Tarikh (al-Tabari) 2475
The Year 104
وِلَايَةِ الْجَرَّاحِ أَرْمِينِيَّةَ وَفَتْحِ بَلَنْجَرَ وَغَيْرِهَا لَمَّا تَمَّتِ الْهَزِيمَةُ الْمَذْكُورَةُ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ طَمِعَ الْخَزَرُ فِي الْبِلَادِ، فَجَمَعُوا وَحَشَدُوا، وَاسْتَعْمَلَ يَزِيدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ الْجَرَّاحَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحَكَمِيَّ حِينَئِذٍ عَلَى أَرْمِينِيَّةَ، وَأَمَدَّهُ بِجَيْشٍ كَثِيفٍ، وَأَمْرَهُ بِغَزْوِ الْخَزَرِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ مِنَ الْأَعْدَاءِ وَبِقَصْدِ بِلَادِهِ. فَسَارَ الْجَرَّاحُ، وَتَسَامَعَ الْخَزَرِيَّةُ، فَعَادُوا حَتَّى نَزَلُوا بِالْبَابِ وَالْأَبْوَابِ، وَوَصَلَ الْجَرَّاحُ إِلَى بَرْذَعَةَ، فَأَقَامَ حَتَّى اسْتَرَاحَ هُوَ وَمَنْ مَعَهُ، وَسَارَ نَحْوَ الْخَزَرِ، فَعَبَرَ نَهْرَ الْكَرِّ، فَسَمِعَ بِأَنَّ بَعْضَ مَنْ مَعَهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ تِلْكَ الْجِبَالِ قَدْ كَاتَبَ مَلِكَ الْخَزَرِ يُخْبِرُهُ بِمُسَيَّرِ الْجَرَّاحِ إِلَيْهِ، فَحِينَئِذٍ أَمَرَ الْجَرَّاحُ مُنَادِيَهُ فَنَادَى فِي النَّاسِ: إِنَّ الْأَمِيرَ مُقِيمٌ هَاهُنَا عِدَّةَ أَيَّامٍ، فَاسْتَكْثِرُوا مِنَ الْمِيرَةِ ; فَكَتَبَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ إِلَى مَلِكِ الْخَزَرِ يُخْبِرُهُ أَنَّ الْجَرَّاحَ مُقِيمٌ، وَيُشِيرُ عَلَيْهِ بِتَرْكِ الْحَرَكَةِ لِئَلَّا يَطْمَعَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ فِيهِ. فَلَمَّا كَانَ اللَّيْلُ أَمَرَ الْجَرَّاحُ بِالرَّحِيلِ، فَسَارَ مُجِدًّا حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى مَدِينَةِ الْبَابِ وَالْأَبْوَابِ، فَلَمْ يَرَ الْخَزَرَ، فَدَخَلَ الْبَلَدَ فَبَثَّ سَرَايَاهُ فِي النَّهْبِ وَالْغَارَةِ عَلَى مَا يُجَاوِرُهُ، فَغَنِمُوا وَعَادُوا مِنَ الْغَدِ، وَسَارَ الْخَزَرُ إِلَيْهِ وَعَلَيْهِمُ ابْنُ مَلِكِهِمْ، فَالْتَقَوْا عِنْدَ نَهْرِ الرَّانِ، وَاقْتَتَلُوا قِتَالًا شَدِيدًا، وَحَرَّضَ الْجَرَّاحُ أَصْحَابَهُ، وَاشْتَدَّ الْقِتَالُ، فَظَفِرُوا بِالْخَزَرِ وَهَزَمُوهُمْ، وَتَبِعَهُمُ الْمُسْلِمُونَ يَقْتُلُونَ وَيَأْسِرُونَ، فَقُتِلَ مِنْهُمْ خَلْقٌ كَثِيرٌ، وَغَنِمَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ جَمِيعَ مَا مَعَهُمْ، وَسَارُوا حَتَّى نَزَلُوا عَلَى حِصْنٍ يُعْرَفُ بِالْحُصَيْنِ، فَنَزَلَ أَهْلُهُ بِالْأَمَانِ عَلَى مَالٍ يَحْمِلُونَهُ، فَأَجَابَهُمْ وَنَقَلَهُمْ عَنْهَا. ثُمَّ سَارَ إِلَى مَدِينَةٍ يُقَالُ لَهَا يَرْغُوَا، فَأَقَامَ عَلَيْهَا سِتَّةَ أَيَّامٍ، وَهُوَ مُجِدٌّ فِي قِتَالِهِمْ، فَطَلَبُوا الْأَمَانَ، فَآمَنَهُمْ وَتَسَلَّمَ حِصْنَهُمْ وَنَقَلَهُمْ مِنْهُ. ثُمَّ سَارَ الْجَرَّاحُ إِلَى بَلَنْجَرَ، وَهُوَ حِصْنٌ مَشْهُورٌ مِنْ حُصُونِهِمْ، فَنَازَلَهُ، وَكَانَ أَهْلُ الْحِصْنِ قَدْ جَمَعُوا ثَلَاثَمِائَةِ عَجَلَةٍ، فَشَدُّوا بَعْضَهَا إِلَى بَعْضٍ، وَجَعَلُوهَا بِحَوْلِ حِصْنِهِمْ لِيَحْتَمُوا بِهَا، وَتَمْنَعَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنَ الْوُصُولِ إِلَى الْحِصْنِ، وَكَانَتْ تِلْكَ الْعَجَلُ أَشَدُّ شَيْءٍ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي قِتَالِهِمْ. فَلَمَّا رَأَوُا الضَّرَرَ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْهَا انْتَدَبَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْهُمْ نَحْوَ ثَلَاثِينَ رَجُلًا، وَتَعَاهَدُوا عَلَى الْمَوْتِ، وَكَسَرُوا جُفُونَ سُيُوفِهِمْ، وَحَمَلُوا حَمْلَةَ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَتَقَدَّمُوا نَحْوَ الْعَجَلِ، وَجَدَّ الْكُفَّارُ فِي قِتَالِهِمْ، وَرَمَوْا مِنَ النُّشَّابِ مَا كَانَ يَحْجُبُ الشَّمْسَ، فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ أُولَئِكَ حَتَّى وَصَلُوا إِلَى الْعَجَلِ، وَتَعَلَّقُوا بِبَعْضِهَا، وَقَطَعُوا الْحَبْلَ الَّذِي يُمْسِكُهَا، وَجَذَبُوهَا فَانْحَدَرَتْ، وَتَبِعَهَا سَائِرُ الْعَجَلِ، لِأَنَّ بَعْضَهَا كَانَ مَشْدُودًا إِلَى بَعْضٍ، وَانْحَدَرَ الْجَمِيعُ إِلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَالْتَحَمَ الْقِتَالُ وَاشْتَدَّ، وَعَظُمَ الْأَمْرُ عَلَى الْجَمِيعِ حَتَّى بَلَغَتِ الْقُلُوبُ الْحَنَاجِرَ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْخَزَرَ انْهَزَمُوا وَاسْتَوْلَى الْمُسْلِمُونَ عَلَى الْحِصْنِ عَنْوَةً وَغَنِمُوا جَمِيعَ مَا فِيهِ فِي رَبِيعٍ الْأَوَّلِ، فَأَصَابَ الْفَارِسُ ثَلَاثَمِائَةِ دِينَارٍ، وَكَانُوا بِضْعَةً وَثَلَاثِينَ أَلْفًا. ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْجَرَّاحَ أَخَذَ أَوْلَادَ صَاحِبِ بَلَنْجَرَ وَأَهْلَهُ، وَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِ فَأَحْضَرَهُ، وَرَدَّ إِلَيْهِ أَمْوَالَهُ وَأَهْلَهُ وَحِصْنَهُ، وَجَعَلَهُ عَيْنًا لَهُمْ يُخْبِرُهُمْ بِمَا يَفْعَلُهُ الْكُفَّارُ. ثُمَّ سَارَ عَنْ بَلَنْجَرَ فَنَزَلَ عَلَى حِصْنِ الْوَبَنْدَرِ، وَبِهِ نَحْوُ أَرْبَعِينَ أَلْفَ بَيْتٍ مِنَ التُّرْكِ، فَصَالَحُوا الْجَرَّاحَ عَلَى مَالٍ يُؤَدُّونَهُ. ثُمَّ إِنْ أَهْلَ تِلْكَ الْبِلَادِ تَجَمَّعُوا وَأَخَذُوا الطُّرُقَ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَكَتَبَ صَاحِبُ بَلَنْجَرَ إِلَى الْجَرَّاحِ يُعْلِمُهُ بِذَلِكَ. فَعَادَ مُجِدًّا حَتَّى وَصَلَ إِلَى رُسْتَاقِ مَلَّى، وَأَدْرَكَهُمُ الشِّتَاءُ، فَأَقَامَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ بِهِ، وَكَتَبَ الْجَرَّاحُ إِلَى يَزِيدَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ يُخْبِرُهُ بِمَا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَبِمَا اجْتَمَعَ مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ وَيَسْأَلُهُ الْمَدَدَ. فَوَعَدَهُ إِنْفَاذَ الْعَسَاكِرِ إِلَيْهِ، فَأَدْرَكَهُ أَجْلُهُ قَبْلَ إِنْفَاذِ الْجَيْشِ، فَأَرْسَلَ هِشَامُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ إِلَى الْجَرَّاحِ، فَأَقَرَّهُ عَلَى عَمَلِهِ، وَوَعَدَهُ الْمَدَدَ.
Translation
✧ The governorship of al-Jarrāḥ over Armenia and the conquest of Balanjar and other places When the aforementioned defeat befell the Muslims, the Khazar coveted the lands, so they gathered and mustered. Yazīd b. ʿAbd al-Malik then appointed al-Jarrāḥ b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥakamī over Armenia, reinforced him with a dense army, and commanded him to raid the Khazar and other enemies and to aim for their country. Al-Jarrāḥ set out, and the Khazar got word, so they returned until they encamped at al-Bāb wa-l-Abwāb. Al-Jarrāḥ reached Bardhaʿa and stayed until he and those with him had rested. He then marched toward the Khazar and crossed the Kur River. He heard that some of the mountain people with him had written to the king of the Khazar informing him of al-Jarrāḥ's march against him. Thereupon al-Jarrāḥ ordered his crier to proclaim among the people: 'The emir is staying here for several days, so stock up on provisions.' That man wrote to the king of the Khazar informing him that al-Jarrāḥ was staying and advising him to refrain from moving lest the Muslims become emboldened against him. When night fell, al-Jarrāḥ ordered the departure, and he marched strenuously until he reached the city of al-Bāb wa-l-Abwāb. He did not see the Khazar, so he entered the town and dispatched his raiding parties to plunder and raid the surrounding areas. They took booty and returned the next day. The Khazar marched against him, led by the son of their king. They met at the River al-Rān and fought a fierce battle. Al-Jarrāḥ exhorted his companions, and the fighting intensified. They prevailed over the Khazar and routed them. The Muslims pursued them, killing and capturing. Many of them were killed, and the Muslims seized all that they had with them. They marched until they encamped at a fortress known as al-Ḥuṣayn. Its people sought a guarantee of safety in return for wealth they would carry away, and he granted them that and relocated them from it. Then he marched to a city called Yarghuwā and stayed there for six days, striving in fighting them. They sought a guarantee of safety, so he granted them safety, took over their fortress, and relocated them from it. Then al-Jarrāḥ marched to Balanjar, a famous fortress of theirs, and besieged it. The people of the fortress had gathered three hundred carts, tied some of them to others, and placed them around their fortress to protect themselves with them and prevent the Muslims from reaching the fortress. Those carts were the most difficult thing for the Muslims in their fighting. When they saw the harm they suffered from them, a group of about thirty men volunteered, pledged themselves to death, broke the scabbards of their swords, and charged as one man, advancing toward the carts. The infidels strove in fighting them and shot such a quantity of arrows that they blocked the sun. Those men did not turn back until they reached the carts, clung to some of them, cut the rope holding them, and pulled them so they slid down, followed by the rest of the carts because they were tied to one another. They all slid down toward the Muslims. The battle became joined and fierce, and the matter became grave for all until hearts reached throats. Then the Khazar were routed, and the Muslims seized the fortress by force and took all that was in it as booty in Rabīʿ al-Awwal. Each horseman received three hundred dinars, and they were thirty-something thousand. Then al-Jarrāḥ took the children and family of the lord of Balanjar, sent for him, had him brought, returned to him his wealth, family, and fortress, and made him an informant for them, telling them what the infidels did. Then he departed from Balanjar and encamped at the fortress of al-Wabandar, which contained about forty thousand households of Turks. They made peace with al-Jarrāḥ for wealth they would pay. Then the people of those lands gathered and seized the roads against the Muslims. The lord of Balanjar wrote to al-Jarrāḥ informing him of that. He returned in haste until he reached the rural district of Mallā, and winter overtook them. The Muslims stayed there. Al-Jarrāḥ wrote to Yazīd b. ʿAbd al-Malik informing him of what God had granted him and of the gathering of the infidels, and asking him for reinforcements. He promised to send armies to him, but his appointed time overtook him before the army was dispatched. Hishām b. ʿAbd al-Malik then sent to al-Jarrāḥ, confirmed him in his post, and promised him reinforcements.
Grades by grader
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