120 
E. C. Ross —Annals of ‘ Oman.—Book II, 
[No. 2, 
the desert country. 6 It is the water near the village of Busher (it is now 
called el-Balka‘ein). The battle which was a severe one, resulted in the 
defeat of el-Hejjaj’s men, who fled and were pursued by Suleiman for along 
distance, the latter being wholly unaware of the approach of the second 
army by sea, which meanwhile arrived at Bunaneh, and the commander was 
informed that Suleiman had gone forth with the main body of his army to 
oppose the force which had come by the land route, and that those who 
remained with his brother Sa‘id were only a handful. Muja‘ali thereupon 
marched night and day until he reached Birkeh, where Sa‘id attacked his 
force, and a fierce battle occurred, which lasted until night separated the 
combatants. Safid then regarding his army perceived that it was to that of 
the enemy like as a white spot on the body of a black bull, and many had 
been killed. So he retired during the night taking with him his own and 
his brother’s children, and proceeded to the great mountain of the Benii- 
Riyam, which is called el-Jebel el-Akhdhar, and also Rodhwan (spelt with 
dhammaK). The enemy came up with him, and they remained besieged 
until Suleiman came up. Muja‘ah had anchored his fleet of 300 vessels in 
Maskat 7 harbour, and Suleimin proceeded there and burned more than fifty 
vessels, the rest escaping seaward. He then marched against Muja‘ah’s 
army, and Muja‘ah conceiving himself unable to cope with Suleiman sought 
to escape to sea, but was encountered by Suleiman at the village of Semail. 
A severe conflict ensued, in which Muja‘alr was worsted and fled. He, how¬ 
ever, succeeded in reaching his ships, and embarking sailed to Julfar. 3 
Thence he wrote to el-Hejjaj who sent to his aid a re-inforcement of 5,000 
mounted men, selected from the Bedouins of el-Sham, under ‘Abd-ul-Rah- 
man-bin Suleiman, by land. Amongst them was a man of the tribe of 
el-Azd who was known by the title “ el-Malaheh,” and they were unaware 
that he was of that tribe. This person fled by night to Suleiman and Sa‘id, 
and informed them of the approach of the fresh force ; whereupon they 
perceived they were unable to resist longer, and taking with them their 
families’ property and those of their tribe who chose to follow them,, they 
reached one of the districts of the Zenj 9 , where they abode until their death. 
Muja‘ah and ‘Abd-ul-Rahman then entered ‘Oman with their forces and 
exercised great severitj^, plundering the inhabitants. (We seek refuge with 
God from such things.) El-Hejjaj after that appointed el-Kheiyai-bin Sirah 
el-Mujasha‘i governor of ‘Oman. When ‘Abdul-Malek died (A. D. 705), and 
el-Walid-bin ‘Abdul-Malek succeeded him, and el-Hejjaj died, Walid ap¬ 
pointed Yezid-bin Abu-Muslim Governor of el-‘Irak, and the latter sent 
Seyf-bin el-Hani-el-Hamadam to govern ‘Oman. 
When Walid-bin ‘Abdul-Malek died and his brother Suleiman suc¬ 
ceeded, the latter removed all the governors who had been appointed in 
‘Oman, and sent Salih-bin ‘Abdul-Bahman el-Leithi. Afterwards he saw fit 
