—as has been noted(1)—and had governed it tyrannically. Aftakin therefore laid siege to them and did not relent until he had taken the town from their hands, killing about four thousand of their leading men(2). He then moved on to Tiberias and did the same.

At this, al-Muʿizz the Fatimid resolved to march against him; yet while he was mustering and arranging the armies, al-Muʿizz died in Egypt in the year 365 AH, as will be mentioned below(3). His son al-ʿAzīz succeeded him, whereupon Aftakin felt secure in Syria, his standing swelled, and his power became formidable. The Egyptians discussed what to do about him and, on the counsel of the vizier Yaʿqūb ibn Killis(4), agreed to send the commander Jawhar against him.

When Jawhar had prepared for the Syrian expedition, Aftakin made the people of Damascus swear an oath to support him and give him sincere advice, and they swore accordingly(5). Jawhar came and laid a harsh siege to Damascus for seven months, witnessing an awe-inspiring display of Aftakin’s courage. When the stalemate dragged on, some Damascenes advised Aftakin to write to al-Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Qarmati, who was then in al-Ahsaʾ, asking him to come(6). Once the letter reached him he set out to aid Aftakin.

On hearing of his approach, Jawhar could not remain trapped between two enemies—one inside the city and the other outside—so he withdrew from Damascus and made for Ramla. Aftakin and the Qarmati pursued him with nearly fifty thousand men, and they clashed at the River of the Mills, three farsakhs from Ramla(7). They then besieged Jawhar in Ramla, and his situation grew extremely desperate from the scarcity of food and water(8), so that he and those with him were quickly on the verge of perishing(9). He therefore asked that he and Aftakin meet mounted on horseback, and Aftakin agreed(10).

Jawhar kept coaxing him(11) to grant him safe-conduct so that he might return with his companions to his master, grateful and full of praise for Aftakin, without listening to whatever the Qarmati might say about him—Jawhar was a consummate schemer. At length Aftakin granted his request. The Qarmati regretted this and said, “Our policy should have been to keep them blockaded until the last of them died. Now he will go to his lord, inform him, and bring him out against us, and we will not be able to withstand him.”

Events unfolded exactly as he had predicted: once released, Jawhar devoted himself to urging al-ʿAzīz to march out in person with his armies. Al-ʿAzīz advanced with hosts like mountains—a vast multitude of men, equipment, baggage, and wealth—with Jawhar the commander leading the vanguard. As for Aftakin and the Qarmati, they gathered