The Transfer of Syria's Diwan from Greek

نقل ديوان الشام عن الرومية

c. 700 CE · 81 AH

In al-Baladhuri: the diwan of Syria remained in Greek until Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ruled; in year 81 he ordered it transferred, and that because a man of the Roman scribes, needing to write something and finding no water, urinated in the inkwell — word reached Abd al-Malik, who was incensed and ordered Sulayman ibn Sa'd to transfer the diwan; Sulayman asked to be helped by a year's kharaj of al-Urdunn, which was done, and was made its governor — before the year ended he had finished the transfer and brought it to Abd al-Malik, who called his scribe Sarjun and displayed it to him, which grieved him, and he went out dejected; a group of the Roman scribes met him and he said 'seek your livelihood in a craft other than this — God has cut it off from you'; the levy of al-Urdunn granted as aid was a hundred and eighty thousand dinars, that of Filastin three hundred and fifty thousand dinars, of Damascus four hundred thousand dinars, and of Hims with Qinnasrin and the districts called today the Awasim eight hundred thousand dinars — or, it is said, seven hundred thousand.