Ayn Zarba (Anazarbus)

Ayn Zarba: one of the frontier cities of al-Sham. al-Baladhuri has reports about its building and fortification.

al-Rashid ordered its city to be built and fortified in the year 180 AH. He summoned to it a group of people from Khurasan and others, and assigned them dwellings there. ¹

The Byzantines raided it while al-Qasim ibn al-Rashid was stationed at Dabiq, and they drove off the livestock of its people and took some captive. The people of al-Massisa and its volunteers rushed out against them and recovered what had been taken. al-Qasim sent from it to fortify and repair it and to increase its garrison. ¹

al-Mu'tasim settled in it a group of the Zutt, who had overwhelmed the marshes between Wasit and Basra, and its people benefited from them. ²