Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3652
The emirate of the Banu Hamdan in Mosul and what they did to the Kurds
إِمَارَةِ بَنِي حَمْدَانَ بِالْمَوْصِلِ وَمَا فَعَلُوهُ بِالْأَكْرَادِ فِي سَنَةُ ثَلَاثٍ وَتِسْعِينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ وَلَّى الْمُكْتَفِي بِاللَّهِ الْمَوْصِلَ وَأَعْمَالَهَا أَبَا الْهَيْجَاءِ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ حَمْدَانَ بْنِ حَمْدُونَ التَّغْلِبِيَّ الْعَدَوِيَّ، فَسَارَ إِلَيْهَا، فَقَدِمَهَا أَوَّلَ الْمُحَرَّمِ، فَأَقَامَ بِهَا يَوْمَهُ، وَخَرَجَ مِنَ الْغَدِ ( لِعَرْضِ الرِّجَالِ ) الَّذِينَ قَدِمُوا مَعَهُ، وَالَّذِينَ بِالْمَوْصِلِ، فَأَتَاهُ الصَّرِيخُ مِنْ نِينَوَى بِأَنَّ الْأَكْرَادَ الْهَذْبَانِيَّةَ، وَمُقَدَّمَهُمْ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ بِلَالٍ، قَدْ أَغَارُوا عَلَى الْبَلَدِ، وَغَنِمُوا كَثِيرًا مِنْهُ، فَسَارَ مِنْ وَقْتِهِ وَعَبَرَ الْجِسْرَ إِلَى الْجَانِبِ الشَّرْقِيِّ، فَلَحِقَ الْأَكْرَادُ بِالْمَعْرُوبَةِ عَلَى الْخَازِرِ، فَقَاتَلُوهُ، فَقُتِلَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ اسْمُهُ سِيمَا الْحَمْدَانِيُّ، فَعَادَ عَنْهُمْ، وَكَتَبَ إِلَى الْخَلِيفَةِ يَسْتَدْعِي النَّجْدَةَ، فَأَتَتْهُ النَّجْدَةُ بَعْدَ شُهُورٍ كَثِيرَةٍ، وَقَدِ انْقَضَتْ سَنَةُ ثَلَاثٍ وَتِسْعِينَ وَدَخَلَتْ سَنَةُ أَرْبَعٍ وَتِسْعِينَ. فَفِي رَبِيعٍ الْأَوَّلِ مِنْهَا سَارَ فِيمَنْ مَعَهُ إِلَى الْهَذْبَانِيَّةِ، وَكَانُوا قَدِ اجْتَمَعُوا فِي خَمْسَةِ آلَافِ بَيْتٍ، فَلَمَّا رَأَوْا جِدَّهُ ( فِي طَلَبِهِمْ ) سَارُوا إِلَى الْبَابَةِ الَّتِي فِي جَبَلِ السَّلَقِ، وَهُوَ مَضِيقٌ فِي جَبَلٍ عَالٍ مُشْرِفٍ عَلَى شَهْرَزُورَ، فَامْتَنَعُوا [ بِهَا ] وَأَغَارَ مُقَدَّمُهُمْ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بِلَالٍ، وَقَرُبَ مِنِ ابْنِ حَمْدَانَ، وَرَاسَلَهُ فِي أَنْ يُطِيعَهُ وَيَحْضُرَ هُوَ وَأَوْلَادُهُ، وَيَجْعَلَهُمْ عِنْدَهُ يَكُونُونَ رَهِينَةً، وَيَتْرُكُونَ الْفَسَادَ، فَقَبِلَ ابْنُ حَمْدَانَ ذَلِكَ، فَرَجَعَ مُحَمَّدٌ لِيَأْتِيَ بِمَنْ ذَكَرَ، فَحَثَّ أَصْحَابَهُ عَلَى الْمَسِيرِ نَحْوَ أَذْرَبِيجَانَ، وَإِنَّمَا أَرَادَ فِي الَّذِي فَعَلَهُ مَعَ ابْنِ حَمْدَانَ أَنْ يَتْرُكَ الْجِدَّ فِي الطَّلَبِ لِيَأْخُذَ ( أَصْحَابُهُ أُهْبَتَهُمْ وَيَسِيرُوا آمِنِينَ. فَلَمَّا تَأَخَّرَ عَوْدُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ حَمْدَانَ عَلِمَ مُرَادَهُ، فَجَرَّدَ مَعَهُ جَمَاعَةً مِنْ جُمْلَتِهِمْ ) إِخْوَتُهُ سُلَيْمَانُ، وَدَاوُدُ، وَسَعِيدٌ وَغَيْرُهُمْ مِمَّنْ يَثِقُ بِهِ وَبِشَجَاعَتِهِ، وَأَمَرَ النَّجْدَةَ الَّتِي جَاءَتْهُ مِنَ الْخَلِيفَةِ أَنْ يَسِيرُوا مَعَهُ، فَتَثَبَّطُوا، فَتَرَكَهُمْ وَسَارَ يَقْفُو أَثَرَهُمْ، فَلَحِقَهُمْ وَقَدْ تَعَلَّقُوا بِالْجَبَلِ الْمَعْرُوفِ بِالْقِنْدِيلِ، فَقَتَلَ مِنْهُمْ جَمَاعَةً، ( وَصَعِدُوا ذُرْوَةَ ) الْجَبَلِ، وَانْصَرَفَ ابْنُ حَمْدَانَ عَنْهُمْ. وَلَحِقَ الْأَكْرَادُ بِأَذْرَبِيجَانَ، وَأَنْهَى ابْنُ حَمْدَانَ مَا كَانَ مِنْ حَالِهِمْ إِلَى الْخَلِيفَةِ وَالْوَزِيرِ فَأَنْجَدُوهُ بِجَمَاعَةٍ صَالِحَةٍ وَعَادَ إِلَى الْمَوْصِلِ فَجَمَعَ رِجَالَهُ وَسَارَ إِلَى جَبَلِ السَّلَقِ، وَفِيهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بِلَالٍ وَمَعَهُ الْأَكْرَادُ، فَدَخَلَهُ ابْنُ حَمْدَانَ، وَالْجَوَاسِيسُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، خَوْفًا مِنْ كَمِينٍ يَكُونُ فِيهِ، وَتَقَدَّمَ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْ أَصْحَابِهِ، وَهُمْ يَتْبَعُونَهُ، فَلَمْ يَتَخَلَّفْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدٌ، وَجَاوَزُوا الْجَبَلَ، وَقَارَبُوا الْأَكْرَادَ، وَسَقَطَ عَلَيْهِمُ الثَّلْجُ، وَاشْتَدَّ الْبَرْدُ، وَقَلَّتِ الْمِيرَةُ وَالْعَلَفُ عِنْدَهُمْ، وَأَقَامَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ عَشَرَةَ أَيَّامٍ، وَبَلَغَ الْحِمْلُ [ مِنَ ] التِّبْنِ ثَلَاثِينَ دِرْهَمًا، ثُمَّ عُدِمَ عِنْدَهُمْ وَهُوَ صَابِرٌ. فَلَمَّا رَأَى الْأَكْرَادُ صَبْرَهُمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا حِيلَةَ لَهُمْ فِي دَفْعِهِمْ لَجَأَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بِلَالٍ وَأَوْلَادُهُ وَمَنْ لَحِقَ بِهِ، وَاسْتَوْلَى ابْنُ حَمْدَانَ عَلَى بُيُوتِهِمْ، وَسَوَادِهِمْ، وَأَهْلِهِمْ، وَأَمْوَالِهِمْ، وَطَلَبُوا الْأَمَانَ فَأَمَّنَهُمْ، وَأَبْقَى عَلَيْهِمْ، وَرَدَّهُمْ إِلَى بَلَدِ حَزَّةَ، وَرَدَّ عَلَيْهِمْ أَمْوَالَهُمْ وَأَهْلِيهِمْ، وَلَمْ يَقْتُلْ مِنْهُمْ غَيْرَ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي قَتَلَ صَاحِبَهُ سِيمَا الْحَمْدَانِيَّ، وَأَمِنَتِ الْبِلَادُ مَعَهُ، وَأَحْسَنَ السِّيرَةَ فِي أَهْلِهَا. ثُمَّ إِنَّ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ بِلَالٍ طَلَبَ الْأَمَانَ مِنِ ابْنِ حَمْدَانَ فَأَمَّنَهُ، وَحَضَرَ عِنْدَهُ، وَأَقَامَ بِالْمَوْصِلِ، وَتَتَابَعَ الْأَكْرَادُ الْحَمِيدِيَّةُ، وَأَهْلُ جَبَلِ دَاسِنَ إِلَيْهِ بِالْأَمَانِ، فَأَمِنَتِ الْبِلَادُ وَاسْتَقَامَتْ.
Translation
✧ The Emirate of the Banū Ḥamdān in Mosul and What They Did to the Kurds In the year two hundred and ninety-three, al-Muktafī bi-llāh appointed Abū al-Hayjāʾ ʿAbd Allāh b. Ḥamdān b. Ḥamdūn al-Taghlibī al-ʿAdawī over Mosul and its districts. He set out for it and arrived at the beginning of al-Muḥarram. He stayed there that day, and the next day he went out to review the men who had come with him and those in Mosul. A cry for help came to him from Nineveh that the Hadhbāniyya Kurds, led by Muḥammad b. Bilāl, had raided the town and taken much booty from it. He set out immediately, crossed the bridge to the eastern side, and caught up with the Kurds at al-Maʿrūba on the Khāzir. They fought him, and a man of his companions named Sīmā al-Ḥamdānī was killed. He turned back from them and wrote to the caliph requesting reinforcements. The reinforcements came after many months, by which time the year two hundred and ninety-three had ended and the year two hundred and ninety-four had begun. In Rabīʿ al-Awwal of that year, he set out with those with him against the Hadhbāniyya. They had gathered in five thousand tents. When they saw his determination in pursuing them, they went to the mountain pass in Jabal al-Salaq, which is a narrow defile in a high mountain overlooking Shahrazūr, and fortified themselves there. Their leader Muḥammad b. Bilāl raided and then came near Ibn Ḥamdān, proposing to submit to him and to come himself with his sons and place them with him as hostages, and that they would cease their mischief. Ibn Ḥamdān accepted that. Muḥammad went back to bring those he had mentioned, but he urged his companions to move toward Azerbaijan. By what he did with Ibn Ḥamdān, he only intended that he would relax his pursuit so that his companions could take their gear and travel safely. When Muḥammad's return to Ibn Ḥamdān was delayed, Ibn Ḥamdān understood his intention. He dispatched with him a group, including his brothers Sulaymān, Dāwūd, and Saʿīd, and others whom he trusted for their courage. He ordered the reinforcements that had come to him from the caliph to march with him, but they tarried. He left them and set out following their tracks. He caught up with them after they had climbed the mountain known as al-Qindīl. He killed a number of them; they climbed to the summit of the mountain, and Ibn Ḥamdān turned away from them. The Kurds reached Azerbaijan. Ibn Ḥamdān reported their situation to the caliph and the vizier, who reinforced him with a good number of troops. He returned to Mosul, gathered his men, and marched to Jabal al-Salaq, where Muḥammad b. Bilāl was with the Kurds. Ibn Ḥamdān entered it, with scouts before him, fearing an ambush. He advanced ahead of his companions, and they followed him, none of them lagging behind. They crossed the mountain and drew near the Kurds. Snow fell upon them, the cold intensified, and their provisions and fodder ran low. He remained in that state for ten days, and the price of a load of straw reached thirty dirhams; then it was entirely unavailable, yet he remained patient. When the Kurds saw their endurance and that they had no means to repel them, Muḥammad b. Bilāl and his sons and those who joined him sought refuge, and Ibn Ḥamdān seized their tents, their herds, their families, and their property. They sought safe-conduct, and he granted it to them, sparing them, returning them to the land of Ḥazza, and restoring their property and families. He killed only one man among them, the one who had killed his companion Sīmā al-Ḥamdānī. The lands became secure under him, and he conducted himself well toward their people. Then Muḥammad b. Bilāl sought safe-conduct from Ibn Ḥamdān, who granted it to him. He came to him and resided in Mosul. The Ḥamīdiyya Kurds and the people of Jabal Dāsin successively came to him seeking safe-conduct, and the lands became secure and stable.
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