Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (19/401)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

In the year nine—489 AH—the first appearance of the Franks in greater Syria took place. They crossed the Sea of Constantinople with a vast host; the kings were alarmed and the danger grew grave, above all for the son of Qutulmush, the ruler of Rūm. He confronted them, and they crushed him.

Ibn al-Athīr (1) states: “The beginning of their state was in the year (478). They captured Toledo and other cities, then Sicily, and they took part of Ifriqiya. Their king Baldwin mustered an army and sent word to Roger, the lord of Sicily: ‘I am coming to join you so that we may open Ifriqiya.’ Roger replied, ‘The first priority is to conquer Jerusalem.’ Thus they headed for Syria.”

It is also said that when the ruler of Egypt saw the strength of the Seljuk family and their seizure of the domains, he corresponded with the Franks. They passed by Baysīs and laid siege to Antioch. Its governor, Yāghī Bāsān (2), grew fearful, so he expelled the local Christians to the moat and confined them there. The siege lasted nine months, during which the Franks perished in great numbers, slain and dying. They then negotiated with the chief armorer, bribed him with money, and he exposed his body to them (3). They opened a small window, and five hundred of them climbed through it by night. Yāghī Bāsān opened the gate and fled, and the city was plundered—verily to Allah we belong—in the year one and ninety, 491 AH. Yāghī Bāsān’s power collapsed in grief; his retainers scattered, and an Armenian woodcutter (4) slaughtered him.

Next they took Maʿarra, where they killed and enslaved. The armies of Mosul and other regions gathered and engaged them, but the Muslims were routed and thousands were martyred.

(1) Vol. 10, p. 142. (2) Al-Kamil, vol. 10, p. 274, reads: “Bagi Siyan.” (3) Al-Kamil by Ibn al-Athir, vol. 10, p. 274: When the Crusaders’ siege of Antioch dragged on, they contacted one of the sentries guarding the towers, a blacksmith named Ruzbah, and offered him money and land. He was responsible for the tower overlooking the valley, built above a grilled opening. After the agreement was struck with this accursed blacksmith, the Franks came to the grille and he opened it for them. (4) See Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kamil, vol. 10, pp. 272–275.

وَفِي سَنَةِ تِسْع كَانَ أَوّل ظُهُوْرِ الفِرَنْج بِالشَّامِ قَدِمُوا فِي بَحرِ القُسْطَنْطِيْنِيَّة فِي جَمعٍ كَثِيْر، وَانزعجتِ المُلُوْكُ، وَعَظُمَ الخطبُ، لاَ سِيَّمَا ابْن قُتُلمش صَاحِبُ الرُّوْمِ، فَالتقَاهُم، فَطَحَنُوهُ. وَأَمَّا ابْنُ الأَثِيْرِ (١) ، فَقَالَ: ابْتِدَاءُ دَوْلَتِهِم فِي سَنَةِ (٤٧٨) ، فَأَخذُوا طُلَيْطُلَة وَغَيْرهَا، ثُمَّ صَقِلِّيَّة، وَأَخَذُوا بَعْض أَفْرِيْقِيَة، وَجَمَعَ ملكهُم بَغْدَوِين جَمعاً، وَبَعَثَ يَقُوْلُ لرُجَّار صَاحِب صَقِلِّيَّة: أَنَا وَاصِلٌ إِلَيْك لِنَفتَحَ أَفْرِيْقِيَة، فَبَعَثَ يَقُوْلُ: الأَوْلَى فَتْحُ القُدْس، فَقَصَدُوا الشَّام. وَقِيْلَ: إِنَّ صَاحِبَ مِصْر لَمَّا رَأَى قُوَّةَ آلِ سَلْجُوق وَاسْتيلاَءهُم عَلَى المَمَالِك، كَاتَبَ الفِرَنْجَ، فَمرُوا بَسِيس، وَنَازلُوا أَنطَاكيَة، فَخَافَ صَاحِبُهَا يَاغِي بَسَان (٢) ، فَأَخْرَجَ النَّصَارَى إِلَى الخَنْدَق وَحبسهُم بِهِ، فَدَام حصَارُهَا تِسْعَةَ أَشهر، وَفنِيَ الفِرَنْجُ قتلاً وَمَوتاً، ثُمَّ إِنَّهُم عَاملُوا الزَرَّاد المقدَّم، وَبَذلُوا لَهُ مَالاً، فَكَاشرَ لَهُم عَنْ بدنه (٣) ، فَفَتحُوا شُبَّاكاً، وَطلعُوا مِنْهُ خَمْس مائَة فِي اللَّيْلِ، فَفَتح يَاغِي بَسَان، وَهَرَبَ، وَاسْتُبيح الْبَلَد - فَإِنَّا للهِ - فِي سَنَةِ إِحْدَى وَتِسْعِيْنَ، وَسَقَطَت قوَة يَاغِي بَسَان أَسفاً، وَانْهَزَم غِلمَانه، فَذَبَحَه حَطَّاب أَرْمَنِيّ (٤) . ثُمَّ أَخَذُوا المَعَرَّةَ، فَقَتَلُوا وَسَبَوْا، وَتَجَمَّعتْ عَسَاكِرُ المَوْصِلِ وَغَيْرُهَا، فَالتَقَوْا، فَانْهَزَم المُسْلِمُوْنَ، وَاسْتُشْهِدَ أُلوفٌ،

(١) ١٠ / ١٤٢. (٢) في " الكامل ": ١٠ / ٢٧٤: باغي سيان. (٣) في كامل ابن الأثير: ١٠ / ٢٧٤: فلما طال مقام الفرنج على أنطاكية، راسلوا أحد المستحفظين للابراج، وهو زراد يعرف بروزبه، وبذلوا له مالا وأقطاعا، وكان يتولى حفظ برج يلي الوادي، وهو مبني على شباك في الوادي، فلما تقرر الامر بينهم وبين هذا الملعون الزراد، جاؤوا إلى الشباك ففتحوه. (٤) انظر " الكامل ": ١٠ / ٢٧٢ - ٢٧٥ لابن الأثير.