غزوة مسلمة بن عبد الملك للخزر وفتح الباب

غزوة مسلمة بن عبد الملك للخزر وفتح الباب

تقریباً 731 عیسوی · تقریباً 113 ھ

الباب والأبواب → أرمينية → خيزان

In al-Baladhuri: Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik gave Armenia to Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik and sent ahead as his vanguard Sa'id ibn Amr ibn Aswad al-Harashi — with him Ishaq ibn Muslim al-Uqayli and his brothers, Jamwana ibn al-Harith ibn Khalid of Banu Amir ibn Rabi'a ibn Sa'sa'a, Dhufafa and Khalid the sons of Umayr ibn al-Habab al-Sulami, al-Furat ibn Salman al-Bahili and al-Walid ibn al-Qa'qa' al-Absi — who met the Khazars besieging Wartan, drove them off and routed them, coming to Maymadh of Adharbayjan; as he readied for battle, Maslama's letter reached him blaming him for fighting before his arrival and telling him Abd al-Malik ibn Muslim al-Uqayli had been given his army's command — when he handed the army over, Maslama's messenger seized him, bound him, carried him to Bardha'a and jailed him; the Khazars withdrew, Maslama pursued, and wrote of it to Hisham, who wrote back the verse 'leave them to waste — you see them — and chase them till the dust is cut off', ordering al-Harashi released from prison; Maslama compounded with the people of Khayzan, ordered its fortress demolished and took estates there known today as Hawz Khayzan; the mountain kings made peace with him, and to him came the Shirwanshah, the Liranshah, the Tabarsaranshah, the Filanshah, the Jarshanshah and the lord of Masmumat; he advanced on Madinat al-Bab and took it — in its citadel were a thousand Khazar households whom he besieged and stoned, then had a mantlet built in stone-shape which availed nothing, whereupon he went to the spring Anushirwan had led into their cistern, slaughtered cattle and sheep and threw in the offal and dung, so that by nightfall their water wormed, stank and fouled — and when night covered them they fled, abandoning the citadel; Maslama settled in the city of Bab wa-l-Abwab twenty-four thousand Syrians on mount-allowances — whence Bab's folk today admit no governor unless he brings money to share among them — built a granary for food, one for barley and an arms-storehouse, ordered the cistern sealed, and repaired and honoured the city; Marwan ibn Muhammad was with Maslama, engaging the Khazars at his side and fighting bitterly.