fire in their bellies".' And SALAH AD-DIN
marvelled at his intelligence and said, 'If he hath said this with knowledge, it is meet to fear this [young
man].

And in this year, which is the year fourteen hundred and ninety-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1185), [368]
ANDRONICUS, the Tyrant of CONSTANTINOPLE, made ready to kill ISIKYOS (‘ISHAK (?) THE
ANGEL), one of the nobles and the only one remaining of the family of MANUIL the king, and ISIKYOS
entrenched himself strongly in his house. And when ANDRONICUS sent the captain of the host to summon
ISIKYOS to his presence, ISIK YOS waxed bold and drew his sword and killed the captain of the host. And
he mounted his horse and went forth to go to the great church with his sword, which was dripping with blood,
in his hand. And he cried out and uttered lamentations, and the nobles of the people, and also many nobles
who were offended with the Tyrant, gathered together round about him. And they went into the church and
forced the Patriarch and he made ISIKYOS king. When the Tyrant heard this he rushed out from the palace to
escape by sea. And they overtook him and made him go back to CONSTANTINOPLE. Then they hacked the
flesh of his body with knives whilst he was still alive, and they wounded him to the death. And after [he had
suffered] great tortures they burnt him in the fire in the midst of the mob.

And in [that] year, when the disease of elephantiasis increased in BO'DWIN, the king of JERUSALEM, he
handed over the kingdom to the little boy the son of his sister, who was also called BO'DWIN (V), and he
died.

And in the year five hundred and eighty-two of the ARABS (A.D. 1186), SALAH AD-DIN recovered, and
went from HARRAN to ALEPPO, and from there to EMESA. And he found NASIR AD-DIN, the son of his
brother SHAMS AD-DAWLAH, dying; and he took the Citadel of EMESA from his son. And he found
therein a vast amount of loot. And from there he went to DAMASCUS. And he returned and took ALEPPO
from 'ADIL his brother, and gave it to MALIK TAHIR, his son. And he gave DAMASCUS to MALIK
AFDAL, another son of his. And he gave EGYPT to MALIK 'AZIZ, another son of his, and sent him to
EGYPT, and with him was 'ADIL, his brother. When TAKI AD-DIN, his brother's son, heard that EGYPT
had gone forth from his hand, he was offended and he made ready to go to AFRICA. But SALAH AD-DIN
sent and prevented him, and had him brought to him. And he consoled him by pretending that it was because
of his valour that he wished him to be with him. And he gave him HAMATH, and MU'ARAH, and
SALAMIAH, and MABBOGH, and KAL'AH NAJM. And he gave him in addition MAIPERKAT. [369] And
he sent and had brought to him his son MALIK MANSUR, together with his troops from EGYPT. Now his
slave, whose name was BUZABAH, was unwilling to come, but he went to the West and ruled over
AFRICA.

And in this year, which is the year fourteen hundred and ninety-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 1186), there was
a conjunction of six wandering stars in the Sign of the Zodiac of the Balance, besides ARIS (MARS), which
took place in Gemini on the fourteenth day of ILUL (SEPTEMBER), and the twenty-ninth day of the sixth
month of the ARABS. And all the astronomers predicted that a universal flood and a mighty whirlwind
would take place in the world, and that all mankind would perish, even like that which took place in the days
of NOAH, through the approach of the Sign of the Zodiac of the Fishes, and that the waters would swallow
up the whole earth. Now KELEJ ARSLAN, the Sultan of ICONIUM, more than any other man believed this
silly talk. And he spent large sums of money wastefully, and made excavations in the ground, and built strong
houses in the depths thereof.

But God, glory be to His goodness! showed their prognostication to be empty and vain. And when that day
which had been indicated arrived, and many people had entrenched themselves in the excavations and caves,
soft and clear weather appeared, with a quietness which was quieter than that of all the [other] days, and only
an eclipse of the sun took place, according to custom. And the astronomers were treated with contumely by
kings and by common folk because of the falsity of their prognostication. And one of the famous astronomers
who were among them said, 'They lied in their prognostications'. And when the Sultan called him and asked
him [about this], he said the same thing, and he gave [him] a written statement that nothing which they had

said would take place, and that no evil thing would happen to the children of men. And when his word
showed itself to be true, the Sultan demanded of him whence he knew this. And he replied, 'I did not speak
from scientific knowledge, but I knew that if a flood took place neither I myself nor those who blame me
would remain [alive]; and that if it did not take place I should acquire a crown of merit, even as I have
acquired [one]'. And the Sultan laughed and gave him a present and dismissed him.

And at [this] time PRAYNS, the lord of ANTIOCH, made peace with SALAH AD-DIN, and he seized
treacherously RUPIN, the governor of CILICIA, and loaded him with iron fetters and shut him up in prison.
And he collected an army and invaded CILICIA, and LEON resisted him strenuously and PRAYNS returned
in shame. And afterwards [370] the ARMENIANS gave him thirty thousand dinars and MOPSUESTIA and
'ADANA, and he released RUPIN. Then RUPIN, having been ransomed, took back these places. And
PRAYNS began to destroy the whole country of CILICIA with plundering raids.

And at [this] time PAHLUAN, the governor of PERSIA, was killed, and in the course of events many
murders were committed. And, moreover, the KURDS and the TURKOMANS fought with each other by the
side of NISIBIS because a certain TURKOMAN went and took a woman from the other TURKOMANS.
And when the wedding guests passed one of the fortresses of the KURDS, which was in the country of
ZAWZAN, the KURDS stood up by the side of their path, and demanded from them participation in the
wedding feast. And when the TURCOMANS resisted, the KURDS overpowered them and seized the bride
and went up to their fortress. And from this a great war began, and the roads were cut, and merchant caravans
were pillaged, and on both sides about ten thousand men were killed. And also about thirty thousand KURDS
gathered together and met the TURKOMANS in battle by the side of HABURA; and the KURDS were
defeated, and those of them who were killed fell from the banks of the river of HABURA to NISIBIS. And
on two occasions they met together in battle in the country of MAWSIL, and the KURDS were defeated. And
the TURKOMANS defeated the KURDS several times in SYRIA, and they pursued them as far as CILICIA
and killed men and women and even children.

And when the TURKOMANS had made an end of the KURDS all over SYRIA and BETH NAHRIN, they
invaded ARMENIA and took twenty-slx thousand ARMENIANS as slaves and sold them. And they burnt the
great monastery, of GARBID (JIRBID) and killed the monks. And one hundred and seventy men who were
SYRIANS of our [communion], and who were from TALL BESMI, which is in the country of MARDIN,
were killed. And two hundred of our young men who bore armour, and were from the village of 'AMRON,
which is in the country of KLAWDIA, in the Sultanate of MELITENE, were killed. And in all
CAPPADOCIA and in the country of MELITENE, fierce wars and many slaughterings took place. And the
ARABS and the ISHMAELITES met each other in battle and many were killed.

And in [this] year dissension took place among the FRANKS because when the lord of TIBERIAS was dying
[371] he handed over his young son to the Count of TRIPOLI to bring up. And after a time the boy himself
died, and the command remained with his mother. Now this woman cast her eye upon a certain man whose
name was KAI (GUI DE LUSIGNAN), who had not sprung from a race of kings, and she became his wife,
and she made him to put on her crown (1). Therefore the lord of TRIPOLI was offended, and he went and
became an adherent of SALAH AD-DIN, and he began to dig pits for the queen and for the other sons of his
Faith.

(Continued on Next Page)

(1) Bedjan's note reads: Sebella or Izbaila (Isabella), the sister of Bo'dwin, who was the fourth king of
Jerusalem, and the mother of Bo'dwin V. When she became a widow she was given to wife to Guy, by her

brother. And when the two Bo'dwins were dead the whole kingdom came to her, and her husband also
became king of Jerusalem, and not of Tiberias only.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Taking of Edessa from the Franks (continued).

And in the year five hundred and eighty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1187), when SALAH AD-DIN saw that
PRAYNS 'ARNAT had passed over (i.e. broken) his oaths, and had plundered the caravans of the Arab
merchants, and had collected an army, he prepared for war. And he took a great army and attacked KARAK,
and he cut down the trees thereof and destroyed the villages that were round about it. And he left it and
attacked SHAWBAK and did the same thing there. And MALIK 'AFDAL, his son, also went to TIBERIAS
and pillaged the country thereof. And the FRANKS went forth and met the ARABS in battle, and the
ARABS would have been utterly broken with a serious defeat, and have had to take to flight, had it not been
that the men of ALEPPO stood firm. And the FRANKS went back to their city , and 'AFDAL and those who
were with him went to SALAH AD-DIN.

Then the kings of the FRANKS and their nobles gathered together and took counsel each with the other
concerning meeting the ARABS in battle. Then the Count, the lord of TRIPOLI, said, 'Know ye, O my
brethren, that there is no small danger in meeting this man SALAH AD-DIN in battle. For ye know well what
he was formerly, viz. one of the common folk. And behold he is the master of all EGYPT and PALESTINE
as far as the East. The thing which would help—so it appeareth to me—is that we should make peace with
him, and that each of us should rest in his own place.' Then GUY the new king, who had taken to wife the
queen of TIBERIAS, magnified himself and said, 'As far as I am concerned there is no other means than a
battle’. Then the Count said, "Thou wilt see [what will be] the end of thy desire’.

And SALAH AD-DIN also assembled his nobles, and took counsel with them, [372] and they said, 'It is not
right for us to meet in battle the FRANKS now, they being assembled in their full strength, but let us make
feeble the strength of their countries a little. And when they are scattered and in a confused state, it will be
easy for us to destroy them one at a time.’ But SALAH AD-DIN did not accept [this view of theirs], and he
said, 'When shall I be able to gather together such an assembly as this again? Nay, make ye yourselves strong,
and contend like mighty men, and fight. And whatsoever the Lord willeth He will perform.'

And straightway he mounted his horse and made his troops set out on the march, and they wept and
encamped on the JORDAN, round about the SEA OF TIBERIAS. And the FRANKS gathered together in a
place the name of which is 'SIFORIAH’, and the two armies remained opposite each other for several days
without beginning hostilities. Then SALAH AD-DIN sent a portion of his troops by a secret way by night
against the city of TIBERIAS. And when the day broke they leaped up and went into the city, and they hurled
the sword and fire therein. And the queen (1) was very strongly entrenched in the fortress. Now when GUY
her husband heard of this, he stripped off his apparel and encouraged himself and the FRANKS, and they all
rode off with fierce vehemence towards the ARABS.

And when the evening was come, the two forces were encamped near each other, and during the whole of
that night none of them slept. And because the ARABS held the region by the JORDAN, the thirst of the

FRANKS waxed strong during that night, for there was no place where they could obtain a drink. Then were
they the more stirred up for the battle. And when the day broke, and the ARABS saw the courage of the
FRANKS, who were casting themselves about like wasps, and were not turning back their faces, they feared
greatly and became helpless, and their knees shook. And when SALAH AD-DIN saw their slackness, he ran
into the midst [of them], and he cried out with a loud voice, and made them to hear words which were mixed
with honey and gall, that is to say words of encouragement and words of threats. Then one of the slaves of
SALAH AD-DIN, an athletic young man whose name was MANGURAS, plucked up courage and went forth
from among the ranks of fhe ARABS. And when he was between the two armies, another athlete, from the
FRANKS, rushed out to meet him, and he pierced him with his lance and hurled him from his horse, and he
bent down and seized him by his garments and dragged him to the ranks [373] of the FRANKS and cut off
his head. And when theFRANKS saw this they were greatly strengthened, because they thought that it was
one of the sons of SALAH AD-DIN who had fallen. Then the Count, because his heart was full of treachery,
was afraid lest the victory of the FRANKS should be accomplished, and it would shame him who had
advised them not to fight, and he made a pretence to the FRANKS that he himself, together with those who
were with him, would ride out and challenge the ARABS to battle. And when he rode out to the ARABS they
opened a way for him between their ranks, because there was a word (i.e. understanding) between them, and
they knew that his heart was not right (i.e. in agreement) with the sons of his Faith (i.e. co-religionists). And
having passed through the ranks of the ARABS he left and departed towards his city TRIPOLI. And his
departure (i.e. defection) was the chief cause of the defeat of the FRANKS, for no man trusted his neighbour
again. Nevertheless because there was no other course [to follow] except fighting, the FRANKS mingled
with the ARABS, and swords were drawn, but they were in no way able to find profit, because after the
departure of the Count the FRANKS were like unto men who had lost all hope. And the ARABS prevailed
over the FRANKS, and they took prisoner GUY, the lord of TIBERIAS (JERUSALEM?), and PRAYNS
'ARNAT, the lord of KARAK, and a large number of the miserable Brethren and Hospitallers, &c. And only a
very few were able to make their escape.

And when the war ceased SALAH AD-DIN sat in his tent, and his nobles gathered together to him and he
commanded and they brought before him GUY, the husband of the queen, the Lady of TIBERIAS, and
PRAYNS 'ARNAT. And SALAH AD-DIN paid honour to GUY, and made him to sit by his side; and he also
made 'ARNAT to be seated. Then GUY, because he was burnt up with thirst, demanded water as soon as he
sat down, and SALAH AD-DIN commanded and they gave him water which had been cooled by snow to
drink. And when he had drunk one half of it he gave the other half to 'ARNAT, and he drank. Then SALAH
AD-DIN said, 'It is not right for you to give him drink without my command'. And GUY said unto the Sultan,
"Thirst is death; do not then put him to death with two deaths. [374] Defeat is murder; therefore do not murder
him twice.’ And his words pleased. the Sultan, and he was prepared to spare the life of 'ARNAT, if the nobles
had not urged him to kill him. And they said unto him, 'This man is not fit to live. For behold, he hath sworn
the oath [of fealty] several times, and hath lied.' Therefore having sent the two of them to the tent which was
pitched for them, an hour later he sent and had 'ARNAT brought to him by himself; and he drew his sword
and he killed him with his own hands. Now 'ARNAT was an old man who was experienced in wars, and there
was no limit to his strength and courage, and he was held in great fear by the ARABS (2).

Then SALAH AD-DIN departed and encamped by the Citadel of TIBERIAS, and he coaxed the queen with
oaths and made her to come down, and he sent her to TRIPOLI together with all her train and all her
possessions, and he also gave her gifts. Now the wretched Brethren and Hospitallers, eighty in number, who
had been taken prisoners, he also killed. The greater number of these he bought from the horsemen, each
Brother for five hundred dinars. 'For', he said, 'these more than all the other FRANKS destroy the Arab
Religion, and slaughter for the triumph of Faith is sweet unto them. Therefore we will put an end to all of
them.'

And from there SALAH AD-DIN came against 'AKKO, and all the nobles fled by sea to TYRE, and the poor
people went forth and received a pledge for their lives. And after 'AKKO they took also HAIFA and
NABLOS, which is SHAMRIN (SAMARIA), and TABNIN, and SAIDAN (SIDON), and CAESAREA, and
JOPPA, and BAIRUT (BERUT), and NASRATH. And it is impossible for words to describe the extent of the
scoffing and mockery and insult which the Christians who lived in the dominion of the ARABS bore at that
time. And the lord of JUBAIL, for he also was a prisoner, handed over his city and saved himself.

And SALAH AD-DIN attacked ASCALON and found that it was filled with fighting men; and he began a
fierce war against it and was unable to capture it. Then he said to the lord of TIBERIAS (the king of
JERUSALEM?), who was a prisoner with him, that if he would hand over ASCALON he would release him.
Then the king called the governor of ASCALON to him, and he commanded him to surrender the city. And
when [375] he made objections, the king told the ARABS who were guarding him to cast iron fetters upon
him and upon those who were with him. And when they had done so the king sent to those who were in the
city and told them to surrender the city and save their lives; and they obeyed him and surrendered the city to
the ARABS. And when the TYRIANS were about to surrender [TYRE], there came to them a certain Count
whose name was 'MARKIS' (i.e. CONRAD, Marquis of MONFERRAT in ITALY), and protected it ably.

And from there SALAH AD-DIN went to JERUSALEM and encamped against it. And he set up mighty
engines of war against the wall on the north side of it, for that quarter of it was spacious and suitable for the
operations of the fighting men, and he waged fierce war against it for three days. And again the FRANKS
prevailed; for there were sixty thousand fighting men, horsemen and foot-soldier, inside it; and they sallied
forth against the ARABS and killed many of them. And on [that] day 'IZZ AD-DIN 'ISA, the lord of
KAL'AH JA'BAR, was killed, and other famous men. Then the ARABS fought with the shooting of arrows.
And they devoted their attack for a short time to those who were on the wall, until the men of ALEPPO could
get close to the wall, when they quickly dug out stones from it by their skill. And they made breaches and
supported them with timbers, so that when the fire touched them they would burst into flame and the wall
would fall.

And when the FRANKS were in despair [of obtaining] a helper they sent two of their men of knowledge to
SALAH AD-DIN, and begged from him a pledge as to their lives. And SALAH AD-DIN excused himself
and said, 'I will not open the city except with the sword. And I will do unto you even as ye did to the ARABS
who were in it when ye took it, whom ye killed and made [your] captives.' Then one of those two FRANKS
said unto SALAH AD-DIN, 'We have another word which I would speak unto thee, O Sultan, if thou wilt
promise me that thou wilt not be angry'. And the Sultan said, 'I have no anger, say what thou wishest [to say].
And the FRANK said, 'If it had not been that we knew thy discretion (or, discerning character), and that thou
wast incapable of abolishing the law of the kings of old who, when their enemies were vanquished, and had
thrown down their weapons, and sued for peace, fought no more with them, we should not have come forth to
thee. And now that we have come, [376] and have abandoned hope of thy goodness, behold we will go in and
inform all the warriors who are full of indignation and are with us. And first of all we shall kill the Arab
prisoners whom we have, and then we shall burn their Great Mosque, and then the churches and the other
buildings, and then goods and possessions. And then we shall slay our wives, and our sons, and our
daughters, with our own hands, and we shall not allow you satisfy your lust with them. And after this no one
of us will surrender himself to slaughter unless he has killed in exchange for himself one or two [ARABS].'

And when the FRANK had said these things the Sultan marvelled at his words, and he made him to go out
and sit down in one of the tents, and he collected the nobles and took counsel with them. And as one man
they all replied, 'Everything which this man hath said the FRANKS will do, and even more; and to make
them go out in peace would be a good thing’. And the Sultan called the two FRANKS and said unto them, 'I
accept your petition, but it is impossible that all the people who are in [the city] should go forth free for

nothing. And the Amirs who are with me want gold, for they have toiled hard and have spent much money on
the war.' And the matter was settled thus: Every man should give ten dinars, and every woman five, and
every son or daughter two dinars, and they should go out with everything which they were able to carry. And
the FRANKS agreed to these terms. And they weighed out thirty thousand dinars on behalf of the poor who
had nothing to give, and the rich weighed out [dinars] on their own behalf, and on behalf of the other poor
folk, and they all went out in peace. And only the needy young people, about five thousand souls who had
nothing at all to give for themselves, were kept in bondage. And the Arab guards were given each a dinar or
more and they brought them out. And MUDAFAR AD-DIN, the son of ZAYN AD-DIN, brought out for
nothing a thousand souls, SYRIANS and ARMENIANS, and he said, 'These are EDESSENES, children of
my pasture’. And BAR-SHEHAB AD-DIN, the lord of BIRAH, brought out many others, and said that they
were the children of his country.

And there was in JERUSALEM a certain Greek queen who was clad in the garb of a nun and dwelt in a
nunnery in JERUSALEM. She sent a message to SALAH AD-DIN that he should do her a favour and let no
man harm her. And SALAH AD-DIN commanded, and she went out [377] with her servants, male and
female, and the eunuchs which she had, and her possessions, and he sent horsemen who escorted her to the
boundary of the FRANKS. And he sent away with kindly treatment other queens who were FRANKS and
who lived in JERUSALEM, together with their possessions. And the Patriarch also took out with him all the
furniture of the Church of the Resurrection and of the other churches, and lamps of gold and silver, &c. And
so also with the citizens, whatsoever they could not carry away they sold to others. And in short the
FRANKS handed JERUSALEM over to the ARABS wholly destitute of food and provisions. A certain writer
whose name was 'EMAD said to SALAH AD-DIN, 'Why should they take out all this valuable treasure when
thou didst only give them a pledge to spare their lives?' And SALAH AD-DIN said, '[That is] the truth, but
the FRANKS did not know [it]. And if we detained their possessions they would spread abroad a report about
us that we swore an oath and lied, and they would bring a bad name upon us.’

SALAH AD-DIN became master of JERUSALEM on Friday, the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month
of the ARABS, in the year five hundred and eighty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1187), that is to say on the
twelfth day of the FIRST TESHRIN (OCTOBER), in the year fourteen hundred and ninety-eight of the
GREEKS (A.D. 1187), twenty-eight days after the conjunction of the six wandering stars. And from this time
the Christians were never again masters of JERUSALEM. But SALAH AD-DIN himself left four Frankish
monks in the Church of the Resurrection, in order to minister to the Holy Sepulchre, and after a little while
the Patriarch of the GREEKS received the offer of administrator of the church.

And when SALAH AD-DIN had finished with the affairs of JERUSALEM he went and encamped by TYRE,
which is situated in the midst of the sea. And he built up strong towers against it, and in the war against
TYRE he made manifest his whole strength, and he incited (or, stirred up) all his troops, and said, "With the
exception of TYRE there remaineth on the sea coast no place whereon the FRANKS can rest their heads.
When we take this [city] their hope of escape will be cut off, and we shall be free from them.' And with such
words as these they brought to an end their difficulties(?). But because of this Marquis who had come from
ROME and had fortified it (i.e. TYRE) with ramparts and brave men, the FRANKS were continually sallying
forth at every opportunity, and killing the ARABS, and retreating, and especially [378] in ships from the sea.

Then SALAH AD-DIN sent to ALEXANDRIA and fetched large ships, and brought them into the harbours
of TYRE. Then one night the seamen [of TYRE] went out in small swift cutters and smashed the greater
number of the large ships of the ARABS. And they captured two famous captains of the sailors from the
west, and of the other sailors some cast themselves into the sea and were drowned, and others began to flee in
their ships in the direction of BERUT. And the FRANKS pursued them (i.e. the latter) and captured most of
them, and the others were thrown into the sea. And when SALAH AD-DIN saw this calamity and the

strenuousness of those who came forth also on land and fought, he and those who were with him were
disgusted, and they burnt the towers which they had built, and the engines of war, and whatsoever was left of
the ships, and he departed from TYRE and went to 'AKKO. And he gave the command to his troops that
every man should go to his own country and rest in his house.

At [this] time there was a dispute between the Khalifah NASIR and SALAH AD-DIN because SALAH AD-
DIN had cut off the tribute which the Khalifah received from SYRIA, and also because he was not certain
that he would receive anything from EGYPT, and also because when SALAH AD-DIN was drunk he used to
say, 'I am ready to annul the proclamation of him that is in BAGHDAD, and I will renew the proclamation of
the FATIMIDS who were in olden times in EGYPT". And it annoyed NASIR the Khalifah more because
SALAH AD-DIN had sent to him as an envoy a certain man in his service who was of an inferior family
among the people of BAGHDAD, to carry the news of the capture of JERUSALEM to him.

And in [that] year a certain Turkoman shepherd whose name was RUSTAM collected five thousand
horsemen of the TURKOMANS, and a very large number of foot-soldiers, and went into CILICIA to loot and
plunder the country. Then when LEON, the governor of CILICIA, knew of them, he closed against them the
passes in the region of MAR'ASH and destroyed them all with the edge of the sword. And again five
thousand foot-soldiers of the TURKOMANS assembled in the country of ALEPPO, [379] and they went into
the country of ANTIOCH to plunder it. And Prince BOHAIMOND went out against them and destroyed
them all in like manner.

And in the year five hundred and eighty-four of the ARABS (A.D. 1188), SALAH AD-DIN went in person
against the Citadel of the 'AKRAD (KURDS), and he made war upon it for one day. And seeing that it was
very strong, he left it and went against 'ANTARTOS (ANTARADUS), and before they could pitch all the
tents completely, the men of ALEPPO made themselves masters of the wall thereof. And the FRANKS
rebelled in two towers, but finally they surrendered. And SALAH AD-DIN destroyed the wall of
'ANTARTOS, and its Citadel, and the famous church of MARY THE MOTHER OF GOD, and all its
buildings. And he went and encamped against MARKITYAH and he found that it was empty of people (or, had
been evacuated). And he went against JABALA, and the ARABS who were therein surrendered it to him.
And he went and encamped against LAODICEA, and he fought against it with great strenuousness. And the
men of ALEPPO made a tunnel under the ground of the city, the length thereof was sixty cubits and the
breadth four cubits. And when the FRANKS saw the excavation they were afraid and they demanded a
pledge for themselves. And SALAH AD-DIN permitted them to go out, they and their sons, and their wives,
and everything which they possessed, with the exception of beasts, and fodder, and implements of war. And
SALAH AD-DIN took LAODICEA and he gave it to his son TAKI AD-DIN, the lord of HAMATH.

In those days many fighting men of the FRANKS came in ships from SICILY to the help of the Christians.
And the commander of their host asked to be allowed to go forth and speak with SALAH AD-DIN, and the
Sultan gave him permission. And the commander went forth and said unto him, 'Behold, thou art king over
all these settlements of the FRANKS which are on the sea coast, and thou hast only left to them a very small
part of it. And it is not right that thou shouldst uproot them entirely, lest a great people pour out and attack
thee from the sea, and thou wilt have great trouble (or, toil) with them. Therefore the proximity of these
feeble folk who are with thee is far better for thee because they serve as a bulwark between thee and those
who are inland.

Then SALAH AD-DIN replied, 'We are commanded by our Law to make triumphant our Faith with all our
might. And the Lord doeth what He pleaseth.' And that FRANK left and went to his own country. And from
there SALAH AD-DIN went and encamped against SEHYON, and he found it [built] on some [380] rocky
ground between two deep valleys. And he made war upon it, and the lords thereof surrendered it in peace.

And he gave it to NASIR AD-DIN MANGURAS, the son of KUMARTAKIN, the slave of MUJAHID AD-
DIN, the son of BUZAN; and he took also SHUGHRBAKAS. And from there he went to DERBISAG, and
made war on it and took it. And he also went against BAGHRAS, and [as] there were not in it sufficient
soldiers to fight, the captain of the wretched men who were therein surrendered it. And though all these towns
were manned with ARABS, the men of ANTIOCH feared greatly, especially because the roads were blocked
up in their faces, and grain was withheld. Therefore PRAYNS humbled himself to SALAH AD-DIN, and he
sent and begged for peace, and he made peace with him for a period of eight months, and he departed and
went to ALEPPO. And from there he went to DAMASCUS, and rested for a few days. And he set out and
went and encamped against SAFAD, and he made fierce war upon it, and they surrendered it to him. And he
also took the Citadel of KAWKEBHA after much trouble.

And in this year died MUWAFAK 'AS'AD, the DAMASCUS physician, who was known as BAR MITRAN.
Now this man, for the sake of the honour of this transient world, abandoned the Faith and became a Muslim.
And he had great wealth, and SALAH AD-DIN betrothed him to one of his handmaidens. And after a short
time he died and his name perished. And even after the death of SALAH AD-DIN his wife appeared with a
child who was beloved by him, and they used to go round to the houses of the recluses and beg for alms.

(Continued on Next Page)

(1) Bedjan's note reads: This was not Isabella, the queen of Jerusalem, but the wife of Raymond, Count of
Tiberias.

(2) Bedjan remarks that 'Arnat was killed by Saladin because he would not become a Muslim.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Taking of Edessa from the Franks (continued).

And in the year five hundred and eighty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1189), BOHAIMOND, PRAYNS of
ANTIOCH, went forth and pillaged the country of HARIM. And he came as far as LASHIH and killed both
ARABS and Christians together. And 'ARNAT, the lord of SAIDAN, who when it (i.e. the city) was taken
from him, went and dwelt on the rock of 'ARNON, having received a pledge from SALAH AD-DIN, went
out to him and asked him for a covenant (or, armistice) for three months, so that he might make his men
depart from TYRE, and then he would take a town which should be sufficient for him in the country of
DAMASCUS, and surrender the rock. And SALAH AD-DIN permitted him to do so. Then SALAH AD-DIN
perceived that 'ARNAT was cajoling him in his crafty manner, and that he had not ceased from excavating the
trench (or, tunnel) and the building of the wall. Therefore one day when he went out to SALAH AD-DIN,
[381] according to custom, the Sultan bound him and sent him to DAMASCUS, and he did not release him
until he had surrendered the rock of 'ARNON.

And in the year which was the year fifteen hundred of the GREEKS (A.D. 1189), there was strife between
Sultan KELEJ'ARSLAN and his eldest son, who dwelt in SEBASTIA, and about four thousand of the
TURKOMANS who were with the son of the Sultan were killed. Then the Amir BIHRAM SHAH, the son-
in-law of the Sultan, made peace between them. And the Sultan removed from his presence 'EKHTIYAR AD-
DIN HASAN, his Amir HAJB, because he had become a maker of calumnies between him and his sons. And
when 'EKHTIYAR AD-DIN had collected his sons, and his house servants, and his kinsfolk, about two
hundred horsemen, and had gone into the plain of KANYUKH, the son of the Sultan sent TURKOMANS,
and they killed him and his sons, and those who were with him. And they hacked him limb from limb, and
hung him on the points of spears, and carried him round about in SEBASTIA on the day of the Festival of the
Cross.

And during the year MUIZZ AD-DIN KAISAR SHAH, the son of Sultan KELLEJ 'ARSLAN, reigned over
MELITENE. And during the year very many and various peoples of the FRANKS, who were beyond
counting, went forth to the city of TYRE, and they came from there and encamped at 'AKKO. And when
SALAH AD-DIN heard [of it] he was perturbed, and terror of them fell upon him. And he sent and
summoned all his troops and had them brought, and he himself also went and encamped in the
neighbourhood of the FRANKS. And when he saw that the FRANKS were gaining strength (or, going and
becoming strong), and that recruits came to them every day, and supplies of food from the sea, he marvelled.
And he collected his nobles and took counsel with them, and they decided that it was better for them to make
haste and begin hostilities, and to meet the FRANKS in battle before they increased in number and became
stronger. And they made preparations the whole of that night of Friday, the first day of the seventh month,
and when the day broke they met in battle. And the battle went on the whole day until the sun set, and both
sides continued to fight gallantly, and they passed the whole of that night on their horses. And on the Sabbath
the fire of war blazed likewise throughout the whole day. And whilst the FRANKS were occupied with

slaughter, the northern side of 'AKKO, where they had no tents, became emptied of the FRANKS. And an
opportunity offered itself to SALAH AD-DIN, and he went in [382] to 'AKKO. And he took into the city
with him many fighting foot-soldiers, together with a large supply of food and other necessaries. And he
drove out the feeble ones (i.e. non-combatants), and he also went forth. And he commanded those who were
in the city to fight not only on the walls, but to make sorties every day, and to smite the FRANKS lest they
should suffer defeat by being attacked on both sides, viz. by those who were within and those who were
without. Now the FRANKS were so many and so strong that they were never broken, and the capture of the
city was only protracted by the fighting against those who were outside it. And if it had not been thus they
would quickly have taken it.

And on the second day [of the week] the horsemen of the FRANKS mounted and rode towards the tents of
the ARABS, without bringing down foot-soldiers with them, and they made a great slaughter and returned.
And when the ARABS pursued them they fortified (or, entrenched) themselves on a hill which is called ['the
Hill] of the Crucified Ones'. And when SALAH AD-DIN saw that the FRANKS were greatly helped by the
hill, he moved his camp and pitched it on another hill which was opposite the Hill of the Crucified Ones
which overlooked 'AKKO. And the foot-soldiers of the ARABS went forth from it every day, and waged war
against the foot-soldiers of the FRANKS.

It is related that one day the FRANKS said unto the ARABS who were inside, 'We are sated with war with
grown-up men, and it is a weariness to us, and today we wish to enjoy ourselves with the war of young boys'.
And they brought about one hundred Frankish youths, and the ARABS brought out from inside a similar
number of Arab youths. And they began to fight by casting stones, and then they fought with staves and
cudgels, and the FRANKS and the ARABS mingled together, and the FRANKISH youths put to flight the
ARAB youths and drove them into the city.

And on the fourth day [of the week], on the twentieth [day] of the seventh month, a cruel battle took place.
The FRANKS poured out of their tents like locusts. And the king also went forth, and before him was the
GOSPEL which was covered with red brocade, and the priests were carrying it on their heads. And when
SALAH AD-DIN saw [this] he trembled, and he shrieked at his troops and terrified them, [383] and they
formed up in battle array. Then the left wing of the FRANKS pursued the right wing of the ARABS, in which
was TAKI AD-DIN 'OMAR, the son of the brother of SALAH AD-DIN, and it withstood the attack of the
FRANKS splendidly. And when the king of the FRANKS saw that the ARABS were not yielding at all, he
waxed courageous in his spirit, and he made the Sign of the Cross over his face, and rode into the densest part
of the company of the soldiers of the ARABS, among whom were 'AFDAL and TAFIR the sons of SALAH
AD-DIN, and KUTAB AD-DIN, the son of NUR AD-DIN, the son of KARA' ARSLAN, the lord of the
fortress of KIPA, and BAR LASHIN, the lord of NABLOS, and many others

And when they were mingled together, the FRANKS mowed down the ARABS as it were with reaping
hooks, and the ARABS began to flee, And the FRANKS pursued them with swords and with horns on which
they blew mighty blasts, and a great breaking of the ARABS took place. And the FRANKS came to the camp
of the ARABS, and they looted the tents, and killed all those who were in the streets. And the fugitives of the
ARABS came as far as DAMASCUS and TIBERIAS. And the FRANKS having pursued the ARABS for
about a parasang, went back, and they saw that the left wing of the ARABS had never moved from its
position; and because they were aweary, and those (1.e, the ARABS) had been at rest, they did not fight with
them but went and took off their equipment in their tents. Then SALAH AD-DIN by means of shoutings, and
cries and words of encouragement made the fugitives to come back, and they came and lay down in their
tents like dead men. And the slain who had fallen were counted—four thousand one hundred. For SALAH
AD-DIN had commanded the ARABS who were in 'AKKO, and they went forth and cast [the dead] into the

sea. And a certain man who had a cord in his hand stood up, and whenever they cast a man into the sea he
made a knot in the string. And of the FRANKS there fell about two thousand.

Then the nobles advised SALAH AD-DIN that they ought to remove from that place and to go a little
distance from the FRANKS, and the cause for this which they put forth was this: 'Peradventure the air in this
region will become foul because of the putrefying of the slain’. And when the ARABS removed themselves
and encamped at a place some distance away, the FRANKS dug a deep trench from the hill to the sea, and the
road of the ARABS from 'AKKO was blocked up, and there remained none who was able to go in or to [384]
go out.

And there also reached SALAH AD-DIN the report that the king of GERMANY (i.e. FREDERICK I,
BARBAROSSA) had set out and was coming on the road to CONSTANTINOPLE with two hundred
thousand horsemen and foot-soldiers. And his heart groaned and he sent an ambassador viz. BAHA AD-DIN,
the son of SHADAD, to the Khalifah, and to all the kings of the East [saying that] they must take to the road
at once, and that if they did not the kingdom of the ARABS would perish entirely. And when the year five
hundred and eighty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1190) came in, and SALAH AD-DIN was reposing in the idea
that he was far away from the camp of the FRANKS, and that there remained to the FRANKS no other
thought except the war against 'AKKO, then suddenly there burst an army of FRANKS upon the camp of the
ARABS. SALAH AD-DIN was in the desert, but his brother 'ADIL was present, and he cried to the troops,
and they mounted their horses, and the FRANKS and the ARABS were mingled with each other; and many
of the ARABS fell, and if the night had not overtaken them a complete smashing of them would have taken
place. And the FRANKS left and went to their camp.

Now the winter was nigh at hand, and there was an evil morass between the two camps, and no man could
ride a horse [across it] or approach his adversary. And all news of SALAH AD-DIN was cut off from those in
'AKKO, and [all] news of them from him. And by means of the sea one of them made his escape by
swimming, and he came to SALAH AD-DIN and made the report that the FRANKS were fighting
strenuously against the city, that they had built towers which looked into the city, and that those who were in
[the city] were in a great state of tribulation.

And SALAH AD-DIN mounted his horse and rode against the FRANKS so that they might be reduced to
fighting with him; and that those who were therein might enjoy a little respite. And he found that the
FRANKS had dug deep trenches round about themselves and that no man was able to get to them. Then
SALAH AD-DIN gnawed his fingers, and he went back and encamped against TELLA DHE-'EGLE, a long
way away from the FRANKS. And all the kings of the ARABS began to gather together to him, viz. 'EMAD
AD-DIN ZANGL, the lord of SINJAR, and MU'IZZ AD-DIN SENJAR SHAH, the son of SAIF AD-DIN
JAZI, the son of MAWDUD, the lord of the ISLAND (JAZARTA), and 'ALI AD-DIN KHERAM SHAH
(KHURAM SHAH), the son of MAS'UD, the lord of MAWSIL, and MUTAFAR AD-DIN, the son of [385]
ZAYN AD-DIN KAWSHAK (KUJEK), the lord of 'ARBIL. And SALAH AD-DIN took into 'AKKO
handicrafts-men who threw fire, and they burnt three of the great towers of the FRANKS. And God helped
the FRANKS, for the wind was blowing towards the city, and the greater number of the people were burned
by the fierce burning of the towers, because the ditch which the FRANKS had dug [in the ground] behind
them prevented them from flight before the fiery flames. Now these towers travelled upon wheels, and when
they (i.e. the FRANKS) wished they thrust them with spears, and clung close to the wall; and there were
fighting men in them. And when they wished they drew them with ropes towards them, an operation which
made the spectators marvel and moved them.

Now when the king of the 'ALIMANAYE (GERMANS) went forth to CONSTANTINOPLE, the GREEKS
prevented him [from advancing], and when he had fought them and conquered [them], they submitted to the

king, and gave him a passage; and he crossed over [the sea] and came to the country of KELEJ 'ARSLAN.
And KUTAB AL-DIN MALIK SHAH, the son of the Sultan, collected an army of TURKOMANS, and they
met the GERMANS in battle, and the TURKOMANS were defeated and fled. And the GERMANS came and
entered the city of ICONIUM, and they killed many therein.

And at [that] time PAPA MICHAEL, the Greek elder and lawyer, who was from MELITENE, and who had
gone to levy the tax, was killed there. Now KELEJ 'ARSLAN, Sultan, was shut up in the fortress of
ICONIUM, and he afterwards gave gifts to the king of the GERMANS, and made peace, and gave him
passage, and he crossed over to the country of CILICIA. And LION, the son of 'ESTAFANA, the son of
LION, the governor of CILICIA, came to TARSOS, and he showed a fair submission. And the aged king of
GERMANY (‘ALIMAN), having stood up at the river to swim, now it was very cold that day, he fell ill and
died there, and his son carried his body to ANTIOCH.

And from there the GERMANS went towards TRIPOLI. And because they were exhausted with the toil of
the journey, a few men stayed at sea and came forth at 'AKKO, because the greater number of them died in
CILICIA through sickness. [386]

And then the king of 'ANGLITAR (ENGLAND) (i.e. RICHARD I, COEUR DE LION) went out and took
CYPRUS from the GREEKS, and he came and encamped against 'AKKO, and the FRANKS were greatly
strengthened by his coming. Now within it there were twenty Amirs of the ARABS, and they sent and said to
SALAH AD-DIN, 'We are already exhausted and brought low by continual war, and moreover, sickness
tortureth us'. And SALAH AD-DIN commanded and they went forth from the region of the sea, and he
brought others in in their place. And because these were not experienced in fighting on the walls, the
FRANKS generally gained the upper hand, and they set up seven engines of war against one tower. And the
king of ENGLAND sent an envoy to SALAH AD-DIN, and he said, 'It will do no harm if I and thou sit down
in one place. And we can do something which will benefit both sides.’ Then SALAH AD-DIN replied, 'It is
meet that we should first form an administration of peace, and after that the dwelling together. For after
familiar conversation and feasting war is unseemly.'

And in those days the king of England was sick with a sore sickness, and the FRANKS were prevented from
fighting by his sickness. And when he was recovered he again sent an ambassador to SALAH AD-DIN, and
he said, 'Blame thou me not because I cut off my speech from thee, for sickness prevented me. And now I am
recovered, and I have sent to thee that, if thou wilt permit, I may send to thee presents. For it is not right for
kings, to cut off gifts, and embassies, and words of affection from each other, even though war is being
carried on between them. For thus do the laws of our fathers, the kings of olden time, teach us.' And SALAH
AD-DIN replied, 'It is well. If ye will accept from us the equivalent of thy gifts, we will accept gifts from
you.' And [RICHARD'S] ambassador said, 'We have hawks, and eagles, and other trained birds, and they are
weak, and we beg you to give us cocks (chickens?) and pigeons that we may feed them so that they become
strong, and we will bring [them] to you'. And MALIK 'ADIL, the brother of SALAH AD-DIN, smiling [387]
said, 'Because the king of ENGLAND is risen up from an illness he is in need of pigeons (?), and the hawks
are only a pretext’. Then SALAH AD-DIN arrayed the ambassador in royal apparel, and he sent him off with
a large number of chickens, and pigeons and doves. And aftefwards there came also three ambassadors from
the FRANKS to SALAH AD-DIN, and they begged for fruit and snow (i.e. ice), and they took them and
departed. And it is said that the king of ENGLAND had no other object in the dispatch of ambassadors time
after time with these empty stories, except to obtain exact knowledge about the strength of SALAH AD-DIN
and of the kings who were with him.

And when the war on those who were in the city waxed fierce, they sent to SALAH AD-DIN and said, 'If
thou dost not make assistance to reach us we shall surrender'. And because SALAH AD-DIN besides making

the FRANKS to occupy themselves in the war with himself was unable to do anything else, the FRANKS
were divided into two companies, and one company fought with those who were outside the city and the
other with those who were inside. And when those who were inside saw that they were already captured, they
demanded a pledge for their lives. And the FRANKS said, 'We will give no pledge, until after SALAH AD-
DIN hath given to us all the Frankish prisoners who are with him, and restoreth to us all the cities which he
hath taken from us'. And when they sent [this answer] to SALAH AD-DIN he said, 'I will give three thousand
prisoners only in return for the ARABS who are in 'AKKO, and if they leave me 'AKKO, I will give them
city for city. And if not, let them take it by the sword, if they are able to do so, just as I have taken it, and so
on with the other cities.'

And when the FRANKS heard this they restrained themselves no longer, but they scaled the walls by means
of ladders, and went down into the city. And after they had shed much blood, they gathered together those
who remained in one quarter [of the city]. And the ARABS said unto the FRANKS, 'Do not slay us until we
can send to SALAH AD-DIN that we may redeem ourselves with gold and with as many Frankish prisoners
as ye demand'. And the FRANKS agreed, saying, 'If fourteen days from now, that is to say at the new moon,
SALAH AD-DIN will give us two hundred thousand gold dinars, and one hundred prisoners of those [388]
whom we write down by their name as Counts, and Knights, &c., and one thousand five hundred prisoners
whose names we do not know, we will set you free’.

And when the ARABS of 'AKKO had sent to WATHD LAH AD-DIN and informed him about the matter, he
gathered together his nobles and took counsel with them. And with one mouth (1.e. voice) they said, 'These
ARABS are our brethren, and how can we be careless about them?’ And SALAH AD-DIN undertook to give
[what was demanded]. And straightway he sent to the various districts and collected the Frankish prisoners.
And concerning the gold he said, 'Every ten days we will give one-third’. And when ten days had passed he
sent to the FRANKS and said unto them, 'Bring out now all the ARABS who are with you, and we will give
you one-third of the gold, and hostages for the other two-thirds, or else ye shall give us hostages for the third
part of the gold which ye receive’. And the FRANKS said, 'Our word alone must be sufficient for you, and
our pledge which we give in place of hostages'. And the heart of SALAH AD-DIN became hard, and he
would not accept their terms.

Then the FRANKS were wroth, and they tied all the ARABS with cords, and they took them outside the city
upon the hill-side, and they piled up in heaps round about them many pieces of wood, and heaps of old
cordage, and staves of wine cases which are called fthali (i.e. futali = futailles), like a wall. And they drew
their swords and went and destroyed them all whilst an Arab watchman was standing by and looking on. And
the number of the ARABS which were killed on the walls of 'AKKO, and inside it, and outside on the hill
amounted to one thousand eight hundred souls. These things took place in the seventh month of the ARABS,
in the year five hundred and eighty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1191), that is to say in the year fifteen
hundred and two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1191), in the month of 'AB (AUGUST). And we have described a
little fully the record of this capture because it is very famous among the ARABS, and they have written
whole volumes about the tribulation which the ARABS suffered at this time from the FRANKS. And when
the FRANKS took 'AKKO they left in it a force sufficient to guard it, and architects who built up its walls
[again], and then they removed themselves to 'ARSUPH. And SALAH AD-DIN marched away with them,
and they were fighting each other all day long as they travelled on the road. [389]

And one day when the ARABS attacked certain baggage of the FRANKS, the king of ENGLAND was
wroth, and he pursued the ARABS with a strong force. And the ARABS scattered themselves and the greater
number of them fled, and there remained with SALAH AD-DIN only seventeen men of the chosen ARABS,
and the trumpeters, and the standard bearers. And if it had not been that the FRANKS were afraid lest this
flight was an ambush, and kept themselves at a distance (or, held themselves in check), they could have

captured SALAH AD-DIN and the pillar of the ARABS would have fallen. And in those days SALAH AD-
DIN sent architects and certain horsemen to go and empty the fortress of BAGHRAS of provisions and to
destroy it. And when they had gone and had destroyed a little of it, they heard that LION, the governor of
CILICIA, was ready to capture them, and they left and fled. And the men of ANTIOCH heard of their flight,
and they came to BAGHRAS, and they found in the [Citadel] twelve thousand measures (makuke) of wheat.
And they carried them to ANTIOCH, and they were a great comfort to them, for at that time the famine in
that place was very severe. And after some days LION came, and he gained the mastery over the FRANKS
and took BAGHRAS from them.

And SALAH AD-DIN sent and laid waste ASCALON, and he emptied it of inhabitants, because the
FRANKS had already built JOPPA and were dwelling there. Now it lieth between JERUSALEM and
ASCALON. 'Therefore', said the ARABS, 'we are unable to protect it.’ And SALAHAD-DIN went to
JERUSALEM, and he explored it and strengthened it with men, &c. And in those days there came to him
MU'IZZ AD-DIN, the lord of MELITENE, making complaints against his father Sultan KELEJ 'ARSLAN,
and against his brethren, to the effect that they wished to take from him MELITENE. And SALAH AD-DIN
received him with honour, and gave him a daughter of MALIK 'ADIL, his brother, to wife; and he sent him to
MELITENE, and encouraged him not to be afraid any more of his brother or his father.

And the king of ENGLAND sent an ambassador to SALAH AD-DIN and he said unto him, 'Behold, the sons
of our side and of your side have been diminished by the war; how long is it to be thus? For, behold, our
swords and your swords are drunk with blood. Give back then the countries which thou hast taken from us,
especially JERUSALEM, which is the house of our worship, and for the sake of which we have come forth,
and let us leave and go [390] to our own countries, and let it have repose from us.' And SALAH AD-DIN
replied, 'These countries did not belong to you in former times, but to the GREEKS. And the ARABS gained
possession of them from the GREEKS at the beginning of their going forth. And when the ARABS became
somewhat weak ye took them from them, and now we have taken back our countries from you. And as
concerning JERUSALEM, which you say is the "house of our worship", it is also the house of our worship,
and we magnify it and honour it far more than you do, according to what God hath commanded us in His
Kur'an.'

And the king of ENGLAND again sent to SALAH AD-DIN and said, 'I wish thy brother MALIK 'ADIL to
become a kinsman of mine through my sister, for, behold, she hath come with me to worship in
JERUSALEM. Now, therefore, if thou wilt give up the cities on the sea-coast to thy brother, so that he may
have command only over the Citadels and the cities, and all the villages may be the property of the poor and
the Hospitallers, this kinship will come into being. And I on my part will give to my sister all the towns on
the sea-coast which are in the hands of the FRANKS, and the habitation of my sister shall be in
JERUSALEM.' Now SALAH AD-DIN to this also would not agree, but his brother 'ADIL burned with desire
(or, lust), and he sent nobles and elders to his brother SALAH AD-DIN [to urge him] to agree. And as he was
very obstinate those wise advisers said unto him, 'We know that this can never be, neither is the woman
herself, the daughter of a great king, wishful to belong to an ARAB. And her brother also knoweth this well.
And it is possible that he in his craftiness hath sent and said these things as a kind of joke on the part of one
who is accustomed to make [people] happy. Therefore do not make thy brother to suffer.' And thus SALAH
AD-DIN was cajoled, and he sent an ambassador of agreement (or, consent) to the king [of ENGLAND].
And having detained the ambassador with him for three days, on the third day he sent unto SALAH AD-DIN,
saying, 'Behold, during these [last] three days, both by night and by day, I have been coaxing my sister, and
she will not be coaxed, and she saith, "If 'ADIL will become a sincere Christian [the marriage] shall take
place, and if he will not, it shall not". And thus the ambassador of SALAH AD-DIN returned, being
ashamed.

And in these days TAKI AD-DIN 'OMAR, the son of the brother of SALAH AD-DIN, died on the KHALAT
road, when he was on the way to fight against it, and they took him back and buried him in MAIPERKAT.
This man was a violent hater of the Christians, [391] and without mercy he shed the blood of the oppressed
Armenian peasants in the country of JABAL JUR. Now he had with him his son MALIK MANSUR, who
had made himself strong in MAIPERKAT. And he sent to SALAH AD-DIN, and told him that if he did not
leave in his hands the countries of his father TAKI AD-DIN he would ally himself to BUKHTAMAR, the
lord of KHALAT. And because of this SALAH AD-DIN ceased to trouble him for the moment, and after a
little while he gave the countries of his father to 'ADIL, and to MALIK MANSUR he gave EDESSA, and
HARRAN and SAMOSATA.

And whilst the two bodies of the FRANKS and the ARABS were marching on towards ASCALON, one day
when they had camped, the ARABS made an ambush for those FRANKS who used to go forth from the
camp to gather firewood. And when the FRANKS saw the ambushed force which had become visible, every
man mounted his horse and rode straight into the ambush of the ARABS, and they killed three nobles of the
officers of SALAH AD-DIN, and only two horsemen of the rank and file of the FRANKS were captured.
And the [king of] ENGLAND sent a messenger to 'ADIL, and abused him because of the ambush. And he
said unto him also, 'I wish to see thee and to talk with thee'. And the FRANKS pitched a large tent outside
their camp, and 'ADIL went to the king of ENGLAND, and he sat there [with him] the whole day, and
towards evening they separated. And the king of ENGLAND said unto 'ADIL, 'I wish to sit also with the
Sultan thy brother in this way in this tent, and I want to see him and to talk to him'. And when 'ADIL told
[this to] SALAH AD-DIN, he was unwilling [to go] for two [reasons]; firstly, because he was afraid, and
secondly, because he could not bring himself to go to him. Therefore he replied, 'It is not seemly for kings to
meet each other except after the establishment (or, confirmation) of peace; and behold, up to the present
peace hath not been established. And even if we contemplate the confirmation thereof, I do not understand
his language, and he doth not understand mine, and there must be necessarily an interpreter between us.
Therefore, let the ambassador serve as an interpreter, and there is no need for [us] to meet.

And when the winter had come the king of ENGLAND went to 'AKKO. And SALAH AD-DIN went to
JERUSALEM, and sent twenty four thousand gold dinars [to the king], and with them he freed the Arab
prisoners from the hands of the FRANKS.

And when the year five hundred and eighty-eight of the ARABS [A.D. 1192] began, [392] the FRANKS
went to ASCALON, and they began to repair the building thereof. Then MARKIS, the governor of TYRE—
(now inasmuch as dissension had fallen (i.e. risen) between him and the king of ENGLAND because [the
king had said] that it was not right for him to rule over TYRE independently, and he wished to take TYRE
from him)—promised SALAH AD-DIN that he would side with the ARABS, and that he would embrace the
fight with the sons of his race. And whilst his ambassador was [engaged] on this business with SALAH AD-
DIN, two ISHMAELITES in the garb of monks leaped upon MARKIS as he was riding along, and one of
them stabbed him with a knife, and his companion fled to a church which was in that neighbourhood. Now
they brought MARKIS, who had been stabbed, to that church likewise. And when the Ishmaelitish monk, the
companion of him that had stabbed [him], saw that he could still speak, he also leaped upon him in the church
and repeated the blow, and MARKIS died forthwith. And when the FRANKS captured those [two]
ISHMAELITES, and put them to the torture, they said that the king of ENGLAND had sent them. And
because of the hatred which [existed] among them, the FRANKS believed the words of those murderers. But
later on it was revealed that it was SINAN, the chief of the ISHMAELITES, who had sent them.

Then the king of ENGLAND gave TYRE to Count HANRI (HENRI, Comte de CHAMPAGNE), and he took
the Wife of MARKIS to wife, and went into her when she was with child, an illegal act.

And the FRANKS waxed strong and went and encamped at DARUM, and they took it by fighting from the
ARABS, and they killed every one who was therein. And at [that] time the FRANKS seized a large caravan
of the ARABS which was coming from EGYPT and bringing gold to SALAH AD-DIN. And SALAH AD-
DIN heard that the FRANKS were making ready to come with a great army against JERUSALEM, and he
sent and collected his armies and made ready for war, and he strengthened the walls of JERUSALEM. And
when the FRANKS were ready to advance on JERUSALEM the king of ENGLAND would not permit them
[to do so]. 'For', he said, [393] 'that region of JERUSALEM is a region of thirst. And behold, the ARABS
have destroyed all the waters that are round about it, and the river is more than a parasang distant. Do not
imagine that JERUSALEM is like 'AKKO. Believe ye [me] had it not been for the sea we should not have
been able to sit down by 'AKKO for a couple of days.' And they all listened to his counsel, and they marched
on against GAZA.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Taking of Edessa from the Franks (continued).

Now although SALAH AD-DIN was glad that they had removed their gaze from JERUSALEM, he was
afraid for EGYPT. And then the king of ENGLAND sent an ambassador to SALAH AD-DIN and said to
him, 'Do not imagine that I have gone away to a distance through fear or weakness. For the ram of the sheep
doth not draw backwards except for the purpose of smiting the head. Therefore if thou wilt make peace
concerning what we have asked, it will be good for thee. Behold, I have informed thee.' And after many
embassies there was peace. The countries that were in the possession of the FRANKS were to continue to be
so, that is to say, JOPPA and its suburbs, and CAESAREA, and 'ARSUPH, and HAIFA, and 'AKKO, and
ANTIOCH, and TRIPOLI, and the remainder of the towns were to [belong to] the ARABS, and ASCALON
was to remain a ruin. And SALAH AD-DIN gave to the FRANKS as much gold as they needed for the
building of ASCALON. And the road was opened and many of the FRANKS came and worshipped in
JERUSALEM, and SALAH AD-DIN honoured them all and gave [them] gifts and animals to ride. And it is
said that the king of ENGLAND sent and said unto SALAH AD-DIN, 'Thou shalt not permit to enter
JERUSALEM anyone of the FRANKS who hath not my mark (or, sign)’. And SALAH AD-DIN gathered
together his wise men, and he asked them, 'What is the object of the king in this matter?' And when they had
pondered [about it] they replied to him, saying, 'The great reason for the coming out of the FRANKS is
nothing but [their wish to] worship at JERUSALEM. And when they have effected this and have returned to
their country, they will never wish to go forth again. And for this reason the king restraineth them [now], so
that when on another occasion the king wishes to go forth they will go out with him readily and willingly.’
And when SALAH AD-DIN understood this he sent and said unto the king, 'These men are aliens, and 'after
peace [is established] I shall not be able to punish them; if thou thyself wouldst restrain them, thou hast the
power’.

Now when the FRANKS had taken 'AKKO they made prisoners two of the nobles of the ARABS, [394] the
one was BAR MASHTUB, and the other was KARAKUSH the eunuch. This [latter] was a RHOMAYE
(GREEK) by race, and SALAH AD-DIN had sent him to AFRICA; and he captured many cities there, and
came back to EGYPT. And he built the wall which is there, and it is called by his name to the present day.
And he was also captain of the host of the ARABS who were in'AKKO. And when the FRANKS fixed his
ransom at eight thousand dinars he said, 'For how much can BAR MASHTUB ransom himself?’ And the
FRANKS said, 'For thirty thousand dinars'. And KARAKUSH said, 'I will give a like sum. For BAR
MASHTUB shall not give thirty and I eight.' And the FRANKS laughed and took from him thirty thousand
dinars also. There are other stories of him which were like unto this. And one of the poets composed a whole
book on KARAKUSH, and after his death he published it.

And after the peace SALAH AD-DIN went to BERUT, and BOHAIMOND, prince of ANTIOCH, came to
him, and SALAH AD-DIN paid him very great honour, and he arrayed him and the fourteen nobles who were
with him in royal apparel. And he gave him one-half of the revenue of the country of ANTIOCH, which the

ARABS took. And SALAH AD-DIN marvelled at the Prince, and how without fear and with confidence he
had come to him. And he honoured him greatly for this. And he dismissed him with peace. And from there
SALAH AD-DIN went to DAMASCUS. And the king of ENGLAND set up Count HANRL, his sister's son,
in 'AKKO. And he embarked on the sea to go to his country. And it is said that he died before he arrived.

And in [that] year, which is the year fifteen hundred and three of the GREEKS (A.D. 1192), at the end of the
month of 'AB (AUGUST), Sultan KELEJ 'ARSLAN died in the city of ICONIUM. This man was terrifying,
and frightening, and wise, and had taken a very large number of the countries of the GREEKS. But, when he
grew old, he divided his lands among his sons, and he remained among them as a man poor and miserable.
And whichever of his sons he went to he was uncomfortable with him, and then he would fly to another son.
And when he went to GHAYATH AD-DIN KAI KESRU, the lord of the city of BEROGHLU, he received
him [395] with honour, and he treated him well and made him to rest himself. And he collected his troops,
and his aged father was with him, and he went and encamped against ICONIUM, and he took it from
KUTAB AD-DIN, his brother. And he also went and encamped at 'AKSARA and there Sultan KELEJ
'ARSLAN fell sick, and when they brought to him KAI KESRU, his son, at ICONIUM, he died and was
buried there. And GHAYATH AD-DIN KAI KESRU reigned over ICONIUM until RUKN AD-DIN his
brother took it from him, as we will show by the power of God. Then KELEJ 'ARSLAN reigned thirty-eight
years. He was the son of MAS'UD, the son of KELEJ 'ARSLAN, the son of SULAIMAN, the son of
KATLAMISH, the son of YABGHU, the son of SALJUK, the son of TUKAK. And he left twelve sons [who
became] kings.

And at [this] time an acute fever attacked SALAH AD-DIN, and he died in DAMASCUS, on the fourth day
[of the week], on the twenty-seventh day of the second month of the year five hundred and eighty-nine of the
ARABS (1), and he left seventeen sons and a little daughter. And when he was dead there was nothing found
in his treasury except one dinar and thirty-six zuze, for he was very free-handed, and in this manner he
flourished. It is said that when he became master of DAMASCUS he had every dinar and zuza which were
found in the treasury brought out, a very large amount of money, and he heaped it up before him. And he said
unto a certain man whose name was BAR MUKADAM, 'Divide this among the nobles, and the horsemen,
and their slaves, a handful to each man'. And when he began to take it in very small quantities, SALAH AD-
DIN scolded him, and said, 'Fill your fist'. And BAR MUKADAM began to laugh, and SALAH AD-DIN
asked him what was the cause of his laughter. And BAR MUKADAM said, 'I know (i.e. I remember) the day
when NUR AD-DIN was sitting where thou art seated, and they brought before him a basket of grapes, and
the grapes were large. And he said to me, "Divide these by the handful among the nobles". And when I began
to fill my fist, he said unto me, "Gently. If thou distributest them in this manner, grapes cannot come to them
all."" And SALAH AD-DIN laughed and said, 'Avarice belongeth to merchants and not to kings. Do not
therefore [396] distribute them with thy one hand, but with both.’ And one of those who were present said
that there were one hundred and fifty-eight dinars in the handful that was given to him.

And it is also said that when SALAH AD-DIN was encamped before 'AKKO, one day when he was riding
along with the Kadi of the camp by his side, a certain JEW cried out and said, 'I appeal to the Law of the
ARABS for help'. And the slaves asked him, "Who is thine adversary, and who hath wronged thee?’ And the
JEW replied, 'The Sultan is my adversary , and his slaves have wronged me'. And when SALAH AD-DIN
heard this he was not angry’, but he got off his horse immediately, and the Kadi also dismounted. And they
brought the JEW, and SALAH AD-DIN set him by his side. And the JEW said, 'I am a JEW and a merchant
of DAMASCUS. I was coming by sea from ALEXANDRIA, and I had with me twenty loads of sugar, And
when I came to the port of 'AKKO thy servants plundered me, and they said unto me, "Thou art an infidel,
and thy goods belong rightly to the Sultan".' And SALAH AD-DIN commanded, and those who had taken the
sugar came, and when they admitted that they had deposited it in the Treasury, he commanded the officials
and they gave to the JEW the price of the sugar.

And on another day when he was seated with the nobles round about him, the little slave children began to
play with each other. And when one of them threw a sandal at the other, the sandal fell by the side of the knee
of SALAH AD-DIN. And he turned his face away in another direction, and began to talk with the man who
was sitting next to him, and he pretended that he had not seen what had been done.

And on another day he was thirsty and asked for water. And the slaves said one to another, 'Bring water’. And
they paid no heed and did not bring [the water]. And again he asked, doing so even five times. And when
they brought it he took [it] and drank without being angry in the smallest degree.

And on another day when he rose up from his sickness, and went to the bath, he asked for some cold water;
And when they brought it he sprinkled a little of the water over his body, and as he was shivering—now he
was grievously sick—he did not want to drink. And he waited for a time and his thirst increased, and he was
in pain and asked for water. And when the man who was waiting upon him drew nigh, because of his fear
(i.e. nervousness) his hands lost their grip on the vessel, and it fell [from them], and all the cold water was
spilled over the Sultan's body. [397] And he shivered violently, but beyond saying to the slave, 'If thy object
is to kill me, let me know', SALAH AD-DIN made no further remark.

And after SALAH AD-DIN was dead, BUKHTAMAR, the governor of KHALAT, heard [of it] and rejoiced
greatly. And he began to collect his troops and to set out for MAIPERKAT. Then a certain man whose name
was HAZARDINARI, who also was a slave of SHAHARMAN, rose up and killed him, and he reigned in his
stead. And because he was the son-in-law of BUKHTAMAR, he did not kill the little son which he had, now
his name was 'MAHAMMAD", but he brought him up as if he had been his own child. And in the year also
there died SINAN, the chief of the ISHMAELITES in MASRYATH, and there rose up in his place a certain
man, a PERSIAN, whose name was 'NASIR'. Now SINAN was held in fear by all the kings of the ARABS
and FRANKS. And he forged knives (or, daggers), and on each on of them was [engraved] the name of one
of the kings. And when he gave a knife to one of his own men, even though it were in the heart of the sea, he
would go and fulfil his will. He was well instructed in the wisdom of the foreigners and transmigration of
souls, and he taught the doctrine of PLATO to the men of his own party. And therefore they held death in
contempt, and [believed] that they did not go forth from the world even though they were killed. And he hid
himself many times, and the report went forth that he was dead, but he very soon reappeared. This was so
often the case that when he was dead his slaves did not believe it.

And in [this] year, which is the year fifteen hundred and four of the GREEKS (A.D. 1193), LION, the
governor of CILICIA, formed a plot and seized PRAYNS BOHAIMOND, the lord of ANTIOCH. Now
BAGHRAS being with LION, even as we have said above, the ARABS having left it and fled, he took it. He
taught the Armenian governor of BAGHRAS to conspire in secret with the Prince, and that he wished to
rebel against LION his lord, and surrender the Citadel to PRAYNS, and go in and dwell in ANTIOCH. And
when the governor sent [these proposals] to PRAYNS and promised to surrender to him BAGHRAS,
PRAYNS believed him. And he went forth like one who is chased, and his son and his wife were with him.
And when they came and encamped by the well which is before BAGHRAS, the governor sent down to them
[398] food and wine. And he said unto them, 'By daytime it is impossible for you to go up to the Citadel, but
when it becometh dark ye shall come and ye shall find the gates open, and ye shall go in secretly. And do not
bring any horsemen with you that the watchmen may not perceive it, and the secret be discovered, but let
horsemen remain hidden in your neighbourhood.'

And PRAYNS believed this, marched from the well and pretended that he was going to ANTIOCH. And
when it was evening, he and his wife, and his son, and the little boys who waited upon them, went back, and
they drew nigh unto the gate and found it open, and they went in with gladness. And the governor said unto
them, 'Lie ye down to sleep and rest until daybreak, that we may make an arrangement and also bring in some

of the horsemen, a few at a time, and we will seize the watchmen.’ And when they had lain down, the
governor sent to LION, who was in hiding there, having come with a large number of ARMENIANS, and he
came into BAGHRAS and seized PRAYNS and loaded him with fetters, and he placed iron bonds on his wife
and son. And he tortured him very severely in return for the tortures which PRAYNS himself had made
ROPIN, the brother of LION, to suffer. And PRAYNS remained a prisoner with LION until HANRI, the
brother of the sister of the king of ENGLAND, came and with entreaties and covenants freed him. And LION
became very powerful after the death of KELEJ 'ARSLAN, and he took seventy-two Citadels, some from the
TURKAYE and some from the GREEKS. And in all his wars he appeared as the conqueror.

Now when 'IZZ AL-DIN MAS'UD, the lord of MAWSIL, heard that SALAH AD-DIN was dead, he longed
ardently to restore to himself the kingdom of SYRIA. And he sent to 'EMAD AD-DIN, his brother, the lord
of SINJAR and NISIBIS, and to SENJAR SHAH, his brother's son, the lord of the city of JAZARTA, and to
MUTAFAR AD-DIN, the son of ZAYN AD-DIN, the lord of 'ARBIL, and he urged them to be ready to go
together and transfer the cities from members of the house of SALAH AD-DIN. Then 'AFDAL, the eldest
son of SALAH AD-DIN, who reigned in DAMASCUS in the place of his brothers, also sent to his uncle
‘ADIL, who was then in DAMASCUS, and he brought him by force to him, so that he might stand at the head
of the troops, and meet in war the members of the house of the 'ATABAG. And he sent to [399] MALIK
'AZIZ, his brother who reigned in EGYPT, and to MALIK TAHIR, another brother who reigned in ALEPPO,
and to NASIR AD-DIN, the brother of TAKI AD-DIN, the son of his uncle who reigned in HAMATH, and to
MALIK MUJAHID, the son of NASIR AD-DIN, the son of his father's uncle who reigned in EMESA, and he
collected troops from all of them, and sent [them] with his uncle 'ADIL. And 'ADIL came and encamped in
the meadow of RIHAN, which is in the country of EDESSA. And when 'IZZ AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL,
heard this, he also collected his partisans and came to NISIBIS. And there he fell sick of dysentery, and he
came back to MAWSIL and after a little he died. Now he was a man of good disposition, and very
compassionate and modest. No man ever saw him speaking immoderately, and his eyes were always directed
before him. And to no man who made a request to him did he reply 'No'.

And after him rose up his son NUR AD-DIN 'ARSLAN SHAH, and he became the administrator of
MUJAHID AD-DIN KAIMAZ. And in the year five hundred and ninety of the ARABS (A.D. 1193), ALA
AD-DIN TAKISH KHAWARAZM SHAH went forth to the country of KHORASAN, and Sultan TUGHREL
met him in battle by the side of the city of RAI (RHAGES), and TUGHREL was killed, and his head was
sent to BAGHDAD and hung up on the top of a reed, and was fixed in the gate of the palace of the Khalifah.

And KHAWARAZMSHAH reigned over HAMADAN and over the rest of the countries. And he appointed

as a deputy KUTHLOGH 'INANAG (‘INAIGH?), the son of PAHLWAN, who had formerly been governor of
HAMADAN. And he sent and brought KHAWARAZM SHAH, because Sultan TUGHREL had escaped from
his prison, and had prevailed over him, and taken countries from him. With this TUGHREL the kingdom of
the SALJUKS came to an end in KHORASAN, and there remained this which we have in BETH
RHOMAYE. Now TUGHREL was the son of 'ARSLAN, the son of TUGHREL, the son of MAHMUD, the
son of MAHAMAD), the son of MALIKSHAH, the son of 'ALB 'ARSLAN, the son of DAWUD, that is
JAGHRI BAG, the son of MIKA'IL, the son of SALJUK, the son of DUKAK.

And in the year MALIK 'AZIZ, the lord of EGYPT, came against DAMASCUS to take it [400] from his
elder brother 'AFDAL, and MALIK 'ADIL, their uncle, went and made peace between them and [arranged]
that JERUSALEM should belong to 'AZIZ, and GABALA and LAODICEA to MALIK TAHIR, the lord of
ALEPPO, and to 'ADIL certain villages in EGYPT. And they were at peace, and each went to his own
country.

And in the year five hundred and ninety-one of the ARABS (A.D. 1194) the Khalifah NASIR sent an army
with SAIF AD-DIN TUGHREL, one of his nobles, to ''SFAHAN, and the citizens surrendered it to him
because they hated the Khawrazmian tyrants who had ruled over them. And in this year also MALIK 'AZIZ,
the lord of EGYPT, made ready to come and take it (i.e. DAMASCUS) from MALIK 'AFDAL, his brother.
And when 'AFDAL, his brother, heard [of it] he went in person to KAL'AH JA'BAR, to 'ADIL his uncle, and
to TAHIR his brother, and he summoned them to his aid, and they came with him to DAMASCUS. And
MALIK 'AZIZ also came and encamped in the neighbourhood of DAMASCUS. Then the old slaves of
SALAH AD-DIN acted treacherously against MALIK 'AZIZ, and they sent to 'ADIL and 'AFDAL and said
unto them, 'Go forth to us, and we will deliver this man into your hands'. And when 'AZIZ knew of the
treachery he straightway and quickly returned to EGYPT. Then 'ADIL and 'AFDAL pursued him and they
went into EGYPT, and encamped against BULBAIS, and since they were able to take EGYPT 'ADIL
restrained 'AFDAL and made peace, and 'AFDAL went back to DAMASCUS and JERUSALEM became his.
And 'ADIL invaded EGYPT, and he became the administrator of MALIK 'AZIZ.

And in the year five hundred and ninety-two of the ARABS (A.D. 1195), MALIK 'ADIL, with MALIK
'AZIZ, sallied out from EGYPT, and came and encamped against DAMASCUS, so that they might take it
from MALIK 'AFDAL. Then AFDAL prepared for battle on the walls, and he divided the gates and the
towers among his nobles. Then a certain man whose name was 'IZZ AD-DIN, a native of EMESA, who
guarded the gate which was called the 'Eastern', deceived 'AFDAL and brought 'ADIL into DAMASCUS;
and he went and encamped in the quarter of 'ASAD AD-DIN SHIRKUH, his uncle, and MALIK 'AZIZ also
went in. And they took the city from MALIK 'AFDAL, and gave him the Citadel of SARKHAD, and he
departed and went thereto, and MALIK 'AZIZ [401] went to EGYPT, and 'ADIL remained in DAMASCUS,
as it were on the part of MALIK 'AZIZ; but he possessed the command generally and entirely, which MALIK
'AZIZ possessed in name only. MALIK TAHIR, the lord of ALEPPO, sent many times to MALIK 'AFDAL,
and said unto him, 'Trust not 'ADIL, for no good will come to us from him, for I know him better than thou
dost. For although he is the uncle of all of us, I am his daughter's husband. And if I knew that he had any
solicitude for us it would be far more proper for me to have friendly intercourse with him than you.’ And
AFDAL replied, 'Thy opinion is not a true one. This man is in the place of our father, and how could he
afflict us?"

And in the year five hundred and ninety-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1196), 'ADIL quarrelled again with the
FRANKS, under the pretence that the peace had been dissolved by the death of [the king] of ENGLAND, and
that of SALAH AD-DIN. And he went and encamped against JOPPA and took it by fighting. Then the
FRANKS of the sea-coast sent to those who were in the interior and said, 'If ye do not come and join us
speedily the ARABS will become masters of all the sea-coast'. Then the FRANKS who were in the interior
sent a large number of troops, and appointed as their chief a certain man of the sons of the Church who was
called 'Chancellor' (SHANSELIR), and they went forth and encamped against TABNIN and made strenuous
war upon it. And when they were on the point of taking it a report reached them that HANRI, Count of
'AKKO, had fallen down from a height and was dead. And although no king remained to them they refrained
from fighting (or, stopped the war). And they sent and brought the lord of CYPRUS and gave him HANRI's
wife. And when 'ADIL heard [of this] he sent to him and made peace with him on the condition that BERUT
should belong to the FRANKS and TABNIN to the ARABS. And the FRANKS left TABNIN and departed.

And in the year MALIK SHAH, the son of KHAWARAZM SHAH TAKISH, died in the country of
NISABHOR, and there rose up after him KUTAB AD-DIN MAHAMAD, although according to the Will of
their father the sovereignty belonged to his brother HENDOKHAN and not to him. And at [that] time also
died SAIF AD-DIN AL-ESLAM TUGHTAKIN, the son of 'AYUB, the brother of SALAH AD-DIN, who
ruled over the land of TAIMNA, and his son ESMA'IL (ISHMAEL) rose up in his place. And because of his
incapacity [402] for ruling, his nobles rose up against him and killed him.

And in the year five hundred and ninety-four of the ARABS (A.D. 1198), 'EMAD AD-DIN, the son of
ZANGI, the son of MAWDUD, the son of ZANGI, the son of AKSENKUR, the lord of SINJAR, and
NISIBIS, and HABURA, and CALONICUS, died, and his son KUTAB AD-DIN MAHAMAD reigned, and
MUJAHID AD-DIN, the son of YAKSH, a slave of his father, became his administrator. And in the year
NUR AD-DIN 'ARSLAN SHAH, the lord of MAWSIL, went and encamped against NISIBIS, and he took it
from KUTAB AD-DIN MAHAMAD, the son of his uncle, because KUTAB AD-DIN had reached out his
hand over certain villages of the country of the region of the two rivers, and in the frontier of MAWSIL. And
having sent an ambassador to [make] him restore them, and he having refused to do so, NUR AD-DIN
collected an army and went against NISIBIS. And KUTAB AD-DIN came also, and he was broken and came
to HARRAN. And he sent to 'ADIL and asked for help from him. And NUR AD-DIN having entered
NISIBIS—now he lived there for some days—sickness fell upon his troops, and six of the famous nobles of
MAWSIL died, among them being MUJAHID AD-DIN KAIMAZ, his administrator. Because of this NUR
AD-DIN left NISIBIS and came to MAWSIL, and KUTAB AD-DIN, its lord, surrendered it again.

And in the year KHAWARAZM SHAH went to the city of BUKHARA, and he took it from the people of
KATA, that is to say, the CHINESE. And because the ARABS of BUKHARA were on very friendly terms
with the CHINESE, who, even though they were not of their Faith, were nevertheless wise and just, they
fought most strenuously on the walls. And at length they took a dog and dressed him to resemble
KHAWARAZM SHAH, and they threw him to the KHWARAZMIANS and said, 'This is your king’. And
when KHAWARAZM SHAH took the city with the sword, he did not remember against them their folly (or,
offence), but he gave them gold and made them to take oaths of fealty to him.

And in the year MALIK 'ADIL came and encamped against MARDIN, and he fought against it strenuously.
Now the lord thereof was a little boy, HUSSAM AD-DIN, and his administrator was NETAM AD-DIN, the
son of YAKSH. And those inside acted treacherously and surrendered the city to 'ADIL, and the troops
entered and looted it, and they committed most horrible [403] atrocities, and they remained therein fighting
against the Citadel thereof.

And in the year five hundred and ninety-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1198), MALIK 'AZIZ, the son of SALAH
AD-DIN, the lord of EGYPT, died. Now he was in the desert, and when he saw a wolf pursuing him he fell
from his horse. And a fever attacked him, and he returned to CAIRO and died there. And he left a young son
whose name was MALIK MANSUR. Then dissension fell upon the nobles, for some of them wished to set
up the boy in the place of his father, and some of them 'ADIL, and some of them 'AFDAL. And the party who
wished for 'AFDAL were powerful, and they sent and brought MALIK MANSUR from SARKHAD and he
reigned. Then those who wanted 'AFDAL fled, and they went and took JERUSALEM. And 'AFDAL took an
army of EGYPTIANS and set out to come to DAMASCUS, and the DAMASCENES sent and informed
MALIK 'ADIL whilst he was fighting against MARDIN. Now he left his son MALIK KAMIL MAHAMAD
over the Citadel of MARDIN, and he went hurriedly to DAMASCUS. And 'AFDAL came also and
encamped against it, and his troops were divided against him. And he left and went again to EGYPT. And his
coming was in vain.

Now KAMIL, the son of 'ADIL, having brought into great tribulation those who were in the Citadel of
MARDIN through a scarcity of food and the sickness which had fallen upon them, NETAM AD-DIN, the
administrator of the bby HUSAM AD-DIN, was nearly [surrendering the fortress]. And NUR AD-DIN, the
lord of MAWSIL, and the sons of his uncles, the lord of SINJAR, and the lord of JAZARTA, as soon as they
heard of [this] were greatly perturbed. And they said unto each other, 'If the members of the House of 'ADIL
become masters of MARDIN, they will deprive us of all our territories’. Therefore they came to an agreement
promptly, and they all went to DUNAISER. And KAMIL came down to the plain, and there the descendants
of the 'ATABAG met him in battle and broke him. And KAMIL and those who were with him fled to

MARDIN. And when they had gone up [into the town], they found that those who were in the Citadel had
gone down and plundered their tents. And in the night KAMIL took his troops and went to HARRAN, and
from HARRAN he went to DAMASCUS, to his father. It is said that if those of the House of KAMIL had not
gone down from the mountain to the plain, never [404] would those of the House of the 'ATABAG been able
to compel them to move from MARDIN; and they took the Citadel also. But God, glory [be] to His goodness,
doeth what He wisheth.

(Continued on Next Page)

(1) Bedjan's note reads: 'SALAH AD-DIN was fifty-seven years old when he died on the fourth day of the
month 'ADHAR in the year of our Lord 1193. It is said that when he came to die he commanded a certain
Amir to hang his winding sheet on the top of a reed and to carry it round through the bazars of the city and to
say, "King SALAH AD-DIN hath departed from this world, and of all his possessions he hath not taken with
him anything except this piece of his winding sheet".'

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Taking of Edessa from the Franks (continued).

And in the year five hundred and ninety-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1199) MALIK 'ADIL collected his troops
and went to the land of EGYPT. 'AFDAL heard [of it], and he also collected his troops, and set out and met
his uncle in battle; and he was broken, and fled by night and went into CAIRO. And 'ADIL came and
encamped against CAIRO, and wanted to begin a war against it. Then the nobles advised MALIK 'AFDAL to
send and sue for peace, because he had not the strength of 'ADIL. And 'AFDAL sent to 'ADIL concerning
peace, and he asked that DAMASCUS might be given to him instead of EGYPT, but MALIK 'ADIL was
unwilling. And again he asked for EDESSA and HARRAN, and this also was not conceded. And he asked
for MAIPERKAT, and HANI, and JABAL JUR, and 'ADIL agreed. And they swore oaths to each other, and
'AFDAL set out and went to SARKHAD, and he sent his men, [saying] that MAIPERKAT must be
surrendered. Now the son of 'ADIL, that is to say, NAJM AD-DIN 'AYUB, objected, and he would not
surrender it. And 'AFDAL sent to 'ADIL concerning this state of affairs, and he made an excuse, saying, 'His
son had rebelled against his command and would not hearken to him’. And when 'AFDAL knew what had
been done between him and his son, he himself joined him, and did not again send a messenger to him
concerning the matter.

And in the year died KHAWARAZM SHAH TAKISH, the son of 'ALB ARSLAN, the lord of
KHAWARAZM, and of a portion of KHORASAN, and RAI and the rest of the mountainous countries, and
there rose up in his place the son of KUTB AD-DIN MAHAMAD, who was also called by his father's name
'ALA AD-DIN. And in the year died KADI FADIL, an Egyptian lawyer, preeminent in his time in EGYPT.

And in the year five hundred and ninety-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1200), 'ADIL made to cease the
proclamation of the young man MALIK MANSUR, the son of MALIK 'AZIZ. And it was wrong in the eyes
of the nobles, and they wrote to MALIK 'AFDAL in SARKHAD, and to his brother MALIK TAHIR in
ALEPPO. And they said unto them, 'Come ye and encamp against DAMASCUS. And when MALIK 'ADIL
goeth forth to you to war, we will take him prisoner and deliver him into your hands.' Now 'ADIL heard
something of this arrangement, and he sent to his son MALIK MU'TAM SHARAF AD-DIN [405] 'ISA, who
was in DAMASCUS, to make haste and to go and shut up 'AFDAL in SARKHAD, his Citadel. And 'AFDAL
heard [of this], and he set out hurriedly from SARKHAD, and came to ALEPPO to TAHIR his brother. And
the two of them went to MABBUGH, which belonged to 'ADIL, and took it, and in like manner they took
KAL'AH NAJM. And they turned and came and encamped against HAMATH, and NASIR AD-DIN, the son
of TAKI AD-DIN, gave them thirty thousand Tyrian dinars, and they left him and went by the B'ELBAK
road against DAMASCUS. And 'AFDAL and TAHIR made it a condition with each other that when they
took DAMASCUS it should remain with MALIK 'AFDAL until they went and took EGYPT, and then
'AFDAL should restore DAMASCUS to TAHIR, and that EGYPT should be his. And with this object they
made war on DAMASCUS, and when they were very near taking it, MALIK TAHIR became jealous of his
brother MALIK 'AFDAL, and he said unto him, "DAMASCUS shall be mine, and I will send my troops to

thee so that thou mayest go and take EGYPT for thyself’. And 'AFDAL said unto him, 'Dost thou know that
my mother and my household are at the door of others in EMESA? (For he had brought them down from
SARKHAD, and he had given it to ZAYN AD-DIN KARAJA, a slave of his father, that he might be a help to
him.) Therefore I ask thee to leave me DAMASCUS, so that these women may take refuge therein, for it is
right that thou also should concern thyself on their behalf, until we take EGYPT.' MALIK TAHIR, however,
objected and did not accept [this proposal].

And when the nobles saw the schism which existed between them, they left and departed, some of them to
'ADIL and some went into DAMASCUS. Then the two brothers agreed together and sent to MALIK 'ADIL,
their uncle, and they sued for peace. And 'ADIL gave to MALIK TAHIR, in addition to ALEPPO,
MABBUGH, and APAMIA, and KAPHAR TAB, and some portion of the country of MU'ARAH ; and he
gave to MALIK 'AFDAL SAMOSATA, and SERUGH, and RAS 'AINA, and JUMLIN. And MALIK 'ADIL
went to DAMASCUS and those [others] went each to his own country.

And at the time when TAHIR and 'AFDAL were encamped against DAMASCUS, NUR AD-DIN collected
his troops, and took with him his uncle's son KUTB [406] AD-DIN MAHAMAD, the lord of SINJAR, and
the lord of EGYPT, and they went to take away BETH NAHRIN from the house of 'ADIL. And when they
came to RAS 'AINA a sickness fell upon them, because it was the summer season. And the son of 'ADIL,
whose name was MALIK FAIZ, was in HARRAN, and he sent to NUR AD-DIN and begged from him
peace. Then NUR AD-DIN because he had heard of the friendship which existed between 'AFDAL and
TAHIR, and between 'ADIL their uncle, and also because of the sickness, agreed to the peace; and they swore
oaths to him and he to them. And he left and went back to MAWSIL, and each of those who were with him
returned to his own country.

And in the year, when MU'IZ AD-DIN KAISAR SHAH was reigning in MELITENE, his brother RUKN
AD-DIN Sultan, the son of KELEJ 'ARSLAN, attacked him, and he made war on the country and took it
from him in the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE) of the year fifteen hundred and eleven of the GREEKS (A.D.
1200). And MU'IZ AD-DIN KAISAR SHAH fled from before his brother to MALIK 'ADIL, his father-in-
law; and 'ADIL sent and made him to dwell in EDESSA and supplied him with provisions. And from there
RUKN AD-DIN went to 'ARZAN AR-RUM. And there was in it a son of MALIK MAHAMAD, the son of
SALTAK;; now they belonged to a very old family (or, house), and had ruled over 'ARZAN AR-RUM for a
very long time. And when its lord went forth to RUKN AD-DIN in a kindly and humble manner, he seized
him and shut him up in prison and took his city. And he also took ICONIUM from GHAYATH AD-DIN KAI
KESRU, his brother. And GHAYATH AD-DIN fled to SYRIA, and came to MALIK TAHIR, the lord of
ALEPPO, and he made known to him the matter, so that perhaps he might take him by the hand. And when
he did not see help [coming] from him, he departed from him and hid himself. And he went from place to
place until he arrived in CONSTANTINOPLE. And the king of the GREEKS honoured him greatly, and gave
him to wife the daughter of one of the great patricians. And he lived there until the FRANKS took
CONSTANTINOPLE, as we are about to show forth. And when the FRANKS became masters of
CONSTANTINOPLE, GHAYATH AD-DIN fled to his father-in-law, who was lord of one of the fortresses.
And his father-in-law received him, and said unto him, [407] 'This fortress will suffice for me and for thee
until God giveth us consolation’. And he remained there with him until his brother died.

And in this year there was great scarcity in EGYPT, for the NILE did not overflow according to custom. And
men ate the bodies of dead animals and also of men. And then pestilence followed upon famine closely. And
there was also an earthquake and it destroyed many buildings and high walls in DAMASCUS, and EMESA
and HAMATH, and TRIPOLI, and TYRE, and AKKO, and SHAMRIN (SAMARIA), and it reached BETH
RHOMAYE, but it was not violent in the East.

And in the year five hundred and ninety-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1201), KHAWARAZM SHAH
MAHAMAD, the son of TAKISH, went to the country of KHORASAN, and he took MARU (MERV) and
NISABHOR from GHAYATH AD-DIN, and from his brother SHEHAB AD-DIN. For they had once
belonged to him, and when he had gone to KHAWARAZM, and was occupied with the death (i.e. funeral) of
his father, GHAYATH AD-DIN had taken them. And when he sent he said unto him, 'I did not expect such
behaviour as this from thee, on the contrary, I expected there would be help for me against the CHINESE.
And because thou wouldst not help me, it is not right that thou shouldst do me an injury.’ And when he did
not reply to him with affection, he came to the cities and took them with the sword. Then GHAYATH AD-
DIN was conquered by him, because he was suffering severely from the gout, and his brother SHEHAB AD-
DIN was engaged in war with the INDIANS.

And in the year five hundred and ninety-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1202), MALIK 'ADIL ABU BAKR, the
son of 'AYUB, the lord of EGYPT and DAMASCUS, sent troops with his son MALIK 'ASHRAF MUSA
against MARDIN, and he besieged it for many days, and took possession of the villages and country thereof.
Then the lord of ALEPPO, MALIK TAHIR JAZI, the son of SALAH AD-DIN, intervened between them,
and he made peace on the condition that the lord of MARDIN should give to 'ADIL one hundred and fifty
thousand white dinars, each dinar [of the value of] six zuze, and proclaim 'ADIL king, and inscribe his name
on the seals (i.e. stamps) of the zuze and dinars. And MALIK TAHIR took twenty thousand dinars from the
total sum, and also the town of KURADI from the country of SHABAKTAN. And 'ASHRAF left and
departed. And at the time the TURKOMANS wrought great destruction in the countries [408] by means of
raiding bands of robbers, and without the strength (i.e. support) of horsemen and armed men people were not
able to travel on the roads.

And in this year 'ADIL took back from 'AFDAL, the son of his brother, SERUGH, and the city of RAS
‘AINA, and JUMLIN. And also TAHIR, his brother, the lord of ALEPPO, took from 'AFDAL the fortress of
NAJM; and there remained to him SAMOSATA only. And when he saw that his uncle and his brother had
wronged him, he sent an ambassador to RUKN AD-DIN Sultan, the son of KELEJ 'ARSLAN, the lord of the
city of MELITENE, and of ICONIUM, and he became subject unto him and proclaimed him, and struck zuze
in his name, and he became as one of the Amirs of BETH RHOMAYE. For 'AFDAL sent his mother to king
'ADIL, and she pleaded with him to give back the towns which he had taken from her son, but he would not
accept her pleading (or, persuasion). And thus God rewarded SALAH AD-DIN, the king, after his death, in
the same way as he rewarded those of the House of the ATABAG, when the lord of MAWSIL sent his mother
and his uncle's daughter to him, and he would not receive their pleading.

And in this year king 'ADIL drove out MALIK MANSUR, the son of king 'AZIZ, from EGYPT, and he made
him to live in the city of EDESSA, with his brothers and sisters, for he was afraid that the EGYPTIANS
would make him king.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the beginning of the Kingdom of the Mughlaye, who are the Tataraye
(Tartars).

Now the first country of the TATARS, before they spread abroad in these exterior countries, was a certain
valley (sic), that is to say a great plain in the north-eastern [quarter] of the world, the length and width of
which was a journey of eight months. On the east side their territory extended to the country of the
KATHAYE SINAYE, that is KATA; and on the west to the country of the IGHURAYE TURKS; and on the
north to the country which is called SALAPGAY (SEBER, SIBERIA); and on the south to HENDO (INDIA).
Before SHINGIZ (CHINGIZ) KHAN, their first king, rose up they were without a head, and they used to
give tribute to the KATHAYE, that is to say SINAYE (CHINESE). They dressed themselves in the skins of
dogs and wolves, [409] and they lived upon mice (or, rats), and other unclean beasts, and animals that had
died, and they drank the milk of mares. And the sign of a great Amir among them was that when riding he
had feet-cases (i.e. stirrups) made of iron, whilst for every one else they were made of wood.

In the year which is the year fifteen hundred and fourteen of the GREEKS (A.D. 1203), and the year five
hundred and ninety-nine of the ARABS (A. D. 1202), when 'UNK KHAN, that is JOHN, king of the
Christians, was reigning over a certain tribe of the HUNAYE Barbarians (i.e. HUNS) who were called KRIT,
CHINGIZ KHAN was going about continually in his service. And when 'UNK KHAN saw his superior
intelligence, and that he progressed from day to day, he became jealous of him, and he wished to seize him by
deceit and put him to death. Then two of the young men of 'UNK KHAN, becoming acquainted with the
treachery, informed CHINGIZ, and straightway CHINGIZ made it known to his own men, and they removed
themselves by night from their tents and hid themselves in ambush. And at daybreak when 'UNK KHAN
attacked the tents of the TATARS he found no one in them. And then the followers of CHINGIZ leaped out
upon him, and they met each other in battle by the side of a wall which was called BALSHUYAH. And the
party of CHINGIZ triumphed, and the party of 'UNK KHAN was broken. And the two parties met together in
battle on many occasions, and at length the party of 'UNK KHAN perished entirely, and he himself was
killed, and his wives, and his sons, and his daughters were made captives. And CHINGIZ KHAN magnified
those two young men, and he passed a law of freedom for them, so that in every capture of prisoners in which
they were present, no portion should be taken for the king (or, kings) from them and their sons for ever. And
they were to enter the presence of the kings without a summons to do so. And however much they might
offend (or, act foolishly) no one was to be set over them. And he promoted the other men who had been with
him in that war, and made them nobles. And because there were with him men of the Mongol race, who were
called 'AWIRATHAYFE', and they exhibited more skill than the others in athletic exercises, and fought more
strenuously, CHINGIZ KHAN paid them honour. And he passed a law concerning them that brides for the
sons of kings were to be selected from among their daughters, [410] so that children of the seed of CHINGIZ
might be propagated. And also that wives from among the daughters of the sons of kings should be given to
their sons. And this law remaineth among them to this day.

And it is right to know that this king JOHN of the KRITH was not rejected for nothing, but only after he had
turned aside his heart from the fear of Christ His Lord, who had magnified him, and had taken a wife from a
tribe of one of the Chinese peoples which was called 'KARAKETA". He forsook the Fear (i.e. Religion) of his
fathers and worshipped strange gods, and therefore God took away the kingdom and gave it to one who was
better than he; and his heart became right before God. And at that time a certain man of the TATARS rose up,
who in the depth of winter, in all the frost and cold which exist in that country, went about naked, and he
walked through the mountains and hills for many days. And he used to come and say, 'I have gone forth from
God, and He said unto me, I have given the whole earth to TEMURSHIN (TEMURGIN) and his sons. And I
have called him by the name of "CHINGIZ KHAN";,' now his original name was TEMURKHIN, and the
TATARS call this man 'TUBUTH TANGRI'.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Sons of Chingiz Khan.

CHINGIZ KHAN had many sons and daughters, but those who were great and famous were those who were
born of the Great Queen. And that Great Queen of CHINGIZ, whose name was 'YASUNSHIN BAGT', had
four sons. The first was TUSHI, the second was SHAGHATAI (JAGHATAD), the third was 'AWKATAI, and
the fourth was TULI. [CHINGIZ] made TUSHI chief of the hunt, because he loved hunting more than
anything else, and he honoured their hunters. And he made JAGHATAI the head of the Law, DYASA they
called him—he ordered; he delivered the administration of the kingdom to 'AWKATAI; and TULI the
youngest he appointed governor of the troops and warriors. And for each one he marked out a place for his
own special abode. And his brother whose name was [411] 'AUTAKIN TUMAN, together with the rest of the
children of his uncles and his kinsfolk, he sent to the land of the KHATAYE (CATHAYANS).

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Laws which Chingiz Khan Made.

Since the MONGOLS had neither literature nor writing, CHINGIZ KHAN commanded the scribes of the
IGHURAYE (UIGURS), and they taught the children of the TATARS their books, and they wrote the Mongol
language with Uigur letters, just as the EGYPTIANS [write their language] with Greek letters, and the
PERSIANS [write their language] with Arabic letters. And he commanded also and they wrote down the
following laws which he made.

I. When [the MONGOLS] have need to write any letter to rebels, and they must send an envoy, let them not
threaten them with the great size of their army and their numbers, but let them say only, If ye will submit
yourselves obediently ye shall find good treatment and rest, but if ye resist—as for us what do we know?
[But] the everlasting God knoweth what will happen to you. And in such behaviour as this the MONGOLS'
confidence in the Lord showeth itself. And by that they have conquered and will conquer.

II. Let [the MONGOLS] magnify and pay honour to the modest, and the pure, and the righteous, and to the
scribes, and wise men, to whatsoever people they may belong, and let them hate the wicked and the men of
iniquity. And having seen very much modesty (or, chastity) and other habits of this kind among the Christian
people, certainly the MONGOLS loved them greatly at the beginning of their kingdom, a time ago somewhat
short. [But] their love hath turned to such intense hatred that they cannot even see them with their eyes
approvingly, because they have all alike become Muslims, myriads of people and peoples.

II. [The MONGOLS] shall not give to their kings and nobles many laudatory names (or, titles) like the other
nations, especially the followers of ISLAM. And to [the name of] him that sitteth upon the throne of the
kingdom they shall only add one name, viz. 'Khan' or 'Kan'. And his brothers and his kinsfolk shall call him
by the first name given to him at his birth.

IV. When [the MONGOLS] are unoccupied after a war with enemies, they shall devote themselves to the
chase. And they shall teach their sons how to hunt wild animals, so that they may be trained in fightings with
them, and may acquire strength, and the power to endure fatigue, and be able to meet their enemies as they
meet the wild and savage beasts in combat, and may not spare [themselves].

V. The fighting men are to be [chosen] from men who are twenty years old and upwards. There shall be a
captain to every ten, and a captain to every hundred, and a captain to every thousand, and a captain to every
ten thousand.

VI. The whole nation of the MONGOLS [412] shall help their kings every year with [gifts from] their flocks
and herds, and their treasures, and their horses, and their sheep and their milk, and even woollen apparel.

VII. No man of any thousand, or hundred, or ten in which he hath been counted shall depart to another place;
if he doth he shall be killed and also the head who received him.

VIII. From every two ten thousands, horses shall be stationed at the road-side as mounts for ambassadors.
IX. From the man who is dead and hath no heir, nothing shall be taken for the king, but his possessions shall

be given to the man who ministered unto him. They have many other laws, but in order not to make overlong
[our discourse], we have only mentioned a few of the whole collection.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

How the Mongols Cleaved to the Worship of Images.

Formerly the MONGOLS had no literature and no Faith (or, Religion) of their own, but they knew one God,
the Creator of the Universe, and some of them confessed that heaven was God, and they called it so. [And
this they did] until they ruled over the people of the UIGUR TURKS, and they found that there were among
them certain men who were sorcerers and who were called 'KAMAYE' (i.e. Enchanters). We have heard
many who testified concerning them, saying, 'We heard the voice of the devils who held converse with them
through the openings of the tents'. And the secret conversation with devils was not made complete until after
they had been defiled by other men, because the greater number of them were women-men (sodomites?). And
these men were wholly abominable, for when they wished to perform some act of their sorcery, every one
who met them they seized by force that [they] might defile them. Therefore when the MONGOLS saw them,
they also turned aside after them in their simplicity.

Afterwards when CHINGIZ KHAN heard that the SINAYE, that is to say, the KHATHAYE (i.e. CHINESE),
had images (or, idols) and priests who were lords of wisdom, he sent ambassadors to them, and asked them
for priests, and promised to hold them in honour. And when the priests came, CHINGIZ KHAN ordered them
to make a debate on Religion (or, Faith) and an inquiry into it with the KAMAYE (Enchanters). And when
the priests spake and read extracts from their Book, which they call 'Nawm' in their language, the Enchanters
failed and were vanquished, and they were unable to reply because they were destitute of knowledge. And
from this time the rank of the priests increased among the MONGOLS, and they were commanded [413] to
fashion images, and to cast copies of them as [the priests] did in their own country, and to offer to them full
sacrifices and libations according to their custom. And although they honoured the priests greatly, the
MONGOLS at the same time did not reject the Enchanters. And both parties remained among them, each to
carry on its own special work, without despising or holding the other in contempt. It is the reverse with the
peoples who have the Scriptures and the Books of the Prophets, for every one who is present soundly revileth
his fellow, and judgeth him [to be] an unbeliever (or, one who is not of the true Faith). Now in the Book of
the priests which is called 'Nawm', together with the pagan proverbs which resemble those which ST.
GREGORY THEOLOGUS brings to our memory, there are also good laws, as for example, an admonition
against oppression and the infliction of injuries, and we must not return evil for evil, but good, and a man
must not kill any small creature such as a louse or a gnat. And like PLATO they confess the transmigration of
souls from body to body, [saying] that the spirits of just men, and righteous men, and well-doers when they
die migrate to the bodies of kings and nobles, and the souls of evil and wicked men into the bodies of evil-
doers who are tortured, and beaten and killed, and also into the bodies of irrational creatures, and reptiles and
birds of prey. And when flesh is brought unto those men to eat, they ask the bringer of it, 'Didst thou slay this
beast on account of us; or didst thou buy it in the "bazar"?' And if he saith, 'On your account’, they will not
taste it.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Cause which made the Mongols lay waste the countries of the Persians,
and the other regions which are to the west of them.

Since the MONGOLS have no urban habitations, and have need of clothing and beds which are transported to
them from the towns, CHINGIZ KHAN commanded and gave the word of peace concerning the merchants
who come to them from every region, that the guards who patrol the highways and are called
'KARAKSHAYE' (KARAKJTYA) should do them no harm. Then three men of the city of BUKHARA
prepared garments, and bales of splendid cloths, and other things which they knew would be required by the
MONGOLS, and they loaded them on beasts and went to the Great Camp. And CHINGIZ KHAN
commanded, [and his servants] looked at what they had with them, [414] and they asked them their prices.
Then one of the merchants whose name was AHMAD, for something which one could buy for ten dinars,
demanded three talents of silver, each talent of the value of seven hundred zuze. When CHINGIZ KHAN
heard [this] he became angry and said, 'Perhaps this man thinketh that we have never seen an article of this
kind'. And he made a sign to the stewards and they brought out some cloths in which much gold was woven,
and they showed them to those merchants. And the king commanded that that merchant should be put under
restraint, and that a list of everything which was with him should be written. Then [the stewards] brought his
two other companions, and they looked at their merchandise and asked their prices. They, however, did not
put forward any price at all, but said, 'We have brought these wares in the name of the Khan. If he is kind he
will give us what he knoweth [to be their value].' And their words pleased the Khan, and he commanded [his
stewards] to give them a talent of gold, that is to say seven hundred mathkale, for every piece of stuff in
which gold was woven, and for every two rolls of amarkuba cloth (or, brocade) one talent of silver. And he
had compassion also on the other man their companion, and he gave to him as to the others. And the Khan
commanded his queens, and his sons and daughters to give gold to their slaves and to send them with these
three merchants to bring back things for themselves; and they did so. And about four hundred merchants
assembled, and an ambassador was sent with them to Sultan MAHAMAD of PERSIA, who said unto him,
"We command that from now and henceforth there shall be peace between the countries in all the earth, and
merchants shall go and come without fear, and rich and poor shal live in peace and praise God".

And when the ambassador, together with the merchants, had marched away and they arrived at 'OTHRAR, a
city of the PERSIANS, the governor of that city sent and made the matter known to the Sultan. And the
Sultan coveting what they had with them, commanded that governor, whose name was 'INASHLUK (‘INAL
SHUK), to destroy them all secretly. And when he was carrying out this order, one of them by the Divine
Nod escaped, and he went and informed CHINGIZ KHAN, who when he heard this report was filled with
red-hot rage. And he went off by himself, and climbed to the top of a mountain, and he bared his head, and
laid his face on the dust (or, the earth), and he remained there for three days neither eating nor drinking. [415]
And he looked up to heaven, and said, 'O Lord and Creator of the Universe, Thou Thyself knowest what my
object was, and that it was intended for good. And this mine enemy hath begun and he wisheth for evil.
Therefore I entreat Thee to reward him according to his works.' And from this moment he began to send

bodies of soldiers in the territory of the PERSIANS, and to destroy the towns with the edge of the sword,
even as we are about to show.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Taking of Constantinople by the Franks from the Greeks.

And in the year six hundred of the ARABS (A.D. 1203), which is the year fifteen hundred and fifteen of the
GREEKS (A.D. 1204), in the month of NISAN (APRIL), the FRANKS took CONSTANTINOPLE from the
GREEKS, and they brought their kingdom to an end from that year. For the king of the GREEKS took the
sister of the king of FRANCE to wife, and she bore him a son.

The king of the GREEKS had a brother, and this man rebelled against the king, and they blinded his eyes, and
put him to death in prison. Then the son of the murdered man fled to his uncle the king of FRANCE, and he
was filled with indignation, and he collected troops and came and encamped against CONSTANTINOPLE.
And because the citizens were not pleased with the action of the tyrant against his brother, they set fire to the
city. And the fighting men who should have been on the walls were occupied [elsewhere], and the FRANKS
scaled the walls and entered the city, and the tyrant fled. And the FRANKS set that little boy on the throne of
the kingdom, being only a figure and a name, for the whole command was theirs. And they began to oppress
the citizens with heavy taxes, and they looted the treasuries of the churches, and carried off the crosses, and
the curtains (i.e. coverings) of the Books of the Gospels, and the gold and silver which was on the eikons.

Now when the citizens saw that they were being plundered mercilessly by the FRANKS, they rushed in on
the young man, the son of the GREEK king, and killed him. And they also expelled the FRANKS from the
city, and shut the gates in their faces. And the FRANKS remained outside, and continued to fight. And the
war was prolonged and those inside the city became weak, and they sent and asked help from RUKN AD-
DIN, the lord of ICONIUM, and he was unable to help them. Then the Frankish merchants who were
dwelling in CONSTANTINOPLE, now there were [416] about thirty thousand of them, but on account of the
great size of the city they were not conspicuous therein, set fire to the city twice, and burned down about one-
quarter of it. And they also opened the gates and went outside, and they drew their swords and killed a very
great many of the GREEKS. And the FRANKS also attacked many of those who had taken refuge in the
great church of HAGIA SOPHIA. And the Patriarch, and the chief priests, and the elders went out to meet
them carrying crosses and Books of the Gospels, and they cast themselves down before them, and cried out
and entreated them on behalf of the remnant of the people who were there. And the FRANKS treated them
with contempt, and they killed priests and people alike, and looted the church.

Now the FRANKS had three chiefs. The first was the Duke of the BUNDIKAYE (1) in whose ships and
vessels all the troops of the FRANKS had come; now he was a blind old man. And another was the chief of
the FRANSISAYE (FRENCH), whose name was MARKIS (MARQUIS), and there was another whose name
was GONDOFRI. And they cast lots as to whom the kingdom of CONSTANTINOPLE should belong. And
the lot went forth (i.e. fell on) GONDOFRI (BOUDOUIN of FLANDERS?), and he reigned over it. And the
BUNDIKAYE ruled over the islands of CRETE and RHODES, and the other islands. And they gave to
MARKIS the country westwards from the way of the sea which passeth over to PONTUS, that is

LAODICEA and NICEA with PHILADELPHIA, &c. But the GREEKS resisted, and they would not make
terms with the FRANKS, and a certain Patriarch, a GREEK whose name was LASHKARI (LASKARIS?),
reigned over them.

And at the time when NUR AD-DIN ARSLAN SHAH, the lord of MAWSIL, and the son of his uncle KUTB
AD-DIN MAHAMAD, the son of ZANGI, the lord of SINJAR, were on loving terms with each other,
MALIK 'ADIL cast dissension among them. Through this NUR AD-DIN encamped against NISIBIS, which
belonged to the son of his uncle, and he made war on it, and he well nigh took it.

Then the report reached him from MAWSIL that MUTAFAR AD-DIN KUKBARI (KUKBURI), the son of
ZAYN AD-DIN 'ALI KUJEK, the lord of 'ARBIL, had attacked NINEVEH, and spoiled it and burnt its
crops. Therefore NUR AD-DIN left [417] NISIBIS and came to BALADH. And when he heard that
MUTAFAR AD-DIN had left and gone to 'ARBIL, he himself went to TALL 'AFAR and took it by fighting
(i.e. by assault). Then MALIK ASHRAF, the son of 'ADIL, who was then in HARRAN, came to RAS
"AINA. And he made an agreement with MUTAFAR AD-DIN, the lord of 'ARBIL, and with the lord of
AMID and of the fortress of KIPA, and with the lord of GAZARTA, and with the lord of DARA, that they
must not permit NUR AD-DIN to take any portion of the territory of the lord of SINJAR. And they all came
to NISIBIS, and from there they came to BETH 'ARBHAYE. And NUR AD-DIN went to KAPHAR
ZAMAR, and from there to BUSHAZZAH. And when they encamped that they might rest themselves, for
they were exhausted, the troops of ASHRAF and those who were with him rode on, and they met NUR AD-
DIN in battle. And the party of NUR AD-DIN was broken and utterly defeated. And NUR AD-DIN fled and,
together with four souls, escaped to MAWSIL. And the followers of ASHRAF rushed into the territory of
MAWSIL, and they spoiled it and set it on fire; in the city of BALADH especially they wrought great
destruction.

It is said that a woman was boiling some food, and when she heard the spoiling [going on] she took out two
bracelets from her dress, and buried [them] in the fire and fled. Then one of the horsemen went into the house
and wanted something to eat. And he found nothing in the house except an egg, and he took it and came to
the fire to cook it, and when he stirred up the fire he found the bracelets therein. And this was a wonderful
incident. And the soldiers continued to lay waste the country for many days, and meanwhile ambassadors
were going and coming. And NUR AD-DIN gave back TALL 'AFAR to the son of his uncles and there was
peace, and afterwards the soldiers were disbanded.

And in the year during which the FRANKS took CONSTANTINOPLE they became very powerful, and they
went forth to the country of PHOENICIA, and spoiled the country as far as the JORDAN, and made great
slaughter among the ARABS. And they came to HAMATH, and the lord thereof, NASIR AD-DIN, the son of
TAJI AD-DIN, the son of SHAHINSHAH, the son of AYUB, went out and met them in battle, and he was
utterly broken and fled to HAMATH. And the Arab citizens went forth to fight with the FRANKS, and they
were all killed. Then MALIK 'ADIL sent to them and gave them NASRATH, and the crops of all the districts
which were on the land between were divided between the FRANKS and the ARABS, and [418] there was
peace. And after a little other FRANKS went forth to the country of EGYPT, and they carried off great spoil
and departed.

And in the year Sultan RUKN AD-DIN, the lord of MELITENE and ICONIUM, took the city of ANCYRA
from his brother, after he had warred against it for years, for it was very strong. And he brought out from it
his brother and the two sons which he had, and he gave to them a fortress in the Outer Marches. And whilst
they were going there he sent an army against them as if they had been highway robbers and killed them.
Five days after his brother and his sons were killed, a disease of the colon attacked him and he died quickly.
And there rose up after him a young son which he had whose name was KELEJ 'ARSLAN. Concerning this

Sultan RUKN AD-DIN it is said that he was very astute, and methodical (or, orderly) in his actions. He
inclined to the opinions (or, teaching) of the foreign philosophers, and though he observed the form, he did
not publish it openly.

And in the year a violent earthquake also took place, and it destroyed the wall of TYRE and other places in
EGYPT, and in PALESTINE, and in BETH NAHRIN and MAWSIL, and also in the islands of CYPRUS and
SICILY.

And in the year six hundred and one of the ARABS (A.D. 1204) dissension fell among the nobles of BETH
RHOMAYE. And one of the Amirs of '[UG, a great country of the TURKOMANS which was on the border
of the GREEKS, sent and had brought to him GHAYATH AD-DIN KAI KESRU, who was a fugitive to the
GREEKS. And many troops were gathered together to him and they went and encamped against ICONIUM.
And the troops that were in ICONIUM sallied forth and met them in battle, and they broke the ''UGAYE and
put them to flight. Then GHAYATH AD-DIN not knowing what to do, or where to go, took refuge in a very
small town which was near ICONIUM, and the name of which was 'ABGARM". Then when the sons of
'AKSARA heard [of this] they were sorry, and they drove away their governor and called on the name of
GHAYATH AD-DIN KAI KESRU. And the men of ICONIUM were jealous of the men of 'AKSARA, and
they also seized their nobles and cried out, 'May Sultan GHAYATH AD-DIN KAI KESRU live! And they
sent and brought him to ICONIUM. And he took the boy KELEJ 'ARSLAN, the son of his brother, and shut
him up in prison, and those who were with him. And in a short time all the countries were in subjection to
him. [419] And there came to him from EDESSA KAISAR SHAH, his brother, who had fled from his
brother RUKN AD-DIN when he took MELITENE away from him. And he did not receive GHAYATH AD-
DIN in his presence, but he gave him much gold and sent him again to EDESSA. And when the Sultan
GHAYATH AD-DIN went to CAESAREA, MALIK 'AFDAL, the son of SALAH AD-DIN, the lord of
SAMOSATA, and also NETAM AD-DIN, the lord of the fortress of ZAID, came to him, and they were in
subjection to him, and he increased greatly.

And in the year NASIR AD-DIN MAHMUD, son of MAHAMAD, the son of KARA 'ARSLAN, the lord of
AMID, went to MALIK 'ASHRAF, the son of 'ADIL, and he asked him to go with him, and take for him the
fortress of ZAID, according to his promise. And when 'ASHRAF had collected the armies of SYRIA, and of
MAWSIL, and SINAR, and GAZARTA, he attacked the fortress of ZAID. And they captured the town and
began to make war on the Citadel. Then the lord of the Citadel of ZAID sent to Sultan GHAYATH AD-DIN
and asked for help. Then the Sultan sent to him six thousand horsemen with MALIK 'AFDAL, the lord of
SAMOSATA. And when they arrived at MELITENE, 'ASHRAF and the lord of 'AMID heard [of it], and they
turned aside from KHARTABIRT, and went and encamped on the Lake of SAMANIN, in which are two
fortresses, one belonging to the lord of 'AMID, and the other to the lord of the Citadel of ZAID. And they
made war on that of the lord of the fortress, and they stationed guards in it. And when the army of the Sultan
came to KHARTABIRT, the lord of 'AMID marched towards 'AMID, and the army of the Sultan returned to
BETH RHOMAYE.

And in this year which is the year fifteen hundred and sixteen of the GREEKS (A.D. 1205), the 'IBIRAYE
went forth to the country of 'ADHORBIJAN, and they made a great slaughter and took very much spoil; and
from there they came to the country of KHALAT, and there they wrought great destruction. And from there
they came to the country of 'ARGISH, and they looted and burned, and they went and encamped against the
fortress of BETH KHALAT and 'ARZAN AR-RUM. Then the lord of KHALAT went to BAR KELEJ
'ARSLAN, the lord of 'ARZAN AL-RUM, and took an army therefrom. And they came and joined battle
with the 'IBIRAYE, and ZACHARI the Little, the captain of the host of IBIRIS, was killed, and the
'IBIRAYE retreated and went to their own country.

And in the year a certain woman in BAGHDAD gave birth to a child who had [420] two heads, and four feet
and four hands, and he died the same day. And also in BAGHDAD two blind ARABS went to another blind
man in the night in one of the mosques and killed him, because they thought that zuze (i.e. money) would be
found with him. And when the day broke they were afraid, and they went out to flee to MAWSIL. And a
certain soldier (speculator) who was travelling on another business met them, and he said by way of a joke,
'These blind men killed that blind man, for only a blind man would kill a blind man'. Then one of the two
blind men who heard the words of the soldier sat down on the ground and said, 'By God, it was not I, but this
man who killed him'. And the other blind man said, 'Nay, it was thou thyself, thou didst kill him'. And the two
of them were arrested and were carried to the governor, and they confessed that one of them held him and the
other suffocated him with a bed-cushion. And both of them were killed.

And in the year six hundred and two of the ARABS (A.D. 1205) a race of the KURDS who were in the
mountains of MADAI (MEDIA), and who are called TIRAHAYE, came down from the mountains, and
wrought great destruction in those countries. And troops of the PERSIANS were gathered together, and they
met them in battle and many of them were killed. Now these mountaineers had not entered the Faith of the
Muslims, but they had adopted the primitive paganism [of their country] and Magianism. When a Muslim fell
into their hands they put him to death with cruel tortures. When a daughter was born to one of them he stood
by the door of his house and cried out, 'Who will betroth himself to this?’ And if a man agreed [the father] let
[her] live, and if no one would, he killed [her]. For this reason there are very few women among them, and
for this reason one woman becomes the wife of all the sons of a house. And when one of them is engaged
with her, he leaves his sandal at the door, so that when another man seeth it he will not go to her until his
neighbour cometh out, and then he goeth in. And as for the child, the oldest among them is called its father.

And in the year six hundred and three of the ARABS (A.D. 1206) the 'IBIRAYE came again to the country of
KHALAT, and they plundered, and burned, and killed, and departed. And GHAYATH AD-DIN KAI KESRU
took 'ANTALYA (SATALYA?), a city on the sea-coast, on the third day of the eighth month. He had sent an
army against it before this year. And the GREEKS who were therein sent to CYPRUS, which is near to
ANTALYA, and brought FRANKS [421] as it were to help them. Then the Sultan removed his troops to a
distance from the city, and hid them in ambush in the mountains, and they seized every one who came out.
And having remained in a state of tribulation for some time, they sent to the Sultan and surrendered the city
to him. And the TURKS and the GREEKS joined together in a war with the FRANKS, and the Sultan took its
fortress, and made prisoners of the FRANKS who were in it, and also captured KHUNAS.

And in this year MAHAMAD, the son of BUKHTAMAR, the governor of KHALAT, became powerful, and
he killed his son-in-law HAZARDINARI, who had killed his father. And because he was young he began to
live in a riotous manner, and the people of KHALAT hated him. Also a certain Amir, one of the slaves of
SHAHARMAN, whose name was BALABAN, rebelled against him in MINAZGERD. Then certain of the
men of KHALAT sent to NASIR AD-DIN 'ARTUK, the son of 'ILJAZI, the son of 'ALBI, the son of
TEMURTASH, the son of ILJAZI, the son of 'ARTUK, the lord of MARDIN, and said unto him, 'This son of
the uncle of thy father hath no head to live. Come therefore, that we may surrender KHALAT to thee.’ And
when the lord of MARDIN went, and there were with him troops of the TURKS and the MA'DAYE, they
made an agreement, for those famished people saw those who were with him, and they feared that they would
plunder them, and they made ready for war.

Then BALABAN sent to the lord of MARDIN and said unto him, 'The men of KHALAT are horrified at the
MA'DAYE who are with thee. Therefore remove thyself from KHALAT, and I will conduct your business.
And when he did [not] turn aside and withdraw, BALABAN sent threatening messages to the lord of
MARDIN, saying that if he did not withdraw to his own country [he would attack him]. And because those
who were with him were few, he was afraid, and he left and departed; and he found that his country had been

pillaged by MALIK 'ASHRAF. Now 'ASHRAF sat down in DUNAISER, and he collected much wealth
therefrom, and he left and went to HARRAN. Then BALABAN collected an army and came against
KHALAT, and he was unable to take it by assault. But when he multiplied promises of benefits for the people
of KHALAT, and swore to them oaths of a very strong character, saying that he would do no harm to the least
among them, they surrendered to him. And when he went in he shut up the son of BUKHTAMAR in one of
the fortreses, and then he became exceedingly powerful (or, strong). And as MALIK 'AWHAD NAJM AD-
DIN 'AYUB, the son of 'ADIL, had already taken the fortress of [422] MUSH and its city, he went to encamp
against KHALAT; and BALABAN went out and shut the fortified passes against him, and destroyed many of
those who were with him; and NAJM AD-DIN, the son of 'ADIL, together with a few men and the wounded,
escaped to MAIPERKAT.

And in the year the 'IBIRAYE took KARS, a city of the dominion of KHALAT (MAT?), after many years,
during which they had harassed it with wars and besiegement; and they cut off from it the [supplies] of food.

And in the year six hundred and four of the ARABS (A.D. 1207) MALIK 'AWHAD sent to his father
MALIK 'ADIL and asked for help from him to take KHALAT. And MALIK 'ASHRAF was sent to him with
a numerous army, and they came into the neighbourhood of KHALAT. And BALADAN went out and
engaged them in battle; he was not able to continue the fight, and he fled before them and went into KHLAT.
And he sent an ambassador to MUJITH AD-DIN, the son of KELEJ 'ARSLAN, the lord of 'ARZAN AR-
RUM, and called him to his help. And he came in person, and BALADAN went forth to him, and the two of
them met in battke MALIK 'AWHAD and his brother, and the broke them and put them to flight.

And they went and encamped against MUSH, and they were very nearly taking it when the son of KELEJ
'ARSLAN deceived BALADAN and killed him, on the pretence that he himself would rule over KHALAT.
And when he went against KHALAT the inhabitants of the city shut their gates in his face. And he went from
it to MINAZGERD (MALAZGERD), and those who were inside it also did the same thing. And in despair he
left and went to his own country. And the people of KHALAT sent to MALIK 'AWHAD and brought him,
and to him they surrendered the city. And because it did not please the governors of the ARABS who were in
the neighbourhood that the son of 'ADIL should rule, for they were afraid of his father, they sent [bands of
men] continually to plunder the country of KHALAT, and especially 'IBIRAYA.

And also some of the Amirs of KHALAT rebelled against 'AWHAD, and they took the fortress of WAN
[VAN] (now there was no stronger fortress in that country), and they made themselves masters of 'ARGISH
also. And after many tribulations 'AWHAD was able to take WAN from them, having sent and brought
"ASHRAF, his brother. And it was evil in the sight of the men of KHALAT that they had surrendered the
place to a member of the house of 'ADIL. Therefore, when 'AWHAD set out and went to MINAZGERD to
govern it as was fitting, [423] the heads of bands of the men of KHALAT, who in the language of the country
are called 'MANGDABHKIR’, leaped upon the partisans of 'AWHAD, and expelled them from the city, and
started a war against the fortress. And when 'AWHAD heard [this], he came and encamped against KHALAT
with troops of BETH NAHRIN. And a dispute arose among the citizens, and 'AWHAD suppressed it, and he
killed a great many of the people, and many of them he took captive and sent to MAIPERKAT. And the
opposition of the young chiefs of the tribes (or, bands) who were in the habit of setting up and deposing
governors at their own will was crushed.

And in the year died Sultan GHAYATH AD-DIN KAI KESRU, and his son 'IZZ AD-DIN KAI KAUS
reigned. And he seized his brother 'ALA AD-DIN KAI KUBAD, and he sent him and shut him up in the
fortress of MASARA, which is below the Monastery of MAR 'AHRON, of the blessed mountain which is by
the side of MELITENE.

And in the year the FRANKS sallied forth from TRIPOLI and enamped against EMESA, and they laid waste
the country thereof, and the lord 'ASAD AD-DIN SHIRKUH, the son of MAHAMAD, the son of SHIRKUH
the Great, had not the power to smite them. And the CYPRIANS also captured many ships from the ARABS,
whom they took prisoners. And when 'ADIL heard [this] he set out from EGYPT with troops, and the
FRANKS were hampered.

And in the year died 'ALA AD-DIN, the son of KARA SENKUR, the lord of MARAGHA, and his young
son rose up after him; and after a short time he too died. And NUSRATH AD-DIN 'ABU BAKRR the son of
PAHLWAN, the lord of TABRIZ, came, and he became master of MARAGHA and all the domain thereof,
with the exception of the fortress of RAWANDIZ, in which the eunuch who was the administrator of the boy
who had died had rebelled.

And in the year six hundred and five of the ARABS (A.D. 1208) a great number of people of the 'IBIRAYE
set out and came to the country of KHALAT. And they invaded the city of 'ARGISH, and they captured it and
looted it; and they killed the aged folk and the young children thereof, and they made the women, and the
sons, and the daughters prisoners. And they destroyed the place absolutely, and left it a devastated ruin and
shorn bare. And NAJM AD-DIN 'AWHAD was in KHALAT, and he was unable to sally out and engage them
in battle because of their great number, and he could not trust the men of KHALAT because of the
slaughterings which he had carried out among them, and [he feared that] when he went out they would rebel
and surrender the city to the 'IBIRAYE.

And in the year a violent earthquake took place [424] in NISABHUR, and all the inhabitants rushed out into
the plain and remained there for several days until it subsided, and then they went in again. And there was an
earthquake also in KHORASAN, but not as violent as that of NISABHUR.

And in the year six hundred and six of the ARABS (A.D. 1209) there was amity between MALIK 'ADIL and
NUR AD-DIN 'ARSLAN SHAH, the lord of MAWSIL. And NUR AD-DIN gave his daughter to one of the
sons of 'ADIL, and they agreed together to transfer SINJAR from KUTB AD-DIN, its lord, to 'ADIL, and to
take the ISLAND OF KARDU from the son of SENJAR SHAH, its lord, and to make it belong to NUR AD-
DIN. And 'ADIL made ready and came and took HABURA and NISIBIS, which belonged to the lord of
SINJAR. And when NUR AD-DIN heard [this] he was sorry, and he became like a man whose wine hath
disagreed with him. And he thought carefully, and he knew that if he took SINJAR and GAZARTA not only
that he would not give him GAZARTA, but that he would snatch MAWSIL from him also. And that when
they had taken counsel with his chief men (or, councillors) he would be blamed by all of them because he had
not disclosed to them the secret before he conspired with 'ADIL. And they would say unto him, 'Now there is
no other course for thee but to stand with him in what thou hast promised him. And if thou dost not [do this]
he will make a cause concerning thee, and he will come against thee, as against a man who hath passed over
(i.e. disregarded) [his] oaths.' And whilst he was being tossed about in this sea [of doubt], and was pretending
that he was getting ready an army to send to the help of 'ADIL, there came to him an ambassador by night
from MUTAFAR AD-DIN KUKBURI, the lord of ARBELA, and he promised to collect his troops and to
come to him, and [then] they would join forces, and not allow the hand (i.e. power) of 'ADIL to enter these
countries. And NUR AD-DIN rejoiced with a great joy, and he sent oaths about this course of action.

And the ambassador departed in the night and informed MUTAFAR AD-DIN, and he collected troops and
without delay came and pitched his camp outside MAWSIL. And he sent an ambassador to the Khalifah
[telling him] to send and chide 'ADIL for his covetousness. And he sent an ambassador to MALIK TAHIR,
the son of SALAH AD-DIN, the lord of ALEPPO, and to Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN KAI KAOS, and they all
promised help. Moreover, those who were with 'ADIL were not fighting strenuously against SINJAR. And
'ASAD AD-DIN, the lord of EMESA, especially was sending provisions [425] and sheep openly into the city.

And whilst the lord of SINJAR was making ready to surrender the city , he recetved a compensation, and he
waxed strong and powerful. And the ambassador of the Khalifah came to 'ADIL and reprimanded him; and

there was peace between them, and [it was understood] that there should remain to him the places which he

had taken, that is to say HABURA and NISIBIS. And he left and departed to SYRIA.

At the time when MUTAFAR AD-DIN, the lord of 'ARBIL, was in MAWSIL he gave his two daughters to
the two sons of NUR AD-DIN, 'IZZ AD-DIN MAS'UD and 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI. Now by this
MUTAFAR helped greatly those who were of the house of 'ADIL. But because the lord of SINJAR had sent
his son to him and entreated him to supplicate 'ADIL on his behalf, so that he might leave him SINJAR, and
MUTAFAR AD-DIN having had sent confidently to 'ADIL, because he thought that if he asked for the half of
his dominion he would not send back his petition empty, and 'ADIL having paid no heed to his supplication,
MUTAFAR was offended, with him, and he joined with NUR AD-DIN in the great hatred which existed
between them.

And in this year died FAKR AD-DIN RAZI, aged three-and-sixty lunar years. He was a very learned man
and a great debater (or, commentator) of the ARABS. And by him and by the great number of books which
he composed the ARABS throughout the world have been enlightened, and they are to this day. For I would
compare this man to ORIGEN, through whose books the doctors of the Church have become rich and
illustrious, and they have turned round and called him a ‘heretic’. Thus it is also with the ARABS, who call
this man an ‘infidel’, and an adherent to Aristotelian doctrine (1).

And in the year of the ARABS six hundred and seven (A.D. 1210), MAHAMAD, the son of HASAN, the
head of the ISHMAELITES, died. This man also, like his father, travelled on the path of the philosophers,
and he overturned and cast down many of the foundations of the Faith of the ARABS. In his days he killed
many of the governors who would not pay him tribute by means of his followers whom he used to send to
leap upon holders of power. And killing them they were killed. And thus through the fulfilling of the wicked
will of their iniquitous lord and tyrant they surrendered their own souls to [426] death. And having completed
forty-and-six years in his tyranny he came to an end, and there rose up after him JALAL AD-DIN 'HUSAIN.
Now in the beginning of his rule he began by pretending to agree with the Faith of the Muslims, and he fasted
and prayed. And he sent and informed the Khalifah of BAGHDAD, and Sultan MAHAMAD
KHAWARAZM SHAH and other Arab governors, that he had turned his face from the evil ways of his
father, and was travelling on the way of ISLAM. And believing him, they rejoiced in him and honoured him
with many gifts and rich presents.

And in the year, too, died NUR AD-ADIN 'ARSLAN SHAH, the son of MAS'UD, the son of MAWDUD, the
son of ZANGI, the son of 'AKSENKUR, the lord of MAWSIL. He was a just man, and a mighty man, who
was feared by the sons of his kingdom (i.e. courtiers) and also by the other kings who were his
contemporaries. And when the time of his death drew nigh, he made his nobles swear on behalf of MALIK
KAHIR 'IZZ AD-DIN MAS'UD, his elder son. And to his younger son, that is 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI, he
gave two fortresses, that of 'AKR of HAMIDIYAH, and that of SHOSH, and their territories. And he
appointed as administrator for his two sons his slave BADR AD-DIN LULU, a subtle and astute man whose
race was worthy of sovereignty. For when his sickness increased the physicians told him that he must go
down and bathe in the spring of the holy Monastery of MAR ZINA, which was on the banks of the TIGRIS.
And when BADR AD-DIN took him down and he bathed, he was not benefited, because his sickness was of
death [i.e. fatal]. And as BADR-AD-DIN was taking him up in a little ship to MAWSIL, he died before they
arrived. And there were only two slaves with them, and BADR AD-DIN and those two men carried him and
brought him by night into the palace, without any other person knowing it And when the day broke BADR
AD-DIN carried on the necessary business throughout that day, and towards the ninth hour he revealed his
(the king's) death. And in the night he cleared out his grave in that cemetery which he had constructed for

himself opposite to his palace. And his eldest son MALIK KAHIR rose up after him, and BADR AD-DIN
swayed the sceptre of the political administration of the kingdom.

And in the years six hundred and eight and six hundred and nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1211, 1212), we find
nothing [to relate].

(Continued on Next Page)
(1) Bedjan's note reads: 'Holy Church gathereth into her treasuries the chosen wheat which is in the books of

Origen and other writers, and she collecteth the tares that are therein to burn them, and thus no man is harmed
by them.'

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Taking of Constantinople by the Franks from the Greeks (continued).

In the year six hundred and ten of the ARABS (A.D. 1213) died MUHADAB, a physician of BAGHDAD,
who was known as BAR-HUBAL in MAWSIL. This man was the most eminent physician of his time, [427]
and he was a pupil of 'ABU 'ALBARAKAT, a Jewish physician in BAGHDAD. This man departed from
BAGHDAD to MAWSIL, and from there to 'ADHORBIJAN, and thence to KHALAT. And he lived in the
service of SHAH 'ARMAN, and whilst attending him he acquired great wealth. And during one of the
illnesses of the king, when BAR HUBAL took some of his urine to examine according to custom, one of the
slaves said unto him, 'Why dost thou not taste it, O physician?’ And the physician returned him no answer at
the moment, but after he had gone out he called the slave and said unto him privately, 'Did some other man
instruct thee to tell me that I ought to taste the urine, that is to say the king himself, or one of his household,
or didst thou speak the word at thine own instigation?’ And the slave replied, 'No, but I have heard people say
that there was a taste in urine which gave information, just as the colour, and the smell, and the composition
of the urine [supply] indications’. And the physician said, 'It is even so, but not in every sickness. Know,
however, that thou hast done me harm by this speech of thine, for when the king heareth of this he will think
that I am not doing in my treatment of him everything which it is right that I should do, and am bound to
complete.’ From that time the physician was offended in his mind, and he could rest there no longer. And he
gave a large sum of silver to that slave, and begged him never again to say anything like it. Some time after
this he excused himself from his service (i.e. he resigned), and he received a Pudana (i.e. Patent) [from the
king] and went forth from KHALAT; and he came and dwelt in MAWSIL, and remained there until he died.
In his last days he became blind, and many used to come to him and learn medicine directly (or, thoroughly).
He lived ninety and five years, and he wrote a wonderful book on medicine [in] four volumes, and called it
"MUKHTAR’, and behold very many read it and are instructed thereby at the present day.

And in this year, which is the year six hundred and ten of the ARABS (A.D. 1213), CHINGIZ KHAN wished
to go in person to BETH PARSAYE (PERSIA). And when he arrived at the country of the Turkish
'IGHURAYE, all the Amirs who were there, and their troops, went into his service—[those] from BISH
BALIGH, from the governor whose name was 'IDIKUB, and his army of peasants; and from [428]
'ALMALIGH, [from the Amir] SEKNAK (SUFTAK?) TAKIN and his horsemen; and many others. Then
CHINGIZ KHAN sent TUSHI, his eldest son, with five myriads (50,000) of soldiers to the region of
KHOGAND, and his two other sons, JAGHATAI and 'OKHATAI, he sent to invest the city of 'OTHRAR. He
himself went against the city of BUKHARA, and he commanded those whom he had left by 'OTHRAR to
fight strenuously. And though they began the war strenuously, that city continued to resist them for five
months. For Sultan MUHAMAD had left therein fifty thousand horsemen, whose captain was JAIR KHAN,
and ten thousand other horsemen, whose captain was KARA SHAH (KARAJA) KHAS HAJIB, were
likewise there. And when KARAJA saw that they had not the strength of the TATARS, one night he took
several of his partisans and went forth by the SOFI GATE to the MONGOLS. And they kept guard over him
until the morning and they carried him to the two sons of the Khan. And when they had learned accurately

from him every kind of information about the city and its combatants, they said unto him, 'In the same way as
thou hast deceived thy lord thou shalt be deceived by us, and we have no need of thee’. And they
commanded, and he and all those who were with him were killed.

And during [that] day the TATARS became masters of the city, and they expelled all the inhabitants, men, and
women, and they plundered the treasures. Then JAIR KHAN together with twenty thousand of his own men,
[who were] on the roofs of the high houses of the city and on the towers on the walls, rebelled. And they went
out on foot, fifty after fifty, to the TATARS, and they killed and were killed, until only two persons remained
with JAIR KHAN on the roof of the palace. And a great many TATARS gathered together against them, and
they toiled hard until they had killed the two [men]. And JAIR KHAN remained alone. And when he had
used up all his arrows, the children and the handmaidens dragged out the bricks and the blocks of stones from
the walls, and he fought against the TATARS with these. And because the command of the Khan was that
they were not to kill him during the fight, but to capture him alive, they took very great trouble and used
much care until they took him. And [429] after CHING1Z KHAN had seen him, he commanded and they
killed him in the place which is called GOG SARAI, that is to say 'The Green House’.

And in the year six hundred and eleven of the ARABS (A.D. 1214) Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN KAI KAUS reigned
over SINOB (SINOPE?), which is on the coast of the SEA OF PONTUS, and he killed KIR ALIX its lord.

And in the year six hundred and twelve (A.D. 1215) he also took 'ANTALYA from the RHOMAYE
(GREEKS) a second time.

And in the year six hundred and thirteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1216) died MALIK TAHIR JAZI, the son of
SALAH AD-DIN YUSEF, the son of 'AYUB, the lord of ALEPPO. And he commanded that his young son
MALIK 'AZIZ MAHAMAD should stand in his place; at that time he was a child aged two years and a few
months. Now he had another son who was older, but because the mother of the younger son was the daughter
of MALIK 'ADIL, he appointed the younger son king so that his elder [brother] might not harm him.

And TAHIR appointed SHEHAB AD-DIN TUGHREL, a just and merciful eunuch, to be administrator and
'Atabag to his young son; and under his excellent government the men of ALEPPO lived in profound
happiness and prosperous peace. And all the things which TAHIR had filched away during his life he restored
to their owners after his death.

And in the year fifteen hundred and twenty-eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 1217), which is the year six hundred
and fourteen of the ARABS, the Pope of ROME sent to all the kings of the FRANKS and laid upon them the
word by the decree of God that they should collect their troops, and sally out and free JERUSALEM, the
Holy City, from the hands of the ARABS. And the multitude of the nations gathered together and went forth
to 'AKKO. And when 'ADIL heard [this] he set out hurriedly from EGYPT to JERUSALEM. And the
FRANKS went forth from 'AKKO, and they camped by the waters in the place which is called the 'Cave of
Robbers'. For 'ADIL wished to precede them and to encamp there. And when he could not do this he
encamped by BAISHAN, and the FRANKS drew near that they might engage him in battle there. He,
however, seeing that he had not the strength of the FRANKS, went and encamped in the neighbourhood of
DAMASCUS, until the gathering together should be complete. And the FRANKS came and carried away
everything they found, from BAISHAN to BANIAS, and they killed and made prisoners, and returned to the
plain of 'AKKO [430] with their hands filled with loot.

It is said that when 'ADIL was leaving BAISHAN he himself saw a man carrying a heavy load and walking
slowly, and he sat down to rest for a moment. And 'ADIL by himself approached him, and said unto him,
"Why dost thou kill thyself, O aged man? Do not hurry.' And the old man replied, 'Go to the Sultan and tell

[him] that we are not to hurry. For if he himself had not hurried, I should never have hurried, and moreover, I
should never have gone out from my house.' And 'ADIL was ashamed, and he left him and departed.

At this time PRAYNS BAIMOND (BOHAIMOND) died, and he left a son whose name was RUFIN, which
the daughter of RUFIN, the king of the ARMENIANS, had borne to him. And although the kingdom
belonged rightly to him, his uncle made bold and snatched it for himself. Then LION, the king of the
ARMENIANS, the brother of RUFIN the ARMENIAN, because he, RUFIN the FRANK, was the son of his
brother's daughter, was enraged and he came to ANTIOCH; and he made the people of ANTIOCH swear
oaths of fealty to him. Then this stupid man seeing that he was reigning became puffed up with pride and he
wished to seize LION, who had made him king, so that he might reign over CILICIA also. Then when the
Brethren (Freres) knew of the plot they informed LION concerning him, and he escaped without injury.

And in the year six hundred and fifteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1218) the FRANKS embarked on the sea, and
went to attack DAMYAT (DAMIETTA), and they went up (i.e. disembarked) on the dry land which is called
BIZAH (GENZAH?). And the river NILE lay between the FRANKS and DAMIETTA. And the ARABS
built a great tower in the middle of the NILE, so that the fighting men who were in it might prevent the
FRANKS from [reaching] DAMIETTA. And when the FRANKS had waged war against the tower for about
four months they took it, and they killed the men who were inside it, and they cut the chains which were on
(i.e. across) the NILE. Now it was MALIK KAMIL, the son of 'ADIL, who had encamped on the other side
of DAMIETTA, and when he saw that the FRANKS had cut the chains which were on (i.e. across) the NILE,
he tied a great bridge [across the river] in the place of the chains. And the FRANKS cut through the bridge
also. Then KAMIL drilled many holes in great boats and sank them at that spot, and larger ships were unable
to sail over the boats which were sunk. Then the FRANKS dug a great deep cutting on the other side, and
they made a breach in the bank of the river and they brought a flood of water from the NILE through it, [431]
and they made their ships to sail over the sunken boats, and they drew near to the wall of DAMIETTA, and
began to carry on the war from the river.

Then the men of DAMIETTA, because KAMIL and his troops were nigh at hand, and everything which they
required entered [the city] from the land, were not asking about the FRANKS. Then God willed, and the
report of the death of 'ADIL in DAMASCUS came to KAMIL his son, and that the Amir BAR MASHTUB,
and the other Amirs of the HAKARAYE KURDS, wished to appoint as king of EGYPT MALIK FAIZ, the
brother of KAMIL. Because of this KAMIL took his troops and marched them to EGYPT (MESRIN), and he
abandoned DAMIETTA. And the FRANKS prevailed, and they sallied out on the dry land, and they carried
off the remnant of the treasure which remained in the camp of the ARABS. And they encamped against
DAMIETTA, and began to attack it both by sea and by land. And the men of DAMIETTA, because they were
expecting that help would come to them from the ARABS, carried on the war strenuously. And the FRANKS
continued to attack the city for about nine months. And when the ARABS who were inside the city were in
despair, because KAMIL was unable to go forth from EGYPT, being afraid of treachery, they gave the hand
to the FRANKS, and they surrendered the city to them peacefully. And when the FRANKS took DAMIETTA
they made a proclamation, saying, 'Whosoever among the ARABS wisheth to go out with his provisions, let
him go forth, and he [who wisheth] to remain, let him remain’. And many did not go forth.

Then when KAMIL saw the courage of the FRANKS he was greatly afraid of them, and he sent and
destroyed the wall of JERUSALEM so that there might not be a place in which the FRANKS could alight
when they captured it. And at this time RUFIN the FRANK, the lord of ANTIOCH, being sorely afflicted by
the blind PRAYNS his uncle, the lord of TRIPOLI (because LION the king had paid no heed to him by
reason of the fact that he was preparing to reward him with evil instead of good), left ANTIOCH and came to
HARRI JOAN (HENRY JOHN OF BRIENNE?), the king of the FRANKS at DAMIETTA, and he lived with
him until LION the king died. [432]

And in this year fear fell upon the ARABS, not only through the FRANKS who were coming forth from the
west, but especially through the TATARS who had burst forth from the east, and had come as far as
HAMADAN, and 'ADHORBIJAN, and 'ARRAN (ARZAN?) [RB: Caucasian Aghuania], and had committed
horrible atrocities in all PERSIA. And in the year, on the twenty-seventh day of the third month of the
ARABS, died MALIK KAHIR 'IZZ AD-DIN MAS'UD, the son of NUR AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL,
after he had reigned seven years and nine months. Now this man lived in a state of continual fear of death,
and he was always most eager to enjoy himself, as if he was plucking the things which he enjoyed out of the
hands of death. And his son NUR AD-DIN 'ARSLAN SHAH, his eldest son, reigned in his stead; he was a
boy ten years old (or a youth aged twenty years), who was called by the name of his ancestor. And MALIK
KAHIR, when he was dying, appointed BADR AD-DIN LULU to be the administrator (or, governor) of his
son, even as he had been administrator to himself. And BADR AD-DIN himself acted nobly and sent to the
Khalifah NASIR and brought the Patent of sovereignty to the young man. And in like manner he sent to the
kings of the other [countries] and ensured (or, confirmed) peace. And he took the kingdom of MAWSIL
without any commotion, and although those who sought after the soul of the young man, and were longing
greedily to rule, [viz.]'EMAD AD-DIN, his uncle, the lord of 'AKR, and the uncles of his father, BADR AD-
DIN prevented them all [from doing so] by his management. And he multiplied kindness to the nobles and
the chief men of the city and the country [about it], and they all loved him.

Now 'EMAD AD-DIN, the lord of 'AKR, the uncle of the young man, sent to MUTAFAR AD-DIN
KUKBURI, the son of ZAYN AD-DIN, the lord of 'ARBIL, and said unto him, 'BADR AD-DIN wisheth to
deceive our house, and to take the kingdom for himself. Then MUTAFAR AD-DIN helped the lord of 'AKR,
and he went and took the fortress of 'EMADIAH. And BADR AD-DIN collected troops and went against
"EMADIAH to make war on it and to capture 'EMAD AD-DIN. And because it was the season of winter, and
there was heavy snow upon those mountains, BADR AD-DIN left [the place] and went back to MAWSIL.
And EMAD AD-DIN waxed strong, and he sent [messages] to the rest of the fortresses of the HAKARAYE
and the ZAWZANAYE, and he ruled over them.

And in the year Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN KAI KAUS, the lord of BETH [433] RHOMAYE, eagerly desired to
reign over ALEPPO, for he saw that it was lacking a lord, and that a sucking child was proclaimed in it. And
his nobles advised him that this could easily take place, 'if thou wilt take with thee this MALIK 'AFDAL, the
son of SALAH AD-DIN, the lord of SAMOSATA, and wilt pretend that thou art jealous on account of him
who is wronged by his brothers, and wilt restore to him the kingdom of his father because he is the eldest son
of SALAH AD-DIN'. And Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN sent and brought MALIK 'AFDAL from SAMOSATA, and
he gave him gold, and apparel, and many horses, and armour, and he made him ready to go with him to
SYRIA on the condition that ALEPPO and everything which appertained to MALIK 'AFDAL should belong
to him, and that every country which they took from the dominion of MALIK 'ASHRAF in BETH NAHRIN
should belong to Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN.

And they collected troops and went first of all against 'AINTAB and took it; and MALIK 'AFDAL
surrendered it. And they went from there to TALL BASHIR and took it likewise, and Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN
surrendered it and did not give it to MALIK 'AFDAL. And 'AFDAL was offended, and those who had
surrendered also repented. And from this time 'AFDAL hid treachery In his heart, and he began to hold back
'IZZ AD-DIN from his going against ALEPPO. And he said, 'First of all let us go and take MABBUGH and
other places, and then it will be possible for us to take ALEPPO, which remaineth like a dove, the wings (or,
feathers) of which have been plucked'. And when they went against. MABBUGH, SHAHAB AD-DIN sent a
eunuch to MALIK 'ASHRAF, and entreated him to come to the help of the little boy who was his sister's son.
And 'ASHRAF was roused to anger, and hecame and met in battle the soldiers of BETH RHOMAYE by
MABBUGH, and the RHOMAYE (GREEKS) were broken at the beginning of the engagement. And Sultan
'IZZ AD-DIN did not continue the fight, but he left and returned to his own country. And 'ASHRAF went

against 'AINTAB and took it, and TALL BASHIR likewise. And he gave them again to the lord of ALEPPO.
When those who had surrendered TALL BASHIR to 'ASHRAF went to their own country, Sultan 'IZZ AD-
DIN took them and without mercy burnt them in a house.

And in the year when the FRANKS were encamped even as we have said at DAMIETTA, MALIK 'ADIL
died on the seventh day of the sixth month [434] of the year six hundred and fifteen of the ARABS (A.D.
1218), aged seventy-five years, in the place which is called 'ALKIN'. And he was carried to DAMASCUS
and there buried in a tomb which he had built for himself. He was a very astute man, and one who nursed his
anger, and took vengeance [on an offender] after a long period of time. He left the following sons: MALIK
KAMIL NASIR AD-DIN ABU AL-MA'ALL the lord of EGYPT; and MALIK MU'ATAM MUTAFAR AD-
DIN 'ISA, the lord of DAMASCUS and JERUSALEM; and MALIK 'ASHRAF SHARAF AD-DIN MUSA,
the lord of EDESSA, and HARRAN and KHALAT; and MALIK MUTAFAR SHEHAB AD-DIN JAZI, the
lord of MAIPERKAT; and MALIK HAFIT, the lord KAL'AH JA'BAR; and MALIK 'AZIZ 'OTHMAN, the
lord of BANYAS; and MALIK SALIH 'ESMA'IL, the lord of BOSAR; and MALIK FAIZ YA'UB; and
MALIK 'AMJAD 'ABBAS; and MALIK 'AFDAL KUTB AD-DIN; and MALIK KAHIR TAJ AD-DIN
"ESHAK (ISAAC).

And in the year when BADR AD-DIN saw that MUTAFAR AD-DIN, the lord of 'ARBIL, had covenanted
with 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI, the lord of 'AKR, to lay waste the country of MAWSIL, and to become
masters of the fortresses, and that any humility would not profit him with them, and that even if he would
oppose them he was by himself unable to cope with them, he besought help from MALIK 'ASHRAF, the lord
of BETH NAHRIN and of KHALAT, and he promised to hold himself in subjection to him like one of his
own nobles. And'ASHRAF rejoiced at this, and sent an army to NISIBIS, and they were to go to BADR AD-
DIN whensoever he summoned them.

And in the year six hundred and sixteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1219) 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI went down
from the fortress of 'EMADIYAH to the fortress of 'AKR, so that he might rule over the cities of the plain, for
he was already master of these mountainous districts. And when BADR AD-DIN heard [this] he sent an army
to protect the country. Then the nobles and the captains of the hosts took counsel together and decided to
subdue 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI by the side of 'AKR without informing BADR AD-DIN. And they marched
the whole night, and when the day of the Sabbath, at the end of the first month of the ARABS, dawned on
them, they met in battle below the fortress of 'AKR. And ZANGI was broken [435] utterly, and he fled to
MAWSIL to MUTAFAR AD-DIN, and the men of MAWSIL returned to their camp.

Then ambassadors came from the Khalifah NASIR, and from MALIK 'ASHRAF, and they made them to be
reconciled and pacified them. And in the day wherein the peace was confirmed, the young man NUR AD-
DIN, the son of MALIK TAHIR, the lord of MAWSIL, died. Now he was continually falling sick, and for ten
days at a time he was not seen riding. Then BADR AD-DIN took his brother, a child three years old, whose
name was NASIR AD-DIN MAHMUD, and seated him in the place of his brother. And he made the nobles
to swear fealty to him. and they set him on a horse and showed him to the populace, and the hearts of the
people were pleased, for they saw that they had a king of the house of 'ATABAG, and they loved that house
greatly.

And NUR AD-DIN being dead, and the young child his brother standing in his place, MUTAFAR AD-DIN
and ZANGI again quarrelled with the men of MAWSIL, and they began to raid the country. Then BADR
AD-DIN, because he had sent most of the troops of MAWSIL to ALEPPO, to MALIK 'ASHRAF who was
wishing to invade and spoil the country of the FRANKS, sent to 'AIBAG, the captain of the host of
"ASHRAF who had been sent to NISIBIS, and he brought him to him. And when BADR AD-DIN saw that
those who had come with 'AIBAG, the slave of 'ASHRAF, were few in number, he was depressed and also

offended (or, annoyed), because the troops whom he had sent to 'ASHRAF were far more numerous than
those who had been sent to him by 'ASHRAF. But 'AIBAG began to magnify himself, and he forced BADR
AD-DIN to cross the TIGRIS, and to go and loot the country of 'ARBIL. Then when MUTAFAR AD-DIN
heard [this), he collected his troops and crossed the ZABHA river. And BADR AD-DIN and 'AIBAG went
and pitched their camp on both sides opposite to each other. And when midnight had come 'AIBAG rose up
[and wanted] to go and crush the army of 'ARBIL, but BADR AD-DIN urged him not to go, but to wait until
the day broke. He would not, however, agree, but he mounted his horse and made his party to mount their
horses, and BADR AD-DIN also was compelled to join him. And they went and engaged MUTAFAR AD-
DIN. And 'IZZ AD-DIN 'AIBAG, the slave of 'ASHRAF, fled to the left wing of the lord of 'ARBIL, and the
right wing of the lord of ARBIL broke the left wing of [436] BADR AD-DIN.

And BADR AD-DIN remained with a few men in the middle, and he was unable to resist the heart (i.e. the
main body) of the army of the lord of 'ARBIL. And BADR AD-DIN fled before MUTAFAR AD-DIN, and
with rapid marches he came and crossed the TIGRIS to MAWSIL. And he did not stop, but went and pitched
his camp in the city of BALADH, so that he might collect troops again. And MUTAFAR AD-DIN rode after
him, and he came and encamped behind the hill of the fortress of NINEVEH, and he remained there for three
days. And when he heard that BADR AD-DIN was preparing to crush him in the night, he departed and went
to 'ARBIL. And in his passage through NINEVEH he harmed no man except only in one case where some of
the men of SHAHARZUR who were with him carried off a newly wedded bride from the village of BETH
SAHRAYE (i.e. house of the beggars). And her owners were infuriated, and they rescued the maiden, and
they also killed some of the KURDS.

And MUTAFAR heard [of this] and was furiously angry, because it was said to him, 'Those peasants have
disgraced thee, and are crying out, "[Long] live the staff of gold, BADR AD-DIN". And he sent a force
against the village, and they also attacked those villagers who were protected in the church, and they killed
about three hundred souls and departed. And when they passed through BARTELI they cut off the hand of a
certain young man with the sword. And after these things ambassadors were sent from one to another, and
there was peace.

And in the year those who were in the fortress of KAWASHI, on seeing that the rest of the fortresses had
surrendered to 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI, also sent to him and surrendered KAWASHI to him; and they drove
out from there those who were of the house of BADR AD-DIN. And when BADR AD-DIN saw that
MUTAFAR AD-DIN did not abide by his oaths, and did not cease from inciting ZANGI to quarrel with him,
he sent to MALIK 'ASHRAF and begged him to come personally to his assistance, and to make the lord of
'ARBIL cease from [harrying] him. Now 'ASHRAF AD-ADIN, because his adversaries at that time were
many (for Sultan KAI KAUS of BETH RHOMAYE, and the lord of 'AMID and of the fortress of KIPA, and
the lord of MARDIN, and the Amir BAR MASHTUB, and the Amir 'IZZ AD-DIN HAMIDAYA had
rebelled against him), was unable to come to the assistance of BADR AD-DIN until after a time.

And in the eleventh month of the year six hundred and sixteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1219) [437], which is the
year fifteen hundred and thirty-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1220), in the month of the LATTER KANON
(JANUARY), died Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN KAI KAUS, the son of KAI KESRU, the son of KELEJ 'ARSLAN,
the lord of BETH RHOMAYE. For he had collected troops in order that he might go again and wage war
against 'ASHRAF in BETH NAHRIN, and when he arrived in MELITENE the disease of phthisis tightened
its hold upon him, and because of it he turned back from it and died. And the nobles sent and brought out
'ALA AD-DIN KAI KUBAD, who was imprisoned in the fortress of MASARA, which is in MOUNT
BRIKHA, and they made him king over them. Some say that Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN himself before he died
sent and brought him out of prison and made the nobles swear fealty to him, because he had no son who was
of any use to the kingdom. Now Sultan 'ALA AD-DIN KAI KUBAD, at the beginning of his kingdom saw

that his enemies were many, that is to say the GREEKS and the ARMENIANS, who were round about him;
and also his uncle the lord of 'ARZAN AR-RUM, made friendship with MALIK 'ASHRAF, and begged that
his sister might be given him to wife. And after three years she was given to him.

And in this year, which is the year six hundred and sixty-eight of the ARMENIANS, LION the king of
CILICIA died. He was a mighty warrior in battle, and a strenuous follower in the chase. He had only a
daughter whose name was ZABIL (ISABEL?). And SIRA DAN PALI (SIRE DOM BAILE?), the lord of the
fortresses on the sea-coast, received the allowance of the daughter of the king and of the kingdom for about
two years—until the ISHMAELITES killed him.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Taking of Constantinople by the Franks from the Greeks (continued).

And in the year six hundred and seventeen of the ARABS (A.D. 1220), in the first month, CHINGIZ KHAN
went in person and encamped against the city of BUKHARA, which was the tabernacle of the Faith of the
Muslims in all the countries beyond the river GIHON. Now he encamped against the gate of the fortress, and
many legions of MONGOLS, who exceeded the locusts and the ants in number, also came, and bodies of
troops after bodies of troops encamped round about the wretched city. Now there were in it about twenty
thousand horsemen, and the famous captains SAWINJ KHAN and KESHLI KHAN. And when [438] these
men saw the vast numbers of the soldiery of the TATARS, they despaired of [winning] the war, and at sunset
they went forth from the city to flee away. And when they arrived at the banks of the GIHON, the Mongol
patrols of the roads fell upon them, and destroyed them all with the edge of the sword. And when the citizens
saw that they had no one to resist the MONGOLS on their behalf, they opened the gates of the city, and they
went to do homage to CHINGIZ KHAN. And he had mercy upon them and did not kill them. But he went
into the city to see it, and when he came to the gate of the Great Mosque he asked, 'Is this the palace of the
governor?’ And the scribes said unto him, 'Nay, it is the house of God'. And CHINGIZ KHAN alighted from
his horse and went in and sat down before the MIHRAB. And TULL, his young son, went up the steps of the
Menbar (pulpit). And CHINGIZ KHAN commanded, saying, 'My horses are hungry, and the plain is destitute
of grass: [feed them]'. And the nobles of the city went and opened the granaries and the bins of wheat and
barley, and they carried [grain] on their shoulders and brought it and set it down as provender for the horses,
and they sat down, watching them. And the citizens also brought vessels of wine, and gave drink to the
TATARS, and singing men and singing women, and also other women who danced, and they danced indeed
with their [whole] hearts.

And CHINGIZ KHAN cried out to the nobles of the city, and he spake unto them thus: "We do not need you
to show us your riches which are on the earth (i.e. above ground), but we wish you to bring forth those which
are buried in the heart of the earth and to give them to us. [Do this] and ye shall live.' And they said, 'Thy
command shall be fulfilled'. And they went and dug, and brought forth wealth which surpassed computation
and carried it [to him]. And because very many warriors were hidden in the city, they set fire to it, and the fire
burnt it all up, together with the treasure which was hidden in it. And those who were outside scattered
themselves abroad in various countries. For certain men asked a man of BUKHARA on his coming to
KHORASAN, 'How did it fare with them ' and he said, 'Why do ye weary me [with such a question]? The
TATARS came, and they dug up [the treasures], and burnt [them], and plundered, and departed. He that hath
ears let him hear!'

And in this yeaar BAR MASHTUB, who, as we have said, rebelled against 'ASHRAF, attacked NISIBIS, so
that from there he might passover to 'ARBIL to MUTAFAR AD-DIN. [439] And the governor of NISIBIS
went out and engaged him in battle, and he broke him and scattered those who were with him. And BAR
MASHTUB himself fled with a few men, and he crossed over into the country of SINJAR. And FARUKH
Shah, the son of ZANGI, the son of MAWDUD, the son of ZANGI, heard [of this], and he sent an army and

captured him, and he kept him with him as a prisoner. And because FARUKH Shah, the lord of SINJAR, was
with 'ASHRAF (i.e. was a partisan), BAR MASHTUB led him astray, and made him an enemy of 'ASHRAF.
And he promised him, with oaths, that he would fight with him until he could remove MAWSIL from the
hands of BADR AD-DIN, and that it should be his. Then the lord of SINJAR released BAR MASHTUB, and
he gave him an army of horsemen, and he came and plundered the country of BETH 'ARBAYE. And BADR
AD-DIN heard [this] and sent troops, and BAR MASHTUB was defeated by them. And he fled and departed
and went up into the fortress of TALL'AFAR, because it belonged to the lord of SINJAR. And when BADR
AD-DIN heard [of this], he sallied out in person and went and fought against the fortress of TALL 'AFAR
until he captured it. And he took BAR MASHTUB prisoner, and sent him to MALIK 'ASHRAF, and he was
shut up in prison in HARRAN until he died. Then MALIK 'ASHRAF gave HANI and JABALJUR to the lord
of 'AMID, and he promised that he would also take the city of DARA and give it to him. And thus in
separating himself from the lord of MARDIN he waxed strong and came to DUNAISER, and he ruled over
the whole district of MARDIN. And he shut up the lord of MARDIN in the fortress, and deprived him of
food.

Then the lord of 'AMID came to 'ASHRAF, and he intervened between them and made peace, the lord of
MARDIN giving RAS 'AIN and thirty thousand dinars to 'ASHRAF, and MUWAZAR, of the country of
SHABAKTAN, to the lord of 'AMID. And 'ASHRAF marched against NISIBIS. And the lord of SINJAR
was afraid of him, and sent an ambassador to him whilst he was on the road, and he surrendered SINJAR to
‘ASHRAF, and received from him in exchange CALONICUS. And he went forth and departed together with
his brethren, and his household, and all his possessions. And when 'ASHRAF had taken SINJAR, he began to
send his troops on before him to MAWSIL, so that he might come and pass over to 'ARBIL. And every day a
great company of horsemen used to come, and after them all he himself came to MAWSIL on the third day
[of the week] in the fifth month of this year.

And the ambassadors of the Khalifah of the lord of 'ARBIL came to him, and they promised [440] to give
back to BADR AD-DIN all the fortresses which ZANGI had taken, and [asked] that there might be peace.
And 'ASHRAF did not accept [the proposal], but marched from MAWSIL, and crossed the TIGRIS, and went
and encamped in SALAMTYAH, a vilage in the neighbourhood of the river ZABHA. And it happened that
MUTAFAR AD-DIN had encamped on that side of the ZABHA. Now because NASIR AD-DIN, the lord of
‘AMID, was also with 'ASHRAF, and because he had a secret affection for MUTAFAR AD-DIN, he advised
MALIK 'ASHRAF to make peace and to return with honour. And he also said unto him, 'If thou dost conquer
thou wilt offend the Khalifah, and thou wilt be reviled by the whole of the Arab people; and if thou art
defeated, thou, and those who are with thee, will acquire an evil name for ever’. And 'ASHRAF was cajoled,
and he agreed to peace, and he took 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI, the lord of 'AKR, with him as an hostage,
until he surrendered the fortresses which he had taken; and he went back to SINJAR. And certain men went
to receive the fortresses from him and to transfer them to the adherents of BADR AD-DIN. With the
exception of one fortress, which was on the frontier of the HAKARAYE, they were unable to take them,
because the remainder of them showed themselves rebellious and they would not hand them over. And
MUTAFAR AD-DIN cast himself on SHEHAB AD-DIN JAZI, the brother of 'ASHRAF, and he entreated
"ASHRAF on his behalf, and he left him without his handing over the fortresses. Now BADR AD-DIN was
offended at this, but he was unable to resist the will of 'ASHRAF.

And at [this] time BADR AD-DIN learned secretly that 'ASHRAF was expecting to take TALL 'AFAR from
him, for originally it had belonged to SINJAR. Therefore he sent and transferred TALL 'AFAR to him, and
SINJAR and TALL 'AFAR belonged to 'ASHRAF. Then ZANGI, being master of all the fortresses of the
HAKARAYE and of the ZAWZANAYE, began to treat those who were in them in an evil manner, and he
harassed them with demands for compulsory gifts and imposts. And therefore those who had observed the
covenant repented, and wished to hand over [the fortresses] to BADR AD-DIN, but they were afraid of the

opposition (or, resistance) which they showed. When BADR AD-DIN heard [this], he sent and bound them
firmly with oaths and covenants that he would do them no harm, [441] on the contrary, that he would treat
them well, and that he would reckon their offence as a benefit, that is to say it had freed him from the
beneficence of 'ASHRAF. And the lords of the fortress of 'EMADIYAH agreed before [it was decided] that
they should surrender it. And because he was unable to take anything without the command and permission
of 'ASHRAF, he sent to 'ASHRAF, and asked for a command (i.e. patent of authority). And 'ASHRAF
refused and would not give him permission until BADR AD-DIN had given him the fortress which is called
"HADHATTA' (i.e. the 'New'), which is by NISIBIS, and the region between the Two Rivers. And then
BADR AD-DIN took 'EMADIYAH, and he rewarded those who had surrendered it with gracious concessions
which were far greater than those which he had promised to them.

And the sons of the other fortresses heard [of this] and they all surrendered. And it is a very wonderful thing
that although hordes of troops were gathered together from SYRIA, and from BETH NAHRIN, and from
ARMENIA and other places, they were unable to take these fortresses; yet BADR AD-DIN through his
astuteness, and without pressure, became the master of them. The conclusion of this matter is that it is better
to trust in the Lord than to trust in the governor.

And in that year died MALIK MANSUR NASIR AD-DIN MAHAMAD, the son of MUTAFAR TAKI AD-
DIN 'OMAR, the son of SHAHINSHAH, the son of 'AYUB, the lord of HAMATH, at the age of fifty years.
And he commanded that his eldest son, who was in EGYPT with his uncle MALIK KAMIL, whose name
was MALIK MUTAFAR TAKI AD-DIN, should rise up in his place. The nobles, however, sent and brought
another son from DAMASCUS, whose name was MALIK NASIR KELEJ 'ARSLAN, and they transfened to
him HAMATH.

And in the year six hundred and eighteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1221), MALIK MU'ATAM, the lord of
DAMASCUS, and MALIK 'ASHRAF, and the lord of MARDIN, and the army of ALEPPO, and MALIK
NASIR, the lord of HAMATH, and MALIK MUJAHID, the lord of EMESA, went to the help of MALIK
KAMIL. And they all departed and encamped against DAMIETTA, and they harassed the city and cut the
roads against the FRANKS. And the FRANKS were afraid, and they agreed to surrender DAMIETTA
together with all the Arab prisoners who were in 'AKKO; and the ARABS allowed them to go forth and
depart to their own country in peace. And KAMIL took some of the FRANKS with him as hostages until they
surrendered DAMIETTA and the prisoners. And the peace of the ARABS was confirmed for eight years with
[442] the LEGATE, the deputy of the Pope of ROME, because he stood at the head of the Army of the
FRANKS, and with JOAN (JOHN?), the lord of 'AKKO. And the ARABS took DAMIETTA again, and the
labour of the FRANKS was in vain. For before help could come to MALIK KAMIL, he sent many times to
the FRANKS, and made entreaties to them concerning peace. And he offered to give them JERUSALEM,
and ASCALON, and TIBERIAS, and SAIDAN and GABALA and LAODICEA, if only they would evacuate
DAMIETTA and depart, so that MESRIN and all EGYPT might be free from them. The FRANKS, however,
refused, and they demanded also the fortress of KARAK, and three hundred thousand dinars in payment for
the destruction of the walls of JERUSALEM which KAMIL had laid waste. And because of this KAMIL was
afflicted, and he sent and summoned to his help his brethren and co-religionists, and they took DAMIETTA
from the FRANKS for nothing. And the wretched men lost one-half of the crops of the country of EMESA
which they used to take from the ARABS, and the Hospitallers the tribute which they had on BARIN.
DAMIETTA remained with the FRANKS on this occasion for one year ten months and twenty-four days.

At this time the ISHMAELITES hurled themselves upon SIRA DAN, the governor of the kingdom of the
ARMENIANS, in the narrow road which goeth down towards our church of MAR BAR SAWMA, which is
in the city of SIS, and they killed him. And there rose up in his place PALI BARON CONSTANTINE, the
son of BARON BASIL, the uncle of king LION. When RUFIN heard that LION the king was already dead,

and that also the governor SIRA DAN was killed, he rose up and took his mother, the daughter of the great
king RUFIN, and embarked on the sea. And he went forth to the harbour of the fortress of CYRIACUS, so
that he might go and rule in CILICIA. Then the lord of this fortress, who was BARON BIHRAM, the lord of
SHAKAD, not only would not grant to him a place of passage, but also threatened him with many threats that
if he did not give him his mother to wife he would most certainly seize him and destroy him. Then RUFIN,
being sorely troubled, endeavoured to persuade [443] his mother about [this] matter. And when she had heard
it she was greatly agitated, and she shrieked out revilings and abuse of BIHRAM. Then the free men and the
free women persuaded her that if it was for the benefit of her son she ought even to give herself over to the
fire. And thus under pressure she agreed, crying out at the same time, 'This is to me compulsory fornication
and not lawful betrothal'. And BIHRAM having taken her to wife increased her honour, and devoted himself
to her service and the service of her son; and he encamped against the city of TARSOS and took it.

And from there he went to 'ADANA, and it he also took. And he also went against MOPSUESTIA, and
whilst encamped against it, PALI BARON CONSTANTINE collected an army, and went against them and
smote them. And when they fled before him he pursued them and forced them into the city of TARSOS and
shut them up therein. And there he seized and destroyed all of them, viz. BIHRAM, and RUFIN, and his
mother, the daughter of RUFIN the Great. And from this time on PALI waited for the nobles of the
ARMENIANS to speak to him about taking the daughter of king LION for one of his sons so that they might
make him king, for he had five sons. And when this was not spoken of to him he was offended in his mind,
and he made with them [another] arrangement. And they sent and brought PHILIP, the son of PRAYNS
'AWIRA, and gave him ZABIL (ISABEL?), the daughter of king Lion, and they made him king over
CILICIA. And he governed them for about two years, but his governing was corrupt, for he had made it his
object to destroy all the nobles of the ARMENIANS, and to appoint FRANKS in their places. And he began
to treat the ARMENIANS with contempt, and instead of calling them 'falhe' (i.e. soldiers) he called them
‘fallahe' (i.e. ploughmen or peasant labourers), and he did not permit them to eat with him at his table. And
though they came to his door ten times, he would only with difficulty order them to enter his presence once.
And thus his hatred of the ARMENIANS increased.

And when they could bear his tyranny no longer, they gathered together to PALI BARON CONSTANTINE,
and besought him to help them to make a plan of escape from him, for they repented greatly that they had
made him king. Then PALI, having made himself sure of them by oaths, made ready certain scouts and
hunting men, and he rushed in on PHILIP in the night when he was lying on his bed, and he dragged him
from the breast of the queen. [444] And she began to cry and to scratch her face with her nails, and she
struggled and cried out, 'Sir, Sir,' for she was sorely smitten with love for him. But those pripcipals made no
reply to her, neither did they hearken to her voice. And they bound the man in fetters, and took him from
TALL HAMDON, where they had seized him, and brought him to the city of SIS. And he was there kept a
prisoner for two years. Now the prince his father, although he was a strong man, did not wish to annoy the
ARMENIANS lest they in anger should destroy his son. But he only sent ambassadors and entreated them to
release him; and he did not demand from them the kingdom. And when he was worn out with sending
ambassadors he came in person to TALL HAMDON, and sent a message to them to give him his son. Then
they hearkened unto him and they took him and went to the fortress which is called 'AMUDHA. And they
sent to the prince [telling him] to send and take his son. And when he wished to take him it was said to him,
"Even though thou takest thy son he will not live'; for they had made him to drink poison; and it was
impossible for him to live longer than ten days, which actually took place. For when the Prince left and
departed, uttering curses and threats, after a few days PHILIP died, and no man knew where they had buried
him.

When the queen heard that he was dead, she was in despair, and she departed and went to the fortress of
SILAWKYA on the sea-coast. And she took refuge with the Brothers (Freres), the lords of the fortress, and

they protected her honourably. And her mother also came to her from CYPRUS; now she was a Frankish
lady, the daughter of the king of CYPRUS. And when they gave her daughter to PHILIP, they wished to give
her also to wife to SIR GOFRI (GEOFFRY), the lord of KIPA of SERWAND, who was the son of BARON
SUNBAT, the brother (son?) of BARON CONSTANTINE PALI. And when she was unwilling they expelled
her from her country and she went to CYPRUS. And at this time she returned to her daughter, and the two
women lived in SILAWKYA until PALI brought them down by force.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Taking of Samarkand by the Tatars.

And in this year, which is the year six hundred and eighteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1221), after the TATARS
had taken the city of BUKHARA, they came and encamped against the great city of SAMARKAND, [445] in
which many large villages flourished, and it was surrounded with splendid paradises (or, gardens). And
Sultan MAHAMAD had left in it to protect it one hundred and ten thousand mighty warriors and fighting
men. Now when CHINGIZ KHAN heard that the city was so strong in respect of fighting men, he went in
person to attack it. And the MONGOLS surrounded it, and they counted the towers thereof, and a destroying
fire was lighted on the wall between those who were inside and those who were out. And on the following
day the troops which were inside went forth on foot to the TATARS, and fought very fierce fights [with
them]. And they killed many TATARS, and others they captured alive and took into the city, where they
tortured them horribly and put them to death in a cruel fashion.

When the citizens saw this they were greatly afraid, and they said one to another, 'If we do not take great care
vengeance assuredly will be taken for these [TATARS]'. And they took counsel together and then sent men
secretly to CHINGIZ KHAN, and they promised to open the gates in the night and surrender the city. And
CHINGIZ KHAN rejoiced at this, and gave them a pledge of security for their lives.

And when the evening had come, the Judge of the city, and one other official who was called 'SHAIKH
"ESLAM', [and] a great crowd of people [assembled], they opened the gates of the city and the MONGOLS
went in. And the fighting men of the city fled and hid in the fortress, or Citadel. And the TATARS began to
take the people captives and to loot. And they took the men and women of the city outside the city, hundred
by hundred, and they made them to sit down in groups all except the fifty thousand who had escaped with the
Judge and the SHAIKH 'ESLAM, and they did not go out. And when it was night the TATARS went out and
killed all those whom they had taken outside the city, and they left [alive] only sons and daughters who were
under twenty years of age. Then one of the chiefs who was in the fortress performed an act of great bravery.
He took about one thousand men, and cut through the troops of the TATARS, and passed through them, and
they fled without being able to harm any of them. And [this] chief went to KHORASAN, to Sultan
MAHAMAD.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Taking of Khawarazm by the Tatars.

Then CHINGIZ KHAN, being no longer occupied with the taking of SAMARKAND, sent his two sons
JAGATAI and 'AUKHATAI against KHAWARAZM. For KHAWARAZM is the name of the Clime, and the
name of the [446] great city of that Clime is GURGANIYAH. And when certain of the TATARS, [that is to
say] those who were accustomed to march in front of the troops, came to the gate of the city, the citizens
thought that these men, few in number, were by themselves, and a great crowd of men, both horsemen and
foot-soldiers, went out from the city to engage those TATARS in battle. And when they arrived at the
vineyard of a man who was called KAWRAM, which was distant one stade, the army of the MONGOLS
burst forth upon them and killed them all. Now those citizens who were destroyed and fell on the ground
were about one hundred thousand in number. And the TATARS came along triumphantly and they made
themselves masters of the city easily and they destroyed both it and the remainder of its population.

Now Sultan MAHAMAD had already left and passed over to the country of KHORASAN, and he was taking
counsel with his nobles continually, [saying], 'What course [is open] to us? And how can we save ourselves
from the hands of this mighty enemy?’ And they said, '[AIl] hope [of help from] the countries which are
beyond the river GIHON is cut off. Only here in KHORASAN, [in] the places in the neighbourhood of the
Citadel, is it right to make ready (i.e. drill) troops to be ready to fight with them, supposing they come.’ And
the Sultan said, 'No heart remaineth with us to fight these people. And supposing they come over to us there
is nothing for us [to do] except to flee before them into INDIA." But the son of JELAL AD-DIN
KHAWARAZM SHAH did not agree with [the suggestion] to flee, but [wanted them] all to fight until they
died in the battle. Now his father rebuked him for this opinion, and like one who was prepared to die
immediately, he began to eat, and to drink, and to delight himself in the pleasures of the world, after the
manner of one who wished to have his fill of them. And whilst he was thus occupied he heard that the
TATARS had crossed the waters of the GIHON. And he left and fled to HAMADAN, and he sent his wives
and his little children to a fortress called BALAN.

And when the TATARS arrived at HAMADAN, the Sultan himself fled into the mountains opposite
MAZINDARAN. And when the TATARS pursued him thither, he fled and went into one of the islands of the
Sea of HYRCANIA. And there he remained until the report came to him that the TATARS had made
themselves masters of the fortress in which his family were, and that they had taken prisoners his wives, and
his sons, and his daughters, [447] and that they had killed the males, and sent the females to KARAKORAM.
Then he was smitten with great grief, and he fell sick with a severe illness, and he departed from the world on
the island and there they buried him; and some time later he was carried to the fortress which is called
'ARDAHIN' (ARDAHAN). When JELAL 'AD-DIN, the son of Sultan MAHAMAD, heard of the death of
his father, he travelled in one night forty stades in the direction of the countries of the PERSIANS, viz. those
which are on the frontier of INDIA. And there gathered together to him ninety thousand chosen horsemen.
Now when CHINGIZ KHAN heard that JELAL AD-DIN KHAWARAZM SHAH was far more mighty than

his father, he sent a numerous army of the MONGOLS against him. And JELAL AD-DIN heard [of this] and
he came to meet them. And when they attacked the TATARS, he spake to the men of his bodyguard, and they
all dismounted, and each man took (i.e. led) his horse in his hand, and they despised death. And many of the
MONGOLS on the ground (i.e. the foot-soldiers) shot arrows until the evening. And that night each of the
two parties of combatants passed the whole night in the place where it was. And on the second day, when the
TATARS saw the bravery of KHAWARAZM SHAH, they turned their faces to flee. And KHAWARAZM
SHAH pursued them, and they killed about five hundred of the heroes of the TATARS.

When CHINGIZ KHAN heard these things he came like a flash of lightning with an army, the soldiers in
which were so many that they were beyond count. And immediately JELAL AD-DIN saw them he knew that
he was no match for them in strength, and therefore he set his face to cross the river GIHON towards the east,
and he sent [word] to make ready ships. But CHINGIZ KHAN heard of these things, and he sent on a
numerous army before him, and it occupied the road [of JELAL AD-DIN]. And then there remained to
JELAL AD-DIN no other hope except to fight to the last breath. And the battle between the two sides was set
in array. And the right [wing] of KHAWARAZM SHAH [was broken], and the left wing of the MONGOLS
also was broken. And JELAL AD-DIN KHAWARAZM SHAH himself remained in the midst with only
seven hundred horsemen, and he leaped from one side to the other like a wolf, and hurled to the ground slain
TATARS. And the MONGOLS increased more and more, and thronged in upon him from all sides. Then a
certain Amir, a KHAWARAZMIAN, who was the son of JELAL AD-DIN'S uncle, laid hold on the bridle of
his horse and thrust him [448] backwards. And when JELAL AD-DIN saw that no other hope remained to
him, he alighted from his horse, and he kissed the members of his household and his children, and he and
they wept with sobs and groans. Then he left them, and he mounted his horse, and he said unto the horsemen
of his bodyguard, 'Whosoever loveth me let him cling to me in life and in death’. And he struck his horse and
rode through the host of the TATARS, and still, sitting on his horse he hurled himself into the waters.

When CHINGIZ KHAN saw these acts he ran to the bank of the river and looked and marvelled. And certain
men of the MONGOLS wished to hurl themselves into the waters and to pursue him, and the King of Kings
would not permit them [to do so]. But laying his hand on his mouth he said unto his sons, 'It is meet that a
son should be begotten by a father such as this'. And to his nobles he said, 'It is meet that a man such as this
should be called a man. For many marvellous exploits are indicated by him, and a man of understanding who
was careless could never spring from him.' Now JELAL AD-DIN having, with a sword, and a spear, and a
shield, escaped from the waters, and from the flash of the sword, together with only the six horsemen who
had been able to cross the river, remained there on the banks of the GIHON for about two days, until there
gathered together to him about fifty other horsemen, and then they set out for INDIA. And about one hundred
of his own horsemen overtook him there. And they sent a man on before them to explore. And he went and
spied out the land. And he came and informed them saying, 'There are two thousand soldiers of the Army of
the INDIANS in a certain place’; and KHAWARAZM SHAH went and captured them, and they killed them
all, and took their horses. And they increased in number and became about five hundred horsemen. And
about five thousand INDIANS were gathered together, and they came and met them in battle, and again the
INDIANS were broken. And when the rest of the KHAWARAZMIANS who had fled, and were hidden in
various places, heard [of this], they wished and came to him; now they were about three thousand in number.
And when the kings of the INDIANS saw that they had no force [equal to the] KHAWARAZMIANS, they
made friends with KHAWARAZM SHAH, and sent to him many gifts. And when they were not able to live
in that country because of the heat, and they began to suffer from disease and sickness, [449] and they heard
also that the TATARS had left KHAWARAZM, and had crossed the GIHON to the east, JELAL AD-DIN
took those who were with him, and they went out from INDIA and came to SHIRAZ. And the 'ATABAG
SA'D, the lord of SHIRAZ, sent him much money, and slaves, and handmaidens. And from there they came
to 'ESFAHAN. And in the year six hundred and twenty of the ARABS (A.D. 1223) Sultan 'ALA AD-DIN
took the strong fortress on the coast of the sea 'ADRIANOS, and he called it after his name "ALATYAH".

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Murder of Amin ad-Dawlah Taoma in Baghdad.

And in this year, on the twenty-eighth day of the fifth month of the ARABS, on the night of the fifth [day of
the week], the renowned physician who was famous for his superlatively good qualities, AMIN AD-
DAWLAH ABU AL-KARAM SA'TD, the son of TAOMA, a native of BAGHDAD, one of our JACOBITES,
was murdered. He was highly skilled in the art of healing, and was truthful in his acts, and a man of
understanding, liberal-minded and a good intermediary in supplying the wants of the needy, and in answering
their questions (or, demands), and fulfilling their affairs. This man was wholly loved and honoured by the
Khalifah NASIR, and he had arrived at such a state of exalted rank that the whole administration of his
kingdom and of his sons, and his daughters and his wives, was committed to his care. And because in his
latter days the eyes of the Khalifah NASIR had failed, and he was no longer able to see to write secret (i.e.
confidential) matters to the Wazir, a certain woman whose name was 'SIT NASIM', was found in
BAGHDAD. And she wrote a hand which could not be distinguished from that of the Khalifah, and NASIR
brought her into his presence and revealed to her his secrets, and everything which he wished to write he told
her to write. And when the letters came to the Wazir he used to think that the writing was that of the
Khalifah's fingers, because the Khalifah concealed his blindness even from the Wazir.

And the matter having remained thus for some time, a certain eunuch whose name was TAJ AD-DIN
RASHIK struck up a friendship with the woman, and they used to write whatsoever they wished in the
Khalifah's name to the Wazir, and he carried out [the commands]. And one day the Wazir himself, MUAYAD
AD-DIN, the son of KASIMI, wrote to the Khalifah about a certain matter, and there came forth to him a
confused and ill-arranged (i.e. disconnected) answer. And the Wazir felt a doubt about it, and he took it to the
renowned 'AMIN AD-DAWLAH [450] and inquired of him privily about this matter. And he made known to
the Wazir the blindness of the Khalifah, and that there was a certain woman who wrote these things and who
could imitate the writing of the Khalifah, and that the eunuch RASHIK was in partnership with her, and that
they wrote whatever they wished to write without the knowledge of the Khalifah. And from that moment the
Wazir himself began to be careless in fulfilling the commands wherewith he was commanded. And the
woman herself and the eunuch perceived that 'AMIN AD-DAWLAH had exposed them, because of those
who were able to see the Wazir and to hold converse with him, 'AMIN alone knew the secret. Therefore they
worked upon two brothers who were known to be of the sons of KAMR AD-DIN, and they lay in wait for the
physician one night when he was leaving the palace of the Khalifah and going to his house, and they leaped
upon him, and stabbed him with two daggers (or, knives). And when 'AMIN saw them he cried out, 'Seize ye
them, for they are so-and-so and so-and-so’; and those wicked men heard [him] and they went back a second
time and killed him completely. And they also stabbed the man who was with him carrying the lamp, and him
also they stabbed again with a knife. And immediately the city was thrown into a state of excitement, and the
palace of the Khalifah, and the dead man was lifted up and carried to his house, and he was buried there.

And after nine months they carried him to the church of MAR TAOMA and buried him with his fathers. And
his two accursed murderers were captured on the same night on which that renowned physician was

murdered, and they were crucified on the very spot on which they had murdered him. The deceased man left
three sons who were honoured, viz. SHAMS AD-DAWLAH, FAKHR AD-DAWLAH, and TAJ AD-
DAWLAH. These also attained great honours, and especially SHAMS AD-DAWLAH.

And in this year, which is the year six hundred and eighteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1221), JELAL AD-DIN
HASAN, the chief of the ISHMAELITES, died, and 'ALA AD-DIN MAHAMAD, his son, rose up after him,
being nine years of age. Now this boy had been brought up with other little boys of the same age as himself
in the occupation of rearing lambs and going round with camels; and he deputed the whole direction of his
domain to women. And when he had reigned five years, a certain physician who was with them, without any
illness which demanded the letting of blood, slit [451] a vein and drew out from him a very considerable
quantity of blood. And because of this black bile obtained the mastery over him, and he began to imagine
horrible imaginings, and to think that he was God. And because the minds of those who were under his hand
were obscured by great error, and they were delivered over to the knowledge of vanity, they believed
whatsoever he told them. And no man was able to admonish him, but every man he cursed or abused, [his
curses] caused to die an evil death. And because of this the wise men also who were under the yoke of his
service, because of their fear of him, magnified him as God. And 'ALA AD-DIN constitutionally hated
ornamented apparel, and he dressed himself in raiment made of wool and blue ‘amarkuba (brocade?), and he
dwelt continually with the sheep. It is said that one day when he was sitting on a pinnacle of a certain high
mountain, with ambassadors from the various countries round about him, that at a mere hint (i.e. motion) of
his eyebrows, fifty of the men who were standing before him cast themselves down from the pinnacle of that
high mountain and died. And thus the fear of him fell upon all the kings of the earth, and they were bowed
down under the yoke of the tribute which they were giving to him and were sending with the good products
of their lands.

And in the year six hundred and twenty-one of the ARABS (A.D. 1224), MALIK 'AFDAL, the son of
SALAH AD-DIN, the son of 'AYUB, the lord of SAMOSATA, died in SAMOSATA. This man was highly
trained in literature (or, books), and in rhetoric and poetry, but his actions were feeble, and he lacked sagacity
(or, astuteness), which is a necessary accomplishment for kings. And because of this he was deprived of the
kingdom of his father, and instead of that great dominion he received, though against his will, a small tract of
country.

And in the year six hundred and twenty-two [of the ARABS, A.D. 1225], the Khalifah NASIR ABU AL-
'ABBAS 'AHMAD died, aged seventy years, on the night of the dawn of the festival of the Passover of the
ARABS. He was very alert (or, watchful) and diligent, and he was always changing his place and sallying
out, and going round about in the bazars of BAGHDAD, and he made it his care to know from the thread to
the needle, i.e. matters which were very great and those which were very small. He exhibited himself from
time to time in the garb of the TURKS, and sometimes in the garb of the PERSIANS, and at others in the
garb of the merchants, and because of this [452] very many perished. For when he perceived anyone who
recognized him, without mercy he would send and kill him. Still, however, he did not keep himself
concealed, for he used to walk about with famous men who shared his secret. For this reason men fled before
him when he passed by. Moreover, even in the night season, a man was afraid to talk to his wife indiscreetly,
for they were afraid lest he might be in the house, or in some porch on the roof, because he would appear
there having climbed up into the porch on the roof, and on to the walls of the habitations of men. He was
immeasurably anxious to know the details and particulars of the things which were done, not only in his own
dominions, but also in the dominions of the kings of the other countries.

It is related that the Khatun, the daughter of KELEJ 'ARSLAN Sultan, who was called KHALATAITA, came
to BAGHDAD when she was going to worship at MAKKAH. And he was told of her beauty, and he sent to
her the old women of his palace to betroth her to him. But the Khatun made the excuse that she had a

husband, and said that it was impossible for this to take place. And she left and went to MAKKAH, and
because of her fear of him she decided to return to her own country by the Syrian road. And the Khalifah
NASIR himself thought that she was preparing to do this, and he sent in her train a company of horsemen as
if they also were going to worship [at MAKKAH]. And when the Khatun wished to go by another road, they
prevented her doing so, and by force they brought her back again to BAGHDAD. And as soon as ever she
arrived, a report of the death of her husband reached [her]. But how did he die? God knoweth! And NASIR
sent and had her brought into the palace, and he took her to wife.

And this NASIR loved her wholly, for when she longed to have for herself a palace in the style of that which
she had in KHALAT, and a garden, he learned (i.e. obtained) from her the particulars thereof. And in the
night he sent and had the Wazir brought, and he gave him a drawing of the palace and the garden. And the
Wazir went out forthwith, and made ready two hundred architects and two thousand workmen, and they
prepared slabs of stone and mortar sufficient [for the work], and they worked at the building the whole day,
each man on one section. And they took the folding doors which had been constructed from other gates of the
palace, and set them up in the new gates which they left the same size as the folding doors. [453] And they
also lifted out of the ground trees which were rooted therein and planted them in the new garden which they
dug. And when the evening came they had finished the whole work. And carpets and woven stuffs were
spread about, and all the necessary things were ready there, and the lady of KHALAT passed over into it. And
after some years she died, and NASIR was enveloped in a great mourning for her. And he commanded and
they destroyed the palace and the garden, and they left the place a ruin. And on that spot he built for her a
famous sepulchre wherein praying men dwell at the present day, and alms and charitable gifts are distributed.

After NASIR, TAHIR his son [ruled] nine months. They used to proclaim this man the heir during his father's
lifetime, and his father NASIR being afraid of him, he annulled his proclamation and shut him up in prison,
and he made his younger son, whose name was AMIR 'ALI, to be proclaimed. And AMIR 'ALI died in the
days of his father, and left young sons. And his father mourned for him with so great and indescribable grief
that he sent to all the kings and told them that not one of them was to send an ambassador or a letter of
consolation. And he dwelt alone by himself in a dark house for many days. And all the people of BAGHDAD
also mourned, and in every family a company of women sat down and wailed. And they went round about in
the bazars of BAGHDAD wearing sackcloth and with blackened faces, and they uttered loud cries of grief
and wailed for many days. And forthwith there went forth the command that every woman who wished to
weep must weep in her own house, and they were not to go outside again.

And NASIR the Khalifah being dead, the nobles brought out his son TAHIR from prison, for they loved him
because of his goodness. And they swore oaths of fealty to him, and seated him upon his father's throne. And
when they were enthroning him, he said, 'How fitting is it for a man to open an inn (khan) after the ninth
hour! For I have passed fifty years.' Then having taken his seat he showed justice and generosity, and he
restored to their owners sums of money which had been plucked from them, for his father had been
avaricious. And fear was lifted from the children of men, and the calumniators were suppressed. And he built
another bridge over the TIGRIS at BAGHDAD, and it had two bridges, whereas before for a period of two
hundred years the city had only had one bridge. [454]

And in this year MALIK MU'ATAM, the lord of DAMASCUS, sallied out and plundered the country of
HAMATH. And MALIK 'ASHRAF, his brother, heard [of this] and sent and admonished him for this act.
Then he being offended with him, sent to him SHEHAB AD-DIN JAZI, another brother, who at that time
was the lord of KHALAT and MAIPERKAT, and he made him to rebel against 'ASHRAF. And 'ASHRAF
sallied out and went against KHALAT, and he took it from his brother by fighting. And having captured his
brother he did not kill him, but he left to him MAIPERKAT and sent him there.

At this time BARON CONSTANTINE PALI sent to MAR IGNATIUS, our Patriarch, and to MAR
CONSTANTINUS, the Catholicus of the ARMENIANS, concerning the daughter of king LION, that she
should come down from SILAWKYA and make peace, so that they might make an arrangement which would
benefit the Christian community, For behold because of the schism, Sultan 'ALA AD-DIN, the lord of BETH
RHOMAYE, was master of many of the fortresses of CILICIA and those two blessed men went, and although
they entreated earnestly and admonished her, she would not incline to their petition. Moreover, she reviled
them and called them friends (or, associates) of murderers and shedders of innocent blood. And in no way
were they able to make any apology to her, but they left her and came away as unsuccessful men. Then PALI
himself went there in person, and he begged the Freres to give her to him by force. And they replied, 'Our
houses and our strongholds are the villages of refuge of the Christians, and we cannot deliver up a woman, a
queen, who hath taken up asylum with us’.

Then PALI formed a plan, and with gold he bought from them the fortress with everything which was therein,
and he turned them out, and he himself became the lord and governor [of the fortress]. And he took the queen
by her arm and led her out and brought her down by force to TARSOS. And he collected Patriarchs, and
bishops, and priests; and they crowned her with his son HAITUM (OTTON?) [RB: Het'um], and HAITUM
was proclaimed king of CILICIA on the first day of the week of Pentecost, on the fourteenth day of the
month of HAZIRAN (JUNE), in the year fifteen hundred and thirty-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 1226). And
queen ZABIL (ISABEL?) remained for ten years without permitting the king [455] to have intercourse with
her, but afterwards she was reconciled to him, and she bore him sons and daughters. And in the year six
hundred and twenty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1226) the Khalifah TAHIR died, on the fourteenth day of the
seventh month.

After TAHIR his son MUSTANSER [ruled] seventeen years. This man began [to rule] in an open fashion, he
rode and he went in and came out, and hid himself from no man. And there was exhibited by him a justice
which was greater than that of his father, and he began to distribute alms generously, and he restored many
buildings. And he built that House of Instruction (i.e. College) which is called by his name, and the like of
which exists nowhere in the world. And he appointed therein four doctors (i.e. professors) of their Four
Faiths, and three hundred chief instructors, and every instructor in the Law was provided with adequate
rations (or, maintenance money) from day to day. And he built a bath for their private use, wherein no
stranger might enter, and he appointed for them also a private physician who would administer medicine unto
them when they were sick.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Death of Chingiz Khan.

In the year six hundred and twenty-four of the ARABS (A.D. 1226), when CHINGIZ KHAN returned to the
east from the countries of KHORASAN, he set his mind on going to conquer the country of the
TANKURTAYE who were on the frontier of INDIA. And whilst he was on his journey thither a severe
sickness attacked him, and it was due to the excessive (moisture) of the atmosphere. And having despaired of
obtaining help from the physicians, he sent and called his sons to him: JAGHATAI, and 'AUKHATAI, and
TULI, and KHALKAN, and JURKHATAI, and 'AURDJAR, and he said unto them, 'I am near to depart, and
from every point of view it is right that [I] should see a man (or, some one) who is able to keep my kingdom
unshaken. This is what I wish: as I have told you many times, 'AUKHATAI shall sit upon the royal throne in
my place, because I have confidence in his understanding and his power of organization. Now, as for you, my
sons, what is your opinion?’ Then they all kneeling down upon their knees said, 'Our father, and lord, and
king, we are all thy slaves, and we will hearken to and obey every command wherewith thou commandest us,
and directest [us]'. And after this his illness grew more severe, and he departed from the world on the fourth
day of the ninth month of the Arab fast of that year (twenty-fourth of 'AB, A.D. 1227).

Then the sons who were present [456] sent ambassadors to each other, and they summoned all the children
and the kinsmen from the plains of the rocks (or, mountains?) of the KAPSHAKAYE, viz. TUSHI, the eldest
son, and also HARDU (HARRU), and BATHU, and SIBAKAN, and TANGUT, and BARAKA, and
BARKASHAUR, and BOKA TIMUR, and 'AKNAS, and JAGHATAI. And from the south they summoned
'AUKHATAL, unto whom the kingdom had been committed. And from the east they summoned their uncle
'AUTKIN, and BULKHATAI NAWIN, and 'ALJATAI NAWIN, and TULL, and the rest of the younger
brothers who were in the camp of CHINGIZ KHAN. And they remained [as they were] for about two years,
within a very little, until the assembly was complete, and they seated 'AUKHATAI upon the royal throne as
has been shown forth.

And in this year died MALIK MU'ATAM, the son of 'ADIL, the lord of DAMASCUS and JERUSALEM.
This man was truculent, and terrifying, and he had the feeling that he ought to reign over all countries, And
he appointed the MA'DAYE, who pillaged the countries of the others, especially the country of EMESA and
HAMATH. And MALIK NASIR SALAH AD-DIN DAWUD rose up after him, and his two uncles MALIK
'AZIZ and MALIK SALIH carried the saddle-cloth before him.

And in the year six hundred and twenty-five [of the ARABS] (A-D. 1227) MALIK KAMIL sallied out from
EGYPT to come and take DAMASCUS from his brother's son. And when he came to SHAMRIN, the
'‘Anpror (i.e. Emperor) the great king of the 'ARMNAYE (i.e. 'ALIMANAYE) [the Emperor was
FREDERICK II of GERMANY] went forth to JOPPA, and KAMIL was prevented (or, restrained) in the
matter of DAMASCUS. And his brother 'ASHRAF came to him, and MALIK MUJAHID, the lord of
EMESA, and they went and encamped against TELLA DHE-'EGHLE; and they sent ambassadors to the
Emperor and they learned the reason of his coming forth. And the Emperor replied that he had gone forth

through zeal for the house of the Lord, JERUSALEM. And the ARABS surrendered JERUSALEM to the
FRANKS, but only the city, without the surrounding country , and there was peace.

In this year died HASNON, the physician, a native of EDESSA. This man went to [457] BETH RHOMAYE,
and treated SAIFAD-DIN AMIR 'AKHUR, and 'EKHTYAR AD-DIN HASAN. And from there he went forth
to DYAR BARR. And he treated the sons of SHAHARMAN and HAZARDINARI who rose up after these,
and then the sons of 'ADIL who reigned there, and finally he returned to EDESSA. And when he heard that
TUGHREL the eunuch (who was his friend from the time when he attended 'EKHTYAR AD-DIN) had
become the father and counsellor of the kingdom of ALEPPO, he rose up and came to him. But the eunuch,
who was a man lacking in discernment, did not receive him with the degree of honour which was meet for
him. And when he was rebuked for this behaviour he said, 'It was on account of his Christianity that I was
negligent about him’.

And HASNON the physician remained in ALEPPO, and it was grievous to him and he was greatly distressed.
And when he wished to return to EDESSA a violent fever attacked him, and together with the fever there
came colic and bleeding of the bowels (dysentery), and he died in ALEPPO, and he was buried in the church
of MART BARBARA, which is therein. He was a handsome and corpulent old man, and he was fully learned
in the art of healing, and in the details of philosophy. And it is said concerning him that he was always
reading (or, studying) the Book of LUKARI (LUBARI). His conversation was very pleasant, and he kept [in
mind] many stories of ancient kings and sages and of those whom he used to see in his own days. And in his
time GABRIEL, an eminent physician, was also well known in EDESSA. He wrote many books on the art of
healing and philosophy in SYRIAC.

And in the year six hundred and twenty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1227), when MALIK KAMIL and
‘ASHRAF, his brother, were encamped together on TELLA DHE-'EGHLE, they agreed that they would take
DAMASCUS and its surrounding country from MALIK NASIR DAWUD, the son of MU'ATAM, their
brother, and that the city of DAMASCUS as far as the hill of PAIK should belong to 'ASHRAF, and from
PAIK as far as GAZA to KAMIL; and 'ASHRAF was to give to MALIK NASIR certain places (or, towns) in
the east instead of DAMASCUS. And MALIK NASIR agreed with them. And when he went to
DAMASCUS to take away his treasure and his household, and go forth again, he repented and did not wish
to surrender [the city]. And 'ASHRAF took his troops, and some of the troops of KAMIL also, and he went
and encamped against DAMASCUS [458] and besieged it. And when he was unable to capture it, he sent and
called KAMIL, his brother. And KAMIL came, and he began to make strenuous war on DAMASCUS, and
he took it at the beginning of the eighth month and handed it over to 'ASHRAF. And 'ASHRAF gave to
KAMIL his brother, instead of DAMASCUS, EDESSA, and HARRAN, and CALONICUS, and SERUGH,
and RAS 'AIN, and MUAZAR and JAMLIN. And he left to NASIR, the son of MU'ATAM, the lord of
DAMASCUS, the fortress of KARAK, and BALKA, and the country of JERUSALEM and SHAMRIN
(SAMARIA).

And KAMIL sent troops with MALIK MUTAFAR TAKI AD-DIN against HAMATH, so that he might take
it from his brother MALIK NASIR KELEJ 'ARSLAN. Now this man came down secretly from the fortress
and went to KAMIL, and he promised [to give him] gold so that he might not expel him from HAMATH.
And KAMIL would not accept [it]. And NASIR said unto KAMIL, 'If thou must perforce take HAMATH
from me, swear to me that thou wilt take it for thyself and wilt not give it to my brother TAKI AD-DIN'. And
KAMIL swore, and he sent his men to take over the city. Then the inhabitants of the city and of the fortress
objected, and said, 'None but our own king shall reign over us’; and they began to fight strenuously. Then
KAMIL sent to them, saying, 'Behold ye have your king TAKI AD-DIN with you; deliver ye him up'. And
the citizens rejoiced with a great joy and they delivered up TAKI AD-DIN, and he went in and ascended to
the fortress. And after some days be went to HARRAN to KAMIL, who had gone there to inspect the

countries which had been given to him; and he honoured him greatly and showed him affection; and he gave
him his daughter to wife. And he arrayed him and those who were with him [in robes of honour], and be sent
him down again to HAMATH. For certain calumniators had told him that TAKI AD-DIN will never go down
again from the fortress of HAMATH, and thou wilt not see him [going down], and since he walked simply he
honoured him greatly. And in the year Sultan 'ALA AD-DIN became master of the cities of 'ARZENJAN and
KAMAK.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the seating of the Khan [Ogedei] upon the throne of the kingdom of the
Mongols after Chingiz Khan his father.

In the year six hundred and twenty-six of the ARABS (A,D. 1228), when the assembling of the princes and
nobles of the MONGOLS was completed, they ate and drank for three days. And afterwards they said unto
'AUKHATAI [Ogedei], 'The command of CHINGIZ KHAN [459] hath gone forth thus: Thou shalt reign in
his place'. And he like a wise man replied, 'Although our father commanded thus, we have, nevertheless, a
brother who is older than I am. And there are uncles also who are more suitable for this position than I am.
Moreover, our brother TULI is himself the son of the Great Camp, and he was constantly occupied in the
service of our father. He is more learned than I am in the laws and in the administrative affairs of the
kingdom. If it pleaseth you let him sit on the throne.'

Then they all cried out together, 'It is wholly impossible for the command of our blessed father to be done
away; and as he commanded, even so shall it be’. And they uncovered their heads, and they threw their belts
over their shoulders. And JAGHATAI took his right hand, and 'AUTKIN his left, and they went in and set
'AUKHATAI on the Throne of the Four Cushions, which indicate sovereignty over the Four Quarters of the
world, and they called his name 'KHAN'. And TULI, the younger brother, because 'AUKHATATI had said that
he was fitted for sovereignty before all the others, presented the cup for the Khan to drink from, and he knelt
down on his knees, and did homage to him, and he made manifest [his] submission [to him] most absolutely.
And the rest of the brethren, all of them who were in there (i.e. in the tent), did likewise. And the nobles who
were outside the tent smote the earth nine times with their knees, and they did homage to the Khan. Then
[those who were in the tent] went forth, and they bowed themselves down to the ground three times to the sun
according to their custom.

Then the Khan being settled on the throne opened the treasures and riches of his father, and he distributed
gifts to his brothers and uncles, and to the rest of the nobles, to each man according to his rank and position.
And the nobles also selected from among their daughters forty virgins who were like the moon for beauty,
and having decked them out in raiment of great price and with chains and ornaments set with precious stones,
they presented them to the Khan. And they all rejoiced with an exceedingly great joy. Then the Khan passed
an edict that all the laws and ordinances which CHINGIZ KHAN had laid down should be kept, and that
every one who transgressed them should die the death.

And because JELAL AD-DIN KHAWARAZM SHAH was at that time leaping all over the countries of
KHORASAN like a stag, [the Khan] sent SHARMAGHON (JURMAGHON?) NAWIN with thirty (or, three)
thousand [460] men to that quarter of the world; and SUNATAI 'AGHONESTA also with a numerous army to
the quarter of the CAPPADOCIANS and BULGARIANS; and a large number of other soldiers against
INDIA; and he went in person, together with the brethren and kinsfolk, to CHINA.

And in the year six hundred and twenty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1229) MALIK 'ASHRAF took
B'ELBAK from MALIK 'AMJAD, its lord, and he went into DAMASCUS and dwelt in the palace of his
father after he had sent out with him everything which he had found in the treasuries of BIELBAK. And in
the year, in the beginning of it, KHAWARAZM SHAH JELAL AD-DIN MANJABARNI, the son of
KHWARAZM SHAH MAHAMAD, went down against KHALAT and invested it, and he made strenuous
war upon it. And there were in it two brothers of MALIK 'ASHRAF, viz. TAKI AD-DIN 'ABBAS, and
MUJIR AD-DIN YA'KUB. Now this JELAL AD-DIN KHAWARAZM SHAH wished at the beginning, five
years earlier, to reign over the land of SEN'AR, and he came to DAKUKAH, and BAWAZIGH (BETH
WAZIK KUNI SHABHOR?), and he laid waste, and burned, and destroyed [the people] with the edge of the
sword. And from there he went to MARGE of SHAHARZUR, and MUTAFAR AD-DIN, the lord of 'ARBIL,
sent many gifts to him, and he made peace with him. And in this year he came against KHALAT, and set up
against it twenty engines of war on the side of it by the lake. And the war became so fierce, and the famine
among the people of KHALAT was so severe, that they ate the flesh (or, bodies) of dogs and asses. And a
litra of meat, according to the Syrian weight (i.e, six litre SYRIAN = one /itra BABYLONIAN) was sold for
an Egyptian dinar.

Then Sultan ALA AD-DIN KAI KUBAD collected a great gathering of twenty thousand men, and he came
to MELITENE, and he sent ten thousand to the city of 'ARZENJAN, and he kept ten thousand with him. And
he sent a message to his uncle 'ASHRAF, and told him that he must go in person and meet KHAWARAZM
SHAH by KHALAT, and that if the Lord willed, he should water his horses with the waters of the GIHON of
PERSIA; And he also sent an ambassador to KHAWARAZM SHAH, and he said unto him, 'Thou art Sultan,
and the son of a Sultan, and it is not right for thee to do anything illegally. Moreover, God stirred up the
armies of the TATARS from the East against thy father because of his infidelity. And this house of BETH
'AYUB [461] is a great and blessed house, and with two thousand horsemen ride all the brothers, and the sons
of the brothers, and the sons of the uncles, and their sons. Do not think that I am their enemy. Believe, not
that I am their enemy, but their friend, and that I am one who fighteth on their behalf. For there is affinity
between us. And also my own uncle was their kinsman. And it is meet for thee to make friendship with them,
so that both we and they may become the enemies of thine enemies.’ But KHAWARAZM SHAH was
stubborn and he replied, 'It is impossible to leave KHALAT", and to this he added war.

Then certain men of BETH WAN acted treacherously and surrendered the city, and the men of
KHAWARAZM became masters of it. And the brothers of 'ASHRAF fled, but HUSSAM AD-DIN KAIMARI,
the son-in-law of 'ASHRAF through the sister of the mother, and 'IZZ AD-DIN 'AIBAG, the governor of
KHALAT, saved themselves in the fortress of KHALAT. And after some days they received a pledge for their
lives, and they surrendered the fortress. Now when KHAWARAZM SHAH took KHALAT, he did not
imprison the brothers of 'ASHRAF, but they entered his service, and they rode with him, and they took part
every day in the sports in the stadium in his presence. When 'ASHRAF heard [this] he was perturbed, and he
rose up hastily and came to 'ABLASTIN, and his troops gathered together about him.

And Sultan 'ALA AD-DIN also sallied forth with his troops, and they all assembled in AKSHAHAR. And
when KHAWARAZM SHAH heard [this] he went with his troops to meet them. And they were [in number]
forty thousand. And they found about four thousand horsemen from BETH RHOMAYE, who were separated
from their companions, and they killed them all. And they approached and the soldiers met each other in
battle on the day of Friday, and the victory was to MALIK 'ASHRAF. And they remained the whole night
before the Sabbath destroying and being destroyed. And when day broke on the Sabbath, the battle was
[again] set in array, and a great breaking fell on the KHAWARAZMIANS, and a very large number of [their]
people were killed; and no man was able to ascertain their number; and certain satraps and famous men of
war were taken prisoners. And very many of them fled to TRAPIZON (TREBIZOND) and to the country of
the IBERIANS, and about fifteen [462] hundred horsemen fell from a high rock during the night and died.

These things took place in the month of 'AB (AUGUST), in the year fifteen hundred and forty-one of the
GREEKS (A.D. 1230). And because the lord of 'ARZAN AR-RUM, who was the son of the uncle of Sultan
'ALA AD-DIN, and was his son-in-law, acted deceitfully towards the Sultan and made friends with
KHAWARAZM SHAH and went to the war before them, he also was taken prisoner. And the Sultan went
with 'ASHRAF against 'ARZAN AR-RUM, and they made strenuous war upon it. And after those who were
inside had sworn to the Sultan that they would not kill their lord, who had been made a prisoner, they handed
over the city to him. And there was in it the sister of the lord of 'ARZAN AR-RUM, whom for a very long
time the Sultan had longed to take to wife, but her brother would not permit it. And when the Sultan had
taken her, he rejoiced over her more than over the victory which had come to him. But after a short time,
when she asked the Sultan to release her brother from the prisoners, he was angry with her and destroyed her,
and he also sent and drowned her brother in the sea.

And after the breaking of the KHAWARAZMIANS, 'ASHRAF went to KHALAT that he might build up the
breaches [in the walls] and make it fit for habitation; and the Sultan sent with him a thousand horsemen and
abundant gifts. And the Sultan himself also returned to his own country. Then JALAL AD-DIN
KHAWARAZM SHAH took his household and went and dwelt in KHOI, a city of 'AK1DHORBIJAN. And he
sent TAKI AD-DIN, the brother of 'ASHRAF, bound in chains [as] a gift to the Khalifah in BAGHDAD, and
the Khalifah released him and sent him with honour to 'ASHRAF. And 'ASHRAF sent an ambassador to
KHAWARAZM SHAH, and said unto him, 'Thou didst come and lay waste our countries, and didst kill and
loot; we having in no wise committed an offence against thee. And if thou didst wish to take vengeance on us
because of HAJB 'ALI who devastated a part of thy country, behold he was killed in the war and was
rewarded according to his works. We ask thee to relinquish the country which thou hast taken tyrannically,
and to make peace with us.’ But KHAWARAZM SHAH treated him with contempt and would not make
peace. And 'ASHRAF left and went to BETH NAHRIN. And KAMIL was in EGYPT. And MUJIR AD-DIN
YA'KUB, the brother of 'ASHRAF, was a prisoner with KHAWARAZM SHAH.

And in this year the Brothers, the miserable Freres, [463] and the Hospitallers sent and demanded from the
lord of HAMATH the thousands of dinars for which he was liable as tribute. And when he laughed at them
and would not give [them], they collected five hundred Brothers [who were] horsemen, and two thousand
seven hundred footmen, and they came to take the country of HAMATH; and TAKI AD-DIN met them in
battle and broke them.

And in the year fifteen hundred and forty-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1231), the TATARS pursued the
KHAWARAZMIANS, and KHAWARAZM SHAH fled towards SYRIA. And they overtook him in the
country of 'AMID, and destroyed the force which was with him; he escaped by himself from the TATARS,
and went up into one of the mountains of the SUFNAYE. And there, although they did not recognize him, the
KURDS killed him. Some say that it was the custodian of his apparel who was killed, and that he himself
escaped and dressed himself in the apparel of him who had been killed. Now the apparel was [made] of wool.
And he wandered round about through the countries secretly (i.e. disguised).

Then a legion of the TATARS invaded the country of the fortress of ZAID, and it came on as far as the
EUPHRATES, which is in MELITENE, and it crossed the plain of HANAZIT. And because the whole
population through their terror had fled to the places and towns which were disaffected and the fortresses,
there was not much destruction. And those TATARS went back and ruled over 'ADHORBIJAN, and
SHAHARZUR, and they subjugated the IBERIANS also. And MUTAFAR AD-DIN heard and was afraid,
and he sent and begged for help from the Khalifah. And JAMAL AD-DIN KASHTEMUR was sent to him
with a numerous army. And the remnant of the KHAWARAZMIANS which remained—about ten thousand
—went back and took refuge with Sultan 'ALA AD-DIN, the lord of BETH RHOMAYE, and they gave them
places for them to live in (or, their maintenance), and they continued to be subject unto him until he died.

At this time the Khan, the son of CHINGIZ KHAN, having received the kingdom of the MONGOLS, took a
numerous army and went to the countries of the OUTER SINAYE (CHINESE), that is to say KATAYE, who
are called 'KATA'. And first of all they encamped against a city the name of which is KHUJBANUTAKSIN
(KHUJABNUYAKSIN?), which is [situated] on the great river which is called KARA MURAN, wherein
there were twenty (or, ten) thousand warriors. [464] And having made war on it for forty days, those who
were inside it were vanquished. And certain of the nobles of the city went out and received a pledge for their
lives from the Khan. And all those fighting men embarked in boats and fled by river. And the Khan became
master of the city, and he did no harm to any man therein.

And from there he began a march of penetration into those countries. Then the king of the KHATHAYE, who
was called 'ALTON KHAN, that is to say , 'Gold King', collected his army of one hundred thousand valiant
men of war and sent them to meet the TATARS. And when they came they surrounded the TATARS like a
ring, for they were very mighty warriors. Then when the Khan saw their strength he employed another plan
of action, and he commanded the sorcerers and men who knew enchantments who were with him to bring
forth the rain-stone. And when they had brought it out and had performed their mysteries for three whole
days and three whole nights, mighty torrents of rain began to come down on the KHATAYE, and heavy falls
of snow and frosts and bitterly cold blasts in the days ot TAMMUZ (JULY). Then the TATARS, like the
wolves which worry the flocks, worried the KHATAYE, and they broke them with an evil breaking. Then
'ALTON KHAN fled to his royal city, and he collected his wives, and his children, and his brethren, and all
his kinsfolk into his palace. And he commanded all his servants and they heaped up many piles of blocks of
wood and set them on fire, and he and all his people were burned to death. And the Mongol troops came and
looted the city, the name of which was 'NAMKINAG', and many other cities, and they killed many people in
them, and they took fine young men and lovely maidens as prisoners without number.

And thus the Khan returned from there with great joy, and he came to the mountains of KARA KURAM, and
he built a city and he called it 'URDU-BALIK'’, that is 'the City of the Camp', and which is known at this day
as the city of KARA KURAM. And he brought craftsmen and dwellers from the country of the KHATAYE
and the Countries of the ARABS, and he settled them therein. And whilst the Khan was engaged in rejoicing
over the victory which had come to him, his young brother TULI, whom he loved dearly, died, [465] and he
grieved for him greatly. And he commanded that his queen, whose name was SARKUTANI BAGIT, the
daughter of the brother of king JOHN, should administer his dominion. Now this queen had four grown-up
sons: 1, MUNGA, who ultimately became Khan; 2, KUBLAI; 3, HULAKU; and 4, ARIGH BOKA. And this
queen trained her sons so well that all the princes marvelled at her power of administration. And she was a
Christian, sincere and true like [queen] HELENA. And it was in respect of her that a certain poet said. 'If I
were to see among the race of women another woman like this, I should say that the race of women was far
superior to that of men’.

And at this time TUSHI, the eldest son of CHINGIZ KHAN, died. And he left seven grown-up sons who
were: TAMSHAL, HARDU, BATU, SIBARAN, TANGUTH, BARAKAH, and BARKAJAR. And from
among these the Khan selected BATU, and to him he handed over the northern countries of the SLAVS, and
the GERMANS, and the RUSSIANS, and the BULGARIANS. And his seat was on the great river which is
called 'ITIL (i.e. the VOLGA). And BATU, whilst going on the northern road from the country of the
IBERIANS to the countries of the BULGARIANS and SCYTHIANS, destroyed their populations by the
edge of the sword, and blotted out their kingdoms. And because the command of the Khan had gone forth in
this wise: '[The troops] shall cut off the right ear of every BULGARIAN and RUSSIAN who is killed, when
they counted the ears, two hundred and seventy thousand ears were found with the TATARS.

And the Khan continued to wax strong, And he prepared to attack CONSTANTINOPLE from the quarter of
the BULGARIANS. And the kings of the FRANKS heard [of this], and they gathered together and they met

BATU in battle, and they broke him and made him flee. And no man of the TATARS afterwards went to the
country of the FRANKS, but they dwelt in the plain of CAPPADOCIA. Now the son of this BATU was
called 'SARTAK". This man loved the Christian religion and was baptized. And he learned to read and to
write, and was appointed a deacon. He died on the road as he was going to the service of MANGU KHAN, as
will be shown.

And in the year [466] fifteen hundred and forty-three [of the GREEKS, A.D. 1232], the TATARS sallied forth
again and laid waste certain towns and returned to PERSIA. And when the Sultan 'ALA AD-DIN saw that he
was no match for their strength, he decided what tribute he was to pay, and made friends with them. And
being free from anxiety in respect of the TATARS, 'ALA AD-DIN SULTAN went and took KHALAT from
"ASHRAF, and he also took many fortresses from DARMANIA, together with the city of SURMARI. And
KAMIL, the lord of EGYPT, took 'AMID from its lord and gave him village[s] to provide for his subsistence.

And in the year six hundred and thirty of the ARABS (A.D. 1232) the physician MUHADAB, a native of
DAMASCUS, who was called 'DAKHWAR’, died. This man in the beginning of his career dwelt in the bazar,
and he healed the sick for money. Then he was in the service of one of the sons of 'ADIL, and he did much
harm to his fellow physicians, and stopped them from practising. For he was a deceitful (or, treacherous) man
with his tongue, and a reviler [of men], and in his habits he was prodigal and dissolute. And at the end of his
days he was attacked by an evil disease in his tongue—the member wherewith he injured his fellow
physicians, and the power of speech was taken from him and he became dumb. And that disease increased in
virulence, and overcame him, and at length it killed him by death. And because he had no heir, he made a will
in which he directed that his house should become a training college for those who were learning and
teaching the art of healing; and he also placed all his books therein. And in his evil-mindedness he decreed
that no men other than MUSLIMS, neither JEWS nor Christians; should enter that college to read (or, study)
therein. And this regulation is observed at the present day in DAMASCUS. And Jewish and Christian
students of medicine read and study outside the precincts of that training college.

And in this year, that is to say in the ninth month of the year six hundred and thirty of the ARABS (A.D.
1232), died MUTAFAR AD-DIN KUKBURI, the son of ZAYN AD-DIN 'ALI KUSHAK (KUJEK), the lord
of 'ARBIL, and he was taken to the city of MAKKAH and there he was buried. And the Khalifah sent troops
to 'ARBIL with TAHIR AD-DIN 'ABU 'ALI 'ARID 'ALGASH, and the captain of the host BAHA AD-DIN
BUNGUSH. And when the men of 'ARBIL refused to yield, SHARAF AD-DIN SHERABI was sent and he
made war on it, [467] and he burnt the GATE OF 'AMKAWA ('‘AMKABAD), and the BABHLAYE entered
'ARBIL and they looted it, and after a short time they became masters of its Citadel also. And there were in it
the governor SHAMS AD-DIN BATKIN, and 'ARID ALGASH, and a nobleman (sharif) whose name was
'ABU AL-MA'ALI MAHAMAD, the son of NASIR SALAYA, and MUSHRIF, the son of SADAKAH.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the beginning of the kingdom of Badr ad-Din Lulu, the lord of Mawsil.

And in the year fifteen hundred and forty-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 1232-1233), a patent of sovereignty
was written by the Khalifah for BADR AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, and he was proclaimed Sultan. For
the young man NASIR AD-DIN MAHMUD, the son of KAHIR (KRAH), the son of NUR AD-DIN, was
already dead. Now the sons of 'ADIL murmured greatly against the Sultan 'ALA AD-DIN because he had
taken KHALAT from them. And they collected a mighty crowd [of soldiers] from EGYPT to BIROA. And
there were associated with the EGYPTIANS also the lord of the fortress of ZAID, and the lord of MARDIN,
and the lord of MAWSIL, and MALIK 'AFDAL, the son of SALAH AD-DIN, the lord of SAMOSATA, and
a very large number of the MA'DAYE, and also the TAGHLABAYE.

And in the year fifteen hundred and forty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1234), the Sultan also collected a great
gathering of FRANKS, and GREEKS, and ARMENIANS, and IBERIANS, and KHAWARAZMIANS, and
more than one hundred thousand [men], all of them men of the chase, and he took them and went to the
country of PALESTINE, whither the EGYPTIANS and those who were with them were ready to go. And the
sons of 'ADIL having sent out spies, and seen that they were unable [to cope with] the force (or, army) of the
Sultan, went and took the fortress of MANSUR, and destroyed all his country, and then their gathering was
disbanded and they returned to their own country. And the Sultan came to MELITENE with the great army
which was with him, and then he crossed the EUPHRATES and went and encamped against the fortress of
ZAID, and he made himself master of the city quickly and looted it. Now the lord thereof, together with six
thousand horsemen who had come from the EGYPTIANS to his help, fled and went into the Citadel of the
city. And the Sultan set up engines of war against them, and being reduced to misery by the war, and by
hunger and thirst, they took a pledge for their lives. Then the Sultan sent those EGYPTIANS, whose captain
was SHAMS [468] AD-DIN SUAB, the chief eunuch of KAMIL, in honour to EGYPT. And the lord of the
fortress of ZAID, together with all his treasures and wives, he sent to the sea coast. And when he had been
living therefor about three years he destroyed him secretly, and he built the Citadel and the city strongly and
caused it to be inhabited. And again he sent an army to SAMOSATA, and he laid waste its country, but he
was unable to take the city. Because the winter was coming on the Sultan left and went to 'TALYA
(‘ATALYA or SATALYA?), a city on the sea-coast, in order to pass the winter there according to his custom.
And when the summer came the Sultan collected his troops from among various peoples, about one hundred
horsemen, and a large number of footmen, and he made them ready to go and attack the city of 'AMID.

Then the report reached him that KAMIL was perturbed by the treachery which had overtaken him through
his son who reigned in the south. Therefore the Sultan stopped the expedition against 'A MID, because [that
city] was very strong, and it could only be captured with difficulty after a prolonged [attack]. And he sent his
troops against the city of EDESSA in the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE) of the year fifteen hundred and forty-
six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1235), and they attacked it with fierce warfare. And the men of EDESSA who
were inside the city fought upon the walls strenuously. And in those days certain troops from BETH
RHOMAYE went against SIBABARAK and took it. And they also went against CALONICUS, which is

RAKKA, and they took that also; and they broke down the walls and looted it in anger. Then the men of
HARRAN became afraid, and they took the keys of HARRAN and brought [them] to the Sultan in
MELITENE; and he accepted them and sent [the men] back in honour. But the men of EDESSA were very
audacious, and they hurled insults and mockings at the Sultan, and because of this the Sultan was exceedingly
angry, and he went personally to attack it. Therefore the troops of BETH RHOMAYE fought with their
utmost strength and skill, and they captured the city by means of the holes [which they made in the walls],
and the ladders which they set up against the ramparts. And a countless host of men thronged into it, and they
plundered and looted the houses of the nobles. And they stripped the men and women naked, and they carried
away the furniture and adornments of the 'temples' and the sacred vessels of the famous churches which were
in the city. And they undressed the free men and the free women, and drove them outside the city on to the
dung heaps that were between the tents of skins, and they became scorched and blistered by the fierce heat of
the days of [469] TAMMUZ (JULY). And the captains of hosts, and the fighting men who were found in the
city, about two thousand, were sent away naked into the inner countries of BETH RHOMAYE. And in the
city of EDESSA were found vast amounts of gold and silver, and saddles, and bridles and harness, and war
equipments which KAMIL had left there when he returned from 'ABLASTAYN. And the Sultan fortified
EDESSA anew, and he left therein fighting men, and architects and carpenters, and likewise in HARRAN,
and he returned to BETH RHOMAYE.

When KAMIL heard of the calamity which had taken place in EDESSA, he sallied forth from EGYPT with a
great army and came against EDESSA four months after the army of BETH RHOMAYE had departed
therefrom. And with great violence he destroyed the great tower of the fortress of EDESSA, and he mounted
the nobles, and the fighting men, and the artisans whom he found therein on camels and carried them away
and sent them to EGYPT.

And in this year there was a great scarcity of grain in BETH RHOMAYE and BETH NAHRIN, and the vines
and the trees shrivelled up through the severity of the winter which took place. For from the month of the
LATTER TESHRIN (NOVEMBER) to the full moon of the month of SHEBAT (FEBRUARY), the great
EUPHRATES was frozen over, and no rain fell on the young crops.

And in the year fifteen hundred and forty-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 1236), the Sultan 'ALA AD-DIN sent
many troops against 'AMID, and they waged war against it for four months, and they were unable to take it,
but they looted and laid waste its suburbs, and went back. And in the year six hundred and thirty-three of the
ARABS (A.D. 1235), MALIK NASIR DAWUD, the son of MU'ATAM, the son of 'ADIL, the lord of
KARAK, went to BAGHDAD to the Khalifah to lay complaints against his uncles KAMIL and 'ASHRAF,
who had robbed him of DAMASCUS. And in the year also RUKN AD-DIN MALIK SALIH 'ESMA'IL, the
son of BADR AL-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, went to BAGHDAD to render service to the Khalifah.

And at this time the TATARS arrived at 'ARBIL, and from there they came to NINEVEH, and they encamped
on the canal of the village of 'KARMELISH', and the inhabitants fled and went into the church therein. And
the TATARS took the church, and two nobles sat by the two doors of the church. And one of them spared and
set free those who went out by his door, and the other with the edge of the sword destroyed the men and
women and children who went out by his door.

And from there the TATARS passed over to the country of SINJAR, and they attacked suddenly the great
camp [470] of the merchants who were going to SYRIA, and they killed them all.

And in the year fifteen hundred and forty-eight [of the GREEKS, A.D. 1237], Sultan ALA AD-DIN collected
various people, the MA'DAYE, and the KHAWARAZMIANS, and the HUNS, and the GREEKS, and the
FRANKS, and the ARMENIANS, and the IBERIANS, and he made them ready to march against 'AMID.

Now the festival of the ARABS was nigh at hand, and the Sultan made a great feast for all his nobles. And
whilst they were eating, and drinking, and enjoying all the various songs [and dances], the Sultan, who was
seated on his lofty throne, and was in high spirits and enjoying the sight of them thoroughly, felt a pain in his
bowels, and he went forth to the latrine and began to evacuate blood in large quantities. And having
continued to suffer violent pain for a day and a night, he departed this life on the second day [of the week], at
the beginning of the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE) of the year fifteen hundred and forty-eight of the GREEKS
(A.D. 1237), which is the year six hundred and thirty-four of the ARABS (A.D. 1236), at the beginning of
SHAWAL, the ninth month.

And in this year also died MALIK 'AZIZ, the lord of ALEPPO, and his son MALIK NASIR SALAH AD-
DIN, whom the ARABS killed in our own days, reigned after him. And in the year there died also MALIK
MUHSIN, the son of the great SALAH AD-DIN, in ALEPPO. And in the tenth month of this year the
TATARS came again to 'ARBIL, and they encamped on the LOWER ZABHA river. And the people of
'ARBIL fled naked to the Citadel, and the TATARS took possession of the houses of the city, and carried
away much loot; and then they burned many houses, And they attacked the Citadel for about forty days, and
much gold was given to them, and they took [it] and departed.

Now this Sultan 'ALA AD-DIN KAI KUBAD was one by himself among the kings of his generation. He was
alert in appearance, and perfect in mind, and pure in body. For he was exalted above all the foul passions
wherewith the kings of the Arabs are accustomed to pollute themselves. He was fierce towards offenders, and
in judgements just. He brought into subjection to his dominion many cities and fortified towns (or, citadels),
and he made his power to spread abroad. And in the hour in which he died, at noon of the afore-mentioned
day, the nobles being assembled took his eldest son, whose name was GHAYATH AD-DIN KAI KESRU,
[471] and brought him into the city of CAESAREA, and swore oaths of fealty to him. And they seated him
on the throne of KAI KUBAD, his father, and proclaimed him Sultan, and there was great joy among the
populace. And he commanded, and the prisoners who were in bonds were set free throughout his dominions,
and those who were in EGYPT were made free men by the death of him because of whom they had been
made captives. And it is said that the number of those who were liberated from affliction amounted to twelve
thousand.

And the new Sultan himself wished to seize the chiefs of the KHAWARAZMIANS, because he was afraid of
them, lest they might rebel. And he seized one great chief whose name was KAIR (GAIR) KHAN, and the
remainder of them when they heard [of this] fled, and went forth from BETH RHOMAYE. And every place
where they passed they made horrible desolation. And they came to MELITENE and took prisoner SAIF
AD-DAWLAH,, its Subashi. And they crossed the EUPHRATES on foot to the Citadel of MASARA
(MUKRA?). And when they arrived at the frontier of the fortress of ZAID, by the side of the Citadel of
KHARBIZAG, the armies of those countries met them in battle, and they were broken before the
KHAWARAZMIANS, and the Subashi of the fortress of ZAID, whose name was BAIRAMIZ, was killed.
And they also despoiled the country of SAMOSATA (‘ARSHMISHAT). And from there they went down to
the country of SIBABARAK and of HAMIMTA, and they dwelt there for about three years, during which
they plundered the countries [round about]. Then they went and became subject to a young man whose name
was MALIK NASIR, the lord of ALEPPO, and he gave them EDESSA and HARRAN and the other cities of
BETH NAHRIN, and the land had rest from them.

Then the new Sultan GHAYATH AD-DIN sent and had brought to him the daughter of the queen of the
IBERIANS for a wife; and he loved her dearly. And he gave himself up to childishness of mind, and be began
to occupy himself with wine-bibbings and drinking bouts, and he amused himself with birds and animals.
And he left the government of his kingdom in the hands of his slaves, and each of them began to act as he
pleased. Now the queen, the IBERIAN woman, came from her country in the garb of the Christians, and with

her were a Catholicus and holy men, and priests of the Church. And with her also was her brother, who was
called 'DAVID THE LITTLE’, and was the king of INNER IBERIA. And after a short time she renounced the
Christian Faith and became a Muslim. And her brother DAVID and the Catholicus were seized and shut up in
one of the Citadels, and they remained [472] there until the TATARS arrived, and took the fortress in which
they were imprisoned, when they were set free.

And at the beginning of the year six hundred and thirty-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1237), MALIK 'ASHRAF
'ISA, the son of 'ADIL, the son of 'AYUB, died in DAMASCUS when he was about sixty years of age. There
was no limit to the generosity of this man, and he was a great lover of dainty meats and luxurious repasts.
And in this year, which is the year fifteen hundred and forty-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 1238), the TATARS
turned and came again to the country of 'ARBIL, and they looted and laid waste. And they came as far as the
frontier of BAGHDAD, to the place which is called 'ANGABAD (ZANGABAD), and they looted it. Others
of them arrived at SURMANRAI, and they killed the population thereof. And the armies of BAGHDAD
sallied forth, and at their head stood MUJAHID AD-DIN DAWITHDAR, and the chief of the nobles was
SHARAF AD-DIN 'EKBAL SHERABI. And they met the TATARS in battle and put them to flight. And
being afraid lest they should return, the [soldiers] set up engines of war on the wall of BAGHDAD.

And in the year also MALIK PAIZ YA'KUB fled from his brother MALIK KAMIL to BAGHDAD, and he
wished to be in the service of the Khalifah. And after a short time MALIK KAMIL, the son of ‘ADIL, the
lord of EGYPT, died, and he was buried in DAMASCUS. He was an alert man and one to be feared, and he
lived seventy years. And his son MALIK 'ADIL, who was called by the name of his ancestor, rose up after
him in EGYPT. And MALIK SALIH, the brother of KAMIL, ruled over SYRIA, and he became powerful
among the KHAWARAZMIANS, and he added to them also HABURA. And MALIK NASIR, his brother's
son, who was at one time the lord of KARAK, wished to rule, but the time[s] did not help him (i.e. were
unfavourable). For this man was well instructed and was well versed in philosophic doctrines. It is related
concerning him that when he used to go to read with SHAMS AD-DIN, the philosopher in DAMASCUS, he
used to dismount a long way from [his house], and leaving there the slaves who were in his service, he would
carry his book under his cloak and go in to the philosopher, and read and go out, and that he would not permit
him to stand up to him.

And in the year the ISHMAELITES leaped upon BADR AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, and he was not
wounded. [473] And in the eleventh month of this year the TATARS returned to the frontier of BAGHDAD,
and they came as far as the place which is called KHANIKIN. And the armies of BAGHDAD sallied forth
and met them in battle. And the BABHLAYE (i.e. BABYLONIANS = men of BAGHDAD) were broken,
and of them only three nobles escaped, and the rest were destroyed by the edge of the sword. And the
TATARS took great loot and departed.

And in the year fifteen hundred and fifty of the GREEKS (A.D. 1239), which is the year six hundred and
thirty-six of the ARABS (A.D. 1238), the river TIGRIS overflowed, and destroyed many houses in
BAGHDAD, and two ships foundered and about fifty souls were drowned. And in the following year nothing
remarkable happened in the countries round about us.

And in the year fifteen hundred and fifty-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1240), in the month of HAZIRAN
(JUNE), the TATARS came, and they pillaged the country from the land of the IBERIANS to the frontier of
'ARZAN AR-RUM. And the armies of the RHOMAYE were called up, and they went to ARMENIA so that
they might prevent the TATARS from invading BETH RHOMAYE. And when the TATARS heard that there
was a gathering [of troops], they retreated and returned to the country of the SCYTHIANS. And those of
BETH RHOMAYE remained there until the winter, and then they returned to their own country. And in the

year TAJ BULGHARI, the compounder of THIRYAKI (i.e. the medicine which cured all ailments), was sent
as an ambassador from BETH RHOMAYE to BAGHDAD, and he died there aged ninety years.

And in the year fifteen hundred and fifty-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1241), which is the year six hundred and
thirty-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1240), at the season of the TESHRINS (OCTOBER and NOVEMBER), an
evil heresy concerning the Faith of the ARABS broke out. For a certain TURKOMAN, an old man and an
ascetic, whose name was 'PAPA' (BABA?), became notorious in the country of AMASIA. He called himself
'RASUL' that is to say, 'One who is sent' (i.e. Apostle), for he said that he was the Apostle of God in truth,
and that MAHAMAD was a liar, and not the Apostle [of God]. And a great many people of the
TURKOMANS cleaved to him, and they believed in him because of the apparitions which he showed them.
And he sent one of his disciples, whose name was 'Old man Isaac’, to the country of HSEN-MANSUR, which
was the limit of the countries of BETH RHOMAYE, so that he might teach from there, and come; and when
this man came he captivated many with the love of his master. And he made ready for him implements (or,
weapons) of war. And all the TURKOMAN troops sold their asses, and their oxen and their sheep, and
bought horses, and mounted them, [474] and began to loot the countries of HJEN MANSUR, and GARGAR,
and GAKHTI. And they killed every one who did not confess with his tongue that PAPA (BABA?) was 'a
divine Apostle and Prophet’.

Then the chief of MELITENE collected his army of five hundred horsemen, and he took to help him some of
those who were subjects of the Monastery of MAR BAR SAWMA, chosen men, fifty footmen, who could
shoot with the bow. And they went and met the TURKOMANS in battle, and those of BETH RHOMAYE
were defeated, and only a very few of the subjects of the Monastery escaped. Then the TURKOMANS
became exceedingly powerful, and many crowds of people cleaved to them. And they went to the country of
'ABLASTAYN and defeated the army there also; and they took (i.e. felt) an impulse to go to'AMASIA that
they might meet him whom they proclaimed. Then the nobles of BETH RHOMAYE made an ambush for that
old man PAPA (BABA?), and they caught him and strangled him. And when ISAAC his disciple and those of
his party went and could not find him, they spread the report that "he had gone up to bring the angels to their
assistance’. And they waged savage war against 'AMASIA. And about sixty thousand horsemen were
gathered together from BETH RHOMAYE, and they were unable to attack the little camp of those six
thousand ARABS.

Then one thousand Frankish horsemen who were in the service of the Sultan became inflamed with anger,
and they gnashed their teeth, and made the Sign of the Cross on their faces, and they rushed on those erring
men and scattered them. Then the ARABS also clung to them, and they surrounded the TURKOMANS like a
circle, and they destroyed them all with the edge of the sword, and of them they left no creature, neither man
nor woman, nor child, nor animal, with the breath of life therein. And thus that heresy was extinguished.

And in this year the armies of BETH RHOMAYE were gathered together, and at their head stood SINAN, the
Subashi of the fortress of ZAID, who was appointed in the place of BAIRAMIZ, who had been killed, and
they went and encamped against 'AMID. And the lord thereof, who was the son of KALLIL, was in EGYPT.
And those who were from BETH RHOMAYE made a pact with the guards, and they promised them silver
(i.e. money) and the guards surrendered the city. And the men of ALEPPO also went with those of BETH
RHOMAYE as auxiliaries. [475] And when they had taken 'AMID, they also wished to go against
MAIPERKAT and to take it. But MALIK GHAZI, its lord, the brother of KAMIL, sent and brought
KHAWARAZMIANS from BETH NAHRIN to his help. And he waxed strong and he was not overcome by
his enemies, especially because the men of ALEPPO had ceased to fight with him; for he was the brother of
their Lady (1.e. queen), that is to say, the mother of MALIK TAHIR, the father of MALIK NASIR, the lord of
ALEPPO. Then SINAN having taken 'AMID, a command of the Sultan came to him to go to'ARZAN AR-
ROM, and to rule there and to stand up against the onset of the TATARS. And as soon as he had gone

JURMAGHON NAWIN came with a strong army of the TATARS. And in a very few days they captured that
fortified place, and they destroyed the whole population thereof with the edge of the sword, both men and
women, with the exception of the young men and maidens who were suitable for slavery; and they also killed
SINAN and his young son, and they left the place a ruin and departed.

And at the turn of the year, which is the year fifteen hundred and fifty-three [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1242)],
the TATARS again sallied forth, and came as far as the country of the fortress of ZAID, and they looted
everything which they found and returned to PERSIA. And in the year fifteen hundred and fifty-four of the
GREEKS (A.D. 1243) the Sultan GHAYATH AD-DIN collected very many troops, and he took for gold (1.e.
he hired) horsemen from ALEPPO, and from the GREEKS, and from the FRANKS, and from the
MA'DAYE. Then the lord of EMESA, and MALIK GHAZI, the lord of MAIPERKAT, promised that they
also would come, but they deceived the Sultan and did not come. And BARON CONSTANTINE, the father
of the king of the ARMENIANS, HAITUM, came to the Sultan at CAESAREA, and he was received with
great honour, and he collected many gifts, and he promised to go and call together many ARMENIANS, and
to come to the help of the Sultan. And the Sultan marched on towards SEBASTIA. And also the TATARS
came and invaded the country of 'ARZENGAN. And the Sultan made haste and went to meet them. And his
armies met the TATARS in battle at a place which is called 'KAWSATAGH', that is to say, TURA
MESANTA. And like inexperienced troops, from the very beginning of the attack they turned [their] backs
[in flight], and they were wholly unable to continue the battle before the TATARS; on the contrary, in one
hour they fled and left the Sultan by himself. Then the Sultan, [476] who was smitten with astonishment, took
his wife and his sons and went and made himself safe in the city of ANCYRA.

Now when the TATARS saw that the [Sultan's troops] had fled without striking a blow, and had left their tents
standing, they thought that there was treachery afoot, and that like men who were making an ambush, they
had turned away. And when they had waited a day, and had sent out spies, and were certain that their flight
was not a stratagem, they roared like panthers and rushed into the tents and looted everything which they
found. And they spread themselves about in the countries of BETH RHOMAYE. And they came to
SEBASTIA, and the people who were therein made terms with them, and they brought out much gold and
bought their own souls from slaughter, and their sons and daughters from slavery. And the TATARS went into
the city, and sacked the royal treasuries, and whatsoever pleased them they took, and the weapons of war they
burned, and they wrecked four (or, forty) cubits of the [top of] the wall all round the city.

And another chief went to CAESAREA, and the inhabitants thereof did not wish to surrender it. Then they all
gathered together against it, and they breached its wall with engines of war, and they went in, and sacked the
royal treasuries, and burned the wonderful houses and buildings. And they tortured the nobles and the free
men, and they stabbed them with swords until they had stripped them of all their money. And after that they
killed therein many tens of thousands of people, and carried off the young men and the young women into
captivity.

And when the mother of the Sultan GHAYATH AD-DIN heard of the destruction, she took her daughter, the
Sultan's sister and her slaves, and her handmaidens, and her treasures, and went into the country of CILICIA.
And she took refuge with BARON CONSTANTINE, the father of king HAITUM, who also had deceived the
Sultan in respect of coming to his assistance, and who had delayed until he saw what the end of the matter
would be. Now when they heard that the mother of the Sutaan was there, they sent a messenger and
demanded her from PALI, the father of the king. And some say that PALI himself to please the TATARS had
sent a message to them saying, 'Such and such a person is with me; send ye that I may give her to you'. And
as soon as ever the ambassadors had gone they delivered her over into the hands of the TATARS. And this
most hateful and blameworthy act appeared in the sight of all kings as a thing which should never have been

done. And the queen was carried away into captivity, and behold, she is there to this day, [477] and is not
released.

And at that time the TURKOMANS of the country of 'ABLASTAYN invaded our glorious monastery which
is called DAIRA DHE KARIRE, and they killed therein fifteen monks, the greater number of them being
doctors, together with deacons and other subordinate clergy. And when those accursed men set their faces to
flee, the TATARS overtook them and destroyed them all with the edge of the sword. And thus justice was
avenged on them after three days, and with the same death wherewith they had put other's to death, they
themselves were put to death.

Now when the report of the breaking of the Sultan burst into MELITENE, the Subashi RASHID AD-DIN,
together with the rest of the officers of the palace, went by night into the royal treasury, and divided the gold
and the silver which they found there among themselves, and they threw open the doors and fled towards
ALEPPO. And the famous men among the nobles of the city, and especially Christians who had the power to
flee, went forth from the city. And when they arrived at the mountain which is called BETH GAWZE, one
day's journey from the city, a body of TATARS overtook them and destroyed most of them; and they carried
off the sons and daughters into captivity. And a few of them saved themselves by flight, and they came into
the city naked and sandalless. Now when the various sections of the peoples who were inhabitants of the city,
the robbers (?), and the weavers, and others, saw that the governors and chiefs had left the city and fled, the
ARABS and the Christians gathered together to the Metropolitan of MELITENE, MAR DIONYSIUS, that is
to say 'ANGUR, who afterwards became Patriarch. And they entreated him to undertake the protection of the
city, for he was a watchful and diligent man, and the Christians and the ARABS swore oaths of fealty to each
other. And all night long they marched round on the walls and kept watch, and in the day-time they sat at the
gate of the city, for there was only one of them which they could open, that is either the main gate or the gate
of the palace. And the city remained in a state of perturbation for about two months, until the TATARS had
departed from BETH RHOMAYE. And God helped, and they did not come to MELITENE, except those only
who chanced to be on the path of the fugitives in BETH GAWZE.

Then the TATARS on their return encamped against 'ARZENGAN, and they demanded gold from the lords
thereof, and they would not be persuaded to give [any]. Then the TATARS were filled with anger, and they
set up engines of war against it, and they threw down its wall very quickly; and they went in and looted it,
and killed its population and utterly destroyed the city. Then Sultan GHAYATH AD-DIN sent ambassadors to
the TATARS, and sued for peace, and he undertook to pay tribute [in] gold, horses, cattle, sheep, and slaves.

And in this year, which is the year six hundred and forty of the ARABS (A.D. 1242), the Khalifah
MUSTANSER died.

After MUSTANSER, MUSTA'SEM, his son, [ruled] sixteen years. This man possessed a childish
understanding, and was incapable of distinguishing good from bad; and he occupied all his time in playing
with doves, and in amusing himself with games with birds. And when it was said unto him, 'The TATARS are
preparing to capture BAGHDAD, even as they have captured other, famous cities in PERSIA and destroyed
[them]', he replied, 'This is our throne, and if we do not give them permission they cannot come in’. And thus
God made an end of the kingdom of the 'ABBASIDES in the days of this foolish man.

And in the year fifteen hundred and fifty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1244) one of the chiefs of the TATARS
whose name was YASAWUR (NASAWUR) NAWIN descended on the country of MAIPERKAT, and
MARDIN, and EDESSA. And he crossed the EUPHRATES and came to the place, the name of which is
HAILAN, which is by the gate of ALEPPO. But he did not draw nigh unto the city because the horses of the
army which was with him were smitten in their legs (hooves?) by the dryness of the ground and the heat; now

they descended in the days of summer. And having taken those countries NASAWUR sent to the lord of
ALEPPO and demanded gold from him. And [this lord] having given to him everything which he demanded,
NASAWUR went back from there. He came and he encamped against MELITENE, and he destroyed the
crops, and the vineyards and the bees. And they killed every one who was found outside the city. And they
sent and threatened the governor of the city, who was RASHD AD-DIN, for he had returned from ALEPPO.
And the governor collected a very large amount of money, zuze, and dinars, and chains (i.e. jewellery), and
vessels of gold and silver, which was equal [in value] to forty thousand dinars of gold. And he stole also the
vessels of the sanctuary, and he brought out chalices, and phials, and censers, and lamp-stands, and the
coffins (funerary caskets) of the saints, from [479] the treasury of the great church, and gave them to the
TATARS. And they took [them] and departed to PERSIA. And after their departure there was a great famine
in MELITENE and its suburbs, and sickness (plague), and the land was filled with wretched people who were
perishing like animals in the bazars. And many people [tried to] sell their sons and their daughters for slaves,
but there was no one to buy them.

At this time 'ISA, the physician of EDESSA, who was the disciple of HASNON the physician, was famous in
MELITENE. This man went from MELITENE to CILICIA, and lived in the service of the king. And he built
the foundations of a wonderful church in the name of Saint MAR BAR-SAWMA.

And in the year fifteen hundred and fifty-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1245), the TATARS went to BAGHDAD,
and they were not able to capture it because a great crowd of the people rose up and opposed them with a
violent assault, and turned them back empty. And in this year the Sultan GHAYATH AD-DIN became
inflamed with anger, and he sent a multitude of troops to lay waste CILICIA, because they had handed his
mother and sister over to the TATARS. And the men of BETH RHOMAYE went and encamped against the
city of TARSOS, and they made fierce war upon it. And there was present there PALI, the father of king
HAITUM, with the KONTUSTABL (= Constable) his eldest son, and they also from within successfully
resisted those who were outside because of the large number of FRANKS which they had with them. And
torrential downpours of rain drenched those who were outside, and they began to be in evil case. And they
were unable either to depart to another place in the country, or to bring food for themselves and their horses,
because of the abominable mud (or, clay} which was there, and which was almost deep enough to swallow up
a horse and his rider. And whilst they were in this miserable state the report of the death of the Sultan reached
them. And they had a period of relief, and they left and went out of the country before this report was heard
by the ARMENIANS. Now the Sultan GHAYATH AD-DIN died in the season of autumn, at the beginning of
the year fifteen hundred and fifty-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 1246). He had three young sons, 'IZZ AD-
DIN, and RUKN AD-DIN, and 'ALA AD-DIN. And the nobles swore oaths of fealty to 'IZZ AD-DIN, the
eldest son, and proclaimed him [480] Sultan KAI KAUS. And then the ambassadors of the MONGOLS came
requiring the Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN to come and pay homage to the Khan. And he excused himself, saying that
if he turned aside the GREEKS and ARMENIANS who were his enemies would snatch his country from
him. Therefore he sent his brother RUKN AD-DIN as a mediator, and he promised that at some other time he
himself would go.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the enthronement of Ghoyuk [Guyuk] Khan in the place of the Khan his
brother.

At this time when the Khan was sick, he sent a messenger to fetch his son GHOYUK, so that he might come
and have the kingdom handed over to him if the lot fell upon him. And having risen up to come, and having
arrived in the neighbourhood, the Khan departed from the world before his son could reach him. Now the
Khan's queen, who was the mother of GHOYUK, and whose name was TURKINA, was exceedingly wise
and discreet. And therefore JAGHATAI, and the other sons of kings, commanded that she should govern the
kingdom until they could all be gathered together and form an administration. And having sent ambassadors
to each other, they all assembled in the early days of the spring. From the east KUTAN (KUBAN?) and
'AUTKIN, the brother of CHINGIZ KHAN, and 'ALSHATAI (‘ALJATAI); and from the west KARAMURI,
and BAIDAR and TURKAN, the sons of JAGHATAI; and from the north, since BATU could not come in
person, he sent four of his brothers; and from the IGHURAYE the Amir MAS'UD BAG; and from
KHORASAN the Amir 'ARGHON; and from BETH RHOMAYE Sultan RUKN AD-DIN; and from
CILICIA HAITUM the king; and from the IBERIANS DAWID the Great and DAWID the Less; and from
SYRIA the brothers of the lord of ALEPPO; and from BAGHDAD FAKR AD-DIN, the Judge of the Judges;
and ambassadors from the FRANKS; and also ambassadors from 'ALA AD-DIN, the lord of 'ALAMUTH,
that is to say the chief of the ISHMAELITES who carry daggers (or, knives).

And there being three sons of the Khan who were eligible for the kingdom, GHOYUK, and KUTAN, and
SIRAMON, who was a young child, TURKINA, the queen their mother, chose GHOYUK, and all the sons of
the kings and the nobles agreed with her. And when GHOYUK himself according to [his] custom [481] put
forth excuses and said, 'So-and-so is [more] fitting, and so-and-so is [more] fitting’, they took him by force
and seated him on the throne of the kingdom. And they bowed their knees nine times and did homage to him,
and they took the cup and made him drink therefrom.

And being firmly seated on the throne he began to rule well, for he was an enlightened man and he was very
sagacious. He handed over the countries of BETH RHOMAYE and of the IBERIANS, and 'ATHOR
(ASSYRIA), and SYRIA, and CILICIA to one of the chiefs whose name was 'AILSHIKATAI (or,
ILJIKATAI). He sent the great Amir YALWAJ to the country of KATA. He gave PERSIA to MAS'UD BAG.
And he delivered over to the Amir 'ARGHON KHORASAN, and HAMADAN,and ADHORBIJAN, and
SHERWAN, and LOR, and KERMAN as far as INDIA. And he commanded that RUKN AD-DIN should be
Sultan of BETH RHOMAYE. And he sent king HAITUM back with honour, and the IBERIANS and the
FRANKS likewise. He sent to the Khalifah threatenings as concerning rebels, and he drove away the
ambassadors of the ISHMAELITES with mockings and insults. And because KADAK the Christian was
employed in his service from the beginning, he became a councillor and governor. And GHOYUK KHAN
himself was a true Christian, and in his days the horn of many followers of CHRIST was exalted, and his
camp was filled with holy men, and priests, and monks. At this time a certain Arab woman whose name was
FATMAH KHATUN was a close friend and beloved by TURKINA KHATUN, the mother of GHOYUK

KHAN, and unto her the secrets of the queen was revealed. And by ill luck calumnies were uttered
concerning her to GHOYUK KHAN, and the calumniators said, 'She will work sorcery (or, magic) on thee
and thy brothers’. And he sent and demanded her from his mother, and when she would not give her up, he
took her by force from her and killed her. And through this, strife broke out between him and his mother, and
after a little while his mother died also.

As for the Arab woman FATMA, they left her naked and without food and drink for many days, and then they
flogged her until she confessed that she was a sorceress. Then they sewed up the openings in her body, the
upper and the lower, and they placed her in cloth and cast her into the water and she was drowned. And they
also killed all her kinsfolk who had gathered together about her. For within a very little she became the ruler
of all [482] the great kingdom through [her influence with] queen TURKINA.

And very soon after that [event] GHOYUK KHAN, having risen up to go to the western countries, and
arrived at a certain place which was only a journey of seven days distant from the city of BISH BALIGH, the
end overtook him. Then certain of the nobles of BETH RHOMAYE also wished that the intermediate son of
GHAYATH AL-DIN, that is to say RUKN AD-DIN, should reign. And when the Wazir SHAMS AD-DIN, a
native of 'ESFAHAN, perceived [this], he seized them all and killed them. And he magnified himself in his
own eyes, and he took the mother of the Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN to wife, and he begot by her a son. And this
high-handed (or, arrogant) act was evil in the eyes of every man. And having made ready much gold, and
royal apparel, and horses, together with the intermediate son RUKN AD-DIN, he sent him, as a hostage to the
TATARS, as we have said, for the sake of consolidating the peace. When the young man came to GHOYUK
KHAN, one of the nobles who was with RUKN AD-DIN, that is to say BAHA AD-DIN TARJAN,
calumniated the Wazir to the Khan, saying, 'He killed the nobles, and he took the wife of the Sultan who was
dead, and he commanded and set up a new Sultan without your command".

Then the Khan commanded that 'IZZ AD-DIN should come down from the throne, and that RUKN AD-DIN,
who hath seen our face, should reign, and that BAHA AD-DIN TARJAN should be his Wazir, and that
SHAMS AD-DIN should finish (i.e lose his office). And when they turned their gaze to come, the Wazir
heard and trembled. And he sent to RASHID AD-DIN, the Subashi of MELITENE, who was then the Amir
‘ARID, with much gold and precious stones, [asking him] to go to the Khan and bring to him the
confirmation of the command. And when this man arrived at 'ARZENGAN he heard that RUKN AD-DIN
SULTAN and BAHA AD-DIN TARJAN were near to arrive (i.e. they would soon appear). And being afraid,
he took up the treasure which he had with him to the fortress of KAMAH, and he together with a few men
fled to ALEPPO. And after a little time BAHA AD-DIN arrived, and with him there were two thousand
MONGOLS. And RUKN AD-DIN was proclaimed Sultan in 'ARZENGAN, and in SEBASTIA, and in
CAESAREA, and in MELITENE, and in the Citadels of ZAID and 'AMID. And new rulers and governors
were appointed in every place, and they abolished those of 'IZZ AD-DIN. And TARJAN sent an ambassador
[483] to ALEPPO, and he seized RASHID AD-DIN, who had fled thither, and brought him and shut him up
in the fortress which is called 'HABIG'. No man of those who were shut up in that fortress escaped death
except this man, who was subsequently pardoned and was saved. For on the wall of this fortress, upon a very
high rock, is a door, and outside this is a small tablet (or, step) on which—unless he sitteth down—a man can
only with the greatest difficulty find standing room. And when the judgement of death went forth against one
of the honourable nobles, and they did not wish to lay hands upon him and kill him, they would take him out
and make him stand upon that step, and shut the door in his face. And when he had stood there for a day or
two, he would be overcome by sleep and would fall down and die. All these goings and comings to the
TATARS took place within three years.

And in the year fifteen hundred and sixty of the GREEKS (A.D. 1249), when BAHA AD-DIN arrived and
the TATARS with him, SHAMS AD-DIN, the native of 'ESFAHAN, feared and trembled, and he wished to

take Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN and to go in and rebel in one of the fortresses on the sea. And there was in KANYA
(KONYA?) a certain noble, an old slave of Sultan 'ALA AD-DIN, whose name was JALAL AD-DIN
KARATAI, and he was an ascetic who abstained from the eating of flesh, and from the drinking of wine, and
from women, and he was a good and merciful man. When this man perceived that the Wazir was ready to
take 'IZZ AD-DIN and flee, he sent and seized him in his house, and he cast iron fetters on him, and made
haste to inform BAHA AD-DIN. And he sent TATARS, and they came and tortured SHAMS AD-DIN, the
native of 'ESFAHAN, until he revealed and showed them endless treasures, and then they killed him. Now
this man was an educated and intelligent man, and when he perceived that they were going to put him to
death, he sent forth lamentations for himself in the Persian language, tearful phrases which were full of
sorrow, and were expressed in eloquent and polished words, and were exceedingly sweet. And when this man
was killed, JALAL AD-DIN became the director (or, administrator) of Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN. And the
countries were divided between the two brothers. And ICONIUM, and 'AKSARA, and ANCYRA, [484] and
'ANTALYA (SATALYA?), that is to say, the western cities, belonged to 'IZZ AD-DIN, and the eastern cities
to RUKN AD-DIN.

But the nobles of RUKN AD-DIN did not cease from quarrelling, and they wished that RUKN AD-DIN only
should be named Sultan, and that 'IZZ AD-DIN should be repudiated. On this KARATAI made a plan, and he
sent to them, saying, "Your wish shall be [accomplished] and RUKN AD-DIN is the great Sultan according to
the command of the Khan who is with you. But rise ye up and take him and come to 'AKSARA. And let 'IZZ
AD-DIN also come, and what his brother giveth him, in affection let him accept.’ And those nobles being
persuaded, took RUKN AD-DIN and came to 'AKSARA. And 'IZZ AD-DIN also went forth from ICONIUM
to go to'AKSARA. And the troops of the MA'DAYE hid themselves (i.e. made an ambush}, and they came
from the other side and smote and broke the bodyguard of RUKN AD-DIN, and they also seized BAHA AD-
DIN, his 'Atabag. And 'IZZ AD-DIN took his brother RUKN AD-DIN, and did him no harm, but carried him
into ICONIUM. And the three brothers sat together on the throne of his kingdom, and money was stamped
with the three names.

And after these things, that is in the year fifteen hundred and sixty-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1250),
RIDAFRANS (i.e. the king of FRANCE), one of the kings of the inner (i.e. remote) countries of the
FRANKS, went forth with a mighty collection of people, horsemen, and footmen, and soldiers, and mighty
men of war, and they sailed on the sea in great ships and in vessels which were filled with an endless amount
of gold and silver, and weapons of war, and provisions. And the earth quaked at the sound of them, and it was
reported that they were prepared to go forth to EGYPT. Now MALIK AS-SALH, the son of KAMIL, the lord
of EGYPT, who, because his younger brother 'ADIL died, had succeeded him [as lord} over EMESA, a city
in PALESTINE, was fighting in order to take it from MALIK 'ASHRAF, its lord, who was descended from
'ASAD AD-DIN SHIRKUH, the uncle of SALAH AD-DIN the Great, and subsequently TELL BASHIR was
his. Then SALIH, hearing the report of the FRANKS, left [485] EMESA, and with swift marches came to
EGYPT. And he went and encamped at a place which is called MANSURAH, where there are dense
plantations of trees. And he threw down the word (i.e. commanded) in the Arabic language, and there
gathered together to him large crowds of ARABS from ALEXANDRIA, and from KUS and from 'ASWAN.
And when the people of the city of DAMIETTA saw that the gaze of the FRANKS was directed to them,
terror fell upon them. And without the tribulation or war they emptied the city of everything which was in it,
and they took their families and all their possessions and went to EGYPT.

And the nobles of DAMIETTA went to the Sultan, and MALIK SALIH asked them 'if the FRANKS had
harassed them with war'. And they replied, 'No, but we are afraid lest that which happened once in 'AKKO
may happen to us; the FRANKS killed them (i.e. the men of 'AKKO), and no man pleased them'. And SALIH
was exceedingly angry with them, and he hung up sixty-four famous nobles on thirty-two crosses (or, stakes),
two to every cross, just as they were, with their apparel on their bodies and their shoes (or, sandals) on their

feet. And when he had crucified these men, he himself died a few days later through a virulent ulcer which
had broken out in his thigh; and it was cut out from him just as it was and fell down. And the Egyptian nobles
sent and brought MALIK MU'ATAM, the son of SALIH, who was then in the citadel of KIPA, and they made
him king in the place of his father. And his administrator was FAKR AD-DIN 'UTHMAN, the son of the
SHAIKH ASH-SHYUKH, the great Wazir.

Then the FRANKS drew nigh to the wall of DAMIETTA, and they did not hear the voice of the guards],
neither did they see any man in the towers, and they marvelled. And they also sent men who went inside the
harbour, and they never met a single person. And then they knew of a certainty that [the people] had fled, and
they drew nigh and went into the city with great content and gladness. And that day was the sixth day of the
week, and they did not find any man micturating by the wall; and the ships were supplying them with food of
all kinds from the sea.

But their contemptuous mind did not permit them to have patience until they learned the lie of the country,
and the fords of the rivers, and the roads, but they made haste and crossed a canal from the NILE, and they
marched a long way from water towards EGYPT by a road where there was no water. And certain [486]
troops of the ARABS passed on after them, and became a fence (or, barrier) between them and the water, and
others were in front of them. And they remained between the two [bodies of ARABS], being tortured with
hunger and thirst, and their horses with them. And the ARABS plucked up courage and smote them with an
exceedingly great smiting, and killed the greater number of them. And they made the nobles prisoners, and
the king whom they carried to MU'ATAM, and he shut him up near him in the place where he was encamped.
Then the young slaves who were of the same age as himself counselled MU'ATAM and said unto him, 'If
thou dost kill this Frankish king, during the whole time of thy life thou wilt never be free from war with the
FRANKS; for their kings are many and they are strong in their power. But make this king swear an oath that
for one hundred and twenty years from now neither he nor his brothers, or their sons or their grandsons will
draw swords against the ARABS. And set him free, and let him depart to his fellow religionists, giving
thanks for thy goodness. Thus thou wilt have rest and live in peace. And it will be unnecessary for thee to
scatter among the troops the treasures which thy fathers have laid up.'

And MU'ATAM inclined to their advice, and he had the king of FRANCE brought to him by night, and he
made him to take the oath according to what he wished. And he gave him many gifts and dismissed him.

It is said that during the days in which the king of FRANCE was a prisoner, the report reached him that the
queen his wife in DAMIETTA had borne him a son. And MU'ATAM heard [of it], and he sent to her gifts,
namely ten thousand red dinars and a golden cradle, together with royal raiment. Now as soon as the old
slaves of MU'ATAM'S father perceived that he had dismissed the king of FRANCE, they were filled with
rage, and they sent ships out to sea to seize him. And when they could not overtake him, they drew their
swords and attacked MU'ATAM. He fled from before them and went up into a wooden tower which he had
[available]. And they set fire to the tower. And when he saw himself in the middle of the fire he cast himself
into the sea and was drowned, and his body was never found.

Then the king of FRANCE brought out all his family from DAMIETTA, and came to 'AKKO, and he dwelt
there for some time. And he built CAESAREA of PHILIP, and other cities, and he left and went to his own
country.

And when MU'ATAM, the lord of EGYPT, was killed, [487] a certain man whose name was 'IZZ AD-DIN, a
TURKOMAN, one of his father's slaves, ruled over EGYPT, and he took to wife his lord's wife, a Turkish
woman who was called SHAJARATH AD-DURAR. And when he had been [king] for some time, one day
when he had gone to the bath to swim, she sent some of her small slaves and drowned him, because she

perceived that he wished to destroy her. And after the TURKOMAN there rose up in EGYPT his Turkish
slave whose name was 'KUTUZ’, and he was called 'MALIK MUTAFAR'. And he killed SHAJARATH AD-
DURAR, and cast her body to the dogs, pretending that he was avenging his lord, but he killed her because in
truth he was afraid lest she should kill him. Otherwise he would never have killed her, for she was renowned
for her beauty as a woman, and for her vigorous actions, which were those of a man. And at this time when
MALIK AN-NASIR, the lord of ALEPPO, saw that the slaves were reigning in EGYPT, and that they were
killing each other as a pastime, he collected his troops and rose up and went to DAMASCUS, and he reigned
over it quietly and in peace without any war.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

The Enthronement of Munga [Mongke] Khan.

Now when BATU, the son of TUSHI, the son of CHINGIZ KHAN, moved from his camp which was in the
country of the SAKSIN and BULGARIANS to go to see GHOYUK KHAN, and he came to the place which
is called AL-'AKMAK, in the neighbourhood of the city of KAYALIGH, the report of the death of GHOYUK
KHAN reached him. Therefore he remained where he was. And he sent ambassadors to all the sons of the
kings, and collected them near him. Those who were unable to come sent letters and said, 'BATU is the
greatest [prince] of us all. And we will approve of whatsoever he doeth and accept it.' And at the beginning
the sons of GHOYUK KHAN, together with the queen their mother, whose name was 'AOJUL GHANMISH
KHATUN, came to BATU, and they only remained two days. And they left and departed, leaving behind
TIMOR NAWIN, to whom they said, 'When the sons of the kings, great and small, are gathered together, to
whatsoever they agree, do thou also agree on our behalf. And when the whole collection [of princes] was
complete, they all committed the selection [of the Khan] to BATU, saying, 'If he himself wisheth to be
[Khan], let him be [Khan]; and if he doth not, then we all will be subject unto whomsoever he choseth'. [488]
Then BATU said, 'With the exception of MUNGA I cannot see any man of us who is capable of ruling rightly
a great kingdom like this'; and they all said, 'He is worthy and suitable’. And when MUNGA, like a wise man,
exhibited signs of excusing himself, they took him by force and seated him on the throne. And BATU,
together with all the other princes, knelt down on their knees and did homage to him. And BATU took the
cup according to custom and made him drink.

And the kingdom being assured to him in the year six hundred and forty-nine of the ARABS (A.D. 1251), on
the ninth day of the fourth month, the all-wise and believing queen, SARKUTANI BAGI, the mother of
MUNGA KHAN, began to make friends of all the chiefs and nobles by means of liberal gifts and presents,
and to bring into subjection the rebels through promises of good treatment. And whilst they were awaiting the
coming of the sons of GHOYUK KHAN and of his mother 'AOJUL JANMISH, a certain man who was one
of those who train lions for the amusement of princes came and said, 'When I was out hunting for a certain
lion to kill, I went a journey of three days in search of him. And I came to the houses (i.e. tents) of the sons of
GHOYUK KHAN, who were coming here. And I saw a chariot which had broken down, and a young man
was sitting by the side of and repairing it, and he called me to help him. And when I came near the chariot I
saw that it was armoured and that it was filled with weapons of war. And I asked the young man, saying,
"What are these?" And he said unto me in a surprised fashion, "Seeing that thou art of our party, how is it that
thou knowest not what these things are? All the chariots which are with us are like this." And having left him
I have come to inform you; now ye will know [what must be done].'

Then MUNGA KHAN sent a chief whose name was MANGASAR, with two thousand horsemen, to meet the
sons of GHOYUK KHAN. And he said unto them, 'Before ye [deal] with little men it is right that ye should
come to MUNGA KHAN and see him; and then let your armies come’. And being unable to reply with hard
words they did so. And when they came, after they had eaten, and drunk, and rested for three days, MUNGA
KHAN revealed the matter unto them; and they were ashamed, and were unable to make any apology

whatsoever. Then he commanded, and they killed all those nobles who were participators in the treachery,
[489] having departed from 'AILJIKATAI NAWIN whom GHOYUK KHAN had made ruler of the west. And
all the others who were with him they cast down on the ground. And he sent and had KADAK NAWIN
brought upon a chariot (or, wagon), and after he had confessed his sin he was killed in an agonizing manner.
And so also was it the case with the wife of GHOYUK KHAN, for having passed judgement upon her they
killed her. Her sons, however, he did not kill because of the honour of the royal succession, but he
commanded that they should dwell each in his specially appointed place together with a few men to minister
unto them. And thus was the kingdom established (or, founded) for MUNGA. He committed to his brother
KUBLAI the countries of the CHINESE, that is to say, the KHATAYE; and he sent another brother, that is
HULABU, to the countries of the west; and the younger brother whose name was 'ARIGH BOKA he kept
near him.

And he laid down the Law for the countries of the KHATAYE:

Every rich man was to pay a tribute each year of fifteen dinars in gold, and the poor man one dinar. And for
the territory of the PERSIANS: Every rich man [was to pay each year] ten dinars, and the poor man one
dinar.

And concerning the beasts and cattle he commanded:

From every hundred head of cattle one head was to be taken, and from the man who had less than one
hundred head nothing was to be taken.

And he granted to all prisoners and captives freedom from afflictions.

And he commanded that heathen (?) priests, and the Christian priests, and deacons, and monks, and the
learned men and scribes of the Muslims should be free from taxation; and among all the peoples the JEWS
only were to be deprived of this benefit, and a certain poet of that period said:

In this freedom for thee, O Jew, there is no portion.
With the exception of disgrace, O wretched man, there is for thee
no companion.

And in this year, which is the year fifteen hundred and sixty-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1251), dissension fell
among the Turkish slaves in EGYPT. And some of them sent to MALIK AN-NASIR whilst he was reigning
in DAMASCUS, and pressed him to go to EGYPT, [promising that] they would deliver it over to him. And
he collected a numerous army, and he went to GAZA that he might go into EGYPT and reign over it. And
when the TURKS who had no liking for him heard [this], they collected their troops. And they brought out
also a multitude of FRANKS who were imprisoned with them, and they set them on horses. And they came
and engaged MALIK AN-NASIR by the side of [490] GAZA, and they broke him badly, and only with the
greatest difficulty did he and some men, very few in number, escape and come as fugitives to DAMASCUS.

And in this year, in the LATTER KANON (JANUARY), died ZABIL (ISABEL?), the believing queen, the
daughter of LION the Great. She was the consort of king HAITUM, the son of CONSTANTINE, and the
mother of king LION (II) the Less of CILICIA. Now the goodness of this woman, and her charitableness, and
her humility no man can describe [adequately]. For she used to go about barefooted in the nunneries and the
churches, and however long she stood up in prayer she never ceased to weep. May God give her rest with the
other holy women!

And at the return of the year, that is to say the year fifteen hundred and sixty-three of the GREEKS (A.D.
1252), HAITUM, king of CILICIA, went to do service to MUNGA KHAN the Great. He partook of the
Lifegiving Mysteries on the fifth day [of the week], and he marched away on the Friday of the Crucifixion.
And because he was afraid that the nobles of BETH RHOMAYE would smite him in treachery, he made a
report to go out that he was sending an ambassador on in advance to the Khan, and that when he received the
command [1.e. permit to travel] he would set out. And he also wrote letters to the lord of BETH RHOMAYE
with this same object. And he himself went forth with this ambassador, and he was disguised in the dress of
servants and he was leading a horse; now he was dressed in filthy rags, and he rode upon a most wretched
beast. And he passed through all the cities of BETH RHOMAYE, and no man knew him, but in
'ARZENGAN a man in the bazar recognized him, and said, 'This is king HAITUM'. And when the
ambassador heard [this] he turned round to the king as he was leading the horse, and he smote him on his
cheek and reviled him, and said, "Yea, O fool, here thou wouldst be a king, and they would liken thee to a
king!' And thus [the man's] suspicion was removed. And the king continued to wear the garb of peasants (or,
husbandmen) until he came to the frontier of the IBERIANS, and then he revealed himself. At this period he
lived outside his country for nearly three years and a half, and then he returned.

And in this year, which is the year six hundred and fifty of the ARABS (A.D. 1252), after the 'KURILTAT',
that is to say, the 'Great Assembly’, HULABU, the brother of MUNGA KHAN, struck his camp to come to
these western countries, which are without in the territory of 'AILJIKATAI, who GHOYUK KHAN [491]
sent. Then MUNGA KHAN commanded that from all the armies of the east and of the west, out of every ten
persons two persons should go [to fight]. And among the sons of the kings he sent with him a young brother
of his own whose name was SABATAI (SUNTAI? STAI?) 'AOGHUL, and from the side of BATU
BULGHAI, the son of SIBAKAN, and KUTAR, 'AOGHOL, and KULI together with many troops. And from
the country (or, quarter) of JAGHATAI TAKODAR his grandson; and from the side of SHISHKAN
(JIJKAN?) BAGI, the sister of the Khan, and BOKA TIMOR with an 'AWIRATHAIN army. And from the
countries of KHATA they brought one thousand houses (companies?) of men who were skilled in the
working of engines of war and in throwing naphtha. And KIT BOKA, who was the chief of the bakery, was
sent on in advance of the troops. And HULABU left SHUMAGAR (JUMAGAR?), his son by the Great
Queen, together with his mother, in his place in the service of MUNGA KHAN. And this same son, after
some time, having risen up to come out to his father, died on the road. And he took with him from among his
other sons his eldest son whose name was 'ABKA ('ABAKA?), and his other son whose name was
'ASHMUT (BASHMUT?). And of the wives of TULI KHAN their father, DAKUZ (TOKUZ?) KHATUN,
the truly believing and Christian queen. She had been given to HULABU to wife, according to the custom of
the MONGOLS, and she came with him. And she raised on high the horn of the Christians in all the earth.

Now they remained on the road until the year six hundred and fifty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1255), and
then they came to PERSIA. And in this year, in the month of TAMMUZ (JULY), suddenly an army of the
TATARS burst forth, and came against MELITENE; at their head stood YASAWUR, who had come there
eight years previously. And he spoiled villages and hamlets, and he burned houses and store-houses (or,
granaries), and he killed every one who was found on his road; and he pitched his camp on the northern side
[of the city].

And certain of the TATARS, as they were passing through the country of GHUBUS, [492] went up to the
Monastery of MAKRUNA and demanded gold. and meat, and drink, from the monks. And they, poor
miserabJe wretches, in their simplicity would not consent to give them anything, and they thought that they
would probably go on their way. And they did go away, but they took many other TATARS and then came
back. And again they asked the monks to give them something. And when they would not be persuaded, the
MONGOLS made war on them. And they set fire to the tower of the monastery wherein were many loads of
‘amar kubha, and wax, and a large quantity of oil, which became food for the flame. And they burned all the

monks, both young and old, about three hundred souls, and men and women, who were natives of the
country.

In that year the writer of these things was the Bishop of GHOBOS, who was present in the Monastery of
MAR BAR SAWMA at the Synod of the election of MAR DIONYSIUS the Patriarch, who is 'ANGUR. And
no man was present with him there except two disciples, viz. FARAJ, a native of DOMNINAYA, and
KAWMA, a lay brother (?) of LUAZNAYA. FARAJ cast himself down from the tower to the TATARS, and
they did him no harm, but after a little he died; and KAWMA was burned in the fire. And 'AHRON the
physician, an old man, the father of the bishop in the village of MARGA, was present in the granary with
BAR SAWMA, his little son. And when the TATARS burst forth he did not wish to flee to the monastery with
the rest of the people of that village, but he climbed the mountain on the other side, and he went and hid in a
strong and rocky place on the banks of the EUPHRATES. And he remained there in hiding with his little son
for a period of about forty days—until the TATARS departed, and only one mule was drowned by them in the
river. Now there were other fugitives in the place which is called BAR'AMA, and they used to go forth in the
night, and prepare food for themseJves and their beasts.

And in the year six hundred and forty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 1249), BADR AD-DIN LULU, the lord of
MAWSIL, reigned over GAZARTA, a city of KARDU, for the following reason: when MALIK MU'TAM,
the lord of GAZARTA, who was descended from the sons of 'ATABAG ZANGI, saw that BADR AD-DIN
had waxed strong, and was possessed of an army which could injure or help, he wished to make a friendship
with him, and he took the daughter of BADR AD-DIN to wife for his son [493] MALIK MAS'UD. And, in
accordance with the operation of SATAN, MUS'AD hated the daughter of BADR AD-DIN with all his heart.
And MU'ATAM, his father, admonished him strictly that he should not make apparent his hatred of her, but
he was unable [to hide it]. And when the daughter began to set herself against BADR AD-DIN, her father, he
sent and took her. And after a little MU'ATAM died, and MALIK MAS'UD, his son, rose up in his place. And
BADR AD-DIN began to harass him with demands to so great an extent that he sent and said unto him, 'T
want such and such a stone which is in the necklace of such and such a hand-maiden by name, and such and
such a thing of so-and-so’. And giving him everything, at length he sent to him, saying, 'Didst thou truly sell
GAZARTA when we were encamped against NISIBIS?' And MAS'UD sent to him, saying, 'I have taken
every thing from thee; even if I would give thee my kingdom, I cannot do so’.

Therefore BADR AD-DIN collected his troops, and he went and encamped against GAZARTA, on the third
day [of the week], on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the aforesaid year, in the days of NISAN
(APRIL), and he afflicted it with war. And MAS'UD sent and demanded a pledge [of safety] for his life. And
BADR AD-DIN promised to give him the fortress which is called PARAH, [saying] that he must take his
family and his wives and depart thither. And MAS'UD consented and he removed the guards and men of war
from it.

And BADR AD-DIN sent one of his eunuchs, and he cast iron fetters on him, and brought him out by night
from GAZARTA and seated him in a boat, pretending that he was sending him to MAWSIL. And he
commanded the sailors and the slaves whom he had placed with him to drown him in the TIGRIS, and then to
leave [the boat] and to flee to SYRIA. And they were to send forth a report that MAS'UD had cast himself
into the river and was drowned, and ‘we are afraid that our lord BADR AD-DIN will destroy us because were
negligent in respect of him, and because he did this to himself’. And having taken him they went down to sail
on the TIGRIS and did as they had been commanded, and they fled to SYRIA, and spread abroad the above
report, and after a year they went back again to MAWSIL. Then BADR AD-DIN went to GAZARTA and
took possession of it on Friday the eleventh day of the seventh month of the above-mentioned year. This city
is not one of those builded by the GREEKS, but the MA'DAYE people (i.e. nomad ARABS) who are called
the 'Sons of 'OMAR' built it, [494] and is therefore called by their name.

At this time, when certain merchants were crossing the great river of PERSIA which is called 'GIHON', there
was with them a poor man who was wearing such apparel as Fakirs wear. This man said to the boatman, 'I,
even I, am Sultan JALAL AD-DIN KHAWARAZM SHAH, concerning whom they say that the KURDS
killed me in the mountains of 'AMID. Now, it was not I, but the keeper of my apparel who was killed, and
behold, for a number of years I have been going round about in the world secretly (i.e. in disguise) and
enjoying myself.' Then the sailors being afraid took him and carried him to the nobles of the MONGOLS
who were near. And they tortured him very severely, and he did not deny [what he had said], but up to the
moment when he died he continued to say 'I am he' (i.e. 1am JALAL AD-DIN).

And in the year fifteen hundred and sixty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1254) ambassadors began to come at
frequent intervals with the request to Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN of ICONIUM that he would go in person and do
service to the great Khan (i.e. acknowledge his overlordship), for if he did not the [Mongol] troops would
invade his country and lay it waste. And being pressed to go by those inside and those outside, he came by
force as far as SEBASTIA, when he gave himself up to a life of riotous luxury and to the gratification of lusts
of various kinds. For wherever he heard [about] a wife, or a daughter, or a son of any of the nobles or of the
people generally, he took them by force and debauched them. Therefore the nobles hated him, and they
wished that his intermediate brother, that is to say RUKN AD-DIN, could reign over them. And when 'IZZ
AD-DIN heard [this], he was afraid, and he returned again to ICONIUM, and he made ready his young
brother, that is to say 'ALA AD-DIN, and sent him to pay homage to the Khan. And he wrote [and sent] with
him a letter, saying, 'Behold, I have sent my young brother, that is 'ALA AD-DIN, who is a Sultan like
myself, and it hath not been possible for me to come because JALAL AD-DIN KARATAL, my 'Atabag, is
dead, and an enemy from the west hath stirred himself up against me. Assuredly I will come at another time.’

And the young brother having gone, and the nobles who were with him, he died on the road through the
treachery of those nobles. And 'IZZ AD-DIN and RUKN AD-DIN remained in ICONIUM. And when 'IZZ
AD-DIN heard of tbe death of his young brother, he wished to take and destroy the intermediate brother; so
that he alone might be left. And when the nobles perceived this they made RUKN AD-DIN to take to flight.
It is said [495] that they dressed him in a dirty tunic [such as is worn by] the servants of cooks, and that
having loaded on his head a tray of boiled meat, they took him out by night from the palace and set him upon
a horse. And they brought him to CAESAREA in one night, and seated him upon the throne, and a multitude
of his troops gathered together about him. And RUKN AD-DIN took them and came to do battle with his
brother 'IZZ AD-DIN. And 'IZZ AD-DIN sallied forth and engaged him in battle, and again he broke him,
and he took him prisoner and shut him up in the fortress which is called DAWALU.

And in the year fifteen hundred and sixty-six of the GREEKS, which is the year six hundred and fifty-three of
the ARABS (A.D. 1255), 'ALA AD-DIN, the head of the ISHMAELITES, was killed in the fortress which is
called 'SHIR KUH', that is, 'Mountain of the Lion', and RUKN AD-DIN, his son, rose up after him. And
HULABU sent and said to him, 'If thine aim is straight towards us, and thou desirest friendship and peace,
destroy all thy fortresses, and do thou come to us in person; and if not prepare thyself for war'. Then quickly
RUKN AD-DIN sent and destroyed five fortresses in which there were no stores (or, provisions) and which
would not have been able to resist the TATARS. And he sent a reply to HULABO saying, "Behold I have
fulfilled thy command in part, and little by little I will pull down the rest of the fortresses'. Now HULABU
knew well that in his craftiness RUKN AD- DIN wished some days to pass (i.e. he wanted to gain time).
Therefore he sent KID BUKA against the fortress which is called 'SHAHDAIR' (SHAHDIZ?), and he took it
in two days, and three other fortresses which were round about it.

Then RUKN AD-DIN took a son of one of the poor men, and he dressed him in royal apparel, and sent him
to the king as a hostage. Now although HULABU knew that he was a liar-son (i.e. pseudo-son) of RUKN
AD-DIN, he did not show that he knew it, but he sent him back with honour, and he said, 'It was thee for

whom I asked, and not thy son’. And afterwards RUKN AD-DIN again sent, [this time] his real brother,
whose name was SHIRAN SHAH, together with three hundred horsemen. And HULABU having taken the
horsemen and sent them to KAZWIN, sent back RUKN AD-DIN'S brother to him, and said that he himself,
RUKN AD-DIN, must come. And on the night of the Birth of the Redeemer, when RUKN AD-DIN rose up
to come to the service, his slaves drew their daggers, and said, 'If thou goest we will kill thee’. Then he sent
and made the matter known to the King of Kings. And HULABU commanded him, saying, 'Protect thyself
against them, [496] and concoct a plan so that thou canst come to us, and thou shalt live, for they all are about
to be destroyed with the edge of the sword'. And RUKN AD-DIN accepted the command.

And one night he came down, together with his sons and his household, and was received (or, welcomed)
splendidly by the King of Kings, and he was sent to the city of KAZ WIN with honour. As for the three
hundred horsemen, the MONGOLS killed them secretly, and they also made themselves masters of the
fortress from which RUKN AD-DIN had come down—now its name was 'MAIMUNDUR'—and they
destroyed it. Thus also did it happen to the strong fortress which is called 'ALAMUTH', and the fortress
which is called 'GERDKUH', which is situated in the heart of the heavens. And the TATARS took fifty other
fortresses which were round about it, and they laid them waste and pulled them down; and all those who were
in them they killed. And by means of these blessed captures God had mercy on all and Christians who lived
in terror and trembling through the fear of the ISHMAELITES who were carriers of daggers and were
shedders of innocent blood.

Then when RUKN AD-DIN saw that the mercies of HULABU in respect of him were manifestly sincere, he
said unto him with frank boldness, 'The days in which I now live thou hast by thy goodness added to my life;
therefore I beg of thee to permit me to pass them pleasantly’. And HULABU commanded the treasurers that a
large amount of gold and slIver should be given to him. And having received it he began to eat, and to drink,
and to enjoy himself. And he loved one of the daughters of the MONGOLS, and HULABU commanded and
she was given to him to wife. And one day when he was drinking wine he spoke to a player on the lute, and
he sang the following verse in the Persian language:

I have come to thee, sick man, as to the physician.

I have come to thee, O King of Kings, that I may obtain life by meeting

thee. I have come to thee that I may pluck the health-giving fruit of thy crop.

If it were not so, with what kind of merchandise could I have come to thy land?

And when HULABU heard these [lines] his words were very pleasing to him, and he was given over to
affection in his eyes (i.e. HULABU felt affection for RUKN AD-DIN).

And subsequently RUKN AD-DIN asked for a Pukdana (i.e. command; or, permit; or, warrant) to go and see
the face [497] of MUNGA KHAN; and HULABU appointed a messenger [to go] with him, and sent him
[thither]. And when he was on the road he quarrelled with the messenger, and took such a hatred of him that
when they arrived at the camp of MUNGA KHAN, the messenger calumniated him and he was killed. And
the command went forth that all the seed of the ISHMAELITES, both males and females, should perish
wheresoever they were.

And in the year BASHU (BAJU ?) NAWIN, the captain of the soldiery of the TATARS, went forth towards
'ARZAN AL-RUM. And he sent a messenger to Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN in the month of 'AB (AUGUST) and
asked him for a place wherein to pass the winter, because in MUJAN the country in which he usually passed
the winter each year, HULABU, the King of Kings, the brother of MUNGA KHAN, wished to winter. And
with BAJU came HAITUM from the service of the Great Khan, and he entered his own country on Friday,

the first day of the month of ILUL (SEPTEMBER), and there was rejoicing for the Christians. Now the
Sultan did not wish to give BAJU a place [to winter in], and he treated him with contempt, because he heard
that another chief who was greater than he, or rather his lord, had driven him out of his country. Therefore he
made ready for war with him. And when BAJU came the Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN met him in battle by the side
of the store-house (or, khan?) of the Sultan, between ICONIUM and 'AKSARA, and he was broken and fled
to his inner countries which are on the frontier of NINEVEH. The captain of the host of BETH RHOMAYE
was YAWTASH BAGLAR BAG, who was killed in this war. And BAJU NAWIN brought RUKN AD-DIN
out of prison, and made him king over BETH RHOMAYE in the year fifteen hundred and sixty-seven of the
GREEKS (A.D. 1256).

And 'IZZ AD-DIN sent an ambassador from the place where he was to HULABU, and he laid a complaint
against BAJU, saying that he 'was alienating him from the kingdom and from the inheritance of his fathers’.
And HULABU sent a 'Yarlikh’, that is to say a Pukdana (i.e. royal decree), [saying] that the countries were to
be divided between the two brothers. Therefore when the year fifteen hundred and sixty-eight of the
GREEKS (A.D. 1257) began, 'IZZ AD-DIN was restored, and he came to KUNYA (KONIA). And RUKN
AD-DIN [went] with BAJU into winter quarters in the inner countries of BITHYNIA which were on the sea-
coast, And because 'IZZ AD-DIN was afraid of BAJU [498] he began to make ready an army. And he sent
one of his slaves whose name was TUGHR HAPA (TUGHR BALABA?) towards MELITENE that he might
make up an army [composed] of KURDS, MA'DAYE, and TURKOMANS. And when that slave had come,
he went to the fortress of ZAID. And he sent and had brought [to him] two nobles of the KURDS; to the one,
SHARAF AD-DIN 'AHMAD, the son of BELAS, he gave MELITENE, and to the other, SHARAF AD-DIN
MAHAMAD, the son of SHAIKH 'ADI, he gave the fortress of ZAID.

Now when the son of BELAS had come he was not received by the people of MELITENE, because they had
sworn fealty to RUKN AD-DIN, and he began to make war on the citizens. And they lived in tribulation
because of him during the whole winter, and there was famine, for [the price of] one kepiza of wheat went up
to one hundred and twenty coins of the Sultan. And when the people of MELITENE could bear with him no
longer, they rose up against the son of BELAS, and they killed about three hundred men of his followers.
And he himself fled and passed over into the country of KLAUDYA, and he burnt the Monastery of MADIK,
and the Monastery of MAR 'ASYA on the first day of the week of Hosannas (Palm Sunday), on the first day
of the month of NISAN (APRIL); and he wrought great destruction in the country and likewise in the country
of GHUBOS. And from there he marched straight to 'AMID, and there he was overtaken by the lord of
MAIPERKAT and killed.

And the other slave, the son of SHAIKH 'ADI, who was in the fortress of ZAID, having made the inhabitants
of the fortress to endure many trials, took his wives (brothers?) and marched towards KAMAH in order to
come to the help of 'IZZ AD-DIN SULTAN, and there the troops of 'ANGURAK NAWIN overtook him and
killed him. Now when 'IZZ AD-DIN SULTAN heard of the evil end which had befallen the KURDS who had
come to help him, he sent the captain of his host to MELITENE. He was called 'AL]1 BAHADUR, and was
short in his stature, and of meagre proportions, but a strenuous fighter and one highly skilled in the questions
(or, tactics) of war. When this man came the people of MELITENE welcomed him. From him came help for
the citizens and the country, and the roads were open [again], and men were bringing wheat from everywhere.
For at that time [499] the mountains, and hills, and valleys round about MELITENE were filled with the
TURKOMANS and with the AGAGRAYE (or, 'A'JAZAYE) who were pillaging everywhere. From one
village alone in the country of HASEN MANSUR they took seven thousand bulls, and cows, and asses, and
she-asses, and forty-five thousand sheep and goats. And they took also the Monasteries of MADIK, and
MAR 'ASYA, and MAR DIMAT, and they carried off from them a great mass of goods. And, ALI
BAHADUR himself pursued [them] and expelled them from the country, and he caught their chief whose
name was SHUTI (JUTI?) BAG, and shut him up in the fortress of MASARA.

And whilst the people of MELITENE were experiencing this opportune peace, BAJU and his armies sallied
out from the inner country of BITHYNIA, and during the days of the month of NISAN (APRIL) they spread
themselves about over the countries of GALATIA and CAPPADOCIA. And they began to make war on the
fortresses so that they might hand them over to RUKN AD-DIN. And they came to the region of
'ABLASTAIN, and they shed the blood of all the people who were in it, about seven thousand [souls], and
they carried off the young men and maidens into captivity. And they arrived in MELITENE on the Sabbath of
the full moon of the month of ILUL, (SEPTEMBER), and BAHADUR fled to GHAKHTAI. Then BAJU
made the people of MELITENE swear oaths of fealty on behalf of RUKN AD-D IN, and he took from it a
very large number of dinars. And he left in the city one of the slaves of RUKN AD-DIN whose name was
FAKHR AD-DIN 'AYAS, and he himself removed to the fortress of ZAID, because a command had come to
him from the King I of Kings, HULABU, that he should come down in all haste to BAGHDAD.

And at the beginning of the year fifteen hundred and sixty-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 1258), in the season of
the autumn, BAJU NAWIN came to MAWSIL; and he did not harm that country much. For MALIK SALIH;
the son of BADR AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, had in those days just come from doing service of
HULABU. And TURKAN, the daughter of JALAL AD-DIN KHAWARAZMSHAH, had been given to him
to wife, and she was with him in the dress of the MONGOLS. Rightly did all the country folk flee to the city
and hide themselves until BAJU had passed. Then, as soon as ever BAJU had crossed the EUPHRATES,
‘ALI BAHADUR turned and came to MELITENE. And the citizens, because they had sworn oaths of fealty
to RUKN AD-DIN, and also because of their fear of [500] BAJU, shut the gates of the city in his face. And
he collected an army of the 'AGAGRAYE, and began to make war on it, and the city was in great tribulation
through war and famine. A kapiza (i.e. an ass's load) of salt in it [was sold] for four hundred white coins of
the Sultan, and [a kapiza] of wheat for seventy. And when the peoples of the city could not endure hunger and
imprisonment [any longer], they leaped up one night and opened the gates of the city, and they brought in
BAHADUR and the 'AGAGRAYE who were with him. And in the night he made the criers go up into the
minarets of the mosques, and he cried peace to the ARABS and the Christians. And he encouraged them to
fear not, for his charge was against the nobles and not the citizens.

And on the following morning he seized the slave of RUKN AD-DIN and shut him up, and he set SHEHAB
‘ARID upon the colt of an ass, and made him to ride through the city, and he held him up to ridicule and then
killed him. And he tied a head of cotton on the neck of another man who was called MU'IN IGDISH (or,
IGRISH) BASHI, and another head in the form of a dog, and he made him march round about through the
city and then killed him. And in the same way he killed the Greek priest whose name was KALAWYAN, and
his two brothers BASIL and MANIL (MANU'IL?), and his son KIRYAWRI, who were great lawyers. And
together with these he also destroyed the three sons of SHEHAB ISAW, who were Kurdish Amirs. Then the
killing ceased, and the city enjoyed a little peace. But the famine increased greatly after the gates of the city
were opened, because the country had become an absolute desert, and nothing came in from any other place
because of the TURKOMAN highway robbers. Many people sold their sons and their daughters to the
'AGAGRAYE, and others soaked their old shoes in water, and boiled them and ate them. And a woman was
found who had roasted her son, and when they charged her she swore that she had not roasted him alive, but
only after he was dead. And some women were discovered with the body of a dead woman before them, and
they were cutting off slices of her flesh and roasting them and eating them.

Now when BAHADUR knew that it was impossible for him to resist the [501] advance of the TATARS, he
forsook the city and fled to the Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN, and with him were HUSAIN JOBAN, and BAR
SAWMA, the son of ANDRIOS, who was subsequently killed by them on the road. And during this famine
certain young men of the country of GHUBOS, who were Christians, rebelled in the GAZARTA of the
village of 'EBRA, and they sallied out and robbed and killed their brethren who were Christians, and they
went in there and ate food.

At this time THEODORE, the son of KALAWYAN, the king of NINEVEH, fell sick in a city the name of
which was NIPI. And when he felt that he was going to die, he called to him ARSENIUS the Patriarch, and
committed to him the care and upbringing of KALAWYAN his son. For as yet he was small in stature (or, of
tender age), and he was at that time under the direction of a certain general whose name was MICHAEL, and
who was called 'PALAIOLOGOS'. And because of this king THEODORE was afraid lest he would meditate
rebellion and seize the kingdom with the hand of violence. Which thing actually took place. Therefore he
commanded one of the generals whose name was GADINOS to go to THESSALONICA, where MICHAEL
was living; and cast fetters of iron upon him and bring him to him. Now when GADINOS went he said unto
MICHAEL, 'I know that thou art going to be king, but submit thyself to fetters with cunning, and come with
me to the king. And when he seeth thy submission he will release thee and magnify thee.’ And thus
MICHAEL did, and he went to the king bound in fetters. And when the king saw that he was not
complaining, he was gracious to him and released him, and made him a partner with the Patriarch in the
management of the young man. And after a few days he departed this life. And MUZALON, his deputy, who
was also the son-in-law of KIRA BALWINA, the sister of the king, took him and carried him to the
Monastery of MAGNESIA, and he deposited him there in the grave of his fathers. And he tarried a few days
in the monastery whilst he arranged affairs with his mother-in-law, who was the sister of the deceased king,
so that he might become king, and destroy the nobles who would not consent to accept him.

And when [502] this plot was revealed to MICHAEL and the other nobles, they commanded the FRANKS
who were their fellow soldiers to go up to the monastery, and to hack MUZALON in pieces with their
swords, wheresoever he might be. And when they went up they found him in the church praying, and there
they hacked him limb from limb. And the nobles also went up and they cried out with a loud voice, 'May the
king of the GREEKS, MICHAEL PALAIOLOGOS, live [long]! May the Autocrator of RHOMANIA,
MICHAEL PALAIOLOGOS, live [long]!' And they all went from there to NICAEA, and they seized the
young man KALAWYAN, and they sent him and had him shut up in one of the fortresses. And they also sent
ARSENIUS the Patriarch, who had rebuked them for his murder, into exile, in a monastery in one of the
islands of the sea of PONTUS.

And after MICHAEL had reigned for a time he determined within himself to go and attack
CONSTANTINOPLE, because he heard that there was a small army therein with BO'DWIN the Frankish
king its lord. And during his journey he sent and had NICEPHORUS, the Metropolitan of EPHESUS,
brought, and he made him Patriarch in the city of KALYOPOLI (GALLIPOLI) in the place of ARSENIUS,
who had been exiled. And he departed from there and went and encamped against CONSTANTINOPLE, and
he was unable to capture it, because the citizens and the soldiers stood up strenuously on the walls and fought
fiercely. And when MICHAEL saw that he could not succeed, he left and went back.

And after a short time the Frankish merchants who were in the city of 'AKKO and were called
"BUNDIKAYE' (VENETIANS), began to quarrel with those who were called 'JANABIZ' (GENOESE), and
the PIZANAYE (PISANS) attached themselves to the VENETIANS. And when the VENETIANS who were
in all the other countries heard [of this], they ran without delay to the help of their companions, and
CONSTANTINOPLE was empty of them. And MICHAEL himself perpetrated another fraud, and he told one
of his adherents who was the captain of a fortress to show signs of rebellion, and to send a message to
BO'DWIN [saying] that he must send an army, and that he would transfer that fortress to him. And the
captain of the fortress did even so, and he flattered BO'DWIN and led him into error and when [503]
BO'DWIN sent the little army which he had with him, MICHAEL made ready swiftly and went and
encamped against it. And MICHAEL himself also flattered certain of the citizens, and one night they opened
to him an old gate which had never been opened since the time of CONSTANTINE the Conqueror. And the
GREEKS went in and put [the city] to the sword, and it was only with the greatest difficulty that BO'DWIN
himself and his household was able to save themselves by embarking in a small shallow boat, and they fled to

the FRANKS. And thus once again CONSTANTINOPLE remained in the possession of the GREEKS after
belonging to the FRANKS for a period of fifty-three years. As for NICEPHORUS the unlawful Patriarch, he
did not live very long, but died quickly. And king MICHAEL appointed in his place ROMANUS, the
Patriarch of the city of ADRIANOPOLIS. Now this man, as soon as ever he rose up, became involved in
some scandalous affair and was cast forth. Then king MICHAEL sent and brought ARSENIUS the Patriarch
from exile, and he promised him that he would bring out KALAWYAN, the son of the king, from prison, and
would transfer to him the kingdom of his father, and that he himself would only hold CONSTANTINOPLE,
which he had taken with the sword. And the Patriarch prayed over him, and was reconciled [to him], and sat
again on the [Patriarchal] throne.

Then MICHAEL, having placated the Patriarch, added wickedness to wickedness, and instead of bringing
KALAWYAN out of prison and making him king, sent and had his eyeballs taken out and blinded his eyes.
When the Patriarch understood this he again relinquished his office, and returned to his imprisonment. And
the king brought an archimandrite whose name was JOSEPH (?) and made him Patriarch, and behold he
standeth at the head [of the Church] this day. And it was in the days of winter that these wickednesses were
perpetrated in MELITENE.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

x

Concerning the Taking of Babel (Baghdad).

HULABU, King of Kings, went down to BAGHDAD; and BAJU also arrived from BETH RHOMAYE. And
the armies of the men of BAGHDAD sallied forth to meet the TATARS in battle. And those who stood at
their head (i.e. were their captains) were: the Great Amir, a KURD, who was called 'BAR KURAR’, and
DAWITHDAR the Little, a slave of the Khalifah. And the two [504] sides (or, hosts) remained facing each
other, without engaging in battle, for twenty-three days. Then straightway on the fourth day [of the week], on
the eighth day of the first month of the ARABS, in the year six hundred and fifty-six (A.D. 1258), which is
the year fifteen hundred and sixty-nine of the GREEKS, BAJU NAWIN and his troops drew nigh to a place
which is called 'the Grave of AHMAD', on the western side of BAGHDAD, and the BAGHDAD troops
approached and the armies met each other in battle, and the company of BAJU NAWIN was broken, and the
BAGHDAD troops were triumphantly victorious. And the Amir SULAIMAN SHAH and his army were on
the walls of BAGHDAD.

And when the evening had come, BAR KURAR, an old man, said unto DAWITHDAR, a young man, 'This
time God hath given us the victory. It is right that we should go into our houses and rest, and then we will
sally forth again and attack forthwith.’ The young man, however, was puffed up, and did not want to go in,
and both of them passed the night outside. And because those BAGHDAD troops were encamped on low-
lying ground, the TATARS went and made a breach in the banks of the great canal of water [fed], from the
TIGRIS, and floods of water poured down on them at midnight. And they began to flee from the waters, and
their bows, and their arrows, and the sheaths of their swords were soaked with water. And when the day
broke the TATARS of the battalions of HULABU returned, and the battle continued until the ninth hour of the
fifth day [of the week]; and the BAGHDAD troops were defeated and stricken helpless, and BAR KURAR
was killed, and DAWITHDAR fled and went into the city.

Then BAJU and his troops came and encamped on the western side of BAGHDAD, and HULABU encamped
on the east side, on the second day [of the week], on the thirteenth day of the first month, and he made war on
the city with great fierceness—opposite the crown of the palace of the Khalifah. And the Khalifah
MUSTA'SIM, the wretched man, in despair called his Wazir 'ALKAMI, and NAJM AD-DIN 'ABD AL-
JANI, the son of DARNUS, and MAR MAKIKA, the Catholicus, and he commanded them to take gold in
abundance, and royal possessions, and Arabian horses, and to fetch the ambassadors of the TATARS out of
prison, and to array them in [fine] apparel, and to give them lavish gifts, and to go forth with them to the
King of Kings. And they were to demand a pledge of safety for the lives of the Khalifah, [505] and his sons
and his daughters, and to make an apology saying that the things which had happened had taken place
through evil counsellors. Then, if he would be gracious, and would grant them their lives, they would become
his slaves, and subjects who would pay tribute.

And when these men had gone forth to the King of Kings and fulfilled their embassy, HULABU detained
them and would not let them return to the Khalifah. And he continued the war with still greater ferocity, and

the TATARS made a great breach in the 'Ajami tower; and they entered the city on Friday, the twenty-fifth
day of the first month, but the citizens prevailed over them, and drove them outside again. And the TATARS
renewed their attack in full strength, and on the following day, that is to say the Sabbath, they became masters
of all the walls. And the people of BAGHDAD fled and hid themselves in the houses and in the underground
chambers (sardabs). And on the Sabbath day the two sons of the Khalifah went out to the King of Kings, and
an hour later the Khalifah himself went forth [to him]. And the King of Kings commanded, and they cast iron
fetters on him, and stood over him in a tent for seven days—until the King of Kings had gone in person to the
palace of the Khalifah and had inspected the treasures, and the rich things, old and new, which were hidden
away and laid up in stores; and he uncovered them all and had them brought out. And the MONGOLS drew
their swords, and slew all the people of BAGHDAD—tens of thousands of men—the IBERIANS especially
effected a great slaughter. And the Catholicus collected all the Christians into the church of the Third Bazar,
and there he protected them, and none of the Christians was injured. And the wealthy ARABS brought out
vast amounts of their riches to the Catholicus, that peradventure if they were able to save themselves they
might retain their property, but all of them were killed.

And aftefwards when the wrath of the King of Kings had subsided somewhat, he had the wretched Khalifah
brought before him, and he passed judgement on him and condemned him to death. And he commanded and
they put him on a piece of sackcloth and then sewed it up round about him, and with kicks of their feet they
killed him. [They did this] because certain of the ARABS had frightened the King of Kings saying, 'If the
blood of this man be shed on the earth, no rain will ever again fall thereon, and also coals of fire will burst
forth from it’. And in this wise the kingdom of the ABBASIDES came to an end. And also the other
kingdoms of the ARABS [506] began to totter. And the kingdom of the MONGOLS stood and triumphed in
the countries which are outside (i.e. foreign) as well as those which are within (i.e. native).

And the TATARS on their return from BAGHDAD came and encamped against the fortress of 'ARBIL. And
when SAHIB BAR SALAYA wished to surrender to him, the large number of KURDS who dwelt therein
threatened him with violence, and he fled from them to the TATARS. Then came BADR AD-DIN LULU and
bought the fortress and everything which was in it from the TATARS for seventy thousand dinars. And the
TATARS marched off, and BADR AD-DIN received the fortress of 'ARBIL and placed guards therein. And
after a short time a certain Kurdish Amir whose name was SHARAF AD-DIN JALALI brought a Pukdana
(i.e. a Decree = Patent), and took the fortress from BADR AD-DIN, and drove out his guards who were
therein. And when that same JALALI, together with his TATAR troops, were going against the rebellious
KURDS who were in JOLMARG, BADR AD-DIN sent certain KURDS and they killed him whilst he was
sleeping in his tent. And a certain Christian whose name was MOKHATAS, the brother of SAFI
SULAIMAN, the great physician, became master of 'ARBIL. And after his death TAJ AD-DIN 'ISA, his son,
rose up in his place, and he was a good, believing man. And in his time there was a very severe famine and a
pestilence in all the land of SEN'AR, and 'ATHOR (ASSYRIA), and BETH NAHRIN, and SYRIA and
BETH RHOMAYE; for in DAMASCUS a young dove for a sick man was sold for twelve nasraye

(1) i.e. zuze nasraye. These were coins struck by Saladin = Gr. drachmae (?).

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

And here beginneth the Eleventh Dynasty which passeth from the
Arab kings to the kings of the Huns

XI

Aulabu [Hulegu], King of Kings and brother of Munga [Mongke] Khan the Great.

WHEN the Khalifah MUST'ASIM was kllled, the King of Kings appointed a certain man whose name was
'ALI BAHADUR to rule over BAGHDAD. And in this time of the war the Christians of TAGRITH sent to
the Catholicus and asked for a ruler to protect them, and a man who would take care of them was sent to
them. And when the TATARS had gone, now they had killed [507] the nobles of the ARABS and had
plundered their rich possessions, all the Christians who were in the Green (?) Church, which was dedicated in
the name of MAR 'AHUDEMEH, and which the ARABS had seized, had asylum, and they remained
unharmed from the beginning of the [Lenten] Fast to the Sunday of Hosannas (Palm Sunday), which was the
seventeenth day of the month of 'ADAR (MARCH) of the year fifteen hundred and sixty-nine of the
GREEKS (A.D. 1258). Then a certain wicked man, an ARAB, whose name was BAR DURI, calumniated the
Christians to their governor, saying, "These Christians have hidden away much treasure of the ARABS, the
owners thereof having been killed, and they have given nothing to thee’. And when the governor questioned
the Christians concerning this matter, they were unable to deny it, but they admitted it and brought everything
before him, and he sent and made the matter known to the King of Kings. And the sentence of death went
forth against the wretched TEGRITIANS, according to the Law of the MONGOLS. And a certain great chief
was sent, together with an army of TATARS, and they began to take the Christians, twenty at a time, and they
led them up to the citadel, pretending that they were going to demolish it, and [there] they killed them. And
this they continued to do until they had made an end of all of them. None escaped except some old man or
some old woman, and [their] sons and [their] daughters were carried off into captivity. And the ARABS took
the great church again. And two aged men from the village of KARMAH [near TAKRIT] only, and the very
few men who lived there, remained to pray in the rest of the churches. As for BAR DURI, the calumniator, a
certain Christian whose name was BIHRAM, and who had been governor of TAGRITH, killed him.

And when BADR AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, heard that BAGHDAD had been taken, he sent his son
MALIK-SALIH and one thousand horsemen, ostensibly to help the King of Kings, but he did not receive him
gladly. And the King of Kings said unto him, 'Ye wanted to see to whom the victory would be so that ye
might cleave to him. If the Khalifah had conquered ye would have come to him and not to me'. And when
SALIH returned to BADR AD-DIN his father and informed him, BADR AD-DIN trembled. And he rose up
and took a very large and incalculable amoun (of money, and went in person to the King of Kings, and he
propitiated him and returned in peace. But after his abject terror [had passed], he used such boldness and
freedom of speech [508] towards the King of Kings that he went up on the throne by his side, and took him
by the ear, and with his own hands fastened therein an ear-ring [made] of pearls of great price.

And at the time when BAGHDAD was taken, the lord of MAIPERKAT, that is 'ASHRAF, the son of MALIK
GHAZI, the son of 'ADIL the Great, was meditating (or, was resolved on) rebellion in his heart. Now he had
crucified a Syrian elder from the country of BEDLIS, who had come to him from the Great Khan with a
Yarlik (i.e. a royal Mongol permit) and had driven away the governors of the MONGOLS from his Court.
And he rose up and went to DAMASCUS to MALIK NASIR and asked him for help, so that he might
engage the TATARS in battle, and might prevent them from making a descent on SYRIA, and, if possible, to
kick them far away from BAGHDAD. But MALIK NASIR dismissed him with empty promises, and he
returned to his city MAIPERKAT. And immediately he arrived, the armies of the TATARS encompassed him
round about, and the bulls of BAISHAN, 'ASHMUT, the son of the King of Kings, being their captain. And
they built a wall round the city, and they set up strong towers in which to fight, and they began to make fierce
war upon it from the outside, and those who were inside made war against them even more fiercely. And thus
it (i.e. the city) remained unconquered for a space of two years. Then, after BAGHDAD was taken, the troops
invested MAIPERKAT. And ambassadors from the King of Kings began to come frequently to MALIK
NASIR, demanding that he should go to his service (i,e. acknowledge his overlordship). And because his
nobles did not approve of his going, he made an arrangement, and sent his son MALIK 'AZIZ with treasures,
and offerings, and large gifts in the autumn of the year fifteen hundred and seventy of the GREEKS (A.D.
1259), and he remained there the whole winter. And in the spring he came back to ALEPPO, after the
Festival of the Resurrection, and said to his father, 'The King of Kings commanded me and said, "We have
not asked for thee, but for thy father. Therefore if it is to be peace, let him come [to me], and if not, we will
come to him." And MALIK NASIR continued to be unable to move through two obstacles: it came to him
that he could not sit still because of [his] fear of the TATARS, and he could not move lest his nobles and
slaves should rise up against him and kill him. And he became terror-stricken and stupefied.

[509] And at [that] time also the King of Kings sent for Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN, and RUKN AD-DIN, the lords
of BETH RHOMAYE, to come and acknowledge his overlordship, and both of them went and were well
received. And the King of Kings commanded that RUKN AD-DIN should hold [the country] from
CAESAREA to the frontier of GREAT ARMENIA, and that 'IZZ AD-DIN should reign over [the country ]
from 'AKSARA to the sea-coast, the frontier of the kingdom of the GREEKS (1). And the two brothers went
down amicably with the King of Kings as far as BETH NAHRIN, and they went up from there to BETH
RHOMAYE. And RUKN AD-DIN dwelt in SEBASTIAand 'IZZ AD-DIN went and dwelt in ICONIUM.
And at this time Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN went up to the Monastery of BAR SAWMA, and promised
benefactions to MAR DIONYSIUS.

And in this year BADR AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, died on the twentieth day of the month of TAMMUZ
(JULY), and his eldest son, MALIK SALIH 'ESMA'IL, reigned in his stead; his intermediate son whose name
was, ALA AD-DIN reigned in SINJAR, and his youngest son whose name was SAIF AD-DIN reigned in
GAZARTA of KARDU.

And in the year six hundred and fifty-eight of the ARABS (A.D. 1259), which is the year fifteen hundred and
seventy-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1260), in the autumn season, the King of Kings came down with troops,
four hundred thousand horsemen, to the countries of BETH NAHRIN. He encamped first of all against
HARRAN, and the citizens surrendered it peacefully and remained unharmed, and the citizens of EDESSA
did the same. The citizens of SEROGH, who did not send [ambassadors], demanded a pledge of security for
their lives, and were all killed. And the King of Kings commanded, and bridges were tied together over the
EUPHRATES at MELITENE, and at KAL'KSH RHOMAITA, and at BIRAH, and at CIRCESIUM
(OSRHOENE), and the troops crossed over into SYRIA, together with the King of Kings himself, with
whom was TOKUZ KHATUN, the believing queen and lover of CHRIST. And a great slaughter took place in
the city of MABBUGH (MANBIJ), and troops, fighting men, were posted against the fortress of BIRAH, and
against the fortress of KAL'AH NAJM, and against that of KAL'AH JA'BAR, and CALONICUS, and

BALASH, and [510] all the people who were in them were killed. And at first troops few in number came to
the neighbourhood of ALEPPO and MALIK MU'ATAM, an old man, the son of SALAH AD-DIN the Great,
sallied out and engaged them; and he was broken and fled and went into ALEPPO. And the TATARS passed
on and went and laid waste the city of MU'ARAH. And they went against HAMATH and [the citizens]
surrendered it in peace, and thus also did [the citizens] of EMESA.

And MALIK NASIR took his wives, and his sons, and his slaves, and went forth from DAMASCUS, and he
fled to the desert of KARAK and SHAWBAK. And the TATARS went against DAMASCUS, and the lords
thereof surrendered it in peace, and no evil thing happened to them. But the King of Kings in person
encamped against ALEPPO. And he commanded and walls were built outside the whole of the great circuit
of the wall of ALEPPO. And the TATARS began to make fierce war on the city, and in a few days they were
masters over the walls from the side of the 'IRAK GATE. And they entered ALEPPO on the first day of the
week which introduceth the Fast of NINEVEH, in the month of the LATTER KANON (JANUARY) of the
year [above] mentioned. And there took place in ALEPPO a slaughter like unto that of BAGHDAD, only
more [terrible]. And because they had destroyed the upper portions of the walls of our church in which were
the citizens of B'ELBAK, I, the feeble one, who was the Metropolitan thereof, through fear for these men,
sallled forth to go to offer fealty to the King of Kings, and I was shut up in KAL'AH NAJM. Our believers
who were among the population of ALEPPO remained without a head, and the greater number of them
assembled in the church of the GREEKS. And the TATARS attacked them and killed them and made captives
of their families. And finally TOROS, the Armenian elder, the son of the brother of MAR CONSTANTINE,
and the monk KURAK, went in and liberated all those whom they found alive, and they collected them in our
church. And having taken the city the TATARS rose up and made war on the fortress (or, Citadel), and that
they took also in peace.

And from there the King of Kings went against HARIM, and he asked [the citizens] to surrender, and [said
that] he would swear to them that he would not harm them. And the fools replied, 'Though thou art king thy
Religion (or, Confession) is not known. By what are we to make thee swear? But if FAKHR AD-DIN, the
governor of the fortress of ALEPPO, will swear to us that he will not harm us, [511] we will come down.'
And the King of Kings commanded FAKHR AD-DIN, who went and swore to them. And they opened the
gates of the fortress and came down. And the King of Kings commanded, and they were all killed, men and
women, and sons, and daughters, also sucking children; and none escaped except an Armenian blacksmith.
And they also killed that FAKHR AD-DIN who had sworn to them, because WALI AD-DIN, the son of SAFI
AD-DIN, a nobleman of ALEPPO, made an accusation against him, saying, 'It was he who killed my father
and my brothers, and who said to them, "Surrender the city so that ye may not die by the sword".'

And when all these things had been brought to an end, the King of Kings left in PALESTINE a certain chief
whose name was KIT BOGHA with ten thousand—that is to say a tuman, which is ten thousand-horsemen,
and he went back by the road he had come. And when he came to TELL BASHIR the report reached him that
the TATARS had taken MAIPERKAT. And they took also MALIK 'ASHRAF, its lord, and brought him to
him (i.e. the King of Kings), and there he killed him. And he made ruler over MAIPERKAT a man who was
the chief of the stables of the father of 'ASHRAF, and his name was, ABD ALLAH. And there was a famine
in the district, whereof the like had never been heard, and it was so severe that of its whole population there
only remained [alive] about one hundred souls, and only with the greatest difficulty were they able to capture
it. 'ARDU, one of the natives of MAIPERKAT who had been saved from it like a burnt stick from a fiery
furnace, related to me the following: 'One day I longed greatly to eat wheat boiled with the flesh of the ox,
together with my household. And for five hundred Christian zuze I could only with the greatest difficulty boil
a pot[ful] which was sufficient for us.'

And when the King of Kings had crossed the EUPHRATES, he sent a message to the lord of MARDIN to
come down to him, and the lord did not wish [to do so]. And he also sent [a message] to MALIK MUTAFAR,
his son, because he and the son of BADR AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, were in his service concerning
ALEPPO. And he said to him, 'Go and admonish thy father that he go down, and do not allow him to rebel
and perish’. And when the young man came to his father, not only would he not hearken to him, but he bound
him in fetters and shut him up in prison. And the King of Kings sent troops and they encamped against
MARDIN, and they began to make war [512] on it. And if God—glory be to His Name!—had not cast
pestilence therein, even after years they would never have been able to capture it. And the greater number of
the people who were therein having perished, according to the nod of God, and the Sultan himself being
dead, MALIK MUTAFAR, his son, came down and surrendered the fortress. And the King of Kings
magnified him exceedingly, and paid him the highest honours, and he felt affection for him and made him a
governor.

Now KIT BOGHA searched diligently and found the place where MALIK NASIR was hidden in the desert,
and he sent a force against him, and it captured him, and took him and brought him to him, and with very
great care KIT BOGHA sent him to the King of Kings. And when he (MALIK NASIR) went to him he
received him gladly, and honoured him, and promised to send him back again to his kingdom.

And in those days RABBAN SIMEON the Elder and physician, the son of RABBAN ISHO' the Elder,
deceased, who was a native of KAL'AH RHOMAITA, was taken into the service of the King of Kings,
HULABU. And he flourished and prospered greatly, and he was beloved by all the sons of the kings and by
the queens. And he possessed dwellings like those of kings, and gardens, and plantations, and towers in the
meadows, and his income yearly was five thousand dinars, from BABIL (BAGHDAD), and 'ATHOR
(ASSYRIA), and CAPPADOCIA, and from MARAGHA. The remnant of our people obtained through him
help, and great lifting up of the head, and honour. And the Church acquired stability and protection in every
place.

Then when KOTAZ the TURK, who reigned in EGYPT, heard that the King of Kings had gone away, and
that MALIK NASIR had been taken and sent to him, and that KIT BOGHA alone with ten thousand men
remained in PALESTINE, he collected the armies of EGYPT and sallied forth and met the TATARS in battle
in the plain of BAISHAN, before MOUNT TABOR. And the TATARS were broken and KIT BOGHA
himself was killed in the battle, and his sons were carried away prisoners on the twenty-seventh day of the
ninth month of the ARABS, in the year six hundred and fifty-eight of their reckoning (A.D. 1259).

And when this report reached the King of Kings he was angry, and he determined that he would tear up the
kingdom of the ARABS by the roots. And he commanded and MALIK NASIR and his brother MALIK
TAHIR, and every one who was with them, were killed on the fourth day [of the week], [513] on the
twentieth day of the tenth month of the ARABS, in the year fifteen hundredand seventy-one of the GREEKS
(A.D. 1260), at the ninth hour in one of the ravines of NAWSHAHAR, when the moon was in the tetragonon
of HERMES. And none of them escaped except MUHAI [AD-DIN], the geometrician and astronomer. For
this man told me: 'One day when MALIK NASIR was sitting in his tent, he called me to him and asked me
about his nativity. Then there came a certain great Mongol chief at the time of noon, and there were about
fifty MONGOLS with him, and MALIK NASIR went out to meet him. And the MONGOL said unto him, "A
drinking festival is being held this day by the King of Kings, and he telleth thee that thou must take thy
brother, and thy sons, and the nobles who are with thee, and that thou must come there". And MALIK NASIR
rose up and took with him the members of his household, and his nobles, about twenty souls, and they
mounted their horses and departed. And after a little while twenty horsemen came to us in the tents, and they
said, "The horsemen and the lawyers must come, and there must remain behind none but the servants who
pitch the tents, and the cooks, and the shepherds ". And when we had mounted our horses, they carried us

through deep defiles, and took us down to the place where the nobles of the MONGOLS had encamped, and
the others who were standing before them. And when we had drawn near, and they began to have speech with
us, suddenly the MONGOLS sprang up behind us, and each of them seized one of us. And I made a sign to
the nobles that I was an astronomer, and that I had knowledge of the motions of the heavens. And they called
me and seated me behind them. As for the rest, they carried them away a little distance and slew them, and
they also killed MALIK NASIR, and his brother, and the nobles. They did not kill his sons, and behold they
are with them to this very day as prisoners. Then the MONGOLS went and brought along also the few men
who had remained in the tents, and them also did they kill.’

(1) Bedjan notes the variant: From CAESAREA to GREAT ARMENIA to 'IZZ AD-DIN the King of Kings
gave, and from 'AKSARA to the sea-coast to RUKN AD-DIN.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

XI

Concerning the seating of [Qubilai] Kubilai Khan on the throne of the kingdom of the
Mongols.

At this time a certain great king among the kings of the SINAYE (CHINESE), or KHATA, who are also
called 'MANZAYFE', rebelled against the MONGOLS. And because he possessed a great army and had, [514]
according to what is said, four hundred towns, MUNGA KHAN was obliged to collect a far more numerous
force, and to go in person and engage in battle with that Chinese king. And taking with him his brother
KUBLALI, who was younger than he, he went to the inner countries of the CHINESE. And he left in his place
his brother 'ARIGH BOKA, who was the youngest of them all. And having gone and engaged that king in
battle, by ill-luck an arrow came to him, and there he ended [his life]. And his brother KUBLAI took all the
armies of the MONGOLS, and went forth from that inner country of the CHINESE and sat down in their
outer country, in the great town which is called KHAN BALIK (PAIKIN or PEKIN), and his brothers agreed
that he should be Khan. But his young brother 'ARIGH BOKA said, 'It is meet that the kingdom should be
mine, because MUNGA KHAN handed it over to me when he went to the war, and during his lifetime he
made me to sit in his place’. And a great quarrel broke out between the two brothers, and for a period of
seventeen years [they fought] many battles; at length the younger brother was defeated and captured, and his
name ceased [to be heard]. And the kingdom remained the peculiar possession of KUBLAI KHAN, the just
and wise king, and lover (or, friend) of the Christians; and he honoured the men of books, and the learned
men, and the physicians of all nations.

KOTAZ, having killed KIT BOGHA, ruled over DAMASCUS, and over ALEPPO, and over all SYRIA, and
he appointed a governor over every town and men versed in the Law (lawyers). And he moved his camp that
he might invade EGYPT, and prepare armies, and go forth again to meet in battle the whole force of the
TATARS. And whilst he was on the road, and had arrived in the neighbourhood of GAZA, BAIBARZ, that is
BUNDUKDAR (BUND KDAR) the Younger, the slave of BUNDUKDAR the Elder, rose up against him and
killed him. And he went into EGYPT and made himself governor thereof, and he was called MALIK TAHIR
RUKN AD-DIN. And at [that] time the lord of SINJAR, that is 'ALA AD-DIN, the son of BADR AD-DIN,
the lord of MAWSIL, fled to him and he gave him ALEPPO. And the Christians of the sea-coast suffered
great tribulation from BUNDUKDAR, and continue to do so to this day, for he was master of [515] all their
fortresses, and only 'AKKO and TRIPOLI and TYRE were left to them.

With the return of the year, which is the year fifteen hundred and seventy-two [of the GREEKS, A.D. 1261],
the TATARS came to SYRIA with KUKALAGA (KUKALEK) NAWIN at their head; and he came as far as
EMESA and took the country and killed [the people]. And because all the inhabitants of SYRIA had fled to
ALEPPO, NAWIN commanded that all of them should depart outside, and that the natives of every [other]
country and city should sit on one side and return to their native places. And when they had done thus he
killed them all. And he left [alive | only the citizens of ALEPPO. Then to those who were left they said 'If ye
had been our friends ye would not have fled before us'.

And KUKALAGA NAWIN, having done these things, turned back from SYRIA and crossed the
EUPHRATES. And the EGYPTIANS came back again and ruled over the whole of SYRIA. And in the
summer of this year, 'ALA AD-DIN, the son of BADR AD-DIN, the lord of SINJAR, who had fled to the
EGYPTIANS, sent a letter to MALIK SALIH, his brother, the lord of MAWSIL, informing him concerning
the strength of the EGYPTIANS, and [saying] that 'it would be better for him to leave MAWSIL immediately
and go to BUNDUKDAR, so that when he broke the TATARS he might make him king not only over
'ATHOR, but over all the East’. And one day when one of the nobles of BADR AD-DIN, whose name was
BAR YUNES, was sitting by MALIK SALIH, he stretched out his hand under the carpet and drew forth from
beneath it the letter which had come from his brother; and he rose up and went out and departed to his
village, the name of which is BETH 'ASHIKA in NINEVEH. And after a time SALIH searched for that letter
and could not find it, and he knew that BAR YUNES had taken it. And he made haste and sent two slaves in
search of him. And when they arrived at the house of BAR YUNES he knew that evil was intended, and that
if he fell into the hands of SALIH he would perish. Therefore he gave gifts to those slaves, and he had some
wine brought to them and said, 'Eat ye, and drink, and enjoy ye yourselves this evening, and in the mornipg
we will go together to MAWSIL '. Thereupon they drank and became drunk, and BAR YUNES rose up in the
night, and he took his men, and mounted his horse and came to BARTELI (BARTELLI). And he said unto
the governor 'ABD ALLAH, the son of [516] KHOSHU, ' Inform thy people, and flee all of you, for SALIH
is preparing to kill the Christians, and, he is going to flee to EGYPT". And every man who was able to do so
rose up and fled to 'ARBIL in the days of Pentecost.

And on the [following] morning when the slaves rose up and they could not find BAR YUNES, they thought
that he had started for MAWSIL before them, and they went in to MAWSIL, and made the matter known to
SALIH. Then SALIH feared greatly lest BAR YUNES should reach the TATARS and bring a force to seize
him; and he rose up and took his son'ALA AL-MULK, and his slaves, and fled to SYRIA in the month of
'TYAR (MAY) of this year. And on the road some of his slaves were divided in their opinions (i.e. had doubts)
concerning him, and they left him and returned to MAWSIL. And the natives of MAWSIL, together with
YASAN, the governor of the MONGOLS, and TURKAN KHATUN, the Khawarazmite woman who did not
wish to go with him, shut the gates in the faces of those who came; and [these] continued to make war on the
city for a few days. Then the people of SHAHARSIN, that is to say, the Fourth Bazar of the bazars which are
in MAWSIL, attached themselves to a certain man whose name was BAR ZEBALAK, and they opened the
gates of the city to him. And 'ALAM SANGAR, and those who were with him, went in. And YASAN fled,
together with his companions, and TURKAN fortified herself in the fortress.

And when these men [who had come back] went into MAWSIL, they started a great persecution of the
Christians, and they looted their houses and killed every one who did not become a Muslim. And many
elders, and deacons, and gentlefolk, and common folk denied their Faith, [all] except a few of the house of
SUWAYAD, that is WADHKHOKI, and NAFIS the goldsmith. And as for the country outside NINEVEH,
immediately MALIK SALIH fled, the KURDS came down, and they made a great slaughter among the
Christians, and they took the nunnery of the Sisters which is in BETH KUDIDA, and they killed therein
many of the people who from all over the country were hidden therein. And those accursed men also went up
to the Monastery of MAR MATTAL, and thousands of horsemen and men on foot assembled there, and they
made war on the monks for a period of four months. And they set scaling ladders in position, and they wanted
to ascend the wall, but the monks prevailed [517] and burnt their scaling ladders. Then the KURDS hewed a
mass of stone from the mountain which is above the monastery and rolled it [down ] upon it, And that great
mass of stone split in two, and one part made a breach in the wall, and it remained fast in the breach like a
gem in a ring which cannot be moved. And the other part made a hole in the wall and passed through it, and
the KURDS rushed to enter in thereby. And the monks, and the natives of the country who were refugees
there, resisted fiercely, and they fought with stones and arrows and did not let them come in; and they built up
immediately the breach with stones and lime. And during these fights one of the eyes of ABU NASR the

archimandrite was knocked out, and a few men were struck by arrows, but tlley became well again. And the
monks being weary of the fighting, they demanded peace of the KURDS, and they undertook to give them all
the hangings, and curtains, and equipment of the church, and also to collect gold, and silver, and chains
(jewellery). Now because they heard a report of the coming of the TATARS, the KURDS inclined swiftly
towards peace; and they took a very large amount of property from the monastery, the total value of which
amounted to one thousand gold dinars, and departed.

And at that time certain people from the village of BETH SAHRAYE, and others of the natives of
NINEVEH, who had been shut up in the Monastery of HABHSUSHYATHA, removed themselves from that
place, and they went and crossed the river ZABHA to go to 'ARBIL. And KUTLU BAG, the Amir, met them,
and giving them as a reason that they were coming from the side of the enemy, he killed them all, men and
women alike. And 'ALAM SANGAR, just as soon as he had gone into MAWSIL, heard that the TATARS had
come from the quarter of GAZARTA, and he sallied out and met them in battle and was killed.

And there came a spy of the TATARS who informed them, saying, "Behold, MALIK SALIH is coming again
to MAWSIL'. And because of this the TATARS halted and did not come against MAWSIL until SALIH had
actually come and gone into the city.

When SAIF AD-DIN, the lord of GAZARTA, heard that SALIH, his brother, had fled to SYRIA, he himself
made ready to flee. And NAWRIN, the governor [518] of MAWSIL, heard [this], and he came to seize him.
And the people who were natives of GAZARTA gathered together against him, and they wished to kill him,
and he escaped and fled only with the greatest difficulty. And SAIF AD-DIN collected the Christians, and
shut them up in prison and demanded from them two thousand geld dinars. Now it was the day of the
Ascension, and the Christians remained shut up and despaired of their lives. And SAIF AD DIN distributed
much gold among the troops, and about seventy thousand KURDS gathered together about him, and they
took him and carried him to SYRIA. And as GAZARTA remained without a lord, two scouts sprang up, the
name of the one was 'IZAZ BAS, and that of the other was MAHAMAD, the captain of the guard, and they
made themselves their rulers. And they brought out the Christians from the places wherein they were
confined after they had taken from them seven hundred dinars, and they only killed the two of them who
were going and coming to the TATARS.

And at this time 'IZZ AD-DIN 'AIBAG, the lord of 'EMADIAH, a slave of BADR-AD-DIN, collected about
three thousand horsemen, and came to reign over GAZARTA. And NURIN of 'AMIR met them in battle with
three hundred horsemen by the side of the rrver DEBSHA, which floweth down from the mountains of
KARDU, and he broke him and put him to flight. And 'ABD ALLAH, who reigned over MAIPERKAT, once
came to take it, but he was unable to do so. And at the end of the summer of this year Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN of
ICONIUM prepared to go to do homage to the King of Kings because he was urged to do so by the
ambassadors. And having struck his tents outside ICONIUM in order to set out, a spy came and said unto
him, "ALYAJAK NAWIN hath arrived at 'AKSARA, and with him is RUKN AD-DIN thy brother, and
PARWANA, and they are prepared so that when they meet thee in battle they may take thee prisoner, and
carry thee in chains to the King of Kings'. And 'IZZ AD-DIN trembled and abandoned his tents which were
struck, and he took his sons and his household and fled to CONSTANTINOPLE, to MICHAEL, the king of
the GREEKS. 'ALYAJAK NAWIN took RUKN AD-DIN Sultan [519] into ICONIUM, and seated him upon
the throne of the kingdom, and PARWANA became his administrator.

And in this year the lord of EGYPT made ready a certain young man who was black, whom he had
discovered to be of the family of the Khalifah, and he sent him with a small army to come and take
BAGHDAD and to sit on the throne of his fathers. And he sent also to MALIK SALIH, the lord of MAWSIL,
to come to MAWSIL and to sit upon his throne. For the report had gone forth, saying, 'The TATARS have

come to an end, and have been wiped off the earth by the sceptre of heaven; and the birds have blinded
them'—a story which not even babies would believe. And as for the black Khalifah, when he came into the
neighbourhood of BAGHDAD, 'ALI BAHADUR went out with his army and broke him and killed him.

And as soon as ever MALIK SALIH had gone into MAWSIL towards the dawn of the third day of the week,
on the seventh day of the month of the FIRST KANON (DECEMBER), the MONGOLS arrived quickly,
with SAMDAGHU, a Christian MONGOL, a splendid young man, at their head. And they surrounded the
city at daybreak of the third day [of the week], when the Moon was in [the sign of] the Lion, And they built a
wall outside it, and they began to make war upon it strenuously. And the war against it dragged on until the
summer, and there was a very severe famine in the city. And men were exhausted by the war, and they were
wearied with the fightings (or, struggles). And, moreover, SAMDAGHU began to send to them words of a
consolatory character, and he promised benefactions to MALIK SALIH. And MALIK SALIH went out to
SAMDAGHU with drums, and sistra (?), and harpers playing their instruments of music, and acrobats who
performed before him, and as soon as ever he arrived SAMDAGHU had him surrounded by Mongol troops;
and they went into the city and looted it, and killed the population thereof. And SAMDAGHU gave wine to
the son of SALIH, that is to say 'ALA AL-MULK, and they made him drunk. And they tied the string of a
bow over his vents (?) so tightly that the whole of his inside was thrust upwards, and they cut him into two
parts at the band of his loins, and they hung them over the two sides of the entrance of the gate of the city.
And they also cut off the head of MUHI, the son of ZEBALAK. And they took MALIK SALIH to the Camp
and there he was killed. And BAR YUNES of 'AMIR reigned over MAWSIL.

And when the affair [520] of MAWSIL was ended, SAMDAGHU went against GAZARTA, and he built a
wall before it, and he began to make war on it, and he fought there the whole winter, until the summer. Then
HENAN ISHO, the Nestorian bishop of GAZARTA, who was present outside [the city], admitted to the King
of Kings that he had knowledge of the art of alchemy, and that he could prepare for him as much gold as he
wanted, received from the King of Kings a Pukdana (i.e. Royal order) of the word of life (i,e. pledge for the
lives) for the people of GAZARTA, and he came and entered the town. And the son of 'EZAZ BAS rose up to
kill him, but the chiefs would not allow [it]. And he promised them that he would go and bring to them a
warrant of greater power from the King of Kings. And he went and received a Yarlikh (i.e. Royal Decree)
ordering that JEMAL AD-DIN GULBAG, a slave of SAIF AD-DIN, the lord of GAZARTA, should be king;
and that 'EZAZ BAS, and MAHAMADI the captain of the host with him, should be Pakodhe (i.e.
Commanders), and that MAR SAINT HENAN-ISHO should be counsellor and administrator, and like a
father. And he went into GAZARTA, and he pleased the hearts of those who were therein, and they opened
the gates. And SAMDAGHU went in, and he commanded, and in one hour the dug and threw down the walls
of the city, and they left and went and sat down in the valley of SHEMAMA, in the country of 'ARBIL.

And when the year fifteen hundred and seventy-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 1263) began, SAIF AD-DIN, the
lord of GAZARTA, sent from EGYPT one of his slaves to JEMAL AD-DIN GULBAG, the slave, who
reigned in GAZARTA, [ordering him] to send him the gold which he had hidden in a certain place. And when
JEMAL AD-DIN brought out the gold and gave it to that slave, he took it and went to 'IZZ AD-DIN 'AIBAG
at 'EMADIAH to tell him the word of his lord. And he took him and brought him to SAMDAGHU. And.he
sent and called JEMAL AD-DIN GULBAG, and he admonished him, saying, 'We made thee king, and
behold, spies come to thee from EGYPT, and thou hidest the matter from us'. And when he denied [the
accusation], he produced the man who had come from EGYPT, and he proved GULBAG guilty and killed
him. And after a little he went to GAZARTA, and he killed the Pakodhe, and MAR SAINT HENAN ISHO
reigned.

And in the year fifteen hundred and seventy-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1264) a certain scout of BADR AD-
DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, whose name was ZAKI, a native of 'ARBIL, laid a charge of treason against BAR

YUNES, who was reigning over MAWSIL, to the King of Kings, saying, 'He hath stolen gold from the
treasure of BADR AD-DIN and hidden it, [521] and he wishes to take it and flee to EGYPT. I know his
secret, and he hath given me poison to drink, and he wished to kill me, [and would have done so if this
Christian physician whose name is MUWAFAK, a native of Nisibis, had not cured me. Otherwise I should
already be dead. 'And the King of Kings was angry and he commanded them to beat BAR YUNES. And
when they laid him out a written paper fell from his bosom, and they opened it and read it, and behold, there
were written on it sentences from the Kur'an, viz.: 'Their tongue shall be fettered in their mouths; and there
shall be fetters on their legs (or, feet) ; and halters about their necks, and we shall rejoice and be glad'. And
when the King of Kings asked what these words meant, the enemies of BAR YUNES replied, 'They [refer] to
the sorceries which are worked by him for you'. And the King of Kings commanded and BAR YUNES was
killed, and ZAKI the ARBELITE reigned in his place. And he was called by the additional name of "AKIL
KARSA' (i.e. Calumniator), because he ate the flesh (or, belly) of BAR YUNES, and killed him.

And in the year fifteen hundred and seventy-six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1265), in the days which introduced
the Fast [of NINEVEH], HULABU, King of Kings, departed from this world. The wisdom of this man, and
his greatness of soul, and his wonderful actions are incomparable. And in the days of summer TOKUZ
KHATUN, the believing queen, departed, and great sorrow came to all the Christians throughout the world
because of the departure of these two great lights, who made the Christian religion triumphant.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

XI

After Hulabu [Hulegu], Abaka [Abagha] was King of Kings.

In the days when HULABO the IL-KHAN departed from this temporary life, the sons of the kings and the
MONGOLS agreed together that his eldest son should sit upon the throne of his father, because they saw that
God had adorned him with understanding, and wisdom, and a good disposition, and mercifulness. And when
the kingdom was established for him, he showed himself triumphant in his wars, and the conqueror of all his
enemies, and he was beloved by all the peoples who were under his dominion. And in this year, which is the
year [fifteen hundred] and seventy-six [of the GREEKS] (A.D. 1265), EPHTHIMIUS (EUTHYMIUS), [522]
Patriarch of ANTIOCH of the GREEKS, came, and he brought the daughter of MICHAEL PALAEOLOGOS
to 'ABAKA, King of Kings. For his father had long before sent an ambassador asking for her; and in the year
in which she was given, before they arrived in CAESAREA, then they were informed of the departure of the
King of Kings, HULABO, and they could not return.

And in this year 'IZZ AD-DIN Sultan fled from the country of CONSTANTINOPLE. And he sent and
informed those of the house of BARAKATH, for they were neighbours of that country, and they sent and
seized him and departed, and behold he is there to this day.

And in this year, in the days of summer, a Pukdana came to 'ALA AD-DIN, the Master of the DIWAN,
ordering that he should have a general Pukdana over BAGHDAD. And after a little time a stupefying report
came to him that his brother SHAMS AD-DIN, the Master of the DIWAN, was held prisoner in the Camp.
Straightway KARA BOGHA, the governor of BAGHDAD, laid his hand on 'ALA AD-DIN, and shut him up
in his palace on the twentieth day of the month of 'AB (AUGUST), and he sent and informed his brother. And
the Pukdana came that 'ALA AD-DIN should go with honour and be escorted, and also ISAAC, the
Armenian youth, the scribe of KARA BOGHA, and with him a man of the MA'DAYE, [who said], 'I have
come to make 'ALA AD-DIN to flee’. And when they arrived at the Camp that man of the MA'DAYE was
beaten, and he confessed, saying, 'ISAAC taught me to lie'. And they killed ISAAC and the man of the
MA'DAYE. And from this time the affairs of the Christians became confounded.

And in the year fifteen hundred and seventy-seven [of the GREEKS] (A.D. 1266), BUNDUKDAR, the lord
of EGYPT, sent to king HAITUM of CILICIA, and he said unto him, 'Let us submit to him and pay a
capitation tax, and we will open the road of SYRIA, and transport food from his country'. And the king,
through fear of the TATARS, was unable to reply to him with words of peaceful agreement, and because of
this he made ready to come to CILICIA without delay. And the king hastened to BETH RHOMAYE, to the
chief of the TATARS, whose name was 'NAPHSHI’, so that he might come to his help. And he replied,
"Without the Pukdana of the King of Kings I am unable to come'. And during the time when, having sent the
ambassador, and he was awaiting the reply, the troops of the EGYPTIANS burst into CILICIA, the king
being outside (or, absent). Then the CONSTABLE, his brother, and two [523] sons of the king, and his nobles
made haste and went to meet the EGYPTIANS, and they met them in battle by the side of the ROCK OF
SERWAND. And the ARMENIANS were broken, and LION, the lord of the district, the eldest son of the

king, was made prisoner, on the third day [of the week], on the twenty-fourth day of the month of 'AB
(AUGUST) of this year. And BARON TOROS, the younger son of the king, was killed, and the rest of his
nobles fled.

And the EGYPTIANS went in and spread themselves over the whole country of CILICIA, and they wrought
great destruction therein, [ committing] murder and [leading the people into] captivity. And they set fire to
SIS, and they pulled down the great church, nay, more than this, all the churches. Only two of our churches
escaped, viz. the church of the Mother of God, and that of MAR BAR SAWMA, because there was no wood
in the structures. And they spoiled MOPSUESTIA, and 'AYAS, and 'ADANA, and they took into captivity
sons and daughters without end. Now they did not come to TARSOS. They set fire to the Monastery of
PAKSEMAT, but they did not harm that of GWIKHATH, because there was found in it a monk who could
speak ARABIC, and he humbled himself before them, and they did no harm either to himself or to his
monastery. And they remained in the country, looting and burning twenty days, and then they went forth.

Now after they had gone forth king HAITUM came, and with him was all army [composed] of TATARS and
men of BETH RHOMAYE, and these instead of rendering help did wanton damage, and the things which
remained from the EGYPTIANS they looted. Then after these things king HAITUM began to be anxious
about the deliverance of his son. And having promised to giye gold and fortresses to the EGYPTIANS as the
ransom of his son, the EGYPTIANS replied, ' I ask nothing from thee except one friend, who is now in the
hands of the TATARS, and whose name is SENKUR 'ASHKAR, that is a red-haired man; save this man and
send [him] to me, and take thy son '.

And at this ttme RUKN AD-DIN, the lord of BETH RHOMAYE, wished to destroy PARWANA, the man
whom he had seated firmly on the throne of the kingdom, and his actions with the benefits of his government
were spread abroad. Therefore when PARWANA knew this he informed the nobles of the MONGOLS when
RUKN AD-DIN was with them. He persuaded a certain man, and he went into the tent in which he was lying
down, and he threw a cord round his neck [524] and strangled him, and they carried him [out] and buried
him. And they set up in his place his son GHAYATH AD-DIN when he was a child about four years old. In
this year NASIR (RADI ?) AD- DIN PAPA (BABA) brought a Pukdana from the Camp, and he killed ZAKI
the ARBELITE, and reigned in MAWSIL.

And in the year fifteen hundred and seventy-eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 1267), king HAITUM came to
MAWSIL, and from there he went to do fealty to the King of Kings, 'ABAKA. And he went before him
because of his son who was a prisoner in EGYPT, and he begged for SENKUR, the red-haired man, that he
might give [him] as a substitute and take his son. And 'ABAKA had compassion on him, and he said unto
him, 'At present he is not near, but do thou go to thy country, and I will have him brought and will send him
to thee'. And HAITUM left the king and went back.

At this time PARWANA, the administrator of the kingdom of BETH RHOMAYE, desired to contract affinity
with king HAITUM through his daughter. And he discussed the matter with PARSIGH, an Armenian monk,
an ambassador of the king to the TATARS, and he, the fool, counselled him, saying, "When the king is ready
to cross over into thy country, come to him, and pay him honour, and ask him, and he will not prevent thee’.
Therefore when the king came back from the Camp, and arrived at the inn of KARATAI, and tarried the night
there, PARWANA came to him, and with him were all the nobles of BETH RHOMAYE, and he offered to the
king very valuable gifts, and asked for his daughter. And because the king was afraid lest he might ambush
him on the road and do him harm, he did not offend him [by refusing], but gave him his word and his right
hand, and went to his own country. And when PARWANA began to ask for her, the king replied, 'It would not
be seemly for us to make her a wedding feast with her brother in prison’. And when PARWANA had waited

until her brother came, and there remained no longer any reason for keeping her [from him], it happened that
the daughter died, and PARSIGH the monk perished through anger.

And in this year, which is the year fifteen hundred and seventy-eight [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1267)], ALAM
AR-RIASAH, the Egyptian lawyer in MAWSIL, was seized and put to death in prison, on the second day [of
the week], on the twenty-ninth day of the month of ILUL (SEPTEMBER).

And in the year which is the year fifteen hundred and seventy-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 1268), SENKUR
'ASHKAR was brought from the country of SAMARKAND, and was sent to king HAITUM, and he sent him
to EGYPT. And in this year, [525] in the days of the Fast of Forty Days, MAR DENHA, the Catholicus of the
NESTORIANS, took a certain native of TAGRITH who many years before had become a Muslim, and
wished to baptize him in the TIGRIS. And the people of BAGHDAD heard [of it]. And they made a great
tumult against 'ALA AD-DIN, the Master of the DIWAN. And he sent nobles to the Catholicus several times
and demanded that person. And when the Catholicus did not wish to give him up, the people became wild
with rage, and they set fire to the wooden framework of the gates of the Cell (i.e. the house of the
Catholicus), and they climbed up the walls to kill the Catholicus. And the Master of the DIWAN heard [of it],
and he sent and took him to his palace from the side of the waters secretly, and saved him. And the
Catholicus sent and complained to the Camp, and messengers came and took him and he went [there]. And
when he had made his complaint no man hearkened to his voice, and he left and came to 'ARBIL; and he
began to build a church in the Citadel thereof, and he lived therein.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

XI

Concerning the Taking of Antioch.

In the month of KHAZIRAN (JUNE) of this year, BUNDUKDAR, the lord of EGYPT, sent armies against
ANTIOCH the Great of SYRIA, and they took it with the sword because there was not in it a force sufficient
for its defence; and moreover those who were therein had not understanding enough to surrender it in peace.
Therefore the EGYPTIANS went into it, and they slew all the males therein, and they destroyed the famous
churches, and they took captive women, and sons, and daughters, and they left it a heap of ruins and a desert
place until this day.

And in the summer of this year MAR SAINT, that is HENAN ISHO, Bishop of GAZARTA, was seized, and
there went forth a Pukdana that he was to be killed. And they killed him, not with the sword, but whilst he
was lying down and meditating; they lifted up a huge stone and from behind his back smote him on the head,
and put him to death. And they cut off his head, and hung it up above the gate of the city of GAZARTA. And
this evil end came to him because he thrust himself into worldly affairs, and wished to become king; and he
was accused of various kinds of disgraceful acts.

And at the time the EGYPTIAN sent the lord of the revenue, LION, the son of king HAITUM, to his father in
honour, and he went to CILICIA in the month of TAMMUZ (JULY) of this year, and he became a comfort to
his father and to all the Christians. And king HAITUM went to pay homage to the King of Kings, in
BAGHDAD, and he gave thanks for the deliverance of his son, and he received a [526] Pukdana ordering his
son to administer the kingdom; and he himself was to dwell in peace because he was an old man and was
feeble. And the King of Kings commanded that when he came unto us we were to transfer to him the
kingdom.

And in the year fifteen hundred and eighty of the GREEKS (A.D. 1269), on the seventeenth day of the month
NISAN (APRIL), at the first hour of the night of the fourth day [of the week], a severe earthquake took place
in CILICIA, and it destroyed the rock fortress of SERWAND, and that of 'AMAOS, and that of the rock
HARU'TA, and the great Monastery of the ARMENIANS, that is [the Monastery] of BALUT the king. And
about eight thousand souls perished in this catastrophe. And in the month of TAMMUZ (JULY) the lord of
the revenue, LION, the son of the king, went to do homage to the King of Kings; and he was received
handsomely, and it was decided that he was to rule the kingdom of his father.

And in the year fifteen hundred and eighty-one [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1270)] the lord of EGYPT went forth
to PALESTINE, and he encamped in person against the fortress of 'AKRAD, and he took it with the sword.
Now he killed no man therein, but he allowed every man to dwell therein who wished to do so, and he who
wished to depart he sent to TRIPOLI.

And in the year fifteen hundred and eighty-two [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1271)], in the autumn season, the
believing king HAITUM died of a virulent abscess which broke out in his chest. And in the year the chief

priests and the nobles assembled in the city of TARSUS, and they placed the crown on [the head of] his son
LION. And they proclaimed him king on the day of the Feast of the Epiphany.

And in the days of the [Lenten] Fast the ISHMAELITES rushed out upon 'ALA AD-DIN, the Master of the
Diwan, when he was riding in BAGHDAD, and they stabbed him with knives, but did not injure him
[fatally]. And they were seized, and their members were cut off. And the ARABS spread the report that they
were Christians, and that they had been sent by the Catholicus. And the holy men, and the monks, and the
chief men who were in BAGHDAD were seized and shut up in prison; and KUTLU BAG, the Amir of
'ARBIL, seized and shut up the Catholicus and his holy men in prison. And they were in great tribulation
during the whole of the Fast, until God helped [them], and a Pukdana came from the Camp, and they were
released. And from that time the Catholicus went and dwelt in the city of 'ESHNU, in'ADHORBIJAN.

And in the year fifteen hundred and eighty-three [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1272)], the nobles of the GREEKS
of CILICIA acted treacherously against the new king LION, and when the [people] perceived their treachery,
they seized BARON, their chief. And his companions heard [of it], and they fled to one of the fortresses, and
they sent to BETH RHOMAYE [527] for them to come to their help and receive the fortress. Then the king
made haste and encamped against the fortress, and the ARMENIANS who were therein seized the Greek
nobles and handed them over to the king, and he destroyed them all. And he also destroyed BIHRAM in the
fortress of the city of 'ANAZARBA. For when those men fled to that fortress, the king sent the Greek
Patriarch of ANTIOCH to them, and he swore that if they came down in peace he would do them no harm.
But the Patriarch when he had gone to them said unto them that they were not to come down, and if [they
did] he (i.e. the king) would destroy them. And he came back and said unto the king, 'They would not
hearken unto me and come down". And the king perceived what had taken place through him. And having
destroyed those men, he seized the Patriarch in order to send him to the king of CONSTANTINOPLE, so that
the king might judge between them. The Patriarch having been handed over by the king to the soldiers that
they might carry him to CONSTANTINOPLE, those who were to take him carried him to the city of 'AYAS;
and they pitched a tent for him by the side of the sea. And having gone into the city to buy food for
themselves, they also occupied themselves with the drinking of wine until the evening. And the Patriarch sent
a message to some Greek sailors who lived in that neighbourhood, and he summoned them to him, and wept
before them, and he showed them how [the soldiers] were placing him by the sea of the ARMENIANS, not to
carry him to CONSTANTINOPLE, but to effect his destruction. And being sorry for him, they carried him
off in their little boat and took him to BETH RHOMAYE, to the TURKS.

At this time LION, the king of the ARMENIANS, gave his daughter by a handmaiden to the son of
PARWANA, instead of his sister whom his father would not give to him, and a convenient friendship sprang
up between them.

And in the year fifteen hundred and eighty-four [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1273)], on the eighteenth day of the
month of the LATTER KANON (JANUARY), on the night of the fourth day [of the week], there was a
severe earthquake in the city of 'ADHORBIJAN, more especially in the city of TABRIZ. And it overthrew
the palaces and the mosques, and the capitals of the pillars fell down. Our church, however, did the Lord
protect, and it never shook, and the performance of the service never stopped, and GREEKS, and
ARMENIANS, and NESTORIANS, and all our own peoples gathered together therein. But the rest [528] of
the people of the ARABS by the ten thousand pitched tents (or, habitations) in the gardens outside [the city],
and they dwelt in them for about two months and then went into [the city again]. Now in this earthquake
about two hundred and fifty Arab souls died.

And in the summer of this year the robber bands of SYRIA came from 'AINTAB, and from BIRAH, to the
country of KLAWDYA (CLAUDIA), from the side of the mountains. And passing like a flash of lightning

through the country they came to the boundary of the lands, and they came back and made captives of the
whole of the population, both women and a multitude of young men. And they went through it in that day
without tarrying for the night, for they were afraid that the army of the MONGOLS would capture them.

In those days we made ready to go up to the Monastery of MAR BAR SAWMA, because we did not
understand the calamity which had taken place until we arrived in the neighbourhood of the district, which
we discovered to be like unto a vineyard which had been beaten flat by the hail. And as we were sitting in the
Monastery of SERGIUS there came from the monastery about fifty armed monks, and they took us and we
went up to the monastery.

And in the year fifteen hundred and eighty-five [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1274)], the King of Kings came down
to BAGHDAD with a multitude of troops; now there was poverty and food was scarce therein, and the locust
also had appeared. And during the days of the Fast of Forty Days this year, a Nestorian monk from the
Monastery of MICHAEL, which is by the side of MAWSIL, being discovered in fornication with an Arab
woman, abandoned his Faith and became a Muslim. And the Christian suffered great pain and grief [through
this]. Then the monks of his monastery, together with the uncle of the monk who had become a Muslim, and
who was himself an anchorite, being unable to endure the disgrace and ignominy, sent and informed
TARPASHL, the captain of the soldiery of the MONGOLS. And he rose up and came to MAWSIL, and he
seized the man who had become a Muslim with indignation, as if he would kill him. And the Arab peoples of
MAWSIL perceived this, and were filled with indignation, and they gattlered together at the gate of the
palace, a great mob, with staves and lamps. And they uttered imprecations on the head of the MONGOLS,
and they threatened TARPASHI that if he would not set free the man who had become a Muslim, they would
kill him and all those who were with him. And the MONGOL being afraid sent him away. And the ARABS
took him, and set him upon a horse and marched him about throughout the city of MAWSIL, and [thus] the
last sorrow was worse than the first.

And in those days when the Christians of the city of 'ARBIL wished [529] to celebrate the Festival of
Hosannas (Palm Sunday), and knowing that the ARABS were making ready to obstruct them, they sent and
summoned to their help certain TATARS who were Christians and who were near them. And when they came
they placed crosses on the heads of their spears, and the Metropolitan of the NESTORIANS, together with all
his people, sallied forth with those TATARS riding in front of them. And when they approached the front of
the fortress, the companies of ARABS grouped themselves together, and they were carrying stones and they
stoned the TATARS and the Christians, and their companies were scattered and each of the Christians fled to
one side; and after this they remained for some days without daring to go forth. And this also afflicted the
Christians in every place.

And in this year died KHWAJAH NASIR, the Persian philosopher. He was a man renowned and famous, and
was pre-eminent in all the branches of science, and was especially learned in those dealing with mathematics.
He constructed instruments for the observations of the stars, and the great brass spheres which were more
wonderful than those which PTOLEMY set up in ALEXANDRIA, and he observed and defined the courses
of the stars. And there were gathered together about him in MARAGHA, a city of 'ADHORBIJAN, a
numerous company of wise men from various countries. And since the councils of all the mosques and the
houses of instruction (i.e. colleges) of BAGHDAD and ASSYRIA were under his direction he used to allot
stipends to the teachers and to the pupils who were with him. About this time, having set out for BAGHDAD
to visit various places, he died in BAGHDAD. And certain men have reported that he was blind. He wrote
many books—explanations (or, commentaries) on rhetoric and natural and divine learning. He arranged
EUCLID and MAGISTI very accurately. And there is also [attributed] to him a lexicographical work in
PERSIAN in which he taught the meaning of the words of PLATO and ARISTOTLE on practical philosophy.

For he held fast to the opinions of the early philosophers, and he combated vigorously in his writings those
who contradicted them.

And in the year fifteen hundred and eighty-six [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1275)], in the month of the FIRST
KANON (DECEMBER), certain evil-doing men in MAWSIL went and knocked at the door of a Jewish
goldsmith in the night. And when he answered and said unto them, 'What seek ye?' they said unto him, "We
are young folk and we have come to thee that thou mayest give us money to buy food'. And he said unto
them, [530] 'How much do ye want?' And they said, 'Twenty zuze'. And being afraid the JEW brought to them
what they had demanded. And he told them to take the money through an opening in the door. And they said,
'No, but open to us the door’. And when they had stood disputing about the matter for nearly an hour, their
companions climbed up the walls to the roof, and they went down into the house and opened the door, and
those others entered in. And they put the JEW to the torture until he had shown them all the treasure which he
possessed. And when they thrust [their] hand(s) to kill him, his wife lifted up herself over him, and she began
to entreat the thieves, saying, 'Have pity on (or, spare) the youth of this man, and kill ye me instead of him’.
Then those accursed men in their hardness of heart replied to her, 'We will kill both him and thee’. And
having killed her husband; they stabbed her with knives and left her half dead, and they took much treasure
and departed. And when the day broke and the people came they found the JEW dead and his wife at her last
gasp. And having related what had happened, she died at about the ninth hour.

At this time certain Arab fakirs, about thirty souls, came from the region of SYRIA to CILICIA that they
might receive a blessing from the tomb of the Khalifah MAMUN, who was buried at TARSOS. And the
expectation fell (or, it was suspected) that BUNDUKDAR, the lord of EGYPT, was among them, and that he
was in disguise, and was going about to spy out other kingdoms. And the lord of CILICIA laid [his] hand
upon them, and he took them and shut them up in a great fortress. And when the rumour flew to EGYPT,
ambassadors began to come frequently in quest of those who had been shut up in prison. And thus the
suspicion came to be well nigh confirmed, and king LION was unwilling to release them. And an army of
EGYPTIANS was collected and it invaded CILICIA in the days of the Great Fast.

In the year fifteen hundred and eighty-six [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1275)], about five hundred horsemen and
an army of the ARMENIANS engaged them in battle and put them to flight. And again a powerful army of
about eight thousand men was collected, and they burst out upon the miserable country. And they arrived at
'AYAS very early in the morning on the second day [of the week], on the Sabbath of Wonders, on the twenty-
fifth day of the month of 'ADAR (MARCH), [531] and they killed those whom they found therein. For many
people in the little island which was near had fled there. But having escaped from the Egyptian Arabs, the
Frankish highway robbers came upon them and looted all their possessions so thoroughly that they carried off
even their cloaks; but they did not kill them. Then the EGYPTIANS came quickly from 'AYAS to
MOPSUESTIA on the third day [of the week], and they made a great slaughter therein and burnt it
thoroughly. And they crossed the bridge and spread themselves about throughout the country. Some of them
went to TARSOS, and on the day of the Sabbath of the festival of the ARABS they called to prayer in the
tower thereof, and they went as far as CYRICUS, killing and plundering, and burning. Now some of them
made their way as far as SIS, but they found no man therein, for they had all sought protection for themselves
in the Citadel, and piece by piece they burnt it. Twenty-five monks were killed in the Monastery of
PAKSIMAT, together with RABBAN SOLOMON, a glorious old man, and the syncellus of the deceased
Patriarch MAR IGNATIUS. And they set fire to the monastery, and also the Monastery of GHUIKHATH,
and the other monasteries of the ARMENIANS and GREEKS, and the little Monastery of our Patriarch
which is in the suburbs of SIS, as if they had never left it. Then the Patriarch fled to the fortress of BAHGA,
and there he remained in asylum until the wrath had passed.

Now these EGYPTIANS remained in the country until the Sabbath of the White had passed, and they went
forth taking very much booty. And the number of the slain amounted to sixty thousand, and the women and
the children who were led away into slavery are beyond count. And there were in the country about ten
thousand TURKOMANS, and they also wrought great destruction of the [property of the] Christians. And
when the EGYPTIANS sallied out the king killed them all, and enslaved their families, and looted all their
possessions.

And in the [same] year BAIMOND (BOHAIMOD), the Prince of TRIPOLI, died, and his son reigned in his
place. And the nobles sent and brought [532] SIR HARRI, the father of the lord of CYPRUS, an old man, and
a man of understanding, and to him they committed the direction of the young man and the administration of
the kingdom.

And at [this] time two brothers, the sons of SHAIKH 'ADI, whom the KURDS of the country of MAWSIL
hold to be a prophet, quarrelled with each other. And because one of them took to himself a wife from the
MONGOLS, the other was afraid, and he took all his family and household, about four hundred souls, and
fled to SYRIA, together with all the sheep, and oxen, and horses which they possessed. For the Christians
were greatly terrified, and they were afraid of him, lest he should loot their goods in his passage and kill
[them]. He, however, passed on and injured no man. But after he had gone, certain highway robbers came and
took BETH TAKSHUR, a village in the country of NINEVEH. And the villagers fought strenuously against
them in war, and they killed about ten of the robbers; and five men of the village were killed, and seven
maidens and three young men were carried off.

And when the year fifteen hundred and eighty-seven [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1276)] began, on the fifth day
[of the week ], on the third day of the month of the FIRST TESHRIN (OCTOBER), a violent earthquake took
place in the city of 'ARKESTIA, which is 'ARGISH, and the strong walls and all the buildings thereof fell
down, and a large number of its inhabitants perished. And the selfsame thing happened in the city of
KHALAT, and the earthquake in the country thereof took place at the time of the ninth hour; there was great
destruction there, but it was not as widespread as that which took place in 'ARGISH. And in those days when
the great caravan of Christian merchants was going from CILICIA to BETH RHOMAYE, three hundred
horsemen of the TURKOMANS fell upon them, and they killed about eighty of the most famous Christian
merchants in the neighbourhood of the city of HERAKLEIA, and they carried off the property which they
had with them. Now, with one of the merchants who belonged to the family of 'ISA, the son of HADIRI,
there were one hundred and twenty thousand Tyrian dinars. And nothing escaped from the caravan except
four Arab camels.

And in the winter of that year about seven myriad (i.e. seventy thousand) of troops of the MONGOLS
gathered together, and they went to capture the fortress of BIRAH, but they were unable to do so because of
the heavy snow which fell and the bitter cold which arrived. [533] And many of them were deprived of [their]
horses, and they returned on foot without success. Now 'ABATAI NAWIN the Great stood at their head, and
even he, when he turned back and arrived in ASSYRIA, fell sick of an acute illness. And after the return of
these troops the TURKOMANS waxed strong, and they mustered in great strength, and they were
accompanied by about one thousand horsemen from the army of the EGYPTIANS. And they came from the
side of MAR'ASH to go again into the rocky (or, mountainous) country of CILICIA. And when king LION
perceived [this], he collected his army of ARMENIANS and set at its head BARON SINBAT, the Constable,
his uncle, and others of the nobles. And they went and engaged the TURKOMANS in battle by the side of
MAR'ASH on the Eve of the Sabbath (i.e. Friday), on the third day of the Holy Fast of Forty Days. And on
that day BARON SINBAT himself, the uncle of the king, was killed, and others of the nobles, viz. the lord of
KHARBIZAG (?), and thirteen other famous men, and three hundred horsemen. And of the TURKOMANS
also very many were killed, and they returned, having been unable to enter the country .

And before these things happened, that is on the first Sabbath of this Fast, on the fourth day [of the week], on
the nineteenth (or, seventeenth) day of the month of SHEBHAT (FEBRUARY), in the year fifteen hundred
and eighty-seven [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1276)], hurricane winds blew in MAWSIL and 'ARBIL and in the
regions round about. And the wind was loaded with such great quantities of red sand that the air became
densely charged [with it], and no man could see his neighbour from the third to the ninth hour. And terror fell
upon men, and they thought that they would be wiped out by an air-flood, or by an earthquake, like the city of
'ARGISH. And they went out and passed the night in the plain outside their houses, and the wind dropping
they went back to their houses. And also on the first day of the Week of the Dead, which precedes the
entrance of the Fast, the wind brought large quantities of sand, but not as much as on the former occasion.

And at [this] time the captain of the host of the fortress of ZAID, whose name was BISHAR, a wicked man
and a shedder of blood, an old man, one hundred years old, made up his mind to flee to the EGYPTIANS.
For he had in his heart a hatred of MAR SARKIS, the bishop of the ARMENIANS, in the city of
'ARZENGAN, who was a great man and who was honoured by the king of the HUNS. He determined to kill
him and then to go away. And, taking certain of [534] his free men with him, he went to the country of
'ARZENGAN. He heard that the saint was in one of his monasteries preparing for the Feast of Hosannas
(Palm Sunday), and he lay in wait for him on the road. And when the holy man rose up on the second day [of
the week] of the Sabbath of the Passion to go into the city, his son who was great and famous, was also with
him. And he said unto the holy man, his father, 'Do thou go into the city, and I want to go and occupy myself
in such and such a village, where they want to consecrate the church which they have built’. And his father
gave him permission to go, and he was not to stay too long. And when they had separated from each other,
three Turkish horsemen came and met the holy man, and they dismounted and went to kiss his hand. And
they said unto him, 'An ambassador hath come and he asketh for thee and thy son also to read the Yarlikh (i.e.
a Mongol Patent or administrative order) which he hath with him'. And the holy man said, 'My son hath gone
to such and such a village, but behold. I will come’. And when they had journeyed on a little farther, there fell
upon them about two hundred Turkish horsemen, and they killed the holy man and the thirty souls, elders,
monks, and other slaves, who were with him. And they cut off his head, and they took it and went and seized
that village, and they surrounded the church wherein was the son of the holy man very carefully. And when
they entered the church they could not find him because there was a heap [of grain] there, and he had hidden
himself inside it. And when they wanted to depart, one of those accursed infidels said; 'Let us set fire to this
heap first, and then we will go forth’. And having set fire to it the young man came forth only half alive. And
the TURKS said unto him, 'Where is thy father?’ And he replied, 'He hath gone into the city’. Then they cast
down before him his [father's] head. And when he saw [it] he shrieked and fell down on the head of his
father. And then and there, as he fell down, they hacked him limb from limb.

And after these things that wicked old man BISHAR took his sons and and his company of soldiers and
departed to the lord of EGYPT. And PARWANA, who was administrator of the kingdom of BETH
RHOMAYE, fearing lest the MONGOLS should have their suspicions that his heart also inclined towards the
EGYPTIANS, rose up and took the daughter of Sultan RUKN AD-DIN, and carried her to the service of the
King of Kings. And he said, 'I heard that the EGYPTIANS were ready to come and seize her, and therefore
[535] I made haste and have brought her [here]'. And the TATARS thanked him for this. And he also said,
‘One of these Amirs of ours, that is BAR KHATIR, wisheth to take the young man GHAYATH AD-DIN, the
lord of BETH RHOMAYE, and to flee to EGYPT. Therefore give me an army that I may go and take him
quickly.' And KUNGHURTAI, the younger brother of the King of Kings, having gone with him, they found
BAR KHATIR and the young Sultan on the plain of PALESTINE, and that they wanted to flee to SYRIA.
And having killed BAR KHATIR, [KUNGHURTAIJ] handed the Sultan over to PARWANA, and he seated
him again on the throne of his kingdom. And thus PARWANA came to be a very great man with the
TATARS, and he was greatly beloved by them because of sincerity of the love which he showed towards
them.

At this time 'ALAM AD-DIN YA'KUB, a great merchant and a Christian, a native of BAR KAWTAH, a
village in the country of 'ARBIL, coming from doing homage to KUBLAI KHAN, died on the road in the
country of KHORASAN. Then 'ASHMUT, the ambassador who was appointed [to go] with him, who was
himself a great man and an honourable man of the race of the IGHURAYE, and who led the ascetic (or,
monastic) life, took his sons and brought them to do homage to the King of Kings, 'ABAKA. And the King of
Kings received them kindly, and he made MAS'UD, the eldest son, ruler over MAWSIL and 'ARBIL; and
"ASHMUT became the administrator of the Amir.

And in this year, the year in which MAS'UD reigned, that is to say, the year fifteen hundred and eighty-seven

[of the GREEKS (A.D. 1276)], the other son of Shaikh 'ADI fled from the country of MAWSIL to EGYPT,
and he also carried off with him the Mongol woman whom he had taken from the TATARS.

(Continued on Next Page)

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

XI

Concerning the Taking of Antioch (continued).

And in the year fifteen hundred and eighty-eight (A.D. 1277), BUNDUKDAR, the lord of EGYPT, decided
that he would go in person to BETH RHOMAYE. For the old man BISHAR, together with the other nobles
of BETH RHOMAYE who had fled to him, urged him to take this course. Now when LION, king of
CILICIA, perceived this, he sent and informed the captains of the hosts of the TATARS that they must be on
their guard, because the EGYPTIAN was ready to capture them. Then PARWANA, either because of the
hatred which he bore to the king of the ARMENIANS, or because his heart was not straight in respect of the
TATARS, showed himself to be a liar in regard to the TATARS. And king LION, because he could not endure
[this], rose up and came into the neighbourhood [536] of the TATARS in the fortress of DABABA. And he
sent an ambassador every day and said to the TATARS, 'Look ye, and wake ye yourselves up from your sleep,
for behold the EGYPTIAN hath drawn nigh with a numerous army'. And similarly PARWANA lied, and said
unto the TATARS, 'In vain doth one lay upon you a good deed’; and he sent reports concerning food and
drink. And because of this they (i. e. the TATARS) did not believe the word of king LION. And PARWANA
himself made a feast for them, each day and made [them] drunk, until the day of the Eve of the Sabbath
(Friday), the sixteenth dayof the month of NISAN (APRIL), of the year fifteen hundred and eighty-eight [of
the GREEKS (A.D. 1277].

On that day the EGYPTIANS hurled themselves upon the MONGOLS, and they found them drunk and
stupefied with wine, and only with the greatest difficulty could each one of them mount his horse. And
because it is not [written] in the Law of the TATARS that they may flee before meeting the enemy in battle,
the TATARS engaged the EGYPTIANS and were broken before them. And in the course of this breaking two
of the great chiefs of the TATARS were killed, the one being TOGHU and the other TUDAN, the athlete.
And there were present with the TATARS three thousand IBERIANS, and as the result of the great resistance
which they offered, two thousand of them were killed; and they cast down many EGYPTIANS, and one
thousand of the IBERIANS escaped. And of the MONGOLS about five thousand fell in the war.

And when PARWANA saw that the TATARS were broken, he took the Sultan and fled to the fortress of
DUKIA. And BUNDUKDAR, the lord of EGYPT, went and pitched his tents by the side of CAESAREA, in
the place which is called KAI KUBAD, and he remained there fifteen days. And he went into CAESAREA
once and sat on the throne of the Sultan. He neither injured anyone of the peoples nor looted, but the soldiers
of his army took everything at [its] price (i.e. on payment), and they even bought the hay for their horses.
'For', he used to say, 'I have not come to lay waste the country, but to free its lord from the slavery of the
TATARS.'

Then when 'ABAKA, the King of Kings, heard the report [of this battle], he gathered together the troops
which were ready, and he set his face towards BETH RHOMAYE. And when BUNDUKDAR knew that his
army was not able [to fight], he went forth from BETH RHOMAYE, and he took with him the old woman,
the mother of PARWANA, [537] and his eldest son who was the son-in-law of the king of the ARMENIANS.

And at his going forth he destroyed the Christians of the city of ROMAN with the edge of the sword because
it had been said unto him, 'by these the TATARS are made strong when they pass over into SYRIA". And as
soon as the King of Kings had come to BETH RHOMAYE, he found no EGYPTIAN there, but only men of
the TURKOMANS who had fled to SYRIA. And he pursued and overtook and killed them, and made
captives of their families and households. And the TATARS in their greediness also killed many of the
Christians, and they made captives of them and looted, even though the King of Kings had commanded that
they were not to harm the Christians, because they had hidden and fed many of the TATARS who escaped
from the EGYPTIANS. And also he had taken a Yarlikh (i.e. a Mongol Patent or administrative order or
decree) through a certain elder and monk, and had commanded them to go round about in the camps and
rescue the Christian prisoners who were from BETH RHOMAYE. And behold thus they did.

And when the King of Kings himself went about in the mountains of CAPPADOCIA and arrived at the place
which is called 'AKSHA (AGHJA?) DARBAND, he came back again. And when PARWANA came to the
King of Kings he did not reduce the honours paid to him, but exalted him more than ever. And he took him
with him ostensibly that they might work out [together] a plan of action concerning BETH RHOMAYE, and
[decide] how great the army [was to be], and what captain of the host they should leave there, who would be
able to stand up against the EGYPTIAN if he repeated [his invasion]. And when they arrived in ARMENIA,
in the mountain which is called 'ALATAGH', he made a feast for PARWANA. And he made him drink a large
quantity of the milk of mares, for he did not drink wine, and when he went out to pass water, the King of
Kings made a sign to the men who carried arms, and they hacked him limb from limb on the second day [of
the week], on the second day of the month of 'AB (AUGUST), of the year which is the year six hundred and
seventy-five of the ARABS (A.D. 1276). Thus PARWANA was put to death in the same way as the King of
Kings put RUKN AD-DIN to death. So that the words might be fulfilled, 'The killer shall be killed, and his
blood shall not be considered’. It is said that as soon as [the TATARS] drew their swords on PARWANA he
neither trembled nor was terror-stricken, but he poured out evil curses on the TATARS, saying, 'Is this my
reward from you? And is this the reward of every one [538] who loveth you?"

And before BUNDUKDAR arrived at DAMASCUS, a judgement of the Most High overtook him in the
neighbourhood of HAMATH, and the end reached him and he died; and his deep schemings, which were full
of villainy, came to an end. This man in his own mind was very very great, and within a very little he said
what the PHARAOH of old used to say, 'The river NILE is mine, and I made it' (1). It is said that in the war
of the TATARS he was wounded by an arrow in his anus, and that the head of the arrow remained in him for
many days. And having commanded the surgeon to extract it, as soon as he did so his spirit departed. And his
son rose up after him in EGYPT, and he handed over the administration of the whole of SYRIA to the lord of
HAMATH. Now we have been assured subsequently that his death did not take place thus. But his treasurer
mixed a deadly poison with the milk of mares and gave it to him to drink. And when he felt sick, he
commanded and made the treasurer to drink of the milk also, and straightway the two of them died together.

Now there happened during this war something which is worthy of note. For they say that when the TATARS
were broken their slain fell on the ground. BUNDUKDAR commanded his younger brother BAR KHATIR,
who had fled to him, to go round about among the slain of the TATARS, and see what famous men of them
had been killed, in order that he might boast himself about them to the EGYPTIANS. And when that man
went to the place where the dead were, he turned round their faces in order to recognize them. And among the
slain TATARS there was a man who had been wounded, and had fallen down, but was not already dead; he
still had some strength in him, and he lay waiting so that in the night he might rise up and flee. And when he
saw BAR KHATIR examining the slain carefully, he thought that he was going about to kill those who were
not completely dead. And as he had fallen down in the state in which he had been with his weapons attached
to him, he took his bow and drew out an arrow from his quiver, and shot it with masterly accuracy at BAR
KHATIR, and it hit him in his eye and the arrow-head lodged in his brain. And those who were with him

thought that the arrow had flown from heaven. And they took him up and carried him before BUNDUKDAR,
and he died in that hour.

And on the fifth day [of the week], on the seventh day [539] of the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE) of that year,
the accursed KURDS made an ambush in MOUNT 'ALPAP, and they took ten monks from the Monastery of
MAR MATTAI and tortured them. And one of them who was nicknamed MARUTHA they killed, and the
other nine they sold for four thousand zuze.

And in the year fifteen hundred and eighty-nine [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1278)], king LION sent and took to
his house his daughter, who was the daughter-in-law of PARWANA, because her husband had been taken to
EGYPT, even as we have said. And in this year a very hard winter, with extreme cold, came in
‘ADHORBIJAN, and in all GREAT ARMENIA as far as the frontier of the SCYTHIANS; and the horses,
and cattle, and sheep of all the dwellers in tents perished. And there was a scarcity of food, for one hundred
manaye of wheat, that is to say a small load of an ass, was sold for forty Ruknaye dinars in MUGHAN.

And in this winter the Persian PAPA (BABA), who had put an end to MASUD, the son of KAWTI, in the
kingdom of MAWSIL, calumniated (i.e. brought an accusation against) MAS'UD, saying that he was
‘destroying the country of MAWSIL, and that he did not know how to rule’. Then the King of Kings
commanded certain nobles, and they came with the PAPA to MAWSIL. And the PAPA set up false witnesses
against 'ASHMUT and MAS'UD, and they bribed the judges, and perverted the judgement (i.e. obtained a
verdict by fraud). And they (i.e. the TATARS) condemned those Christians, and made an end of them, and
they appointed the PAPA governor.

And in the summer of this year a multitude of the TURKOMANS, and dwellers in the desert, and KURDS
who were gathered together in SYRIA, assembled, and they invaded CILICIA, and they came as far as
HAMDON, and wrought great destruction in the country, and having taken a vast amount of spoil they went
forth.

And in the year fifteen hundred and ninety [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1279)], when the great queen KUTAI
Khatun saw that in these [recent] years the Christians had ceased from going forth on the day of the Epiphany
to bless the waters on the river, because of the quarrel which the ARABS made with them, and that the cold
was intense, she came in person to the city of MARAGHA, and commanded the Christians to go forth
according to their custom with crosses suspended from the heads of their spears. And having gone forth the
Divine Grace visited them, and the strength of the cold diminished, and the grass prospered, [540] and the
winter possessed the characteristics [favourable] for herbage. And the MONGOLS had joy in keeping their
horses in condition, and the Christians in the triumph of their Faith.

And in this winter rebels from the hordes of the TATARS, about five thousand [in number], who had fled and
hidden themselves on the borders of INDIA came to the country of SHIRAZ, and they wrought great
destruction there, and made a great slaughter. They were, however, unable to enter the city, but they engaged
in battle the army which sallied out and broke them, and only a few of them, and those with great difficulty,
escaped. And the thieves who were in SHIRAZ laid their hand[s] on the owners of riches, and seized tbeir
possessions. And when the son of the King of Kings heard of the behaviour of those rebels, he pursued them
and overtook them, and he destroyed the greater number of them with the edge of the sword.

And in the days of spring there was a certain wicked and audacious man in BAGHDAD who was in the
service of the governor, and he made many to suffer evil things, and he debauched men's wives. And he
jeered at the Great Council of the kingdom, and laughed derisively at it, as if it was a comedy. And one day
when the governor was engaged in the chase, the Council seized that tyrannical man, and they fixed a cross

for him on a wagon, and they fastened his hands and his feet [to it]. And they carried him round through the
bazars of BAGHDAD with two needles used for sewing sackcloth (1.e. pack-saddle needles) thrust through
his tongue. And a young man stood behind him on the wagon and drove away the flies from the cheeks of the
wretched man. And they smote him with their hands, saying, "Thus are rewarded those who jeer at the
nobles'. And when they had brought him out on the bank of the TIGRIS they cut off his head and suspended
it above the bridge, and his body they burnt in the fire; and many evil-doers were terrified at the destruction
of this man. Now it was night when they marched him round through the streets, and a large number of actors
went before him beating drums and dancing as they jeered at him.

And in this year, on Friday the nineteenth day of the month of 'TYAR (MAY), the armies of the EGYPTIANS
burst forth on KAL'AH RHOMAITA, viz. nine thousand horsemen and four thousand footmen. At the head
of the EGYPTIANS stood an Amir whose name was BASARI, and at the head of the soldiery of SYRIA was
HUSAM AD-DIN, a native of 'AINTAB. And they camped on the river [541] of PARZAMAN. And they sent
two persons as ambassadors to the Catholicus, the one an ARAB and the other an ARMENIAN, and they said
unto him, 'The Sultan hath commanded that thou shalt surrender the fortress in peace, and that thou shalt take
thy monks and go and dwell in JERUSALEM. And he will give thee villages sufficient to maintain thee. And
if thou dost not wish to act thus, but dost wish to go to CILICIA, in this case likewise we will transport thee
on our mules and horses with all honour. But if thou resistest, and will not surrender [it], God will require the
blood of all these Christians from thee.'

Then the Catholicus replied, ' I will fight until I die. I cannot be faithful both to God and to the king.’ Then
during the whole night the EGYPTIANS crowded into the plantations (or, gardens), and they cut down the
trees, and they reared up ladders, and in the morning of the Sabbath they began to fight a fierce battle against
the city. And they put to flight the ARMENIANS who were fighting on the new wall which they had built
below. And they placed ladders and entered into the wretched city and looted it, and they set fire to all the
houses therein. And because the whole population had fled up to the Citadel they found no man in the city;
but they remained there for five days looting, and spoiling, and burning. Then after the great destruction
which they had wrought therein they departed. And they ate up its stores of grain, and they cut down its
vines, and its trees, and they smashed the stones of the corn mills, and they dug out the baths in the bath-
houses and carried them to BIROA.

And during the days when the army of the EGYPTIANS was encamped against KAL'KH RHOMAITA, BAR
KARAMAN sent the Turkoman EUGAYA from BETH RHOMAYE to the lord of EGYPT, [telling him] to
send to him an army to pave a road before him and conduct him over into SYRIA, because he was afraid of
the armies of the TATARS, and of the king of the ARMENIANS. And the lord of EGYPT sent to king LION,
[telling him] to give a passage to the Amir BISARI so that he might go and bring BAR KARAMAN. The
king agreed that they might pass over by the borders (or, limits) of his land; and thus they did. And they
passed over in the mountains, and came forth near CAESAREA; and they took BAR KARAMAN and
returned. And on their return the Amir BISARI made it his object to rebel against his lord, and he made the
troops [542] who were with him to swear fealty on his behalf. And they went to the country of CILICIA and
remained fifteen days therein spoiling and looting. They encamped for ten days at 'ANAZARBA, and they
made the natives of the country who had fled there to suffer great tribulation. And if they had stayed there a
little longer they would have used up all the water, but God smote them. They burnt the Monastery of
PAKSIMAT entirely, and thus did they with the Monastery of RABBAN SAWMA, but they did not come to
GUIKHATH.

And as soon as they arrived in SYRIA this plot became apparent to the lord of EGYPT, who was the son of
BUNDUKDAR. And he sallied forth hastily from DAMASCUS and went to EGYPT. And when he began to
collect troops those who were with BISARI decamped, because they feared the Sultan. Then, remaining by

himself (or, alone), he went to JERUSALEM, and he took refuge in the PORCH OF SOLOMON; and he
shaved the hair off his head, and offered repentance for his folly. Then the eldest son of BUNDUKDAR,
seeing that dissension had fallen among his troops, went up to the fortress of KARAK, and abdicated the
kingdom. And the nobles gathered themselves together, and they swore oaths of fealty to his young brother,
and they seated him upon the throne of EGYPT. And he did not prosper , for there rose up against him a
certain Amir whose nalne was 'ALPI and drove him away, and he himself reigned over EGYPT.

And in this summer the Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN, the lord of BETH RHOMAYE, fled from the country of
BARKAH, and he came to 'ABAKA, who received him gladly. And when he wished to give him a part of
BETH RHOMAYE the nobles would not permit [it], 'For', said they, 'if this taketh place the strife between
him and the son of his uncle will increase'. And they undertook to give him a portion of the revenue of the
whole country, but he was not to have command over [any one particular] place. And he agreed to this,
although it was not according to his wish.

And in the year fifteen hundred and ninety-one [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1280)], 'ASHMUT, the Igurian Amir,
and MAS'UD, the son of KAWTI, approached 'ABAKA, the King of Kings, and they showed [him] that the
judges who had been sent with PAPA (BABA) the PERSIAN had wronged them, and that the judgement
against them had been brought about by bribery. [543] Then 'ABAKA commanded that his brother and his
son-in-law should be the judges and that they should see which of the two parties was the innocent one. And
having passed about a month of days in investigating [the matter], PAPA (BABA) was found guilty, and these
former judges were exposed, and they confessed to the bribe which they had taken from PAPA (BABA). And
the command went forth, and the head of PAPA (BABA) was cut off with the sword on the fifth day [of the
week], on the eighth day of the month of 'AB (AUGUST) of the year aforesaid, and brought to MAWSIL.
And those Christian governors again ruled over MAWSIL and 'ARBIL, and they triumphed nobly. And a
great man, a PERSIAN by race, whose name was JELAL AD-DIN TURAN, from the country of KHOTAN,
was also killed because of the part which he took on behalf of PAPA (BABA), and because he did not repress
his impudent boldness.

And in those days a certain Kurdish Amir from the country of MAWSIL, whose name was 'BARDU’, fled to
SYRIA with all his family and household. And the keepers of the highways from the army of the TATARS,
although they pursued him, did not overtake him. And SENKUR 'ASHKAR, who was in DAMASCUS,
would not consent to 'ALPI reigning in EGYPT, but he collected an army and engaged him in battle. And
when 'ALPI prevailed over him he fled from before him. And he came to RAHBUTH, to the Amir 'ISA, a
dweller in the desert, and the two of them became allies. And they sent an ambassador to 'ABAKA, the King
of Kings, [asking him] to send troops against 'ALPI. And he having hearkened to them, and troops having
gone down to SYRIA, SENKUR was in fear for himself because of them; and he did not trust them, but fled
and took refuge in the fortress of SEHYON (ZION). And the TATARS came as far as ALEPPO, and they
destroyed with the edge of the sword every one who fell into their hands, and they set fire to all the buildings
and went back. But a very large number of the population were hidden in caves, and they were delivered from
the sword. Now their descent into SYRIA took place in the days of winter in the year fifteen hundred and
ninety- two [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1281)], KUNGHARTAI, the young brother of 'ABAKA, King of Kings,
standing as their captain.

And after the TATARS had turned back from ALEPPO, seven thousand Egyptian horsemen gathered
together, and went to encamp against the fortress of MARKAB, [544] which is on the sea-coast. When the
wretched Brethren, the lords of the Citadel, realized their coming, about two hundred horsemen and five
hundred footmen sallied forth, and hid in a ravine in the neighbourhood of the fortress. And they got down
from their horses and had begun to pitch their tents, when an army of FRANKS burst upon them and
destroyed most of them with the edge of the sword, and only a very few of them escaped.

And in the summer of this year the PERSIANS of the house of JALAL AD-DIN TURAN, and of the house
of PAPA (BABA), stirred up a quarrel against MAS'UD, the son of KAWTI, saying that "he went into the
treasury of JALAL AD-DIN and carried off a great quantity of treasure, gold and precious stones’. And
MAS'UD was arrested, and under the severe tortures which they made him to suffer he gave a written
undertaking [to pay] five hundred thousand darics. And his nephew, whose name was SU'IDATH, was
condemned in judgement, and was killed with the sword. And a certain ARAB of MAWSIL, the son of
SAMNIAH, who was under the patronage of MAS'UD, died under torture. And another Amir, a Hakarian
Kurd, whose name was 'ABU BAKR, who in years past had been a rebel in the mountains of ASSYRIA, and
with whom MAS'UD had come to terms of peace, they carried to the Camp, and he also was killed and eight
companions with him. And when the eldest son of Shaikh 'ADI, who had fled to SYRIA, came back and went
to the Camp, and began to make excuses for his flight, he was condemned to death and was killed. And
MAS'UD was brought to MAWSIL together with Mongol scouts, that he might give [them] the gold, and,
having remained with them for some days, he fled from them by night.

And in the year fifteen hundred and ninety-three [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1282)], in the autumn season, the
armies of the MONGOLS came down again into SYRIA, some fifty thousand of them, with MUNGA
TIMUR, the beloved brother of the King of Kings, standing as their captain. And LION also, the king of
CILICIA, collected his troops, and he went with him to help him. And the armies of EGYPT and SYRIA
were assembled, 'ALPI, who had been Sultan, standing as their captain, and SENKUR 'ASHKAR also, for
the two of them had become reconciled to each other.

And the TATARS and the EGYPTIANS met each other in battle between HAMATH and EMESA on the fifth
day [of the week], on the thirtieth day of the month of the FIRST TESHRIN (OCTOBER) of the year, and the
side of the TATARS [545] prevailed over the side of the EGYPTIANS. And just when the TATARS were
nearly obtaining a complete victory, an ambush of the TAGHLIBITES of the desert fell upon them from the
left side. And the TATARS thought that the enemy had surrounded them in the front and in the rear, and those
who were in the centre of the battle, with those of the left wing, turned their backs to flee. But those who
were in the right wing, and who belonged to the race of the TATARS who are called 'AWIRATHAYE',
together with five thousand IBERIANS, and the king of the ARMENIANS with his soldiers, not perceiving
the ambush of the ARABS, broke the EGYPTIANS who were resisting them with great violence. And they
chased them as far as the gate of EMESA, and they made a great slaughter of them until they heard of the
flight of their companions, when straightway they also retreated. And as they were returning they
encountered the force of the EGYPTIANS who had come back from pursuing the TATARS who had fled; and
each side was terrified at the other, and they killed and were killed. And they formed into companies on each
side, and each party went over to its own district. And thus it happened that the right wing of the TATARS
came bearing much loot, Egyptian darics, and mules, and vessels, and apparel, whilst the left wing and those
of the heart (i.e. central line of battle) had cast away even their clothes. And many came back on foot being
sorely vexed by hunger and thirst. And thus the right wing and those of the centre of the army of the
EGYPTIANS went back to DAMASCUS with much loot, which they had carried off from the TATARS. Of
the left wing of the EGYPTIANS very few were saved, and they were badly wounded and plundered. And
but for the non-coming of 'ABAKA as far as the banks of the EUPHRATES, and his return to BAGHDAD,
the EGYPTIANS would have been left [on the field] cut into pieces.

And in the winter of this year great anxiety fell upon the inhabitants of ASSYRIA, and of the whole of the
country of SEN'AR through the return of these troops. For there was also intense cold, and much snow fell in
this country of MAWSIL, far more than was usual. And after a dissolution (or, disbanding) of this kind had
taken place of the two parties of MONGOLS and EGYPTIANS, thieves from the desert tribes, and
TURKOMANS, and KURDS, allied themselves to each other, and they invaded the country of CILICIA, and
came as far as 'AYAS, [546] and they set fire to it and looted it. They did not find in it one of its inhabitants,

for they had all fled to sea, and had gone into a new fortress which they had built out in the sea. And having
made spoil of whatsoever fell into their hands, they went forth, and again others went in three times. Then
others gathered together for the fourth time, and they invaded the country on the Sabbath of NINEVEH of the
year [fifteen hundred] and ninety-three [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1282)]. And they came as far as TELLA DHE
HAMDON, and they carried off very much loot. And when they were going forth the ARMENIANS shut the
fortifications and gates on them, and they destroyed them all with the edge of the sword; and they took away
their weapons, and they stripped off the skins of their heads. And they loaded up ever so many animals with
loads of armour, and spears, and swords, and scalps with the hair upon them, and they sent them to the King
of Kings.

And after a few days the governor of the fortress of BIRAH, whose name was HAIDAR, collected a force of
about two thousand horsemen, and he captured the fortress of ZAID. And many Christians fled and took
refuge in the Great Mosque of the ARABS and were saved; and others rebelled in the place which is called
'AL 'ESTONA' (2) and the robbers were unable to go in against them, because that place is difficult [of
access], like a precipice. Then those accursed men, having stolen (or, robbed) about four thousand women
and children, crossed the EUPHRATES, opposite MELITENE, and looted the country thereof. And they
found in the village of 'ARKA a large population of Christians, and these also they carried off into captivity,
and they went to SYRIA. And MANGU (sic) TIMUR, having returned from SYRIA, came to 'ABAKA at
BAGHPAD. He was sad and sorrowful because of the breaking (i.e. defeat) which had happened to him, and
he undertook to go back again to SYRIA. And having gone back and arrived at GAZARTA of KARDU, a
certain informer, whose name was SAFI KARKUBI, laid information (i.e. calumniated) the governors of
GAZARTA. And because of this MUNGA TIMUR made them to suffer many evil things, and they held (i.e.
nursed) their wrath against him. And one day when he went out of the bath they contrived a plan and made a
secret arrangement with one of the cup-bearers, and he made him drink poison. And being disturbed in his
body, he removed from GAZARTA towards NISIBIS. And when the governors [547] of GAZARTA knew
that the web of the life of MUNGA TIMUR was already cut off, they seized SAFI KARKUBI, and his son,
and his slave, and they paraded them naked through the bazars of GAZARTA, and put them to death with an
evil death.

And the King of Kings, 'ABAKA, removed from BAGHDAD and came to the city of HAMADAN. And on
the Sunday of the Resurrection of the year fifteen hundred and ninety-three [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1282)] he
went to the church there, and he rejoiced at the festival with the Christians. And on the second day [of the
week] a certain Persian nobleman whose name was BIHRAM made a feast in his palace in his honour. And
on the night of the third day of the week he became excited (i.e. delirious) and he saw phantoms in the air.
And in the early morning of the fourth day [of the week] of the Sabbath of the White, on the first day of the
month of NISAN (APRIL) and the twentieth day of the eleventh month of the ARABS, he departed from this
world. And on Sunday, the twenty-sixth day of the month of NISAN (APRIL), on the sixteenth day of the
month of MUHARRAM, his brother MANGU (sic) TIMUR also departed this life in the country of
GAZARTA. Thereupon, after the death of 'ABAKA, the nobles sent an ambassador to him, and said to him,
'There is no command for thee to go to SYRIA’, without informing him of the death of his brother. Thus these
two brothers, kings of the world, died, neither of them having knowledge of the death of his brother.

And after a few days about six thousand horsemen came from SYRIA, and they crossed the EUPHRATES
and went as far as GAZARTA of KARDU. And MOMIN, the governor of the city, sallied out and engaged
them in battle, and he was broken, and captured, and was carried a prisoner to EGYPT. And terror fell on the
country of NINEVEH, and all the natives of the district fled to the Monastery of MAR MATTAI. And they
were in great tribulation, and a pestilence fell upon them, and about thirty of the monks died.

At this time a certain Persian scribe, whose name was MAJD AL-MULK, attacked ALA AD-DIN, the
Master of the Diwan of BAGHDAD, and he proved that he had filched from the revenues of the government
treasury a large sum of money. And ALA AD-DIN was seized and he was stripped of everything which he
possessed, and even his young sons were sold to the merchants. And whilst he was in this tribulation
'ABAKA died, and 'AHMAD reigned, and he killed MAJD AL-MULK the scribe, the informer against 'ALA
[548] AD-DIN. And after a little 'ALA AD-DIN died also within the year.

(1) Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers,
which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself-—Ezekiel xxix. 3.

(2) Perhaps a building, or set of buildings, resting on very high pillars; the place was near the Citadel of
ZAID.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

XI

Takudar [Teguder] 'Ahmad.

After 'ABAKA [came] his brother who was called 'AHMAD. When 'ABAKA, the King of Kings, had
departed from this world, all the sons of the kings, together with the nobles, gathered together, and they
agreed that 'AHMAD, the son of HULABO, whom KUTAI Khatun, the Great Queen, had borne to him,
should be the head of the MONGOLS who were in the west, because the way (or, path) belonged to him, and
he was the eldest of his brothers. And he sat on the throne of the kingdom on the first day of the week, on the
twenty-first day of the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE), in the year fifteen hundred and ninety-three of the
GREEKS (A.D. 1282). And he exhibited great mercifulness of disposition and liberality of hand. And he
opened the treasury of his father and brother, and he brought out great treasures of gold and silver and
distributed them among [his] brothers, and the Amirs, and the Mongol troops. And he looked upon all
peoples with a merciful (or, sympathetic) eye, and especially on the heads of the Christian Faiths, and he
wrote for them Patents which freed all the churches, and the religious houses, and the priests (elders), and
monks from taxation and imposts in every country and region.

And he sent ambassadors to the lord of EGYPT, to the old man, the Atabag of the lord of BETH RHOMAYE,
and to KUTB AD-DIN, the Judge of the city of SEBASTIA, and to SHAMS AD-DIN, the son of TITI, the
Wazir of the lord of MARDIN. And he said unto the EGYPTIANS, 'According to the command of God, and
the Law which our father CHINGIZ KHAN laid down for us, the kingdom of the MONGOLS hath come to
me by lot. And because God hath summoned me to peace, I wish that every man shall possess (i.e. enjoy) a
peaceful and quiet life in his own country, and that battles, and killings, and captivities shall cease from the
face of the earth. Therefore, if ye have the same minds in this matter, give the hand to (i.e. assist) peace and
submission. And if it be that ye would remain in your state of rebellion, God will require of you the blood of
the wretched people which will be poured out.' And the lord of EGYPT agreed that there should be peace,
and that the sword should be removed from the midst [of them], but on the condition that the city of
MAWSIL should belong to the son of BADR AD-DIN, and that he himself should give to the MONGOLS
what the others were giving, and BAGHDAD and SINJAR accepted the offer.

And when these ambassadors came back and made known what had been said to them, the King of Kings
sent the Shaikh 'ABD AR-RAHMAN to the EGYPTIANS that he might confirm [549] the peace, and behold
there it was. And at that period the roads were opened, and merchants were going from BABIL, and
ASSYRIA, and PERSIA to SYRIA, and Egyptian merchants were coming to these countries of the TATARS,
and no man molested them. Then 'ABD AR-RAHMAN, being ready to go to SYRIA, received a large
amount of money from the royal treasure of the MONGOLS, and precious stones, and marvellous pearls, and
gold, and silver, and apparel, and bales of stuffs (i.e. brocades) wherein much gold was woven. And he left
'ALATAK and came to TABRIZ, and he sat down there for about a month of days. And he gathered together
handicraftsmen of all kinds, jewellers, and sewers (i.e. weavers), and others, and he made everything to a
royal pattern. And from there he came to MAWSIL. And he sent and had brought from BAGHDAD ten
thousand gold [pieces] also, and he took [them] and went to MARDIN. And the ambassador of Sultan 'ALPI,

the lord of EGYPT, came to him there, and he said unto him, 'The Sultan saluteth thee. And he saith, "I have
been sitting in DAMASCUS all this very long period of time, and I have been awaiting thy coming, so that I
might see thee and fulfil thy request and go to EGYPT, because this land cannot support all the multitude of
troops who are with me. Therefore I beseech thee tarry not.""

And 'ABD AR-RAHMAN sent and said unto him, ' Behold, I am ready to come, but I beseech thee that when
I come to thy country thy servants shall bring me into thy presence with honour, and that they shall not
conduct me by night, as they did the other ambassadors who have preceded me in coming to thee'. And the
Sultan sent and said unto him, 'Thou art a great man with us (1.e. in our opinion) and thine honour is quite
distinct from that of the [former] ambassadors. Therefore make glad thine heart, and with the satisfaction
which thou wishest come.'

Then Shaikh 'ABD AR-RAHMAN became confident, and he sent and brought the army of the TATARS, who
guarded the roads of 'AMID, and they rode with him. And MALIK MUTAFAR, the lord of MARDIN also
sent with him an ambassador from him, one SHAMS AD-DIN who is called the 'son of TITI', a great and a
famous man. And he also sent other troops to go into the service of the Shaikh as far as the EUPHRATES,
and to come back. And the Shaikh left MARDIN in the tenth month of the ARABS, which is SHAWAL, in
the year six hundred and eighty-two [of the ARABS, i.e. A.D. 1283]. And when he arrived at the city of
HARRAN a certain Amir, one of the slaves of the lord of EGYPT, came to meet him. And that Amir [550]
was to wait for the Shaikh, and to alight from his horse [when he came], and to come on foot to salute him,
and to kiss his hand according to custom. But that Amir did not alight from his horse, and he shouted out the
salutation in front of him. And he sent and said unto the Shaikh, 'There is now no need for these TATARS to
come any further; order them to go back’, and the Shaikh permitted the army of the TATARS to depart.

And when they had gone the Amir took the Shaikh and those who were with him, and he went off the road
which goeth to BIRAH, and he said, 'We have made ready a camping ground for you in another place’; and
having left they arrived on the banks of the EUPHRATES. And the Amir said, 'We have pitched tents for you
on the other side'; and the Shaikh replied, 'Where ye encamp, we will encamp'. Then the men of MARDIN,
who had come into the service of the Shaikh, wished to go back from the EUPHRATES, according to the
command of their lord. But the Amir of the lord of EGYPT would not dismiss them, and he said unto them,
‘Our Sultan hath commanded that ye are to come as far as ALEPPO". And thus, although they did not wish
[it], they also crossed the EUPHRATES, and they all encamped there.

And at the time of evening the Amir brought abundant supplies of food for the Shaikh and for all those who
were with him. And when they had eaten their meal and were resting, and had lain down for an hour or more,
the Amir and those who were with him mounted their horses, and he sent and said unto the Shaikh, ‘Arise,
mount thy horse and let us go'. And the Shaikh objected, and he said, 'I will not ride except in the day-time
when the sun is shining’. And the Amir replied, ' I was commanded to carry thee only by night, whether thou
wast willing or unwilling’. And the Shaikh was angry and he said, 'Even if thou goest so far as to kill me, I
will not travel by night’. And the Amir said, 'I shall certainly not kill thee, but I shall carry thee in fetters'.
And when the Shaikh saw that they wished to render his honour contemptible, he consented and rose up and
mounted his horse. And they began to travel, and did so the whole night, and very early in the morning they
went down away from the road, and away from inhabited country. And having arrived at ALEPPO in the
night, they made him camp in one of the colleges.

And a command came from 'ALPI, the lord of EGYPT, that they were to give two hundred zuze to each one
of the men of MARDIN who had come in the service of the Shaikh, and send them back to their own country.
And they were to bring the Shaikh and his company, and the Mongol Amir who was with him, and SHAMS
AD-DIN, the ambassador of the lord of MARDIN, with very great care [551] to DAMASCUS, [travelling]

during the night. Then the Sultan, having given these commands, left and went to EGYPT, and he had no
expectation of meeting the Shaikh. And when the Shaikh had been brought to DAMASCUS, they took him
into the fortress. And they shut up him, and the Mongol Amir who was with him, in one house, and the
ambassador of the lord of MARDIN in another, and each couple of their servants in a house. And they
appointed the young man who was the son of the Mongol Amir, and another young man who was the son of
MAJD AL-MULK to the service of the king of the Amirs, and they rode with him and carried his armour.
And they laid down the law that no man should ask his neighbour questions concerning Shaikh 'ABD AR-
RAHMAN, either as to where he was or how he was. And news of him hath been concealed until this day—
the period of a complete year.

Now after the departure of Shaikh 'ABD AR-RAHMAN to SYRIA it was said to the King of Kings,
‘AHMAD, concerning his brother KUNGHARTAI, 'He holdeth converse with 'ARGHON, the son of
'ABAKA, and he is preparing so that one night he may capture thee when thou art asleep in thy tent that he
may kill thee’. Therefore 'AHMAD trembled and was terrified, and he hastily bound his brother
KUNGHARTAT in fetters, and killed him. And 'ARGHON heard of the murder of his uncle, and he was
exceedingly sorrowful about it, and his heart was changed in respect of 'KHMAD. And when 'AHMAD knew
that the heart of 'ARGHON was not perfect towards him, he sent against him a captain of the host whose
name was 'ALINAKH ('ALYANAKH?) together with a numerous army. And when 'ALINAKH NAWIN
advanced and arrived in KHORASAN, 'ARGHON began to flee before him. And 'ALINAKH believed in
creature comforts, and he was negligent in respect of a complete devotion to war. And he began to eat, and to
drink, and to get drunk. And one night 'ARGHON attacked the camp of 'ALINAKH and made a great
slaughter, and it was only with the greatest difficulty that 'ALINAKH and a few followers were able to save
themselves from the sword.

Then when 'AHMAD heard of the ill luck which had come upon 'ALINAKH, he sent into all the countries
and collected troops, MONGOLS, KURDS, LORAYE (LURS), and PERSIANS, and IBERIANS, and he set
out against 'ARGHON in KHORASAN. And when 'ARGHON saw that he was unable to cope with the army
of 'AHMAD, he went up into one of the fortresses which were there, together with three hundred of his
chosen men, and he began to be disturbed in his mind because to be shut up [552] in a fortress was not
advantageous for him, 'for', he said, 'every one who is shut up is [already] captured’. And he was afraid to go
to 'AHMAD.

And whilst he was in this position, a certain Amir, whose name was BOKA, a man of the treasury, who was
greatly beloved by 'ABAKA, the father of 'ARGHON, said unto 'AHMAD, 'If thou wilt promise to do no
harm to 'ARGHON I myself will go and bring him to thee'. And 'AHMAD promised and swore the oaths
which the MONGOLS are wont to swear, saying, that if'ARGHON would come to him of his own free will
he would do no injury whatsoever to him.

Then that Amir BOKA went up quickly to 'ARGHON, and he made him come down and brought him to
"AHMAD. And'AHMAD rejoiced greatly in him, and he made a feast [which lasted] three days. Then after
the three days evil thoughts began to move in the mind of 'AHMAD, and he set guards over 'ARGHON,

[viz.] 'ALINAKH and his companions. And he said unto them, 'I am going to my mother KUTAI Khatun in
'ADHORBIJAN, do ye keep strict watch on 'ARGHON that he shall not escape, and bring ye him to me
wheresoever I may be’. And in the night in which he wished to move he revealed his secret to some of the
nobles, and he said unto them, 'If I do not kill 'ARGHON and the other princes, the kingdom will not be made
sure for me’. These things he said, and at daybreak on the following morning he moved away. And he
commanded that little by little 'ARGHON should be brought to him.

Now when BOKA understood this, he delayed in the setting out with 'AHMAD, and he remained [there] until
the night. And he went about to all the princes and informed them of the secret (or, object) of 'AHMAD, and
that he was prepared to destroy all [of them]. And wrathful indignation seized the princes, and they rose up
and came by night to the place where 'ARGHON was kept under guard. And they brought him out, and
clothed him in armour, and gave him weapons, and seated him on a horse. And they all went together to the
place where 'ALINAKH was sleeping, and they killed him in his tent, and they also killed the other nobles
who were his companions. And the heralds cried out in the camp of the MONGOLS, 'The princes have killed
'ALINAKH and the nobles his companions. Therefore let every man remain where he is, and let him not
move or depart to [another] place'. And when the day came the MONGOLS sent and brought certain men
who are called 'KARAWUNAS', and who did not wish [553] for 'AHMAD. And they pursued him and
overtook him at [the abode of] his mother, and they seized him and bound him with fetters, and they kept him
under strict guard, and they looted the camp of his mother and his wives.

Then 'ARGHON and the rest of the princes arrived and they all agreed together that 'ARGHON should stand
at the head of the MONGOLS, and that he should hold the kingdom in the place of 'ABAKA his father, and
that 'AHMAD should be sent away because he was incapable of ruling.

And whilst the armies of the TATARS were engaged in war with each other, 'ALPI, the lord of EGYPT, sent
HAIDAR, the captain of the host, and with him three thousand mounted men, to the country of
SHABAKTAN. And they were to seize BAR SHEKAN (ISHKAN), the captam of the host, an Armenian
athlete, and to bring him alive in a cage to EGYPT, because he made the ARABS who were going to SYRIA
to suffer foul treatment. And having crossed the EUPHRATES they came and encamped against TINA, a
fortress of the ARMENIANS. On the first day in which they began to fight, HAIDAR was wounded by an
arrow and died, and his troops became stupefied with terror, and they abandoned the fortress and fled to
SYRIA. And justice was avenged on HAIDAR, who robbed the Christians and spoiled and laid waste the
countries of MELITENE and ZAID. These things took place in the days of summer in the year fifteen
hundred and ninety-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1284).

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

XI

'Arghon [Arghun], the son of 'Abaka [Abagha/Abagqa].

After TAKUDAR, who was called 'AHMAD, 'ARGHON, the son of 'ABAKA, [ruled]. The kingdom of
"AHMAD having come to an end in the manner in which we have described, on the fourth day of the week,
on the first day of the fifth month of the ARABS, of the year six hundred and eighty-three (A.D. 1284), that
is to say on the twenty-sixth day of the month of TAMMUZ (JULY), of the year fifteen hundred and ninety-
five of the GREEKS (A.D. 1284), 'ARGHON, King of Kings, sat on the throne of the kingdom. And though
many of the nobles said, 'It is not right that'AHMAD should live', 'ARGHON said, 'I will not take any part in
the killing of him. But the mother of KUNGHARTAI and his sons know; if they wish let them kill him; and if
they wish let them keep him alive.' And having been kept a certain number of days under watch, the sons of
KUNGHARTAI killed him, and the cause of their father was avenged, on the fourth day of the week, in the
sixth month of the ARABS, that is to say the sixteenth day of the month of 'AB (AUGUST) of [this] year.
And the kingdom was established for 'ARGHON, and he appointed one of the princes in each of the countries
[554] at the head of the armies of BABIL, and MAZINDARAN, and ASSYRIA, and KHORASAN, and in
BETH RHOMAYE; and the fear of 'ARGHON fell upon every man, especially in SYRIA. It is said that when
this report went to SYRIA, the hire of a camel [to go] from ALEPPO to HAMATH rose to four hundred zuze,
for all men were on their faces and were fleeing towards EGYPT. For 'ARGHON, the King of Kings, at the
beginning of his kingdom made MAS'UD BAR KUTI king in MAWSIL and the districts thereof, and there
was gladness for all the Christians. But they were grieved because on the day when 'ARGHON came to
AHMAD, the sons of JALAL AD-DIN TURAN killed the Igurian monk, the Amir 'ASHMUT, in avenging
the cause of their father.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

XI

Concerning the Murder of Shams ad-Din, the Master of the Diwan.

Now there was a stone of contention between 'ARGHON and 'AHMAD because of SHAMS AD-DIN, the
Master of the Diwin, for to 'ARGHON it had been said, 'The Master of the Diwin killed thy father with
poison’. Therefore 'ARGHON sent and demanded him from 'AHMAD, and 'AHMAD would not give him up.
And thus 'ARGHON indulged a suspicion concerning 'AHMAD that he was gratified by the death of the
King of Kings, 'ABAKA, so that he could sit in his place, however it happened. Now 'AHMAD being
disgraced, and 'ARGHON having triumphed, SHAMS AD-DIN fled to the mountain of MADATI, and he took
refuge with the race of KURDS who are called 'LORAYE' (LURS). And when the head of the LURS, who
was called YUSEF SHAH, saw that the kingdom of 'ARGHON was established, he came to do submission to
him and was received gladly, because he promised to seize the Master of the Diwan, and to bring him [to
him]. And thereupon he went and seized him, and brought him to 'ARGHON, although he offered many
presents (i.e. bribes). One hundred myriad (one million?) of gold darics were demanded from him as the price
of his blood that it might not be shed. And SHAMS AD-DIN said, 'If ye will bring back to me my
possessions I shall be able to give more than this, and if ye cannot I cannot'. And the nobles counselled him,
saying, 'Borrow this amount and offer [it], and then we will hand back to thee thy possessions'. Therefore he
began to borrow from his kinsfolk, and his household, and his servants, and his friends, and he collected forty
myriads [of darics], and said, 'I am not able to produce anything more; [555] whatsoever ye wish to do that
do'. And the command went forth that he was to be killed. Then the MONGOLS suspended him in the air by
his hands and his feet, and three times they smote (i.e. threw him down) on the earth, and they trampled him
to pieces with their shoes, and then they cut off his head on the third day [of the week], on the fifth day of the
month of SHA'BAN, in the year six hundred and eighty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1284), that is to say, the
seventeenth day of the month of the FIRST TESHRIN (OCTOBER), in the year fifteen hundred and ninety-
six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1285).

Such was the evil end which came to this terrified and anxious man. And the whole kingdom of the House of
MAGHOGH hung on his finger, for he was very sagacious with an understanding nature; and he was well
instructed in the greater number of the sciences and the various kinds of learning. Now his brother was 'ALA
AD-DIN, who was governor of BAGHDAD, and who two years earlier had well nigh died a natural death in
MUGAN; and he was brought to the city of TABRIZ and buried there, Now this man was exceedingly skilled
in doctrines (or, learned subjects ), and he had an adequate knowledge of the poetic art. And he composed a
marvellous work in PERSIAN on the chronology of the kingdoms of the SALJUKS, and
KHAWARAZMIANS, and ISHMAELITES, and MONGOLS; what we have introduced into our work on
these matters we have derived from his book.

And in the year six hundred and eighty-three of the ARABS (A.D. 1284), the Sultan GHAYATH AD-DIN,
the son of RUKN AD-DIN, the lord of BETH RHOMAYE, died. He set out to come to the Camp and to meet
the Sultan MAS'UD, his nephew. And when he arrived in the city of 'ARZENGAN, the nobles administered
to him a deadly drug and put him to death because he was very prodigal and corrupt in his ruling. And during

this winter the seven wandering stars (i.e. planets) were gathered together in the Zodiacal Sign of Capricorn,
in the anabibazon (i.e. the upper part of the Zodiac), and behold, the whole world trembled and quaked at this
event (1), for it was the year of the conjunction of the two supreme [stars] KRONOS and ZEUS in the
Zodiacal Sign of AQUARIUS, for they make their conjunction in the summer.

And when the lord of EGYPT heard that the kingdom stood firmly, and that 'AHMAD had departed and his
peace with him, he brought out Shaikh 'ABD AR-RAHMAN from confinement in the fortress, and made him
to dwell in one [556] of the mosques of DAMASCUS, and he gave him an allowance (or, food) which was
sufficient for him. Now this man 'ABD AR-RAHMAN was the son of one of the slaves of the murdered
Khalifah MUSTA'SIM, and was by race a GREEK. And when BAGHDAD was taken, he was saved from the
slaughter, and he came to MAWSIL, and he dwelt in the bazar and did carpentry work, for he loved it and had
learned the trade. And he went to the fortress of 'EMADIAH and said unto 'IZZ AD-DIN, the lord of the
fortress, that he was able to make things (i.e. objects or furniture) which would be regarded with admiration,
and that he had learned [to do so] in a revelation from beings of the spirit. And 'IZZ AD-DIN took him to the
King of Kings, 'ABAKA. And whilst holding converse with the king he said, 'Take me into the fortress of
TILA where your treasury is, so that I can show you my craftsmanship’. And when they took him thither he
began to measure out the ground on this side and on that, and finally he stood upon a certain spot and
commanded them to dig there, while he himself stood some distance away. And when they had dug, they
found a ring in which was set a marvellous and valuable seal (or, gem), and they took it and brought it to the
king. And since his word proved to be true in this one instance, they believed everything he said, namely, that
he was able to cast out devils, and to understand the secrets of the demons. And he enjoyed such great
freedom of speech and intimacy with the princes that at length the whole government of the kingdom was
committed to him, especially during the short time in which 'AHMAD reigned. It is said that when the
TATARS looted the treasury of the Khalifah they also took him prisoner, and they brought him to the fortress
of TILA; and he went into the fortress carrying [his] possessions, and that that ring which he found he
himself had buried in that place.

And in the month of the LATTER KANON (JANUARY) of this year, 'ARGHON, King of Kings, sent
YARLIKE out into all countries, saying, 'Inasmuch as 'AHMAD turned aside from the laws of our fathers,
and trod the path of ISLAM, which our fathers did not know, all the princes agreed and they cast him forth
from the kingdom, and sent him to a Khan, our great father, that he might judge him; and they seated me on
the throne of the kingdom, from the river GIHON to FRANKISTAN. Therefore let your hearts be happy, and
let every man occupy himself with his own works. And the rulers and governors who are in every place [557]
shall oppress no man, and if they do, let them be afraid for themselves, so that they may not be cut to pieces.’
We have heard that in those days the lord of EGYPT sent Shaikh 'ABD AR-RAHMAN, and those who were
with him, from DAMASCUS to the fortress of SAFAD, and that he shut them up therein, where [all] hope of
their coming out was cut off.

And in this year, which is the year fifteen hundred and ninety-six of the GREEKS (A.D, 1285), a hen in the
village of BARTELLI laid an egg which was nearly as large as that of an ostrich. And on the Sabbath of the
Passion of the Redeemer another hen laid a little egg in BARTELLI which had a neck that was as thin, and
curved, and long, as a cucumber. And they brought it before us and we saw it. And on the first day of the
week, on the twenty-ninth day of the month of TAMMUZ (JULY), a Syrian horde of mounted robbers,
KURDS, TURKS, and desert ARABS, about six hundred strong, burst upon the country of 'ARBIL, and they
looted and killed many men who were Christians from the village of 'AMKABAD, and from SURHAGAN
and other villages. And BAHA AD-DIN, the KURD, sallied out from 'ARBIL to meet them in battle, and he
was broken before them and fled and went into the city. And those accursed robbers carried off great spoil,
women and maidens, and many cattle, and departed. And in those days other marauding bands came to the
country of TUR 'ABDIN, and they made a great slaughter in the village of KESHLATH, and in BETH

MAN'IM and the villages thereof, and in SBIRINA, and they carried away very much spoil from the country
of BETH RISHE and departed.

And in the year fifteen hundred and ninety-seven [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1286)] (2), on the seventeenth day
of the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE), about four thousand mounted robbers and brigands, KURDS,
TURKMANs, and ARABS, gathered together, and some men say that three hundred chosen horsemen from
the Egyptian slaves were joined to them. And they directed their gaze on the country of MAWSIL. And
having spoiled the villages which were on their road, they burst upon the city at dawn on the second day [of
the week], on the twenty-second day of the third month of the ARABS, of the year six hundred and eighty-
five (A.D. 1285). Then king MAS'UD and the other horsemen who were found in the city [558] mounted and
rode out to engage them in battle. And when they saw how great was their number, and that they themselves
had no force equal to theirs, they turned back and went into the city. And they crossed the TIGRIS and went
and ascended to the Monastery of MAR MATTAI, and they remained there for a few days. Then when the
accursed marauders had entered the city, the ARABS who were natives thereof met them with abundant
supplies of food and cool waters, And they rejoiced in them with a great joy, and they exulted, pretending that
they were prepared to do harm to and spoil and kill the Christians only.

And those Christians who were in the neighbourhood of the church of the TAGRITANAYE
(TAGRITANIANS) took their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, together with all their cattle, and
they went and took refuge in the mansion of the uncle of the Prophet, who was called 'NAKIB AL-
'ALAWAHIN' (or, 'ABD ALWAHAN; or, NAKIB AL-'ALAWYIN), that peradventure the marauders might
pay respect to that building, and that there they might be saved from the slaughter and spoliation of the city.

Then the remainder of the Christians who had no place whereto to flee, and could not take refuge in the
mansion of the NAKIBA, remained terrified, and trembling, and weeping and wailing over themselves, and
over their evil fate, though in reality it was through those who had gone there (i.e. to the mansion of the
NAKIBA) that the evil fate came. As soon as ever the marauders had gone in they began asking about the
Christians. Then the ARABS who were natives of the city cried out with one mouth (or, voice), 'Behold, all
the Christians are in the mansion of the NAKIBA'. Then they all became strong, and all the marauders went
there. And they placed ladders in position and went up them and captured the mansion, and they looted and
robbed the whole of the people who were therein. And one of the Christians who were there was wounded by
an arrow and died. And they put to the torture not only the Christians but the ARABS also, and they made a
mock of their women, and sons, and daughters in the mosques before their eyes.

And when they had made an end there they went to the quarter of the JEWS, and they looted their houses and
plundered all their community. And as for the Christians who had remained in their houses, and had not gone
elsewhere, no man injured them, and they did not even see the marauders with their eyes. But certain
Christian merchants, and many ARABS, who were coming to the city, and had alighted at the inns (Ahans)
which were outside the city, where none of the marauders came, because [559] of their fear, suffered the loss
of a large quantity of their goods. And they brought their loads into the city and deposited them in the market-
place of the bazars, and inasmuch as all the food and provisions of the citizens was there, they thought that
they would never be neglected by [those who kept] guard over such a place as this. Therefore they struggled
and wrestled with each other that they might bring in their treasures. And the natives of the city also were
carrying possessions out from their houses, and were bringing gold, and silver, and bales of cloth, and apparel
of various kinds to that place. And so after [all these things] had been gathered together, the marauders came,
and they smashed the gates of the market-place easily, and they went in and took everything which they
found there.

Now many young men from among the natives of the city were standing by the gate of the market-place, and
when the marauders, who were heavily laden with plunder, were going out, they snatched it from them and
fled. And others took their horses which they had left at the gate of the market-place and fled. And thus
during the whole of that day, from morning until evening, they went round about through the bazars of the
city and carried off horses, and mules, and asses, and oxen, without number. And they took prisoners the
slaves and handmaidens, nearly five hundred souls, and the greater number of them were ARABS and JEWS;
there were a few Christians, but only those who were found from the mansion of the NAKIBA. But one man,
a believer and a marvellous jeweller, was killed, for he wished to take away his little son out of their hands.
Him they smote with the sword and after three days he died. About ten of the accursed marauders perished,
because when they were going about through the city they went into streets which had no exits, and the
people stoned them with stones and killed [them]. And if the ARABS who were natives of the city had
known that the marauders were their fellow believers they would have, without mercy, made a mock of them,
and spoiled them, and they would have killed the greater number of them in the narrow streets of the city;
and, moreover, at the beginning they were not able easily to enter therein. And having been deceived they bit
their fingers without profit. Now the marauders brought the spoil from the city all day long and they
remained there until it became dark. And the natives of the city thought that the robbers were ready to
continue the spoliation of them on the following day. [560] But during the night they loaded up their horses,
and they took goods which it is impossible to enumerate, and rode away in the night. And when the day broke
not one of them was left behind; only the place where they had camped was visible.

And in the year fifteen hundred and ninety-nine [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1288)], on the twenty-eighth day of
the month of NISAN (APRIL), some strife broke out between the KURDS and the MONGOLS who were
near them, and the MONGOLS kept their anger against them. And during their removal six of their men were
left behind, and they went and hid themselves on the MAWSIL road. And when twelve distinguished young
men of the sons of BETH KUDIDATH (KUDIDA?) came along, those accursed robbers rushed out upon
them and killed them all mercilessly like sheep, in the day-time, with the sun [high] in the vault of heaven.
And after a time (or, hour) others came from MAWSIL and they found those unfortunate young men
drenched (or, befouled) with their own blood, and in one of them life still existed. And they lifted him up and
brought him to the village, and he told the story of how they had been killed, and [gave] the names of the
heathen murderers. And after three days he also died.

After the kingdom of 'ARGHON, the son of 'ABAKA, was established, BOKA, the treasurer who had been
the cause of the saving of 'ARGHON from 'AHMAD, as has been shown above, prospered exceedingly, and
he became so high and mighty in the kingdom that even the princes and princesses, and the sons-in-law and
the daughters-in-law, and the captains of the armies of the MONGOLS, used to come and submit to him, and
stand at his gate and beg stipends from him. And all the administrative offices of the kingdom were
committed to him, and the kings and the governors who ruled in all the countries which were under the
dominion of the House of MAGHOGH were not accepted (i.e. acknowledged) without his Pukdana and the
red sign (manual) of BOKA. And this BOKA appointed his brother 'AROK to be the Head and Governor-
General in all the countries of BABIL, and 'ADHORBIJAN, and BETH NAHRIN. And this man who was
terrible and terrifying was over all the armies of the MONGOLS, and over the kings, and the governors, and
the scribes who were in all these countries.

Now these two brothers ruled the Mongol kingdom with great pomp and with magnificence [561]
indescribable for a period of six years. About the affairs of the King of Kings, 'ARGHON, they were
negligent, and they occupied themselves with the collection of riches, and horses, and gold and silver, and
treasure. Now 'ARGHON appointed other Amirs for his service, the men who rode, and went in and came
out, and ate and drank with him. And everything which was done in the Camp, and in the countries which
were remote, as well as in those that were near, little by little they made the King of Kings to know. And that

BOKA exalted himself over the nobles, and boasted of his power, and that by his determined will he brought
about (or, did) everything that he did.

And thus the Amirs who were his opponents easily misrepresented and perverted to the King of Kings all the
matters which BOKA confirmed and arranged. At length three of the honourable persons who were in
BAGHDAD went to the Royal Camp, and they made accusations against 'AROK, and they showed that he
was working destruction and doing harm by his corrupt deeds, and gathering together great riches by
extortion. Then the King of Kings commanded that these three persons should be kept under observation with
honour until 'AROK came to the Camp. [BOKA] sent a message, [saying,]| 'Arrest these persons and cut off
the heads of the three of them without the questioning and investigation and knowledge of the Judges.’ Now
this [display of] pridefulness was visible to the kingdom, and this act became a great occasion for the
opponents of the two brethren BOKA and 'AROK. And from that moment everything which was said about
them was accepted easily, and without any doubt. And the princes were exceedingly sorry for the slain [or,
murdered] men, and they were very angry. Then BOKA quieted the consciences (?) of the princes by means
of bribes, and he left and departed.

And after a short time a certain JEW, whose name was SA'D AD-DAWLAH, and who was the father-in-law
of the governor of BAGHDAD—now this governor had died recently—approached the Camp, and in the
presence of the Amirs said, 'If ye will stop the going down of 'AROK to BAGHDAD, he himself (i.e. I
myself) will bring the double of the revenue which is brought each year to the Camp'. And straightway the
command went forth that 'AROK was not to go down to BAGHDAD again, and he was to have no further
command (or, jurisdiction) over it. [562] And [the Amirs] handed affairs over to the JEW. And behold, at the
present day there is a Jewish governor and general director on the throne of the House of 'ABBAS. Observe
how ISLAM hath been brought low! And [the MUSLIMS] neither cease nor rest from their wickedness and
their tyranny.

And from this moment complaints against 'AROK became frequent, and among them were those of a certain
Persian scribe whose name was 'ABD AL-MUMIN, and who also went to the Camp and showed that 'AROK,
and his Amirs, and [his] officers and [his] scribes had destroyed the countries and all the cities which are
under the dominion of 'AROK, and if we were to overcome him and seize him by his hands he would drop
out of them one hundred myriads of gold dinars'. Then the Amirs were pleased with such tales as these, and
they agreed to the wish of the informer (or, accuser), [saying,] 'Certainly wait ye for him a little’, Now when
BOKA saw that the complaints against him and his brother were received joyfully, he was offended and
withdrew himself. And he made himself sick (i.e. feigned sickness), and he took to his bed in his house. And
when the nobles went in ostensibly to visit him in his sickness, he groaned before them and uttered regrets
concerning the good deeds which he had performed for 'ARGHON in the time of 'AHMAD, and said that
'ARGHON had not repaid him with adequate interest. And he began to concoct a deceitful and rebellious
secret against 'ARGHON, and he revealed his secret to some of the nobles. And they received this with
simplicity, for they knew that he was a crafty man, and that 'AHMAD had been brought low by his astuteness
and that 'ARGHON has triumphed thereby. Then 'ARGHON, because he himself had experience of work of
this kind, kept a strict guard over himself. For the Amirs who were in the service of 'ARGHON continually
understood the evil intention which BOKA had.

Then when BOKA recognized that his deceit was discovered, terror, and fear, and trembling fell upon him,
and he was distracted and did not know what to do. And he rose up and mounted his horse, and fled to the
Camp of the Great Khatun 'ALJI, ostensibly to take refuge with her. And when 'ARGHON and the rest of the
Amirs heard that BOKA had ridden away, they also mounted their horses and rode after him and overtook
him; and they seized him and brought him [back]. And when they questioned him, he confessed the deceit.
'Verily,' he said, 'I had no wish at all to injure the King of Kings, but only those [563] Amirs who malign me

continually, and who abuse me and make me contemptible in the eyes of the King of Kings. 'And his word
was not accepted, but they killed him and hacked him limb from limb, on Friday the fourteenth day of the
month of the LATTER KANON (JANUARY), in the year sixteen hundred [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1289)].
And they looted his house, and his possessions, and his furniture, and they killed his sons and those who were
participators in his secret. And on that day was killed also SHEM'UN, the priest, and physician and lawyer,
who was a Christian and a native of 'ARBIL (now he was named "ABU AL-KARAM'), and many of the
MONGOLS who are unknown to us.

And because 'AROK was wintering in the country of MAWSIL he sent hurriedly from the Royal Camp an
Amir, a man of courage whose name was 'BAITMISH', a strong and strenuous man, who a few days before
had come from MUGHAN to the neighbourhood of 'AMID. And he made all the troops of the MONGOLS to
mount their horses, and he came and surrounded 'AROK who had no knowledge of the affair of his brother,
but was dwelling [quietly], eating and drinking, for those were the days of the MONGOL festival of the
"White’. And when he saw that the troops of the MONGOLS and the bulls of BAISHAN had encircled him,
he was stupefied and did not know what to do. But he mounted his horse, and he took his wife and his sons,
and he sought asylum in the little fortress of KHASHAF until the day broke. And straightway BAITMISH
sent to him, saying, 'It is unseemly for thee to resist’. Then 'AROK sent and said, 'I have not come up here as
a rebel and one who resists, but because I do not know what hath happened, or for what reason these crowds
of soldiers have gathered together against me; therefore inform me so that I may understand".

Then BATMISH himself drew nigh to the gate of the fortress and said, 'Thy brother BOKA acted
treacherously against the king, and the command went forth and he is killed. And we have come to arrest
thee, and to carry thee to the service of the King of Kings. Whether we are to keep thee alive or whether we
are to kill thee he will know.' Then straightway 'AROK opened the gate of the fortress and came down with
his household, and he said, 'The command of the king is on [my] head and eyes’. Then they bound him with
chains, and they set guards over him, and sent him to the Camp and there he was killed. 'AROK was taken on
the second day [of the week] of the Fast of Nineveh, that is to say on the last day of the LATTER KANON
(JANUARY) [564] of the year, and after seven days he was killed.

Now the word of that Persian lawyer—who had already calumniated (i.e. informed against) 'AROK, saying
that the hundred myriad darics which he was about to bring out [had come] from the kings, and governors,
and scribes, whom 'AROK had appointed in the various countries, and who had behaved corruptly and taken
[them] unjustly, and had laid waste the countries—was accepted because of the [universal] hatred of 'AROK,
and an evil judgement went forth against them (i.e. the kings, governors, and scribes). And the dealing with
them was handed over to the Amir BAITMISH, so that when 'ABD AL-MUMIN had made the reckoning of
their [liabilities], everything which went out (i.e. was charged) against them, BAITMISH by means of
beatings and tortures was to take back from them, and was to put to death him that was guilty of death
without mercy.

And because MAS'UD BAR-KAWTI, and his brethren, and his kinsfolk, knew no one besides BOKA in the
Royal Camp, and they considered the service of the other Amirs as of no account, they were unwilling to
make a meaningless salutation to those others. And because the command of BOKA over all the Amirs was
superior and sublime, they neglected them all. And they accepted BOKA only, although through this
[behaviour] they were condemned and blamed by every man. And to them they gave this advice, saying, 'It is
not right to neglect the service, and submission, and obedience to those Amirs who are permanently in the
Royal Service. And for us to accept one and to offend many is a foolish act; because it is possible that [a
period of] trial may come upon that one Amir in whom ye put your trust, and ye will not be helped by the
other Amirs.

Then MAS'UD, because he was childish in mind, and unwise in his actions, said boastingly, 'I do not wish for
life without BOKA, and if BOKA dieth I should esteem death better for me than life’. And this took place,
and his word was actually fulfilled. For on the day when 'AROK was arrested they set guards over MAS'UD,
and kept watch over him very carefully until 'ABD AL-MOMIN the Persian lawyer arrived. Then was stirred
up the persecution and wrath against the hated Christians, and, though I ought not to say it, abandonment by
God. And they (i.e. the MONGOLS) began to torture them without mercy, and they tortured excessively TAJ
AD-DIN, the son of MUKHATAS, [565] who was governor of 'ARBIL. They hung this man up by his feet
(i.e. head downwards) to the height of a cubit above the ground. And they beat his feet until he collapsed.
Then forthwith they let him down and beat him on his chest and back, until he fell down as one dead. Then
they put fire in a brazier which they suspended over his breast. And in this wise they made him to suffer
excruciating tortures until they had taken from him nearly fifty thousand dinars. And when he could no
longer endure tortures, they cast him [several] times into the river TIGRIS. Perhaps he was drowned and
escaped [further] wrath, and tortures, and beatings.

And because MAS'UD, the son of BAR KAWTI, was sick, they did not inflict blows upon him. They feared
lest he should die and his money perish with him. And verily they employed empty promises in dealing with
him, saying that if he would give them ten myriads of gold [dinars], he should remain in his honourable
office, and that no man should harm him. Now MAS'UD himself thought that since he had not been beaten
by them they would confer some honour upon him, and he was exceedingly avaricious, and he used severe
words in converse with them. Nevertheless, they, in their artfulness, partly by means of stripes and blows, and
partly by threats and curses, took that amount of money from him. And they carried him off with them to
'ARBIL, and there they killed him on the second day of Passion Week, on the fourth day of the month of
NISAN (APRIL) of that year. And they placed wooden fetters on his son, and shut him up.

Continued on Next Page

(1) Bedjan's note reads: What happeneth in the world doth not take place through the Course of the
luminaries, neither doth it happen through their conjunction, but by the will of the Lord, without Whom not
one sparrow falleth to the ground.-Matthew x. 29.

(2) Bedjan's note reads: In this year 1597 of the GREEKS, which is the year 1286 of our Lord, on the 30th
day of TAMMUZ, MAR GREGORY BAR HEBRAEUS departed from this world in the city of MARAGHA.
Another writer, perhaps his brother BAR SAWMA SAFI, wrote what took place in the following years.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

XI

Concerning the Murder of Shams ad-Din, the Master of the Diwan (continued).

And his brother SHAHAB AD-DIN fled, and they sought for him diligently, but they found him not. And
DUBAIS, a man from the village of BETH SAHRAYE, was killed because of him, for SHAHAB AD-DIN
had hidden himself in the village for some days, and left [it] and departed. And when they questioned
DUBAIS about him, he took an oath and denied that he had seen him. And having seized upon a certain small
youth and beaten him, he confessed and showed them the place where SHAHAB AD-DIN had been. And
when they had made sure that he had been with them, they carried the wretched DUBAIS to MAWSIL, and
there they killed him, and the mob stoned his dead body.

And after his murder the men of MAWSIL made accusations against another young man, and they declared
that "he was a whoremonger'’, and that 'he committed adultery with Arab women’. Him also they killed, and
they dragged his dead body through the streets of the city, and they heaped up wood upon it and burnt it in
the fire. And they took his head [566] and carried it about to the doors of the churches, and they scoffed and
jeered at the Christians. The persecution and wrath which the men of MAWSIL suffered during these two
months, neither the tongue can describe, nor the reed (i.e. pen) write. Wake up then and sleep not, O Lord,
and look on the blood of Thy servants which is being poured out without mercy, and be sorry for Thy Church
which is being rent in pieces by the persecution.

And in the days in which BOKA was killed, BAITMISH was sent to the western countries. And all the troops
of the MONGOLS mounted their horses and rode away to capture 'AROK. And the dwellers in SYRIA were
perturbed, and terror, and fear, and trembling fell upon them. And they thought that the MONGOLS were
about to attack them. And they also made themselves strong, and they collected many troops, and were
prepared to engage [the MONGOLS] in battle. And while being assured that the MONGOLS were occupied
with their own affairs, and that they had no care for other people's [concerns], they were not pleased that their
gathering should be dissolved with no result. Then they went and encamped against TRIPOLI, a city on the
coast of the Great Sea, and they made war upon it strenuously. And those who were inside [the city] sent and
asked for help from their kinsfolk the FRANKS who were in the Island of CYPRUS, and a few troops were
sent to them by the means of ships on the sea. And [these] having arrived, the citizens became strong, and
they stood on the walls, and they waged war with superlative valour for nearly three months, more or less,
with those who were outside. And when those outside gained the upper hand, and breached the wall with
engines of war, and the Christians saw that they were overpowered by those outside, the greater number of
them embarked in ships, and they left and went to CYPRUS. And as for the remainder who were in the city,
the ARABS attacked them, and they drew their swords, and they became mixed together, and they killed and
were killed. And because of the great slaughter of the ARABS which took place, the ARABS burned with
wrath, and they destroyed the wretched city entirely, and they left therein no tower and no church which they
did not lay in ruins. And they took therefrom an endless amount of spoil, and they took innumerable sons and
daughters prisoners, and they killed an endless number of priests, and deacons, and monks, and nuns. And

they left the city a howling wilderness and departed. These things took place at the full moon of the month of
NISAN (APRIL), [567] of the year sixteen hundred of the GREEKS (A.D. 1289).

And in this year also about two thousand horsemen of the robber bands of SYRIA gathered together, and they
came and crossed the frontier of SINJAR and BETH 'ARBAYE, and they neither plundered nor looted until
they arrived in the neighbourhood of PISHABHUR, a village on the banks of the river TIGRIS, where they
halted there for the night. And they rose up during the night and crossed the river, and they directed their gaze
on WASTAW,, a large village of the NESTORIANS, and they burst upon it at the early dawn of the first day
of the week, on the fourteenth day of the month of 'AB (AUGUST). Now the villagers thinking that they
were merely a few marauders sallied out to engage them. And when they saw how many they were, they
went back into the village, and some of them took refuge in the church and were saved, and some of them
scattered themselves about in the gardens and vineyards. And those accursed men spread themselves over the
seven hamlets which were round about it and then they wrought great destruction. And they killed nearly five
hundred men, and they took prisoners nearly one thousand persons, women, and sons, and daughters, and
they took treasures, and sheep and cattle without number. And they went back the same day by the way they
had come, and they travelled quietly and without fear until they arrived at the rrver HABURA, over which
was a fragile (or, narrow) bridge, and there they were impeded by the weight of the loot and the great number
of the prisoners which they with difficulty were carrying away. And thus news [of them] reached the Amir of
the MONGOLS who was in MAWSIL, and the MONGOLS without delay made themselves ready and stood
up and mounted their horses and pursued them. And they went on and found them, and the greater number of
them had crossed the bridge, and were journeying on laden with loot. And those who had not yet crossed the
bridge the MONGOLS killed. And they recovered of the spoil three hundred prisoners, women, and sons, and
daughters, and they brought them and handed them over to their owners.

And moreover, in this summer the marauders of SYRIA, about two thousand mounted men, sallied out and
went to the countries of MELITENE and of HESNA. And KHARBANDA, the captain of the host who was
there, heard [of it], and he collected his troops and they made ready and went and engaged them in battle, and
they were broken before them. And a large number of those who were with him were killed, and certain of
his friends, and his kinsfolk, [568] and the sons of his brothers, an unknown number of persons, were made
prisoners. And only he and the forty persons who had fled escaped, and they came and went into the new
mansion which he had built in the country of HESNA, in the place which is called in the Aramean language
"HESONA'. And whilst sitting, and grieving and pondering how they could save those of them who had been
made prisoners in the war, they all agreed that the war which had taken place in this country had happened
because of the Christians, and that it was therefore right to take the money from them and to buy (i.e. ransom)
those who had been made prisoners because of them. Then they began to assess every city and country for a
certain amount of gold according to the ability of the place [to pay]. But justice could not endure that their
object should be actually fulfilled, for it cast down quickly that new mansion upon them, and made an end of
them one and all, and except for the one man, the doorkeeper, on whose back a beam fell and hurled him
outside the door of that mansion, not one of them was saved.

And at the beginning of the year sixteen hundred and one [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1290)], 'ALA 'ALMISH,
the lord of MAIPERKAT, who was also a great persecutor of the Christians, sent secretly and killed the lord
of MUSH, who was a Christian and an ARMENIAN by race, and he made the monks of MAR KAWMA to
suffer other evils. Then one of the monks who were there burned with anger within himself, and he went to
the Camp and made accusations against 'ALA 'ALMISH. Now he possessed freedom of speech with the King
of Kings, and the king hearkened unto him with pleasure. And one day when the King of Kings was riding,
and he was going to cross a bridge over the river KHAWRAR, the monk seized the bridle of his horse and
swore an oath, saying, 'I will not let thee cross until thou commandest that 'ALA 'ALMISH is to be killed’,
and straightway he commanded and 'ALA 'ALMISH was killed.

And in those days also an Egyptian lawyer, a courageous man, who was known as FARAJ ALLAH, and was
a scribe in MAWSIL, made public the treachery of the Persian lawyer 'ABD AL-MOMIN (whom we have
mentioned above), who had unjustly killed MAS'UD, the son of BAR KAWTI, and had made the Christians
to suffer great evils, and had collected a large sum of money for himself. And the King of Kings having
commanded that his history was to be investigated, the PERSIAN was condemned and killed, and the
righteousness of God was avenged speedily. And behold, from this time [onwards] the King of Kings
recognized, [569] and it was proved to him fully, the falseness and impudence of the ARABS, and that
everything they did they did with deceit (or, treachery), and the accepting of persons (i.e. hypocrisy). And
straightway he commanded that SA'D AD-DAWLAH, the JEW, who was governor in BAGHDAD, should be
the chief of the scribes, that is to say, SAHIB DIWAN, in all the dominion of his kingdom; and that governors
should never, never appoint the ARAB to be a scribe, but only the Christian and the JEW. And thus the hatred
and ill-will of the ARABS [towards the Christians] grew stronger. Now since that JEW was governor, the
administration of the revenue and taxation of the city was committed to him. And the King of Kings sent his
brother [to be] governor of BAGHDAD in his place. And he sent his other brother, together with TAJ AD-
DIN, the son of MUKHATAS, the Director-General, to MAWSIL, and to MARDIN, and all DIAR BAKR.

And when they arrived in these countries, a certain Amir, a KURD, who had long been governor of 'ARBIL,
and who was known as 'MBAZAR BAG", was afraid of them. And he thought that they were about to make
him to suffer sorely, and immediately and swiftly he sought the road to the Camp, for he said that if he should
be looked on with the eye of mercy before the King of Kings, every kind of fear would be removed from him.
And thus he having gone, these Amirs sent many informers against him in his footsteps (or, on his heels). The
King of Kings thought that he would kill him, but he kept him in a state of hope for the moment. And before
[he killed him] he sent a messenger secretly to seize his sons, and his household, and his kinsmen, and his
fellow countrymen, so that he might make a thorough ending of them; then they were to kill with their own
hands him that was with them.

Now there was a certain woman who had knowledge of this secret, and she came to the Kurdish Amir by
night and informed him about the whole matter. Then the KURD, without the least hesitation, straightway
took one of his slaves, and the two of them mounted their horses and fled from the Camp. And they fled like
the bird from the snare. And this man flew on his horse so swiftly that he outrode the messenger [of the King
of Kings]. And he arrived at his house. And his family fled with all their food, and he took refuge in the
mountains, and hills, and savage places which were inaccessible.

And after this the messenger [of the King or Kings] arrived, and he was stupefied and marvelled. Then the
King of Kings blazed with wrath and he was inflamed greatly with rage, [570] not only because this man had
saved himself from his hands, but he was especially irritated that he had obtained knowledge [of the secret].
Who then from inside the Camp informed that KURD and revealed to him the secret? And he sent troops to
patrol the mountains and to hold the roads over them to the KURDS. And because it was the season of winter
and heavy snows [lay] on the tops of the mountains where the KURDS were, the troops of the MONGOLS
were unable either to cut through them or to master them. Therefore they returned to the plain where the
KURDS were farmers and poor labourers and men who paid tribute; and the MONGOLS spoiled and killed
them, and they looted and burnt their houses and their stores of grain. These poor people were especiaJly ill-
treated by the men of the mountains who were with the Mongols and who are called K'AYASHYE
(KAYAJYE?). For these were Christians and by nature hated the ARABS, and they did great injury to the
KURDS and committed indescribable atrocities on them. They killed the men without mercy, and they made
prisoners of innumerable women, and sons, and daughters. And of their food supplies as much as they were
able they carried away, and the rest they burnt in the fire. Therefore by reason of these men of the mountains,
the ARABS blazed with wrath against all the Christians, and they said, 'If it were not for these men of the
mountains, the MONGOLS would never, never have treated the KURDS evilly, because a very large number

of the MONGOLS have become HAGARAYE (i.e. MUHAMMADANS) in our own days, and they would
never wish to do evil to the MUSLIMS, unless, perhaps, they were forced [to do so] by their nobles.’

Now the MONGOLS, the summer having come, left the countries of MAWSIL and 'ARBIL and departed,
but the KURDS who had come down from the tops of the mountains, and were gathered together in tens of
thousands, came to the plain. Then the natives of the country fled before them and took refuge in the cities
and fortresses. All the people of the country of 'ARBIL went up to the Citadel, and straightway the KURDS
besieged the Citadel. But Divine Providence checked their furious onslaught, and they did not entirely
prosper in their attack on the Citadel. And every time they crowded together to make war upon it, seven or
eight, more or less, of them were killed.

And when they had been occupied with them for a period of seventeen (or, fifteen?) days, certain FRANKS,
[571] about two hundred men, came down the TIGRIS by water to MAWSIL by the command of the King of
Kings, as if they were going to BABIL (BAGHDAD) to construct ships there and to go down to BOSRA
(AL- BASRARH), and from there by the SEA OF PANTOS (SEA OF SUF?) to attack the EGYPTIANS. And
others of the FRANKS, about seven hundred men, went by land; and they remained in BAGHDAD the whole
winter—until their plan (or, object) was fulfilled. Now there exist stories about the FRANKS IN BAGHDAD
which are worthy of remembrance, but in order that the sequence of our narrative may not be disturbed (or,
become confused) we will return forthwith to our plan, and we will make mention of these stories later.

And when the KURDS heard that certain FRANKS had arrived in MAWSIL, they imagined that they had
come on their account, and they abandoned the Citadel and scattered themselves about in the country. Then
those who were in the Citadel, being free from the KURDS, wished to go and bring the inhabitants of the
village of BETH SAY YADHE to the Citadel lest they should suffer any harm from the KURDS. Now,
according to what is the fact, had they left them in the place where they were they would never have suffered
harm. Therefore these men of the mountain, the KAYAJYE, about two hundred mounted men, came down
from the Citadel, and went to BETH SAYYADHE, although it was not about them that they were anxious,
but about their own advantage more especially. For when they came there they lent the horses which were
under them to the ploughmen, and they came before them on foot. And thus they were scattered from each
other, like a people without a head, until they arrived close to the city. Then the KURDS who were lying in
wait and watching for them burst forth upon them, and although only a very few of them were killed, yet the
KURDS made prisoners of most of them, and they looted everything which they found with them.

Now when the marauders and freebooters who were in SYRIA heard that the KURDS had besieged the
Citadel of 'ARBIL, they believed that they would besiege SYRIA at the same time, and would loot, and kill,
and take prisoners, and carry off [spoil]. Therefore they collected about two thousand men, and came to the
help of the KURDS. And when they arrived they could not find them as they expected, for not even they
were able to approach the Citadel because of the strength and military ability of those who were inside it.
And the Syrian marauders wishing to put them to the test told off about two hundred men of their number,
and they approached the [572] gate of the Citadel, and those who were inside came down and fought with
them, and they captured from them a certain number of horses, and they went back up into the Citadel. And
when the marauders saw that they themselves had neither gained in any way nor done any good by their
coming, and that up to that time they had not even joined up with the KURDS, they turned and went back by
the way which they had come, men empty and foiled. These things took place on the third day [of the week],
on the twenty-seventh day of the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE).

And in the month of TAMMUZ, (JULY) of this year a certain monk, who was an ARMENIAN and a just
man, one of those who used to go round about through the countries admonishing [the people] and
proclaiming repentance, and reformation, and the confession of sins, arrived at the Citadel of ZAID, and he

remained there about a month of days. And his discourses pleased the Christians who were there very very
much, and some young men were attracted by him, and they began to assemble about him in the night-time,
and they ate, and drank, and conversed about the histories of the holy men and the crowning of the martyrs.
And when the power of his utterances became reported to the ARABS, certain of them were smitten with
envy, and they went on the night of Friday and took a dead dog and hung it up over the door of the Great
Mosque. And when the day broke and the ARABS gathered together to pray, they saw that dead dog, and
they burned with wrath. And they all with one mouth said, 'This deed is the work of the Armenian monk and
of those who gather together about him'. And they drew their swords and daggers, and they went and seized
the wretched monk and a few of the natives of the city who were with him. For when the people had
knowledge of the trick [of the dog], they fled, and all of them hid themselves from before the wrath of [the
ARABS]. Then those wicked men took the monk and departed to the Monastery of BA'UTH, and they went
into the cells of the monks and carried away all their possessions. And they killed that poor monk there
together with two or three natives of the city, and they returned to the city. And they also entered the houses
of the believing Christians, and they looted everything which they found in their houses, and they inflicted
beatings and tortures on many honourable men. And the city remained for about a month of days without
buying and without selling (i.e. trade was paralysed).

And in those days, when FARAJ ALLAH, the Egyptian lawyer, who had some time before brought to light
the treachery of the Persian scribe and killed him, saw that he had prospered because [573] his word had been
accepted, he began to feel exceedingly proud of himself, and he went to the Camp and poured forth
calumnies on TAJ AD-DIN, the son of MUKHATAS, and said, 'He hath collected forty myriads of gold
[pieces] for himself’. Then when the JEW who was the SAHIB DIWAN heard his word(s), he became proud
and he said within himself, 'If this be certain (or, true) about this man, how much more certain will it be
concerning his brother who is the companion of TAJ AD-DIN! For he possesseth more power as governor in
the countries, and his hand is more extended in taking and giving.’

Therefore he began to flatter FARAJ ALLAH, and he showed him that this course of action would be
injurious not only to TAJ AD-DIN, but that his brother would be hurt far more, Then the wretched FARAJ
ALLAH saw that he could neither suppress the command of that man, nor stand up against it, and that if he
went back on his own word(s) the Amirs of the Camp would condemn him and kill him. And certain men
said unto him, 'Write a document thyself [and say] that thou didst say what thou didst say through
drunkenness, and that "these two persons, that is to say, TAJ AD-DIN and his companion, have [not] acted
oppressively, and that they have never taken from any man anything unjustly", and give it to the SAHIB
DIWAN, and he will arrange thy business forthwith, and will save thee, and, moreover, he will make thee a
companion and an associate of these [men]. Then FARAJ ALLAH accepted this [advice] implicitly, and he
wrote the document in these [words] and he gave it to the SAHIB DIWAN.

Then that treacherous JEW, as soon as the document fell into his hand, took it and went to the King of Kings
[and said], "What dost thou command in respect of the man who yesterday uttered that statement and today
hath written that document?’ And the King of Kings replied, 'In truth such a man as this is worthy of death’.
And straightway they killed FARAJ ALLAH there. And [the JEW] also proved that he had two companions
in MAWSIL who were worse than he was, and [the King of Kings] commanded that they also should be
killed. And [he sent] hurriedly to MAWSIL MUWAYAD, the son of MUWAYAD the scribe, and AMIR AD-
DIN, the son of MUHTASEB, a native of 'ARBIL.

And after some days the Amir MATTAI, an excellent man and a great pillar of the Christians who were in the
country of MAWSIL, was sent from the Camp to the city of SI'IRAD to receive from them (i.e. the people)
the customary gift of the MONGOLS. Now the citizens [574] were haters of the Christians, and they disliked
the Christ-like man who ruled over them, and they drew their swords and daggers and attacked him in the

mansion in which he lived, and there they killed him on the second day [of the week], on the thirty-first day
of the month of TAMMUZ (JULY) of that year. Then the sons of this man whose life had been taken
wickedly went to the Camp quickly, and made manifest the impudence of the ARABS who were there. And
the command went forth, 'The killers shall be killed, and the natives of the city shall be mulcted of ten
myriads of gold [dinars]'. And thus they came to the city and they killed seven or eight of the satraps who
were there.

And in the beginning of the year sixteen hundred and two [of the GREEKS (A.D. 1291)] an accusation was
brought against the Amir, a KURD, who was known as SEJAL AD-DIN LA-ZAKAI, from the country of
GAZARTA of KARDU. And his case was investigated before BAITMISH, the strong man, and he was killed
in the country of MAWSIL, both he and one of his sons.

And in these days certain men of the ISHMAELITES disguised as merchants were sent to MAWSIL so that
they might leap upon the Amirs and commanders who were therein and kill them, and that a Christian and a
JEW might no longer rule in the place. And if they could not [leap upon them] they were to kill them secretly
and craftily. Now therefore, having arrived in MAWSIL and alighted at one of the inns according to the
custom of merchants, they quarrelled with each other and began to fight the one with the other. And a certain
man who was near them and heard their quarrel was perplexed about the meaning of their talk, and he went
quickly and informed the Amirs about these [men], and they sent hurriedly and arrested them. And when they
began to torture them, one of them, an old man, said, "Ye have no need to torture us; we three men have come
to kill you. And three other men have gone to BABII. to kill the JEW who is there. And three others have
gone to the Camp to kill the SAHIB DIWAN, who is there’. Then the Amirs straightway crucified (or,
impaled) these men, and they sent to BABIL and arrested easily [the three men there] and killed [them]. And
as for those [three men] who had gone to the Camp, their petition was replied to, and their aim was fulfilled
without toil and trouble.

Now, observe the marvellous character of the manner in which Nature directeth affairs. For even if it erreth in
a certain case, and exalteth a fool, and maketh him prosperous, and raiseth him on high, yet it is only for a
short time. [575] Then that act is corrected very easily, and it seemeth as if Nature itself repenteth of its error,
and it goeth back and bringeth low its high estate (1).

The behaviour of the ARABS hath [long] been made manifest in the world, and up to the present day no JEW
hath ever been raised to a position of exalted honour among them; and except as a tanner, or a dyer, or a tailor
[the ARAB] doth not appear among the JEWS. But truly the honourable ones and the fortunate among them
[exalt] the art of healing and the art of the scribe; but in situations in which others will not demean
themselves to work, they will work. And at this time when the MONGOLS were ruling over these western
countries, they did not honour every one who was worthy of honour, and they did not make those who had
descended from the loins of kings to rule over the cities and villages which were in subjection to them. With
the MONGOLS there is neither slave nor free man; neither believer nor pagan; neither Christian nor JEW;
but they regard all men as belonging to one and the same stock. And every one who approacheth them and
offereth to them any of the mammon of the world, they accept it from him, and they entrust to him
whatsoever oflice he seeketh, whether it be great or whether it be little, whether he knoweth how to
administer it, or whether he doth not. All they demand is strenuous service and submission which is beyond
the power [of man to render].

Therefore this JEW triumphed in every way, and attained the greatest glory and honour possible in the time
of 'ARGHON, the King of Kings, and he alone brought all political matters to a succcssful issue, and much
else besides. To the nobles of the Camp he paid no heed, and he reduced the taking and giving of their hands,
and he treated with contempt the principal Amirs and the directors of general affairs. The man who could

confer a favour (or, benefit), or who could do harm, was never seen at the Gate of the Kingdom, unless
perchance [he was] a JEW. And through this state of affairs many of the JEWS who were on the fringes of the
world gathered together to him, and they all with one mouth said, 'Verily, by means of this man the Lord hath
raised on high the horn of redemption (or, deliverance), and the hope of glory for the sons of the HEBREWS
in their last days'.

Therefore, when they were boasting proudly of their exaltation, and occupied with their power, suddenly
[576] 'ARGHON, the King of Kings, perceived (i.e. was attacked by) paralysis, and he was grievously
afflicted with the disease for a month of days. And the wretched JEW was perplexed by his illness, and with
great care he endeavoured in every way possible to heal him. Then the Amirs and the nobles of the Camp
who despised the JEW utterly, having lost all hope of [saving] the life of 'ARGHON, [behaved] as if the JEW
himself, through the evil of his machinations, was the cause of the sickness of 'ARGHON. And they began to
roar at the wretched man like lions, until 'ARGHON ended his life on the fourth day of the week, at the end
of the LATTER KANON (JANUARY) of the year (A.D. 1291). Then God stirred up His wrath against the
JEWS who were in every place. This SA'D AL-DAWLAH, the SAHIB DIWAN, they killed there. And with
great care [the Amirs and nobles] sent ambassadors into all the countries which were under the dominion of
the MONGOLS, and they seized his brethren and his kinsfolk, and they bound them with chains, and they
plundered their stores of food, and they took their sons, and their daughters, and their slaves, and their
handmaidens, and their flocks and herds, and all their possessions. And he who was killed by them was
killed, and those who were left [alive] returned to their original stations. The man who yesterday was an
officer, and could bind and set free, and was arrayed in royal apparel, was to-day swathed in sackcloth, and
had dirty discoloured hands as if he was a dyer and not a scribe, and a beggar going round from door to door
and not an officer. The trials and wrath which were stirred up against the JEWS at this time neither tongue
can utter nor the pen write down.

Then in BABIL (BAGHDAD), when [the report of] the murder of this JEW was heard, the ARABS armed
themselves and went to the quarter of the JEWS, because the JEWS were all living together in one quarter in
BABIL. And when they wanted to go in and plunder them, the JEWS rose up against them in great strength,
and they fought against the ARABS, and killed and were killed; and they did not leave alive [any JEWS] to
rule over them. 'Now,' said they, 'when this JEW became great and exalted, he commanded that a palace
should be built for him in TABRIZ, and he buried many pots filled with gold and silver in the walls thereof.’
Now this [fact] only became known at that moment, for it was only when [the MONGOLS] were torturing
them (i.e. the JEWS), they showed them the places where the pots were, and so they dug [in the walls] and
brought them out. Now the whole period during which [577] the JEW was Director and Governor was two
years, more or less. And he was killed and his name (i.e. fame) perished, and because of him the JEWS
throughout the world were hated and ill-treated.

(1) Bedjan's note reads: It is not Nature that governeth the world, but it is governed by the Lord of the
Worlds, in Whose government no error is found because God is the Judge; this one He abuseth and that one
He exalteth.-Psalm Ixxv. 7.

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

XI

Kanjatu [Geikhatu], the brother of 'Arghon [Arghun].

After 'ARGHON, the son of 'ABAKA, KANJATU [Geikhatu], his brother, who was called 'ERNAJIN
TURJAIT', ruled. Now, in the beginning of his kingdom, 'ARGHON, his brother, appointed this man to take
ten thousand of the soldiers of the MONGOLS and to go and keep guard over the countries of BETH
RHOMAYE. And being there during the whole of the period through which 'ARGHON lived, the places (or,
towns) thereabouts pleased him, and he was unwilling to go out from them. At length, when 'ARGHON, his
brother, died, and all the princes assembled and declared that it was right for him to sit on the throne of the
kingdom, with difficulty and, as it were, by sheer force, did he become willing to sit in his brother's place.
For he was living in the countries of BETH RHOMAYE in great content and absolute peacefulness, and he
ate, and drank, and enjoyed life with the pleasant things of this world. And more especially when he saw that
of the two kings who were his predecessors, whilst still in the vigour of early manhood, the thread of their
lives had been cut off, without their having enjoyed to the full this temporary life. Then, [I say,] he drew
back, and would not consent to sit upon the throne of the kingdom, and he made it his object, and his desire
inclined thereto, to return to BETH RHOMAYE again. And so he made a compact, and he kept the princes
and the nobles hanging on the hope that next year, at the same period in the following year, he would come
and rule. And he left them and removed to the countries of BETH RHOMAYE.

And when he arrived there he found the TURKOMAN IUGAYE of BETH KARAMAN stretching out their
hands against the MONGOLS, and plundering, and looting, and conquering [cities], and carrying away
people into captivity. Then KAIJATU (KANJATU) collected his armies and he went and encamped against
the famous Citadel of TANGAZLU, and they took it with the sword, and they killed a large number of men
therein. And he laid the sword upon the remainder of the IUGAYE who had fled into the villages, and he
destroyed them utterly.

When 'ARGHON, his brother, was alive, [578] Frankish ambassadors used to come to him from the Pope of
Rome and from other kings and impress upon him that the MONGOLS should become one shoulder (i.e,
stand shoulder to shoulder) with the FRANKS, and go against the EGYPTIANS and PHARAOHITES who
had waxed fat and kicked and were doing harm to the Christians and their towns. And 'ARGHON himself
sent to the Pope an ambassador, RABBAN BAR SAWMA, the Igurian monk, who had come with the
Catholicus MAR YAHBH 'ALLAH from the countries of the Great Khan, and the Pope sent with him
compacts and assurances that they would sally forth together and destroy the Religion of the ARABS. But the
exact opposite, however, of their calculations took place. When KAIJATU returned from the countries of
BETH RHOMAYE to the mountains of GREAT ARMENIA, the princes and the nobles of the MONGOLS
gathered together, and they took him and seated him on the throne of the kingdom on the twenty-third day of
the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE), of the year sixteen hundred and three of the GREEKS (A.D. 1292).

Then when the EGYPTIANS heard that 'ARGHON had already ended his life, they gathered together great
armies composed of natives and foreign soldiers, whose number was without end. And they went and

encamped against the great and famous city of 'AKKO of the FRANKS, which is on the shore of the Great
Sea. And they fought against it with great ferocity for two months. Now the FRANKS who were inside [it],
because of their pride and boastfulness, did not condescend to shut the gates of the city in their faces at any
time, neither by night nor by day. And the Frankish horsemen used to sally out boldly from within, and as
with scythes used to mow down the ARABS who were outside. And it is said that more than twenty thousand
men of the ARABS were killed at 'AKKO. And the FRANKS held the city well and carefully until their
Governor, the Great Count, was wounded by an arrow and died. Then those who were inside became
sluggish, and those on the outside became exceedingly strong and prevailed. They set up about three hundred
engines of war on the low wall which was on land, and they placed about one thousand miners under each
tower to dig out the ground under it, and they threw down from the wall one or two towers. ... Then the
wretched Brethren and the rest of the nobles began to go into the strong buildings (or, monasteries) and they
continued to fight.

And when they (i.e. the EGYPTIANS) [579] had taken the poor city, they began to coax those who were in
the buildings to come out, saying that no man should harm them, and that they could go down into the sea
(i.e. embark in ships), and go whithersoever they pleased with their wives, and their sons and their daughters,
but that they must not take any of their possessions with them. And immediately they (i.e. the Brethren)
opened the gates the ARABS went into them to keep watch over the goods [and money] which were in the
buildings, so that they might not take any of them away. Now they (i.e. the ARABS) saw these sons and
daughters with faces like moons for beauty, and they laid [their] hands upon them. But the FRANKS could
not endure [this], and they drew their swords and daggers, and they fell upon each other, and an endless
number of men were killed on both sides. And [the ARABS] laid waste the fine prosperous city, and they did
not leave to the FRANKS on the shore of the Great Sea a place whereon to lay their heads. These things took
place in the month of NISAN (APRIL), in the year which is the year sixteen hundred and three [of the
GREEKS (A.D. 1292)].

And again the innumerable hosts of PHARAOH were gathered together, and they came and encamped
against KAL'AH RHOMAITA, which is on the EUPHRATES. And this also they took in a period of twenty
days, and they killed, and spoiled, and looted, and made prisoners of sons and daughters innumerable. And
they took the Armenian Catholicus, and all the monks who were found with him, and they carried him with
honour to JERUSALEM on the Sabbath, the twenty-eighth day of the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE) of that
year, and behold there he still is. And others say that he is not, but that they crucified (or, impaled) him, and
that they hung upon iron [stakes] those who were with him and carried [them] to EGYPT. And up to the
present the history of him is uncertain. It is, however, quite true that he ended his days as a prisoner in
DAMASCUS in misery. And the ARMENIANS regard this as a sure fact, [for] they selected a suitable man
and appointed him Catholicus in the place of the other man, and they made a throne for him in SIS of
CILICIA.

Now KAIJATU being ruler, and the kingdom of the House of MAGHOGH being established for him,
occupied himself with nothing except riotous living, and amusement and debauchery. He had no thought for
anything else except the things which were necessary for kings, and which they were bound to have, and how
he could get possession of the sons and daughters of the nobles and have carnal intercourse with them. And
he would wanton with them without shame and without modesty. And very many chaste women among the
wives of the nobles fled from him, and others [580] removed their sons and their daughters, and sent them
away to remote districts. But they were unable to save themselves from his hands, or to escape from the
shameful acts which he committed with them. And when he had led this blameworthy manner of life for
nearly four years, more or less, and he had polluted himself with the mire of wanton desire of this kind, and
he had amused himself with the lusts of the body which do not bring profit, he was hated with a very great
hatred by all those who held the reins of his kingdom.

And in the year fifteen hundred and five [of the Greeks (A.D. 1294)], in the month of TAMMUZ (JULY),
there was present with him one of the sons of his uncles who was called 'BAIDU', and he had a son whose
appearance was handsome. And whilst they were sitting at a wine-feast, and were eating, and drinking, and
making merry, KAIJATU abused BAIDU openly, and BAIDU also abused him, and accused him of being the
son of a whore. Then straightway KAIJATU was filled with a boiling rage, and he cried out to those who
were round about him, and ordered them to drag BAIDU outside the Camp and stab him to death. Now this
was a thing which had never entered the mind of BAIDU, and he never expected that KAIJATU would do a
thing of this kind, even though he had greatly offended [him]. And seizing BAIDU they laid their hands upon
him, and treated him with contempt in an immoderate fashion. And they dragged him out and carried him
away and set him down in a small tent, and they thought that they were to kill him. But KAIJATU, having
slept for an hour, sent a message concerning BAIDU to the nobles and told them to go and reprimand BAIDU
for the vulgar way in which he had behaved, and for the disgraceful act in which he had belched forth
revilings (or, curses) on the King of Kings. Then he [i.e. BAIDU] cunningly, as if by way of a joke, jeered at
these [nobles], and said that he 'neither understood nor knew what they were talking about’. And 'Where was
KAIJATU? ' And 'Bring wine to drink', And 'What happened then? ' And 'How did he come to that little tent?
' And with speeches similar to these he confounded [his] hearers, and he made many to hold the view that
what was not true was even as that which was.

And KAIJATU also was easily coaxed and deceived, and he was exceedingly sorry for the blows which he
had made BAIDU to suffer. And he strove in every way possible to pacify [581] his mind, and he said,
"BAIDU hath been ill-treated'. And after BAIDU had slept for a further period, KAIJATU again sent his
nobles to ask him 'if he knew what he had said in his drunken bout'. And BAIDU denied [that he did] even
more strongly, saying that even if he were beaten with stripes he could neither know nor even imagine [what
he had said]. And with subtlety he made the nobles swear whether their stories were true or whether they
were simply playing a game with him.

And when they repeated before him the full story of what had taken place between him and KAIJATU he was
seized with great wonder and said, 'There is nothing comparable to the debt which I owe KAIJATU,
otherwise how is it that he did not forthwith hack me limb from limb?'

And when KAIJATU heard these things his mind was placated absolutely. And he himself went in to BAIDU,
and he embraced him, and kissed him, and took him and went to the Camp. And he had royal apparel brought
and arrayed him therein. And KAIJAJU made himself out to be an offender, and a doer of evil deeds, and one
guilty of death, and in his drunken fits he would groan and say as tears ran down his face, 'I did not know that
I was sinning. Therefore, if I sinned it was without knowledge, I offended thee unwittingly. I entreat thee to
feed thy dogs on my flesh without pity'. And KAIJATU added to his love for him. And he bestowed upon
him very many incomparable gifts. And to speak briefly, in these two or three days he bestowed on BAIDU
wellnigh forty myriads [of dinars |—gold, and silver, and apparel of gold brocade, and a priceless cloak, and
belts inlaid with jacinths and [other] precious stones, and riding horses (stallions), and mules, and pack-
horses. KAIJATU, however, was rebuked by all the members of his household, who said unto him, 'It was not
right that the honour of this man should be belittled, neither was it right for this man to be treated wholly with
contempt, and handed over to inhuman beings who dragged him along by his hair, and beat him, and
scourged him. Now that which hath happened hath happened. Gifts will not benefit, and amusing stories will
not bring pleasantness. But it is right to keep a watch on him forthwith in every way possible, whatever the
path may be.' And others said, 'It is right to remove him out of the way, for otherwise great tribulations will
arise through him'. Others said, "No, but it is right that he should be yoked under service, [582] and that he
should be kept in bondage for the whole period of his life, so that his hand can never be stretched out to kill
or to commit any injury’.

Now KAIJATU, because of the peculiar propensities which he possessed and which cannot be praised, was
overcome by lascivious desire, and his mind wandered about on all sides, and his understanding was
distracted. And he was drawn on so far as to say to BAIDU, 'I want thy son to live with me, and to be with
me in my service, and to be to me a friend and a companion’. And BAIDU as one who was absolutely
obedient, and was in cheerful subjection, accepted this [proposal] joyfully, and he commanded that some one
should be sent quickly that he might fetch his son. But KAIJATU said, 'No. Rise thou up and go quickly to
the members of thy household, before the report of the strife which hath taken place between me and thee can
reach them and these servants of thine, or they will be perturbed. And as soon as thou arrivest there send thy
son to come to me.' And BAITU said, 'The command of thee shall be [obeyed].

And he went forth from the Camp like a bird from the snare, and he looked behind him, and travelled each
day the distance of four ordinary days' journey, until he came to his house. And he did not tarry there, but he
made his son ready and sent him to KAIJATU, but he himself set out for the mountains of HAMADAN, as if
he was going a-hunting. And from there he sent an ambassador to KAZAN [GHAZAN], the son of
'ARGHON, weeping and complaining, and he showed him everything which had come upon him. Now
KAIJATU knew nothing at all about this, but he was occupied with [abominable] affairs, and an
immeasurable liberality of hand (i.e. extravagance). And by ill luck there was present before him the chief of
the lawyers, that is the SAHIB DIWAN, a PERSIAN, whose name was SADR AD-DIN. And this man also
was so extravagant that in a very short space of time he exhausted the treasures of the kingdom of KAIJATU.
And he began to borrow and he spent, until at length there remained nothing, so that not even one sheep
could be killed for the food of KAIJATU.

Now a certain JEW, whose name was RASHID AD-DAWLAH, had been appointed to prepare food which
was suitable for KAIJTU, of every kind which might be demanded, and wheresoever it might be demanded.
And thus this JEW stood up strongly in this matter, and he spent a large sum of his own money, and he
bought myriads of sheep and oxen, and he appointed butchers and cooks, [583] and he was ready in a most
wonderful fashion on the condition that in every month of days silver (or, money) should be collected for the
SAHIB DIWAN, because the treasury was empty, and it was destitute of money, and not even the smallest
[coin] was to be found therein. And he wrote letters and sent [them] to the [various] countries, but the JEW
was unable to collect anything. And thus the whole of his possessions came to an end, and as he was unable
to stand in (i.e. continue) a work such as he was doing, he left and fled. And though exactions (i.e. taxings)
were frequent, the SAHIB AD-DIWAN was worried, and he was hard pressed to fulfil and to complete the
frequent gifts of the King of Kings. Now since all the money which was collected in the whole of the
dominion of the MONGOLS was insufficient for the liberality of the SAHIB DIWAN, how was it possible
for him to provide for the liberality of KAIJATU? Then he began to think out vain imaginings—that he
would make new money; but as his hand could not lay hands on the gold and silver he rejected them. And he
promulgated a royal command that men should no longer use gold and silver. And he made slips of paper
from papyrus which could be written upon, and he stamped them with a mark in red, and he wrote [on them]
and showed which was for one dinar, and which for two, or three, or four, or five [dinars], and so on up to
ten dinars. And he called them 'Shaw'. And the heralds proclaimed throughout the city, 'Whosoever buyeth
and selleth, and taketh and giveth without [using] Shaw shall die the death. And whosoever hath in his hand
silver, and doth not carry it to the offices of the Government to be stamped therein with [the word] Shaw, and
giveth it up and taketh [in exchange] Shaw shall die the death.' And thus men remained in a state of great
tribulation and indescribably difficulty for a space of two months.

And TABRIZ, which was the royal city of the MONGOLS, remained like a desolate ruin. Men fled therefrom
and dispersed themselves about the country, and only a very few peoplc were seen in the streets (or, bazar).
After the prosperity which [TABRIZ had enjoyed] words are not able to describe the famine, and scarcity,
and hardship which arose therein. For men would not consent to use the contemptible slips of paper, and they

clung to the use of money. And the people cried out against the SAHIB DIWAN until at length they hurled
insults and abuse at him when they were face to face with him. And they made him to hear jeers and scoffs,
[584] and they would not submit to be convinced and to hear his word. And he remained stupefied and
astonished; to go back on his word (or, to withdraw it) would bring ignominy upon him, and to carry out his
will he was unable. And there was not a singlc maker of verses who did not gibe at this act, and not a single
singing man who did not string together poems and ditties and admirahle verscs [about it]. And being urged
by those inside [the city] and those outside [it], the SAHIB DIWAN issued another royal command, saying,
"Every man according to his wish and according to his inclination. If he wisheth for the Shaw let him use it,
and if he wisheth silver [let him use it]. There is no compulsion for any man." And the King of Kings also
said, 'We wish you to have a comfortable existence, and a quiet life, and an abundance of good thing, and
moreover, we do not wish that everything which a man hath to give should be taken from him. But let every
man use, according to what [his] need is for goods (i.e. flocks and herds) and equipment (or, furniture). In the
twinkling of an eye let the slips of paper by thousands and by tens of thousands be sunk in the sea and done
away. And now let everyman who is not pleased [with them] know that we do not put pressure on anyman.'
And there was great joy in every country and city, and the roads were opened [again], for during these two
months the merchants could not trade, and the roads were cut, and the khans (i.e. inns) were closed, and
buying and selling ceased.

And the year sixteen hundred and six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1295) having begun, BAIDU went back to
winter in the country of DAKUKAH, according to his wont, pondering on the cruelty of KAIJATU to him.
And he entered into a secret compact with the captains of thousands of the MONGOLS who were near him,
and he surrounded himself with soldiers. And he came in person to the country of MAWSIL, and he seized
the captain of the soldiers there and killed him. And he also sent and killed the man who held a similar post in
BAGHDAD.

And when the other great nobles of the MONGOLS saw that BAIDU had been bold enough to do a deed of
this kind, they submitted to him without difficulty. They gathered together about him gladly, and sent
ambassadors to KAZAN announcing their agreement, and they said, 'KAIJATU hath departed from the path
of the MONGOLS, and hath despised our father CHINGIZ KHAN. And by his reprehensible and riotous life
and his unmeasured liberality (i.e. extravagance) he hath wasted the treasures of the kingdom. His care is
only for the lustful amusements of the world, and not for the govermnent of the kingdom in which we live.
Therefore the nobles, and the sons, and the daughters, and the wives, and the brides (or, daughters-in-law)
have agreed together to cast him out of the way, [585] for his species is useless to the kingdom, and they
intend to seat thee upon the throne of the kingdom of the House of MAGHOGH.'

Then KAZAN sent and said to BAIDU, 'Thou art a great man in ISRAEL, and each of us together with all of
us (i.e. individually and collectively) agree with thee, and we will bring ourselves back under thy governance.
Whatsoever thou knowest to be fitting, and right, and beneficial, that do. But the houses of our kingdom must
abide uninjured and unshaken. And if is meet that the man who shall be chosen shall not devote himself to
luxury, and to eating and drinking, and to extravagant feasts and dainty meats, and to giving lavish gifts
which should not by right [be given]; nay, he must, protect his kingdom carefully; and he must think
continually how he can meet his enemies in battle, for a kingdom is better protected by wisdom than by tens
of thousands of fighting men."

Then the nobles, and the princes, and the captains of ten thousands of the MONGOLS, being assured that
KAZAN and BAIDU were friends, and were with one consent and one desire treating each other lovingly,
and were holding converse by means of ambassadors; and it being evident that their Law gave by right the
throne of the kingdom to KAZAN after KAIJATU, and that BAIDU was striving for them to set KAZAN, on
the throne of the kingdom, they all submitted themselves willingly to BAIDU. And they turned their faces

from KAIJATU, he being unconscious [of it], for he had no knowledge of what was being done in the world;
but he led a soft and very indolent life of enjoyment of the luxuries of the world, until at length he stood
revealed, both to those inside and those outside, as an impostor.

Then he woke up as from slumber, and he sent an ambassador to the north, ordering the troops [stationed]
there to ride forth and to seize BAIDU. And when the ambassador arrived in the northern quarter, that is to
say in the country of DIAR BAKR, he discovered that all the troops there were joined to BAIDU, and that
they were ready to go and engage KAIJATU in battle. And the ambassador left and fled back as from
pollution, and he went and informed KAIJATU of the intention of those troops. And as soon as KAIJATU
heard these things, he thought that BAIDU was about to flee, and that he would go to KAZAN. And he sent
soldiers and closed the roads and passes of KHORASAN, and he made TAJIR, the great captain, to ride out
with ten thousand men, and he sent him [586] to head off BAIDU from crossing the mountains of
SHAHARZUR.

A few days later he also made his father-in-law, a man whose name was 'AKBOKA, to ride out with another
ten thousand, so that he himself might take another ten thousand and go and engage BAIDU in battle. And
whilst he was still in the neighbourhood of TABRIZ, in a place which is called 'AUGHAN', TAJIR and
'AKBOKA arrived with the twice ten thousand men who were with them at the skirts of the mountains of
SHAHARZUR, on the eastern side. And BAIDU himself was, together with his men, on the skirts of the
mountain on the western side. And he sent an ambassador secretly, to TAJIR, saying, 'I myself am burning
with the fire of zeal for the kingdom of the House of MAGHOGH, and I am striving to uproot KAIJATU
from the power of his personal qualities, which cannot be praised, more especially because I hear that he hath
not left to you wives, and sons, and daughters whom he hath not debauched. Therefore it is right that all of us
should unite and remove him from the midst (i.e. scene), and should set KAZAN on the throne of the
kingdom, and we all together must reduce KAIJATU to subjection.'

Then TAJIR accepted this [proposal] gladly, and joined to him without difficulty. And straightway he sent [an
ambassador] and said unto 'AKBOKA, 'I am with BAIDU, and I agree with him, and I am ready to go with
him; what is thy intention?’ Now because 'AKBOKA was the father-in-law of KAIJATU, this did not please
him, and he was sad and troubled. And he made up his mind that during the night he would take the ten
thousand men who were with him and go back to KAIJATU.

And when the day broke TAJIR rode out as if he were going to BAIDU. 'AKBOKA thought that he was
about to attack him, and he left and fled, and a few of the ten thousand who were with him accompanied him.
And with quick marches he came to KAIJATU, and reported to him what had happened.

Then terror fell upon KAIJATU and he did not know what he was doing. He sent and called the captain of the
thousands who were with him, and whose name was 'BRIM' (‘IBRAHIM?), and he said unto him, 'Behold, I
see that my troops are divided against me. Thou therefore, who art strong and strenuous, remain [with me],
and be not doubtful."

And he brought forth apparel and dressed himself therein, [587] and he mounted his horse intending [to go]
to his camp, where his wives and families and household were; and he left the pavilions and the tents
standing. And before he had gone the distance of a bow-shot BRIM struck and looted the tents of KAIJATU,
and pursued him. And because before these things happened KAIJATU himself had sent demanding [the
presence of] the captain of another ten thousand, who was in the country of the IBERIANS, and whose name
was DUKAL, this man arrived from the region which was in the neighbourhood of the camp of KAIJATU.
And he found there tumults, and quarrelings, and dissensions, and bodies of soldiers fighting each other, and
looters and plunderers without end. And KAIJATU arrived immediately, with four or five persons, and BRIM

(BRAIM?) pursued him—now it happened that DUKAL was in front of him—and they captured him and
killed him, on the fifth day of the month of 'ADHAR (MARCH), in the year sixteen hundred and six of the
GREEKS (A.D. 1295), without the knowledge of BAIDU.

Now BAIDU was not inclined to destroy KAIJATU, but only to seize him and shut him up in one of the
fortresses. Through the nobles having joined forces with him, and the soldiery agreeing with him, BAIDU
had sent an ambassador to take KAIJATU and bring him to him. When the ambassador arrived he found that
KAIJATU had already been put to death, and he left and came back empty. And thus all the nobles, and the
sons, and the daughters, and the sons-in-law, and the brides urged each other to submission and obedience to
BAIDU. And the greater number of the nobles being in one mind with him, he sent an ambassador to
KAZAN [telling him] to come and not to delay. And because KAZAN himself was quartered a long way off,
and it was still the time of winter, and the roads were destitute of grass and provender, KAZAN and the
troops who were with him journeyed with difficulty to the region [where] BAIDU [was]. Then those who
were gathered together about BAIDU, seeing that KAZAN was hampered and could not arrive quickly, began
to flatter BAIDU, saying, 'The kingdom is suitable for thee. And KAZAN is a young man, and his years are
few, and he is not equal to governing the kingdom of BETH MAGHOGH. And if thou withdrawest thyself,
and dost hand over the whole administration to KAZAN, the race of the MONGOLS will end in destruction."

Then was BAIDU led into error by the flatterers, and he became proud and magnified himself, and he would
not [588] wait any longer for KAZAN. But he sent and had brought the great throne which was in TABRIZ,
that same throne on which 'ABAKA, and 'ARGHON, and the kings who rose up after them, had sat, and he
planted it in the neighbourhood of 'AUGHAN, and he went up and sat upon it, and he imagined that
henceforth his kingdom was assured.

And after they had remained there a few days, being occupied in eating and drinking, they removed towards
SIAHKUH, and there the sons, and the daughters, and the brethren, and the cousins, and the captains of the
hosts, and all the nobles of the MONGOLS, were gathered together in friendly intercourse. And then BAIDU
began to deal with them with complete humbleness of mind, and he delivered over to each brother and to
each nephew a certain district, on the condition that they should eat the whole of the produce of that district,
and that if there was anything left over they should send it to him, and that if they lacked anything they were
to send to him and take what was sufficient for their subsistence. And thus all the [princes] and the nobles
parted from him with joy, and pleasure, and gladness, and thanking God for the peace and friendship which
had sprung up among the soldiers and among all the nobles of the MONGOLS.

Now when KAZAN arrived near SIAHKUH, he became aware that BAIDU had seized the kingdom for
himself, and that he had sat upon the throne of the kingdom unlawfully. And he became hot with anger, and
he lamented bitterly, and was very very much grieved that the toil, and the trouble, and the exhaustion of the
long journey which had come upon him and upon the troops who were with him, appeared to be absolutely
useless (or, empty) and fruitless. And in blaming BAIDU he would say, 'Why ever did he summon me? And
having summoned me, why ever did he not wait until I came to him? And did he sit on the throne with my
consent?’ Now BAIDU was confident that he could pacify the mind of KAZAN by humbleness of mind and
lavish gifts, even though he had to hand over to him the whole of KHORASAN, and SHIRAZ, and
BAHRAIN, and KERMAN, and to give him all the camps of 'ARGHON his father, leaving not even one of
them for himself, and to deliver up to him horses, and cattle, and herds of horses, and goods, and flocks and
herds, so that KAZAN might take them and go back to KHORASAN.

Continued on Next Page

Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

XI

Kanjatu [Geikhatu], the brother of 'Arghon [Arghun] (continued).

Then KAZAN arrived in the neighbourhood of KUNGURULAN (KUNGUR 'AULAN), and there remained
between him [589] and the place where BAIDU was [the distance] of one day's journey. He took counsel with
the captain of the company of the soldiers who were with him (a man who had gained experience in many
fights, and whose name was NAWRUZ, the son of 'ARGHON 'AKA) as to how they were to go by night and
capture BAIDU suddenly and unawares. Thus they did, but the issue of the work was not in accordance with
their thought. For whilst they were riding during the night, and were pressing forward on their journey with
the utmost strenuousness, the cataracts of heaven were broken, and floods and torrents of rain descended, and
there were lightnings, and thunders, and winds and hurricanes, the like of which had never been seen [before]
in the world. They began to wander off the road, and they became separated and scattered, and they did not
know where they were going, or how to go on, they took the wrong roads, every man riding straight ahead,
and they wandered about in the desert confusedly until the day broke. Then they saw their position and knew
that they were in the neighbourhood of those [soldiers] who were attached to the company of BAIDU. They
were unable to engage in a fight with them because of the wet condition, and the exhaustion, and the
weariness of each and every soldier, besides the general disorganized state of the troop; and they remained
dazed and stupefied.

Then terror, and fear, and trembling fell upon BAIDU and those who were with him, and they mounted their
horses and went forth to engage KAZAN in battle. Then KAZAN, seeing that there was no occasion (or,
room) for a fight, alighted from his horse; and when BAIDU saw him do this he also alighted from his horse.
And they drew nigh to each other and embraced, each of them feeling ashamed before his companion because
of the thing which he had done. BAIDU, because of the blameworthy haste with which he had hurried, and
because he had not waited for KAZAN; and KAZAN, because he had come in a hidden and secret manner to
capture BAIDU. And according to what is certain, but for the rains, and the lightnings, and the thunders
which impeded KAZAN's troops, the whole company of BAIDU would have been left to complete
annihilation, for in the night not even one man could have escaped [from KAZAN's attack], and they all
would have been destroyed by the edge of the sword.

Now therefore, having made friends, they began to discuss the matter with each other, and to assign blame to
each other. KAZAN himself exhibited a fine submission, together with praiseworthy discretion and wisdom,
which it is absolutely necessary for kings to employ. He proved that he was reconciled to BAIDU, and he
agreed with everything which was said to him [by him]. And they swore oaths to each other that [590] neither
of them would quarrel with or abuse the other, but that with one consent, and one will, the two of them would
live in love, and peace, and quietness. And when BAIDU wished to bring KAZAN to his camp to eat, and
drink, and be happy together, and to rejoice in the peace which had been made between them, KAZAN said,
‘we have exhausted ourselves greatly during this night. Let us reverse our actions a little, and alight from our
horses, and rest ourselves, and then in the morning we will meet together again in one place.’

Then, in his simplicity, BAIDU accepted KAZAN'S proposal, and consented to his desire. And KAZAN,
having parted from BAIDU and gone back, did not alight from his horse, but he began to ride from the
evening of that day and he rode all night, looking behind him, and wondering how he could save himself
from the hands of BAIDU. And when BAIDU reached his camp, he began to prepare meats and lavish gifts
of every kind. And he did not rest, and he neither lay down nor slept, but he passed the whole night in
thoughts as to how and by what means he could pacify the mind of KAZAN, so that there might be no cause
at all of offence [left in it]. And as soon as ever the day broke he sent nobles to go and salute KAZAN, and to
inquire of him concerning the exhaustion and fatigue which had attacked him. And having gone a distance of
a parasang, or two,or three, or four, none of them found any man at all upon that road and nothing except
perhaps foundered horses which had been left there; and some of them were lying as if they were dead. And
so the nobles left and came back and informed BAIDU. Then BAIDU felt certain in his mind that KAZAN
was offended, and was not inclined for a reconciliation, and that he had not gone back, and that he would
make himself strong and would return and again attack BAIDU. And great fear came upon him, and terror
not a little. And he sent [and commanded that] al the nobles and their companies of troops should gather
together in all haste, and stand up against the violent onset of KAZAN, when he came back to attack him.

And KAZAN and NAWRUZ the great general (i.e. general-in-chief) took counsel together, and they made a
plan that they would send and pacify the mind of BAIDU, and prevent him from enrolling the soldiers and
peoples of KAZAN. For if BAIDU was to be pressing in collecting armies, he could collect many tens of
thousands, and KAZAN would be unable to stand [591] before him. And they must make him content
because the men who were with him (i.e. KAZAN'S own men) were already tired and exhausted, and their
horses were emaciated and weak through shortage of food. For the plains of those regions are destitute of
grass, and the districts [about the cities] are a waste, and neither hay for the horses nor food for men can be
found. And through these excuses, and others which were like unto them, NAWRUZ undertook to go back in
person to BAIDU, and by some means or other to coax him neither to put himself in motion nor to stir, but to
be quiet and gracious in respect of KAZAN.

And when NAWRUZ came to BAIDU he received him with great honour, and he revealed all his secrets to
him. At length NAWRUZ said unto BAIDU, 'If thou dost not put thy trust in KAZAN, and thy mind is not
pacified in respect of him, I myself will go and will send thee his head on a platter’, although at the same time
he was scheming in every way possible how to save himself and to get back to KAZAN in peace (i.e. safety).
Then BAIDU rejoiced and was glad, and he danced about and exulted, saying, 'If thou art able to do this I
will hand over to thee the administration of all the offices of my kingdom'. And he presented to him lavish
gifts, and he put myriads of gold [coins] in his hands, and he wrote a Patent (i.e. authority) that he was to take
another ten thousand from the city of KAZWIN, and set him free to depart. And when he went to KAZAN,
they began to wonder, and to be seized with amazement at the simplicity with which NAWRUZ had thrown
himself into the hands of BAIDU, and how BAIDU himself, with even greater simplicity had allowed him to
live.

And behold, from this moment they began to make ready for war, and they collected armies. And NAWRUZ
in person undertook the direction of bands of soldiers, and the gathering of them together from every quarter.
And he sent KAZAN and a few men to the mountains of MAZINDARAN to hunt there, and the bodies of
troops which were collected in another quarter, and he remained by himself in one place with his household.
Then BAIDU was perplexed, [wishing] to know, 'Where were KAZAN and NAWRUZ? With what are they
occupying themselves? Have they the intention to have war or not?' And he sent messengers unto them very
frequently, and he schemed to spy upon [them] and to discover their astuteness. And so when the
ambassadors [592] of BAIDU came to NAWRUZ, and tried their utmost to meet KAZAN in person, and to
hold discourse with him, mouth to mouth, NAWRUZ would say to them, 'What benefit can ye gain in
meeting a simple young man who never knoweth anything or understandeth anything? And behold, he is

tramping about in the mountains and hills, and the only thing that he careth about is the chase. But if it be
absolutely necessary for you to see him, behold there are men with me, and go ye to him.’ And so the
ambassadors of BAIDU took those men of his, and they marched with them by the desert road, and straying
from the [right] road, and losing their way, and wandering about they went from village to village, and from
city to city.

And after many days which [they spent] in bringing them to KAZAN, at the beginning of his meeting with
them he complained about BAIDU, saying, 'Where are the promises which he made to me? And where are
the camps, and the women, and the concubines of my father which he promised to send to me that I might
take [them] and go from this place? If it be that he thus goeth back on his oaths, let him inform me [of it], so
that I may leave and back to KHORASAN.' And when the ambassadors returned to BAIDU they swore and
denied, saying, 'There is absolutely no gathering [of troops], and KAZAN careth nothing about engaging [in
battle], but he is waiting for thee to send what thou didst promise him that he may take [them] and go back to
his own place’.

Then with simplicity BAIDU consented to send to KAZAN more than the things which he had promised to
send to him, but the astute men who were with him did not agree with him. 'For', they said, 'there is treachery
to the fore, and his intention towards thee is not straight. And he is not fighting to take the camps of his
father, but to prevail over them and attack thee; for he would go with tens of thousands of natives and
foreigners, and horses, and possessions which are carried away from thee.'

And after a little KAZAN sent again to BAIDU, saying, 'Make haste, send me armies, for enemies from the
east, who are on the banks of [the river] GIHON, are meditating the crossing over into the quarter of
KHORASAN, and very many rebels have made themselves visible in these quarters’. And the astute and
experienced men also who were with BAIDU pondered upon these crafty words and proposals. And so when
KAZAN saw that this proposal was not coming [593] into being, he sent to BAIDU and said, 'There is no
need for armies; thou shalt send no man’, thus putting away from him this wicked suspicion.

Then BAIDU relaxed somewhat, and he looked upon the shadow as if it was the substance, and after the
manner of a small child he deceived himself with these machinations, and wiles, and cunning tricks. [The
idea of] strife, and battle, and war he drove away from him, and he began to find pleasure in eating, that is to
say drinking, only. He was wholly unconquered by lust and lasciviousness. and his mind was never led
captive by any strange woman except his wives. And he never wished to gratify his lust in the Sodomite
fashion like his predecessor, [that is to say KAIJATU]; but he conducted himself with understanding, and a
well-ordered mind, a praiseworthy humbleness of disposition. And he received and honoured the men of high
position, and the learned, and the monks and ascetics who were there, whatever the community to which they
belonged might be; and he made men rich with gifts, and he made men splendid with royal apparel. And
because he had been acquainted for long years with the DESPOENA (?) (1), the daughter of the king of the
GREEKS, who was the wife of 'ABAKA, he was favourably disposed towards the Christians, and for a
certain number of years he made a church and a beater of the board (2) to march with his camp, moreover he
boldy gave himself the name of ' Christian’.

And because at this time the MONGOLS, both the nobles and the inferior folk in their entirety, had become
HAGARENES (i.e, MUSLIMS), and had already been circumcised, and had been well instructed in
ablutions, and prayers, and the special customs and observances of the MUSLIMS, since it was pleasing to
them BAIDU himself became a MUSLIM, and all the nobles of his kingdom rejoiced exceedingly. But he
was unable to withdraw himself from converse with the Christians, and besides them he never consented to
trust any man whatsoever in all the affairs of the administration of [his] kingdom. And behold because of this
he began to be hampered by two barriers. To the Christians he used to say, 'I am a Christian’, and he hung a

cross on his neck. To the MUSLIMS he showed that he was a MUSLIM, but he was never able to learn the
ablutions and the fasts. And whenever the headmen of their Faith were present with him, and they stood up to
prayer, BAIDU used to send his son to pray with them, and in this way [594] he pacified their minds and
cooled their wrath. But it was not hidden from the ARABS that he inclined towards the side of the Christians
and that he leaned [on them]. And for about five months with such contradictory policies as these he ruled his
kingdom.

And when the believing, and just, and righteous king HITAM [Het'um/Haithon] (II?) of CILICIA heard that
BAIDU had triumphed, and that the kingdom of the MONGOLS was established for him, and that he was a
friend of the Christians, and inclined to them more than to the other Faiths (or, Religions), he desired greatly
to come to his service (1.e. to pay homage to him), and to meet him in person, and to put on a sure footing
many matters between BAIDU and himself. And having set out from his own country he remained on the
road nearly two months. And his arrival in the neighbourhood of SAAHKUH happened [at the same time as]
the arrival of the great Amir NAWRUZ, with the troops who were with him, to capture BAIDU.

Now, because BAIDU was entirely engrossed with his own affairs he sent and said to the Armenian king
HITAM (ID through an ambassador, 'Turn back to MARAGHA, and rest there for a little until Iam at peace
and return to the Camp, and then I will send and fetch thee’. And HITAM did so. And having arrived in
MARAGHA he sat down there for about ten days, more or less. But BAIDU fled from before NAWRUZ the
great general, and so the King of Kings, KAZAN, came, and he went and encamped on TELLA 'AUKAMA,
which was near DIAHKHURKAN. And straightway king HITAM made ready and went to his service (or, to
do homage), and he presented to him great gifts. And the King of Kings said unto him, 'Thou hast come to
visit BAIDU and not us'. And king HITAM replied, 'I am bound to show subjection to all the seed of
CHINGIZ KHAN, and I come to pay homage to whosoever is established on the throne’. Then the King of
Kings welcomed him warmly, and he arrayed him in royal apparel. And he commanded that a Patent should
be written for him, [595] and that all his petitions should be fulfilled.

Now inasmuch as some time before this the command had gone forth that the churches should be destroyed,
HITAM begged from the King of Kings that the churches should not be destroyed, because they were the
dwellings of God, and also houses of prayer. And so the King of Kings commanded that [the churches]
should not be destroyed, and he wrote a Patent and gave it to an ambassador, [ordering] that the churches
must by no means be destroyed, but that only the houses of images were to be overthrown, and that they
should be henceforth mosques and colleges for the ARABS. And thus through this believing king many
churches were freed from the destroyer. And this king went forth from the Camp with a happy heart, and
gladness and rejoicing, on the first day of the week, on the ninth day of the month of the FIRST TESHRIN
(OCTOBER) in this year, which is the year sixteen hundred and seven of the GREEKS (= A.D. 12957).

Immediately, suddenly and unexpectedly, NAWRUZ and his troops burst upon BAIDU at a place which is
called KUNGUR 'AULAN. But BAIDU was unable to make a stand even for a single hour before the King
of Kings, KAZAN, and to engage in battle with him and oppose him. And he quickly turned his back and fled
before him on the Sabbath day, on the twenty-fifth (or, twenty-fourth) day of the month of ILUL
(SEPTEMBER), in the year sixteen hundred and six of the GREEKS (A.D. 1295). And NAWRUZ pursued
him and overtook him, and he put him to death on the fifth day [of the week] of the ninth day of the month of
the FIRST TESHRIN (OCTOBER), of the year sixteen hundred and seven (A.D. 1296). And he issued a
command that the churches, and the houses of images, and the synagogues of the JEWS should be destroyed,
and that the priests [of the images] and the chief priests should be treated with ignominy, and that tribute and
taxes should be imposed upon them. And no Christian was to be seen [in the streets] unless he had a girdle
round his loins, and no JEW was to be seen [in the streets] unless he had a mark on his head.

And in those days the foreign peoples stretched out their hands to TABRIZ, and they destroyed all the
churches which were there, and there was great sorrow among the Christians in all the world. The
persecutions, and disgrace, and mockings, and ignominy which the Christians suffered at this time, especially
in BAGHDAD, words cannot describe. Behold, according to what people say, 'No Christian dared to appear
in the streets (or, market), but the women went out and came in and bought and sold, because they could not
be distinguished from the Arab women, and could not be identified [596] as Christians, though those who
were recognized as Christians were disgraced, and slapped, and beaten and mocked. And behold, all the
Christians who were in these regions were tortured with punishment of this kind; I would not say abandoned
by God. And whilst they were being driven hither and thither, and were being worn out by tempestuous
storms, the enemies of righteousness were jeering at them, and saying to them, 'Where is your God? Let us
see if you have a helper or one who can redeem and deliver [you].' Now this persecution had not dominion
over our people alone, but also over the JEWS, and it was twice as fierce, many times over, on the priests
who were worshippers of idols. And this after the honour to which they had been promoted by the Mongol
kings, and which was so great that one-half of the money which was gathered together in the treasury of the
kingdom had been given to them, and it had been expended (?) on the work of images of gold and silver. And
a very large number of the pagan priests, because of the way in which they were persecuted, became
MUSLIMS.

And subsequently there went forth a command from the King of Kings and Yarlike (i.e. Edicts) were written
to all the countries, and Mongol messengers were sent to every country and town to destroy the churches and
to loot the monasteries. And wheresoever the messengers went and found Christians who rose up before them
to render them service, and to give them gifts, they were less severe and were more lenient. For they were far
more anxious to collect money than to destroy the churches, according to what happened in the city of
ARBELA. For when the officers arrived there they remained twenty days, and they expected that some one of
the Christians would approach [them] and undertake [to bring] a certain amount of gold, and would manifest
towards them open-handedness in return for sparing the churches which were there so that they might not be
damaged; but no man approached [them]. And the Metropolitan himself who was there could not support the
weight (i.e. burden) of his churches, and no other man took upon himself the care of the churches, but every
man looked carefully after the management of his own individual house. Therefore there was given
straightway an opportunity to the pagans, and they laid [their] hands on the three splendid churches which
were there, and they destroyed them utterly, down to the very foundations. These things took place [597] on
the fourth day of the week, on the twenty-eighth day of the month of the LATTER TESHRIN (NOVEMBER)
in that year.

Now when [the NINEVITES] heard of the calamity which had taken place there, they were terrified and were
exceedinly afraid. And when the nobles and the officers [of the Mongols] passed over into the region of
MAWSIL, certain men who loved works [connected with] the holy churches, and who made themselves
responsible for the troubles [which assailed them], approached them, and undertook [to give] much gold. And
because they did not possess any of the mammon of the world, they laid [their] hands on the equipment and
furnishing of the churches, and they did not leave untaken a cross, or an eikon, or a censer, or a Book of the
Gospels which was mounted (or, inlaid) with gold. And when this was not sufficient, they made the believers
who were in the towns and villages subscribe a certain amount of money. And they collected nearly fifteen
thousand dinars, and they weighed them (i.e. paid) against the destruction of the churches, and the tribute of
the Christians. And by the help of God not one church was damaged.

And in these days a certain tribe of MONGOLS, who were called 'AWIRATAYE, who were wintering round
about the Monastery of MAR MATTAI, and it happened that they had a complaint against the King of Kings.
And messengers came from him to them, uttering curses and threats, because in the days when BAIDU

reigned, those 'AWIRATAYE had laid their hands on certain TURKOMANS and taken from them sheep and

cattle, and herds of horses, and stallions, and mules, and camels without number. And after the kingdom of
BAIDU had come to an end and KAZAN was ruling, the command went forth that the TURKOMANS
should take it all back again from the 'AWIRATAYE, and every one who resisted and would not obey was to
die the death. And because the great number of these possessions had come to an end, and nothing at all of
them remained with the 'AWIRATAYE, they suffered great tribulation, and they were treated with contempt
by the ambassadors and by the TURKOMANS. [And] [598] they leaped upon the ambassador and upon the
TURKOMANS and killed them. And they took their families and everything which they were able to carry,
and they fled to SYRIA—a body of ten thousand soldiers and fighting men. These things took place on the
third day [of the week], on the twenty-ninth (or, nineteenth) day of the month of the FIRST KANON
(JANUARY), in the year sixteen hundred and seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 1296).

Now in this year never a man of the cruel spoilers of SYRIA came forth to this eastern quarter, because the
blood of those who were oppressed and they cry of the poor was heard before God. And justice was stirred up
against them, that justice which watcheth times, and it wrought disasters on them by means of the famine and
the pestilence which came upon their countries, especially in EGYPT. For they say that ALEXANDRIA was
entirely emptied of [its] population. And since this story was not transmitted to us accurately, we do not
enlarge our speech concerning the exciting rumours which [come] from the peoples, but that they occupy
themselves with them in respect of famine and pestilence there is no doubt whatsoever. Moreover, as to how,
and were, and when, and at what time we are not certain about to this day.

In (3) the year sixteen hundred and eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 1297), during the twenty days in the month
of HAZIRAN (JUNE), on the second day of the week, in the morning, 'ALA AD-DIN, who was called the
son of JAJA, captured the city of 'AMID; he had with him a strong force of ARABS who were gathered
together from the countries of SYRIA. And 'AMID went forth into bitter captivity; they took prisoners twelve
thousand persons, and many believers were killed. And after they had made Saint MAR GREGORY of that
city suffer beatings they killed him. And they dared to loot the great church of the Mother of God, and they
burnt it with fire. And its buildings were destroyed, and its beautiful and wonderful porticoes and pillars were
overthrown; and through the intensity of the conflagration and the fierceness of the flames it was reduced to a
mere heap of stones. The fire continued to smoulder in it for a month. And these things took place because
the citizens of 'AMID had rebelled against the lord of MARDIN, MALIK AS-SALIH. And it was he who
sent to this man whom we have mentioned above to come to SYRIA. And he came and he brought with him
about twelve thousand [599] horsemen. And there was in the city a certain Amir whose name was 'ALAM
AD-DIN, and he opened the gates of the city before them, and brought them in without any man being
conscious of the fact. But he himself brought them in, and he sallied forth and went to the lord of MARDIN,
and they made themselves masters of the city together and destroyed it. They came to a man, and he and his
wife and his children were sleeping together. And straightway they woke them up, and the man they killed,
and the woman and the children they took prisoners.

The Chronography Terminates Here.

(1) i.e. Mary, the daughter of Michael Palaeologus.
(2) The board was struck by a sacrist and served as a bell.

(3) The following paragraph is only found in in an Oxford Codex (Bod. I).