Qutayba's Conquest of Samarqand

فتح قتيبة سمرقند

Samarqand

Qutayba besieged Samarqand — the old seat of Sughd's kings before Ishtikhan — through repeated battles, while the Shash king came from Tarband with his fighters for the fiercest fighting, broken and routed. Ghurak truced at two hundred and two thousand dirhams yearly with leave to pray in the city — entered, ate the food Ghurak prepared, built a mosque, and left a Muslim colony including the exegete al-Dahhak ibn Muzahim — or, some say, seven hundred thousand and three days' hospitality. The pact covered the idol- and fire-houses: the idols were taken out, stripped, and burned — the Ajam swore whoever touched them perished — and when Qutayba burned them with his own hand many embraced Islam. Abu Ubayda counts the conquest by force, Sa'id's unbroken sulh deemed too small; and he opened Baykand, Kish, Nasaf, al-Shash, Bum of Farghana, Sughd and Ushrusana.