Page:Baladhuri-Hitti1916.djvu/311

 the Greeks destroyed the city. The ʿâmil of Marwân over the city was at that time al-Kauthar ibn-Zufar ibn-al-Ḥarith al-Kilâbi and the "tyrant" was Constantine son of Leon. When Marwân was through with Ḥimṣ and had destroyed its wall, he sent an army to rebuild Marʿash. It was rebuilt and made into a city; but the Greeks led an insurrection and destroyed it.

In the caliphate of abu-Jaʿfar al-Manṣûr, Ṣâliḥ ibn-ʿAli rebuilt Marʿash and fortified it. He invited men to settle in it, promising to increase their stipends. He was succeeded by al-Mahdi who increased its garrison and armed the people.

Muḥammad ibn-Saʿd from al-Wâḳidi:—Mikhâʾîl [Michael] set out from Darb al-Ḥadath at the head of 80,000 men and came to ʿAmḳ Marʿash, killing, burning and carrying away the Moslems as captives. Thence he advanced to the gate of the city of Marʿash in which there was ʿÎsa ibn-ʿAli who in that year was on an expedition. The freedmen of ʿÎsa together with the inhabitants of the city and their troops sallied out against Michael and showered on him their lancets and arrows. Michael gave way before them and they followed him until they were outside the city range; at which he turned upon them, killing eight of ʿÎsa's freedmen and chasing the rest back to the city. Having gone in, they closed its gates and Michael, after investing the city, departed and stopped at Jaiḥân. When Thumâmah ibn-al-Walîd al-ʿAbsi, who was then in Dâbiḳ and who in the year 161 led the summer expedition, heard of that, he despatched against Michael a strong detachment of cavalry most of whom lost their lives. This aroused the anger of al-Mahdi who began preparations for sending al-Ḥasan ibn-Ḳaḥṭabah on an expedition in the following year, i. e., 162.