<5iS BAG 
.holding correfpondence with the khalif’s enemies. After 
his- death a great number of idols were found in his houfe, 
which were immediately burned, as were alfo feveral books, 
laid to contain impious and deteftable opinions. 
In the 227th year of the Hegira died the khalif A 1 Mo- 
tafein, in the forty-ninth year of his age. He reigned eight 
years, e-ight months, and eight days, was born in the eighth 
month of the year, fought eight battles, employed 8000 
(laves, and had 8,000,000 dinars and 80,000 dirhems in 
his treasury at his death, whence the oriental hiftorians 
gave him the name of Al Mothamen, or the OElonary. He 
is laid to have been fo robuft, that he carried a burden 
of 1000 pounds weight feveral paces. As the people of 
Bagdad difturbed him with frequent revolts and commo¬ 
tions, lie refolved to abandon that city, and built another 
for his own refidence. The new city was firft called Sa- 
marra , and afterwards Sarra Manray, and (food in the 
Arabian Irak. He was attached to the opinion of the 
Motazalites, who maintain the creation of the Koran ; and 
both he and his predecelfor cruelly perfecuted thofe who 
believed it to be eternal. 
Al Motafem was fucceeded by Al Wathck Bilah, who 
the following year, being the 228th of the Hegira, invaded 
and Conquered Sicily. Nothing remarkable happened du¬ 
ring the reft of his reign ; he died in the 232b year of the 
Hegira, add was fucceeded by his brother Al Motawakkei. 
Tins khalif began his reign with an ail of the greateft 
cruelty. The late khalif’s vizir having treated Al Mota¬ 
wakkei ill in his brother’s life-time, and oppofed his elec¬ 
tion to the khalifat, was on that account now fent to prifon. 
Here the khalif ordered him to be kept awake for l'everal 
days and nights together : after tIris, he was thrown into 
an iron furnace lined with fpikes heated red-hot, where 
he was miferably burnt to death. During this reign the 
fprings at Mecca failed to fitch a degree, that the cele¬ 
brated well Zemzem was aimed dried up, -and the water 
fold for 100 dirhems a bottle. In the 247th year of the 
Hegira, the khalif was afTafTinated at the infiance of his fon 
Al Montafer; who fucceeded him, and died in fix months. 
He was fucceeded by Al Modain, who in the year of the 
Hegira 232 was forced to abdicate the throne by his bro¬ 
ther Al Motazz, who afterwards caufed him to be pri¬ 
vately murdered. He did not long enjoy the dignity of 
which he had fo iniquitoufly poffetfed himfelf; being de- 
pofed by the Turkifh militia (who now began to fet up 
and depofe khalifs as they pleafed) in the 255th year of the 
Hen-ira. After his depofition, he was fent under an efcort 
from Sarra Manray to Bagdad, where he died of third or 
huno-er, after a reign of four years and (even months. The 
fate'of this khalif was peculiarly hard : the Turkifh troops 
bad mutinied for their pay ; and Al Motaz-z, not having 
money to fatisfy their demands, applied to his mother 
Kabiha for 50,000 dinars. This the refufed, telling him 
(he had no money at all, although flie was polfelfed of im- 
menfe treafures. After his depofition, however, (lie was 
©b°Tied to difeover her riches, and even dep’ofit them in 
the hands of the new khalif Al Molchtadi. They confided 
of 1,000,000 dinars, a bufhel of emeralds, and another of 
pearls, and three pounds and three quarters of rubies. 
Al Mokhtadi, the new khalif, was the foil of one of 
Al Wathek’s concubines named Korb, or Karb, who is fup- 
pofed to have been a Chridian. The beginning of his reign 
is remarkable for the irruption of the Zenjians, a people 
•of Nnmidia, Ethiopia, and the country of the Cadres, 
into Arabia, where they penetrated to the neighbourhood 
of Bafra and Cufa. The chief of this banditti was Ali 
Ebn Mohammed Ebn Abdalr.ahman, who pretended to 
-be of. the family of Aii Ebn Abu Taleb. This made fuch 
an impreflion upon the Shiites in thofe parts, that they 
•flocked to him in great numbers ; which enabled him to 
feizc upon the cities of Bafra and Eamla, and even to 
pafs the Tigris at the the head of a formidable army. He 
then took the title of Prince of the Zenjians, in order to 
ingratiate himfelf with thofe barbarians, of whom his ar- 
was principally compofed. 
■4 
DAD. 
In the 256th year of the Hegira, Al Mokhtadi was 
murdered by the Turks who had raifed him to the throne, 
and was fucceeded by Al Montamed the fon of Al Mota¬ 
wakkei. This year the prince of the Zenjians, Ali, or 
as he is called Al Habib, made incurfions to the very gates 
of Bagdad, doing prodigious mifebief wherever he paffed. 
The khalif therefore fent againlt him one Jolan with a 
conliderable army; but he was overthrown with very- 
great daughter, by the Zenjian, who made himfelf mailer 
of twenty-four of the khalif’s larged Blips in the bay of 
Bafra, put a vaft number of the inhabitants of Obolla to 
the lword, feized- upon the town, and foon reduced it to 
adies. From thence he marched to Abadan, which like- 
wife furrendered to him. Here he found an immenfe trea- 
fure, which enabled him to poffefs himfelf of the whole 
diftriCt of Ahwaz. In fliort, inis army being now increafed 
to 80,000 men, mod of the adjacent territories, and even 
the khalif’s court itfelf, was (truck with terror. 
lathe 257th year of the Hegira, Al Habib dill conti¬ 
nued victorious, defeated feveral armies lent againd him 
by the khalif, reduced the city of Bafra, and put 20,000 
of the inhabitants to the fword. The following year, the 
khalif, fupported by his brother Al Mowaffek, formed a 
ddign of circumfcribing the power of the Turkifh foldiery, 
who had, as it were, given law to the khalifs themfelves. 
But the Zenjians made fo rapid a progrefs in Perfia, Ara¬ 
bia, and Irak, that'he was obliged to fufpend the execu¬ 
tion of his delign, and even to employ the Turkifh troops 
to adid his brother Al Mowaffek in oppodng thofe inva¬ 
ders. The fird of the khalif’s generals who encountered 
Al Habib this year, was defeated in feveral engagements, 
and had his army entirely dedroyed. After this, Al 
Mowaffek, and another general named Mojlth, advanced 
againd-him. In the Hrd engagement Mofleh being killed 
by an arrow, the khalif’s troops retired; but Al Mowaf¬ 
fek put them afterwards in fuch a.podure of defence, that 
the enemy dtird not renew the attack. Several other 
diarp encounters happened this year, in which neither 
party gained great advantage ; but, a contagious diftemper 
breaking out in Al Mowaffek’s army, he was obliged to 
conclude a truce, and retire to Wafet to refrefh his troops. 
In the 259th year of the Hegira, Al Mowaffek fent Ma- 
hammed, furnamed Al Mowalled, with a powerful army 
againd the Zenjians; but he could not prevent them from 
ravaging the province of Ahwaz, nor from cutting off 
about 50,000 of the khalif’s fubjeCts, and difmantling the 
city of Ahwaz ; and, notwithftanding the utmoft efforts 
of all the khalif’s generals, no condderable advantages 
were gained either this or the following year. In the 261ft 
year of the Hegira, Mohammed Ebn Wafel, who had 
killed the khalif’s governor of Fars, and made himfelf 
matter of that province, had feveral engagements with Al 
Habib, but with what fuccefs is not known. The khalif, 
having been apprized of the ftate of affairs on that dde^ 
annexed the government of Fars, Ahwaz, and Bafra, to 
the prefecture he had given to Mufa Ebn Boga, one of 
the belt generals he had. Mufa, foon after his prefer¬ 
ment, fent Abdalrahman Ebn Moffeh as his deputy to 
Ahwaz, giving him as a colleague and affiftant oneTifam, 
a Turk. Mohammed Ebn Wafel, however, refilling to 
obey the orders of Abdalrahman and Tifam, a fierce con¬ 
flict enfued, in which the latter were defeated, and Ab- x 
dalrahman taken prifoner. After this viCtorv, Moham-, 
med advanced againlt Mufa Ebn Boga himfelf; but that 
general, finding he could not take polleflion of Iris new go¬ 
vernment without a vaft eff'ulion of blood, recalled tire de¬ 
puties from their pjovinces, and made the belt of his way 
to Sarra Manray. Aftefthis, Yakub Ebn Al Leit, ba¬ 
vins taken Khorafan from the defeendants of Thahe'r, at¬ 
tacked and defeated Mohammed Ebn Wafel, feizing em 
his palace and money, amounting to 40,000,000 dirhems. 
The next year, Yakub Ebn Leit, grown formidable by 
thefe acquifitions, declared war againlt the khalif. Againlt 
him Al Motamed difpatched Al Mowaftek ; who, having 
defeated him with prodigious (laughter, plundered his camp* 
