Michael's Incursion on the Mar'ash Depths, 161

غارة ميخائيل على عمق مرعش سنة 161

c. 777 CE · 161 AH

In al-Baladhuri — Muhammad ibn Sa'd told me from al-Waqidi: Michael came out of the Darb al-Hadath with eighty thousand, reached Amq Mar'ash killing, burning and taking captives of the Muslims, and came to the gate of Mar'ash, where Isa ibn Ali was — he having raided that year — so Isa's mawalis, the city folk and their fighters went out and shot him with arrows and darts; he feigned flight until he had drawn them from the city, then turned on them and killed eight of Isa's mawalis, the rest holding fast in the city which they shut, whereupon he besieged them then withdrew to Jayhan; word reached Thumama ibn al-Walid al-Absi at Dayq — he having been placed over that year's summer expedition, year 161 — who sent dense cavalry against him that were destroyed save those who escaped, which so grieved al-Mahdi that he made ready to send al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba raiding the next year, year 162.

Overview

In 161 AH the Byzantine commander Michael went out of the pass of al-Hadath with eighty thousand men, according to al-Baladhuri in "Futuh al-Buldan", and raided the depth of Marash. Isa ibn Ali was there. ¹

The raid

Al-Baladhuri relates from Ibn Sa'd, from al-Waqidi, that Michael killed, burned and took captive a multitude of Muslims, then reached the gate of the city of Marash. Isa's clients, and the people of the city and its fighters, came out to him shooting arrows; he withdrew before them until he drew them away from the city, then turned on them and killed eight of Isa's clients. The rest took refuge in the city and shut the gates; he besieged them and then withdrew until he camped at Jayhan. ²

The response

News reached Thumama ibn al-Walid al-Absi, who was at Dabiq and had been put in charge of the summer raids in 161 AH. He sent a large body of horsemen against Michael, and they were destroyed except for those who escaped. This alarmed the caliph al-Mahdi, who prepared the army sent in the following year, 162 AH, under al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba. ²

Date

161 AH, with a Gregorian equivalent (around 777 CE) that is derived. ¹

The Taking and Settling of Mar'ash

In al-Baladhuri: Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah — he being at Manbij — sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to the Mar'ash region, and he took its fortress on condition its people evacuate, then demolished it; when Sufyan ibn Awf 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.

Michael's Incursion on the Mar'ash Depths, 161

At a glance

In time

Overview

The raid

The response

Date

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Time

The Taking and Settling of Mar'ash