— the era of al-Dawla al-Naṣiriyya, the liberator of Jerusalem—and that the kharaj (1) land-tax and whatever other revenues accrued from Bayt al-Maqdis be allocated for that purpose; should any shortfall remain, he would make it up from his own treasury.

In the same year:

Envoys arrived from the Pope (2) of the Christians, reporting that he had declared the blood of the Emperor (3), king of the Franks, licit because of the latter’s negligence in waging war against the Muslims, and had dispatched a band to assassinate him. When they reached the Emperor, he was prepared: he seated one of his slaves upon the throne, they assumed he was the monarch, and killed him. The Emperor then seized them, slaughtered and flayed them, stuffed their skins with straw, and crucified them at the gate of his palace. When this news reached the Pope (4), he sent a large force to fight the Emperor, but Allah created discord between them over the matter—His is all praise and favor. (5)

That year as well, a fierce, raging wind (6) struck Mecca on Tuesday, the tenth of Rabiʿ al-Akhir. It tore away the curtain of the noble Kaʿbah (7), which had grown worn, for it had not been renewed since the year 640 AH owing to the lack of ḥajj caravans sent by the caliph. When the wind subsided, the Kaʿbah stood bare, its black covering gone. This was taken as an omen of the impending fall of the ʿAbbāsid state and a portent of the calamity soon to be inflicted by the Tatars—may Allah curse them. The deputy of Yemen, ʿUmar ibn Rasūl (8), sought permission from the shaykh of the Sanctuary, al-ʿAfīf (9) ibn Manaʿah, to clothe the Kaʿbah. The shaykh replied, “This can only be done with the caliph’s funds.” As none were available, he borrowed three hundred [thousand] dinars, purchased cotton cloth, dyed it black, attached the old gold-embroidered bands to it, and draped the Kaʿbah with it. The Sacred House remained without a covering for twenty-one nights (10).

Also in that year:

The library founded by the vizier Muʾayyid al-Din Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-ʿAlqamī (11) was opened in the Dār al-Wizārah. (12) It was of exquisite beauty, and a large collection of rare and beneficial books (13) was placed within it. Poets celebrated it with fine verses and eloquent odes.