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 against the Greeks after the conquest of al-ʿIrâḳ and before he started for Armenia. On setting out from the district of Marʿash, he encamped near this fort and it was called after him. This Salmân together with Ziyâd were among the Slavs whom Marwân ibn-Muḥammad stationed in the frontier fortresses. I heard someone say that this Salmân was a Slav and that the fort was named after him.

. Abu-ʿUbaidah advanced to Ḥalab as-Sâjûr and sent before him ʿIyâḍ to Manbij [Hierapolis]. When abu-ʿUbaidah came up to ʿIyâd, he found that the people of Manbij had capitulated on terms similar to those of Antioch. Abu-ʿUbaidah carried the terms into effect and sent ʿIyâḍ ibn-Ghanm to the region of Dulûk and Raʿbân, whose inhabitants capitulated on terms similar to those of Manbij. One condition imposed on them was that they search for news regarding the Greeks and forward it in writing to the Moslems. To every district abu-ʿUbaidah conquered, he assigned a ʿâmil and sent with him some Moslems. But in the dangerous places he posted garrisons.

. Abu-ʿUbaidah proceeded until he got to ʿArâjîn. The van of the army he sent to Bâlis [Barbalissus]; and to Ḳâṣirîn he sent an army under Ḥabib ibn-Maslamah. Bâlis and Ḳâṣirîn belonged to two brothers of the Greek nobility to whom were given as fiefs the adjacent villages and who were made guardians of the Greek towns of Syria that lay between Bâlis and Ḳâṣirîn. When the Moslem armies reached these towns, their