and he did not cease working on them, turning them every which way (1) until they yielded, agreed to his proposal, conceded the claims he advanced, fell in line with what he indicated, and pledged allegiance to him. He then began sending letters to the provincial deputies, seeking to win them over to the course already espoused by the Damascenes and many of the Egyptians. At the same time he took charge of the great public affairs: he released several men whom al-Malik al-Kāmil had confined in the Citadel of Victory and restored to them their iqṭāʿ (fiefs)—even though al-Kāmil had already issued investiture documents granting those lands to others. He removed and appointed, seized and bestowed as he pleased.
On Wednesday, the eighteenth of that month, he summoned the merchants so that the grain stored in the royal granaries might be sold to them; they were to pay its price immediately and then go out to collect it from the rural districts. The judges attended him, as was the custom, together with the emirs and notable persons. All of this occurred while he was still encamped at the aforementioned site, confined by no town and enclosed by no wall (2).
On Thursday, the fourth of Jumada al-Akhira, a detachment of about ten advance scouts rode out to meet the emirs and others arriving from Egypt, assuring them that the situation remained unchanged. The deputy did not believe them; he even punished some of them and then sent them up to the Citadel. The people of Damascus were divided: some believed that the Egyptians were at odds with one another, while others insisted that Sultan al-Kāmil was still firmly in command. Egyptian contingents were reported to be drawing near, and a great commotion appeared inevitable. Minds and circumstances alike became unsettled, and Allah is the One from whom a good outcome is sought.
In short, the populace hovered between belief and denial, whereas the deputy of the sultanate and his inner circle of senior emirs were confident of their position. The emirs in Egypt were fiercely divided between Sultan al-Kāmil Shaʿbān and his brother Emir Ḥājjī, with the majority siding with Emir Ḥājjī. News then reached the deputy that Egyptian forces had set out for Syria, aiming at the troops stationed there to consolidate matters. Thereafter the leading emirs slipped back into Egypt by night and joined their colleagues who were already colluding against the sultan. They gathered, proclaimed Emir Ḥājjī as sultan, and the military bands beat their kettledrums; the rest of the people now openly voiced their intention to support him, renounced Sultan al-Kāmil, listed his misdeeds, and cited his killing of certain emirs.
Al-Kāmil and his supporters fled, whereupon he was placed under guard. Arghūn al-ʿAlāʾī, his step-father (3), likewise backed Emir Ḥājjī; they seated him upon the throne and bestowed on him the title al-Malik al-Muẓaffar (“the Victorious King”). When this news reached the deputy, the festive salutes were sounded in his camp. He sent word to the deputy of the Citadel commanding him to do the same, but the latter refused. Indeed, he had earlier been summoned to the wutāq (4) and had declined to appear; he now closed the Citadel gate. The people grew agitated, the city fell into turmoil, prosperity contracted, the Citadel was fortified, and prayers for al-Kāmil continued to be offered morning and evening, as had been customary.