BAG 
ttier Harunhad a (Tinned him the lieutenancy of Khorafan, 
he was refponlible for all the di{'orders that might happen 
there during his abl'ence. He alfo coined money, and 
would not fuffer A 1 Amin’s name to be imprelfed upon 
any of the dirhems or dinars ftruck in that province. He 
alfo prevailed upon Rafe Ebn al Leith, who had been 
for fome time in rebellion, to join him with a body of 
troops; vvhofe example was foon after followed by Har- 
thenta Ebn Aat'an ; which put him in polTellion of all the 
territory of Khorafan. Here he governed with an abfo- 
lute fway, officiated in the mofque as Imam, and from the 
pulpit conftantly harangued the people. 
The following year, being the 195th of the Hegira, the 
khalif Al Amin, finding that his brother let him at defi¬ 
ance, declared war againft him, and Cent his general Ali 
Ebn Ifa with an army of 60,000 men to invade Khorafan. 
Al Mamun, being informed that Ali was advancing againft 
him, colle&ed all the troops he could raife, and gave the 
command to Thaher Ebn Hofein, one of the greateft ge¬ 
nerals of his age. Thaher chofe out only 4000 men, whom 
he led againft Al Amin’s army. Ali, feeing fo frnall a 
number of troops advancing againft him, was tranfported 
with joy, and promifed himlelf an eaiy victory. Defpif- 
ing his enemies, he aefted in a fecure and carelefs manner; 
the confequence of which was, that his army was attacked 
by furprife, and entirely defeated, himfelf killed, and his 
head lent as a p re fen t to Al Mamun. Upon this vidfory, 
Al Mamun alfumed the title of khalif, ordered Al Amin’s 
name to be omitted in the public prayers, and made pre¬ 
parations for carrying the war into the heart of his bro¬ 
ther’s dominions. For this purpofe he divided his army 
into two bodies, and commanded them to march into Irak 
by different routes; one of them commanded by Thaher, 
the other by Harthema. The firft directed his march to¬ 
wards Ahwas, and the other towards Holwan, both of 
them propofing to meet in the neighbourhood of Bagdad, 
and after their junction to befiege that city. 
In the 196th year of the Hegira, Thaher made a mod 
rapid progrefs with the troops under his command. Hav¬ 
ing advanced towards Ahwas, he defeated a body of the 
khalif’s forces ; and, though the victory was by no means 
decifive, it fo intimidated the commander of Ahwas, that 
lie thought fit to furrender that fortrefs to him. This 
opened a way to Wafet upon the Tigris, and facilitated 
the conqueft of that place. After this he marched with 
bis army to Al Madayan; the inhabitants of which im¬ 
mediately opened their gates to him. The rapidity of 
thefe conquefts, and the infamous conduct of Al Amin, 
excited the people of Egypt, Syria, Hejaz, and Yaman, 
iinanimoully to declare for Al Mamun ; who was accord¬ 
ingly proclaimed khalif in all thofe provinces. The next 
year, Al Mamun’s forces under Thaher and Harthema 
laid fiege to Bagdad. As the khalif was Unit up in that 
place, and it had a numerous garrifon, the befieged made 
a vigorous defence, and deftroyed a great number of their 
enemies. The beliegers, however, incelfantly played upon 
the town with their catapultas, and other engines, though 
they were in their turn not a little annoyed by the garrifon 
with fimilar military machines. The latter likewife made 
continual fallies,. and fought like men in defpair, though 
they were generally beaten back with confiderable lots. 
In ffiort, the fiege continued during the whole year, and 
the greateft part of the eaftern city, called the Camp of At 
Mohdi, was demolifited or reduced to affies. The citizens, 
as well as the foldiers, were reduced to the laft extremity 
by the length and violence of the fiege. 
In the beginning of the 198th year of the Hegira, Al 
Amin finding himfelf deferted by his troops, as well as by 
the principal men of Bagdad, was obliged to retire to the 
old tow n on the weft bank of the Tigris. He did not how¬ 
ever, take this ftep, before the inhabitants of . the new 
town had formally depofed him, and proclaimed his bro¬ 
ther Al Mamun khalif. Thaher, receiving advice of this, 
caufed the old town to be immediately invefted, planted his 
engines againft it, and obliged it to furrender, Al Amin,, 
DAD. $ 
being thus reduced to the neeeffity of putting himfelf into 
the hands of one of the generals, chofe to implore the 
protection of Harthema. Thaher being informed of his 
defign, which, if put in execution, he thought would 
eclipfe the glory he had acquired, laid an ambulli for him, 
which he had not the good fortune to efcape. Upon his 
arrival in the neighbourhood of Harthema’s tent, Tim¬ 
ber's foldiers ruftied upon him, killed his attendants, and 
put him in prifon. Here he was malfacred by Thaller’s 
fervants, who carried his head in triumph to their matter, 
by whole order it was afterwards expoled to public view 
in the ftreets of Bagdad. Thaher then lent it to Al Ma¬ 
mun in Khorafan, together with the ring or feal of the 
khalifat, the feeptre, and the imperial robe. At the fight 
of thefe, Al Mamun fell upon his knees, and returned 
thanks to God for his fuccefs ; making the courier a prefent 
of a million of dirhems, in value about ioo,oool. fterling. 
The fame day that Al Amin was'affaftinated, his bro¬ 
ther Al Mamun was proclaimed khalif at Bagdad. He 
had not been long feated on the throne before he was a- 
larmed by rebellions in different parts of the empire. Thefe, 
however, were happily extinguiflied ; after which, Tha¬ 
her Ebn Hofein had the government of Khorafan conferred 
upon him and his defendants with almoft abfolute and 
unlimited power. This took place in the 205th year of 
the Hegira, from which time we may date the difmem- 
berment of that province from the empire. During the 
reign of this khalif, nothing remarkable happened. He 
died of a forfeit in the 218th year of the Hegira, having 
reigned twenty and lived forty-nine years. 
On the death of Al Mamun, his brother Al Motafem, 
furnamed Billah, was made khalif. He fucceeded by vir¬ 
tue of Al Mannin’s exprefs nomination, in exclulion of 
his own fon Al Abbas, and his brother Al Kafem, who 
had been appointed by Harun Al Rafhid. In the begin¬ 
ning of his reign he was obliged to employ the whole 
forces of his empire againft one Babec, who had been for 
a confiderable time in rebellion in Perfia and Perlian Irak. 
This Babec firft appeared in the year of the Hegira 201, 
when he began to take upon him the title of a prophet. 
What his particular doftrine was, is not known ; but his 
religion is laid to have differed from all others in Afia. 
He gained a great number of profelytes in Aderbijan and 
the Perlian Irak, where he foon grew powerful enough to 
wage war with the khalif Al Mamun, whofe troops he 
often beat, fo that he was become extremely formidable. 
The general fent againft him by Al Motafem, was Haider 
Ebn Kalis, furnamed Affhin , a Turk, who had been 
brought a Have to the khalif’s court, and, having been em¬ 
ployed in difeiplining the Turkifii militia, had acquired 
great reputation. By him Babec was defeated with pro¬ 
digious (laughter, no fewer than 60,000 men being, killed 
in the firft engagement. The next year, being the 220th 
of the Hegira, lie-received a ftill greater overthrow, lofing 
100,000 men either killed or taken prifoners. By this de¬ 
feat he was obliged to retire into the Gordyiean moi st"ins; 
and at laft (lint himfelf up in a ftrong fortrefs called Ldfia- 
bad, which was his laft refource. Here he defended him¬ 
felf with great bravery for feveral months; but, finding he 
lhould be obliged to furrender, he made his efcape into 
a neighbouring wood, from whence he came and lubmit- 
ted to Affhin, upon that general’s promifing him pardon. 
But Affhin no fooner had him in his power, than he cauf¬ 
ed his head to be ftruck off. Babec had fupported him¬ 
felf againft the power of the khalifs for upwards of twenty 
years, during which time he had cruelly malfacred 250,000 
people ; it being his cuftonl to fpare neither man, woman, 
nor child, of the Mahometans or their allies. 
In the 223d year of the Hegira, the Greek emperor 
Theophilus invaded the khalif’s territories, where he be¬ 
haved with the greateft cruelty, and by deftroying Sozo- 
petra the place of Al Motafem’s nativity, occalioned the 
deftruftion of Amorium, mentioned under that article. 
The remainder of this khalif’s reign is remarkable for no¬ 
thing but the execution of Affhin, who was accufed of 
holding 
