Ayn Zarba (Anazarbus)
عين زربة
Ayn Zarba (Anazarbus) among the Syrian march-cities; al-Rashid ordered its building and fortification in year 180, summoning levies of Khurasanis and others whom he granted house-lots there; the Byzantines raided it while al-Qasim ibn al-Rashid dwelt at Dabiq, driving off its people's herds and taking captives, until the men and volunteers of Masisa flew to them and recovered all that had reached the raiders, so al-Qasim sent men to fortify and repair it and added to its garrison; al-Mu'tasim later transferred to it and its districts people of the Zutt who had mastered the Bata'ih between Wasit and Basra, and its people profited by them.
At a glance
- Era
- The Early Abbasid Caliphate
- Region
- Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Ayn Zarba: one of the frontier cities of al-Sham. al-Baladhuri has reports about its building and fortification.
Building
al-Rashid ordered its city to be built and fortified in the year 180 AH. He summoned to it a group of people from Khurasan and others, and assigned them dwellings there. 1
Raids on it
The Byzantines raided it while al-Qasim ibn al-Rashid was stationed at Dabiq, and they drove off the livestock of its people and took some captive. The people of al-Massisa and its volunteers rushed out against them and recovered what had been taken. al-Qasim sent from it to fortify and repair it and to increase its garrison. 1
Afterwards
al-Mu'tasim settled in it a group of the Zutt, who had overwhelmed the marshes between Wasit and Basra, and its people benefited from them. 2
Sources
- Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition), p.234
- Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition), p.235
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Ayn Zarba (Anazarbus)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/place/ayn-zarba/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.