The Taking and Settling of Mar'ash

فتح مرعش وعمارتها

c. 637 CE · c. 18 AH

In al-Baladhuri: Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah (may God be pleased with him) — he being at Manbij — sent Khalid ibn al-Walid (may God be pleased with him) to the Mar'ash region, and he took its fortress on condition its people evacuate, then demolished it; when Sufyan ibn Awf (may God be pleased with him) al-Ghamidi raided the Byzantines in year 30 he set out from before Mar'ash and ranged their lands; Mu'awiya built the city of Mar'ash and garrisoned it, but at Yazid ibn Mu'awiya's death Byzantine raids multiplied and its people left, and Abd al-Malik — after his father Marwan ibn al-Hakam's death — compounded with the Byzantines for tribute while seeking the caliphate; in year 74 Muhammad ibn Marwan raided and the truce broke, and in year 75 he again led the summer expedition, the Romans coming out in Jumada I by way of Mar'ash into the depths, where the Muslims under Aban ibn al-Walid ibn Uqba ibn Abi Mu'ayt — with him Dinar ibn Dinar, mawla of Abd al-Malik and governor of Qinnasrin and its districts — met them at Amq Mar'ash in a hard battle, routed them and pursued killing and capturing — Dinar having that same year met a Roman body at Jisr Yaghra, some ten miles from Shimshat, and overcome them; then al-Abbas ibn al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik went to Mar'ash, rebuilt and fortified it, transferred people to it, built its congregational mosque and levied an annual contingent on Qinnasrin; in Marwan ibn Muhammad's days — he busy fighting Hims — the Romans besieged Mar'ash until its people compounded to evacuate toward the Jazira with the Qinnasrin troops and their families, then demolished it — Marwan's governor being al-Kawthar ibn Zufar ibn al-Harith al-Kilabi, the tyrant being Constantine son of Leo; when Marwan had finished with Hims and razed its wall he sent an army to rebuild Mar'ash, and built it was and made a city — but in his civil war the Romans wrecked it again; Salih ibn Ali rebuilt and fortified it in al-Mansur's caliphate, calling people to it with increased pay, and al-Mahdi enlarged its garrison and strengthened its people.

Overview

al-Baladhuri relates that Abu Ubayda, while he was at Manbij, sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to the district of Marash. He took its fort on condition that its people leave, and then destroyed it. ¹

Building and ruin

Mu'awiya built the city of Marash and settled troops in it. When Yazid ibn Mu'awiya died, the Byzantine raids increased and they moved away from it. In 75 AH the Muslims and the Byzantines met in the depths of Marash and fought very fiercely, and the Byzantines were routed. ¹

Then al-Abbas ibn al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik resettled it, fortified it and built a congregational mosque for it. In the days of Marwan ibn Muhammad the Byzantines besieged it until its people made peace with them on condition that they leave, and then they destroyed it. ²

The last building

Salih ibn Ali built it in the caliphate of Abu Ja'far al-Mansur and fortified it, and al-Mahdi increased its garrison after he became caliph. ²

The date is approximate and derived, around 18 AH for the first conquest.

The Conquest of Syria

In al-Baladhuri: when Abu Bakr finished with the apostates he dispatched the armies to Syria, binding three banners — for Khalid ibn Sa'id (whom he deposed), Shurahbil ibn Hasana and Amr ibn al-As — directing them and Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan by the Ayla and Tabuk roads until their number completed at twenty-four thousand; their first fighting came at Dathin and al-Araba, and al-Waqidi's account assigns Amr Filastin, Shurahbil al-Urdunn and Yazid Dimashq; Khalid ibn al-Walid then marched from Iraq reaching them in Rabi' al-Akhir year 13, and they made him commander in every battle; the great battle of Ajnadayn fell on Monday twelve nights remaining of Jumada I year 13, Busra fell by treaty, Shurahbil conquered al-Urdunn by force save Tabariyya, the battle of Fihl came five months into Umar's caliphate with Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah commanding by Umar's investiture, the day of Marj al-Suffar at the new moon of al-Muharram year 14, and then the conquest of Damascus and Bayt al-Maqdis.

The Taking and Settling of Mar'ash

At a glance

In time

Overview

Building and ruin

The last building

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Time

The Conquest of Syria