and even their pulpits; the word of judgment overtook them—banishment and slaughter—so that “the words of your Lord were fulfilled in truth and justice.” Neither will the sword fast from striking the rest of the Frankish unbelievers, nor will the night lie idle instead of marching toward them. (1)

I say: the sequential listing of these ʿUbaydid kings has pleased me; let the reader ponder them collectively.

Completion of the Eighteenth Tier

Let us now resume arranging the tiers for the years around 323 AH and thereafter.

79 – Mardāwīj ibn Ziyār al-Daylamī *

He was the king of Daylam—arrogant and rebellious—shedding blood, ruling over the cities of al-Jabal and beyond; the other kings feared him, and the Banū Būyah were counted among his commanders. (2) (3)

On the night of the Nativity in the year 323 AH he ordered that an enormous pile of firewood be gathered, went out to the outskirts of Isfahan, collected two thousand ravens, filled their ears with naphtha, and spread a banquet the like of which had never been heard before.

It contained one thousand qashlamīsh horses, two thousand cattle, together with countless sheep and confections. When he saw it, he deemed it insufficient, turned savagely on the officers, and—having long mistreated the Turks who served with him—brought matters to a head. At daybreak they assembled for the procession; the horses neighed, he flew into a rage, and ordered that the saddles be cinched onto the backs of their riders.

It was a dreadful sight, and they seethed with anger against him. He then entered the city and ordered the keeper