BAG 
and purfued him into Khorafan ; where, meeting-with no 
oppofition, he entered Ni labor, and releafed Mahomet the 
Thaherian, whom Yakub had detained in prifon tliree 
years. Yakub made his efcape with great difficulty, tho’ 
he continued fevera! years in pofleflion of many of the con¬ 
quers he had made.' This war with Yakub proved a fea- 
fonable diverlion in favour of A 1 Habid, who this year de¬ 
feated all the forces fent againft him, and ravaged tlie dif- 
trift of Wafet. The following year, being the 263d of 
the Hegira, the khalif’s forces, under the command of 
Ahmed Ebn Lebuna, gained two confiderable advantages 
over Al Habib ; but, being drawn into an amb.ufcade, they 
were alinoft totally deftroyed, their general making his 
efcape with the utmofl difficulty; nor were t lie khalif’s 
forces able, during the courfe of the next year, to make 
head againft thefe rebels. 
In the 263th year of the Hegira, beginning September 
3d, 878, Ahmed Ebn_Tolun alfo rebelled againft the kha- 
lif, and fet up for himfelf in Egypt. Having a'denibled 
a confiderable force, he marched to Antioch, and befieged 
Sima the governor of Aleppo, and all the provinces known 
among the Arabs by the name of Al Awafern. As the be¬ 
fieged found that he was refolved to carry the place by 
affault, they thought fit, after a fliort defence, to fubmit, 
and to put Sima into his hands. Ahmed no fooner had 
that officer in his power, than he caufed him to be be¬ 
headed ; after which he advanced'to Aleppo, the gates of 
which were immediately opened to him. He then redu¬ 
ced Damafcus, Hems, Hamath, Kinnifrin, and Al Rakka. 
This rebellion fo exafperated Al Motamed, that he caufed 
Ahmed to be publicly proferibed in all the mofques be¬ 
longing to Bagdad and Irak; and Ahmed on his part or¬ 
dered the fame malediction to be poured out againft the 
lchalif in all" the mofques within his jurifdiCtion. This 
year alfo a detachment of Al Habib’s troops penetrated 
into Irak, and made themfelves mailers of four of the 
khalif’s (hips laden with corn ; then they advanced to Al 
Nontanic, laid the greateft part of it in allies, and carried 
off feveral of the inhabitants prifoners. After this they 
poflefled themfelves of Jarjaraya, and deftroyed all the ad¬ 
jacent territory with fire and fword. This year there were 
four independent powers in the Modem dominions, be- 
lides the houfe of Ommiyah in Spain, viz. the African 
Modems, or Aglabites, who had for a longtime added in¬ 
dependently ; Ahmed in Syria and Egypt ; Al Leit in 
Khorafan ; and Al Habib in Arabia and Irak. 
In the 266th year of the Hegira, beginning Atiguft 23d, 
S79, Al Habib reduced Ramhormoz, burnt its ftately 
mofque to the ground, put a number of the inhabitants to 
the fword, and carried away a vail quantity of fjpoil. This 
was his lad fuccefsful campaign ; for the year following, 
Al Mowaffek, attended by his fon Abul Abbas, having 
attacked him with a body of 1 0,000 horfe and a few in¬ 
fantry, notwithftanding the vaft difparity of numbers (Al 
Habib’s army amounting to 100,000 men), he defeated 
him in feveral battles, recovered mod of the towns he had 
taken, together with an immenfe quantity of fpoil, and 
releafed 5000 women, who had been thrown into pri¬ 
fon by the barbarians. After thefe victories, Al Mowaffek 
took pod before the city of Al Mabiya’, built by Al 
Habib, and the place of his relidence ; burnt all the 
flips in the harbour; thoroughly pillaged the town, and 
difmantled it. After the reduction of this place, in 
which he found immenfe treafures, Al Mowaffek pur¬ 
fued the flying Zenjians, put feveral of their chiefs to 
the fword, and advanced to Al Mokhtara, a city built by 
Al Habib. As the place was ftrongly fortified, and Al 
Habib was polled in its neighbourhood, with an army, tic- 
cording to Abu Jaafer Al Tabari, of 300,000 men, Al 
Mowaffek perceived that the reduction of it would be a 
matter of forne difficulty. He therefore built a fort refs 
oppolite to it, where he ereCted a mofque, and coined mo¬ 
ney. The new city, from its founder, was called by the 
Arabs Al Mowajfckkia, and foon rendered confiderable by 
the fettlement of feveral wealthy merchants there. The 
Vo l. II. No. 92. 
DAD. 617 
city of Al Mokhtara being reduced to great fruits was at 
laft taken by form, and given up to be plundered by the 
khalif’s troops; after which Al Mowaffek defeated the 
forces of Al Habib fo completely, that they could no 
more be rallied during that campaign. 
The following year, being the 268th of the Hegira, Al 
Mowaffek penetrated again into Al Mabiya’, and demo- 
lilhed the fortifications which had been raifed (ince its for¬ 
mer reduction, though the rebels difputed every inch of 
ground. Next year he again attacked Al Habib with great 
bravery; and would have entirely defeated him, had he 
not been wounded in the bread with an arrow, which 
obliged him to retreat. But, as foon as he was cured of 
liis wound, Al Movvaffek advanced a third time to Al 
Mabiya’, made himfelf mafer of that metropolis, threw 
down the walls, put many of the inhabitants to the fword, 
and carried a vaf number of them into captivity. 
The 270th year of the Hegira, commencing July nth, 
8S3, proved fatal to the rebel Al Habib. Al Mowaffek 
made himfelf a fourth time mafer of Al Mabiya’, burnt 
Al Habib’s palace, feized upon his family, and fent them 
to Sarra Manray. As for the ufurper himfelf, he had the 
good fortune to efcape at this time; but, being clofely pur¬ 
fued into the province of Ahwaz, he at lafl fell into the 
hands of the victor, who ordered his head to be cut off, 
and carried through a great part of that region which he 
had fo long dif orbed. By this complete victory, Al Mo¬ 
waffek obtained the title of Al Najir Lidnilbah, that is, the 
protector of Mahometanifm. This year alfo died Ahmed 
Ebn Tolun, who had feized upon Egypt and Syria; and 
he was fucceeded by his fon Khamarawiyah. The next 
year, a bloody engagement happened between the khalif’s 
forces commanded by Al Mowaffek’s fon, and thofe of 
Khamarawiyah. The battle was fought between Al Ram!a 
and Damafcus. In the beginning, Khamarawiyah found 
himfelf fo-hard prefled, that his men were obliged to give 
way ; upon which, taking for granted that all was loft, he 
fled witli great precipitation; but, in the mean time, his 
troops being ignorant of the flight of their general, re¬ 
turned to the charge, and gained a complete victory. Af¬ 
ter this, Khamarawiyah, by his mild adminiftration, gain¬ 
ed fo entirely the affections of his fubjeCts, that the klialif 
found it impoflible to difplace him. In the 276th year of 
the Hegira, he overthrew one of the khalif’s generals, 
named Abul Saj, at Al Bathnia, near the city of Damaf¬ 
cus; after which he advanced to Al Rakka on the Eu¬ 
phrates, and made himfelf matter of that place. Having* 
annexed feveral large provinces to his former dominions, 
and left feme of his friends in whom he could confide to 
govern them, he returned into Egypt, the principal part 
of his empire, winch now extended from the Euphrates 
to the borders of Nubia and Ethiopia. 
The following year, being the 278th of the Hegira, was 
remarkable for the death of Al Mowaffek. He died of 
the elephantiafis or leprofy ; and, while in his laft iilnefs, 
could not help obferving, that, of 100,000 men whom he 
commanded, there was not one fo miferable as himfelf. 
This year is alfo remarkable for the firft rile in the Modem 
empire of the Karmatians. The origin of this feCt is not 
certainly known ; but the received opinion is, that a poor 
fellow, by forne called Karmata, came from Khuzeftan to 
the villages near Cufa, and pretended great fanctity and 
ftrictnefs of life, and that God had enjoined him'topray 
fifty times a-day; pretending alfo to invite people to the 
obedience of a certain imam of the family of Mahomet; 
and by this means he acquired a very great party, out of 
whom he chofe twelve as his apoftles to govern the reft, 
and to propagate his doCtrines. He then alFumed the title 
of prince, and obliged every one of his followers to pay 
him a dinar a-year. But Al Haidam, governor of that 
province, -finding his men negleCted their work, and their 
hufbandry in particular, to fay thofe fifty prayers a-day, 
he feized the fellow, and having put him in prifon, fwore 
he fliould die. This being overheard by a girl belonging 
to the .governor, flie, out of companion^ took the key of 
7 S ‘ ■the 
