Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3717
The year 315 AH
فِي سَنَةُ خَمْسٍ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ، فِي الْمُحَرَّمِ، فِيهَا قَدِمَ رَسُولُ مَلِكِ الرُّومِ فِي طَلَبِ الْمُفَادَاةِ وَالْهُدْنَةِ وَهُوَ شَابٌّ حَدَثُ السِّنِّ وَمَعَهُ شَيْخٌ مِنْهُمْ وَعِشْرُونَ غُلَامًا، فَلَمَّا وَرَدَ بَغْدَادَ شَاهَدَ أَمْرًا عَظِيمًا جِدًّا وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْخَلِيفَةَ الْمُقْتَدِرَ بِاللَّهِ أَمَرَ بِالِاحْتِفَالِ بِذَلِكَ لِيُشَاهَدَ مَا فِيهِ إِرْهَابُ الْأَعْدَاءِ، فَرَكِبَ الْجَيْشُ بِكَمَالِهِ يَوْمَئِذٍ، وَكَانَ مِائَةَ أَلْفٍ وَسِتِّينَ أَلْفًا مَا بَيْنَ فَارِسٍ وَرَاجِلٍ فِي الْأَسْلِحَةِ التَّامَّةِ، وَغِلْمَانُ الْخَلِيفَةِ سَبْعَةُ آلَافٍ، أَرْبَعَةُ آلَافٍ بِيضٌ وَثَلَاثَةُ آلَافٍ سُودٌ، وَهُمْ فِي غَايَةِ الْمَلَابِسِ وَالْعُدَدِ، وَالْحَجَبَةُ يَوْمَئِذٍ سَبْعُمِائَةِ حَاجِبٍ وَأَمَّا الطَّيَّارَاتُ الَّتِي بِدِجْلَةَ والزِّبَارِبُ وَالْسُّمَيْرِيَّاتُ فَشَيْءٌ كَثِيرٌ مُزَيَّنَةٌ، فَحِينَ دَخَلَ الرَّسُولُ دَارَ الْخِلَافَةِ شَاهَدَ أَمْرًا أَدْهَشَهُ وَرَأَى مِنَ الْحِشْمَةِ وَالزِّينَةِ وَالْحُرْمَةِ مَا يُبْهِرُ الْأَبْصَارَ وَحِينَ اجْتَازَ بِالْحَاجِبِ ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ الْخَلِيفَةُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ هَذَا الْحَاجِبُ الْكَبِيرُ، فَمَرَّ بِالْوَزِيرِ فِي أُبَّهَتِهِ فَظَنَّهُ الْخَلِيفَةُ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ هَذَا الْوَزِيرُ، وَقَدْ زُيِّنَتْ دَارُ الْخِلَافَةِ بِزِينَةٍ لَمْ يُسْمَعْ بِمِثْلِهَا، كَانَ فِيهَا مِنَ السُّتُورِ يَوْمَئِذٍ ثَمَانِيَةٌ وَثَلَاثُونَ أَلْفَ سِتْرٍ، مِنْهَا اثْنَا عَشَرَ أَلْفَ سِتْرٍ وَخَمْسُمِائَةِ مُذَهَّبَةٍ، وَقَدْ بُسِطَ فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ اثْنَانِ وَعِشْرُونَ أَلْفَ بِسَاطٍ، وَفِيهَا مِنَ الْوُحُوشِ قُطْعَانٌ مُتَآنِسَةٌ بِالنَّاسِ، بِحَيْثُ تَأْكُلُ مِنْ أَيْدِيهِمْ، وَمِائَةُ سَبُعٍ مَعَ السَّبَّاعَةِ ثُمَّ أُدْخِلَ إِلَى دَارِ الشَّجَرَةِ وَهِيَ عِبَارَةٌ عَنْ بِرْكَةٍ فِيهَا مَاءٌ صَافٍ، وَفِي وَسَطِ ذَلِكَ الْمَاءِ شَجَرَةٌ مَنْ ذَهَبَ وَفِضَّةٍ لَهَا ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ غُصْنًا أَكْثَرُهَا مِنْ ذَهَبٍ وَفِيَ الشَّمَارِيخِ وَالْأَوْرَاقِ الْمُلَوَّنَةِ عَلَيْهَا طُيُورٌ مَصْبُوغَةٌ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَاللَّآلِئِ، وَهِيَ تُصَوِّتُ بِأَنْوَاعِ الْأَصْوَاتِ مِنَ الْمَاءِ الْمُسَلَّطِ عَلَيْهَا، وَالشَّجَرَةُ بِكَمَالِهَا تَتَمَايَلُ كَمَا تَتَمَايَلُ الْأَشْجَارُ بِحَرَكَاتٍ عَجِيبَةٍ تُدْهِشُ مَنْ يَرَاهَا، ثُمَّ أُدْخِلَ إِلَى مَكَانٍ يُسَمُّونَهُ الْفِرْدَوْسَ، فِيهِ مِنْ أَنْوَاعِ الْمَفَارِشِ وَالْآلَاتِ مَا لَا يُحَدُّ وَلَا يُوصَفُ كَثْرَةً وَحُسْنًا وَفِي دَهَالِيزِهِ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ أَلْفَ جَوْشَنٍ مُذَهَّبَةٍ، فَمَا زَالَ كُلَّمَا مَرَّ عَلَى مَكَانٍ أَدْهَشَهُ وَأَخَذَ بِبَصَرِهِ حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى الْخَلِيفَةِ الْمُقْتَدِرِ بِاللَّهِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ عَلَى سَرِيرٍ مِنْ آبِنُوسَ قَدْ فُرِشَ بالدَّيْبَقِيِّ الْمُطَرَّزِ بِالذَّهَبِ وَعَنْ يَمِينِ السَّرِيرِ تِسْعَةُ عُقُودٍ مُعَلَّقَةٍ وَعَنْ يَسَارِهِ تِسْعَةٌ أُخْرَى مِنْ أَفْخَرِ الْجَوَاهِرِ يَعْلُو ضَوْؤُهَا عَلَى ضَوْءِ النَّهَارِ، فَأُوقِفَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِي مَعَهُ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الْخَلِيفَةِ عَلَى نَحْوٍ مَنْ مِائَةِ ذِرَاعٍ وَالْوَزِيرُ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْفُرَاتِ وَاقِفٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الْخَلِيفَةِ وَالتُّرْجُمَانُ دُونَ الْوَزِيرِ، فَجَعَلَ الْخَلِيفَةُ يُخَاطِبُ الْوَزِيرَ، وَالْوَزِيرُ يُخَاطِبُ التُّرْجُمَانَ وَالتُّرْجُمَانُ يُخَاطِبُهُمَا، ثُمَّ خَلَعَ عَلَيْهِمَا وَأَطْلَقَ لَهُمَا خَمْسِينَ سَقْرَقًا فِي كُلِّ سَقْرَقٍ خَمْسَةُ آلَافِ دِرْهَمٍ، وَأُخْرِجَا مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَطِيفَ بِهِمَا فِي بَقِيَّةِ دَارِ الْخِلَافَةِ وَعَلَى حَافَّاتِ دِجْلَةَ الْفِيَلَةُ وَالزَّرَافَاتُ وَالسِّبَاعُ وَالْفُهُودُ وَغَيْرُ ذَلِكَ، وَهَذَا مِنْ أَغْرَبِ مَا وَقَعَ مِنَ الْحَوَادِثِ فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ.
Translation
✧ In the year three hundred and fifteen, in al-Muḥarram, the envoy of the king of the Byzantines arrived seeking ransom and truce. He was a young man of tender age, accompanied by an elder of theirs and twenty servants. When he reached Baghdād, he witnessed a very great affair: the Caliph al-Muqtadir bi-Allāh ordered a magnificent display so that the enemy might behold that which would strike terror into them. On that day the army rode out in full force, numbering one hundred and sixty thousand between cavalry and infantry in complete armor. The Caliph's pages were seven thousand: four thousand white and three thousand black, in the utmost finery of dress and equipment. The chamberlains that day were seven hundred. As for the ṭayyārāt on the Tigris, the zabārib, and the sumayriyyāt, they were many and adorned. When the envoy entered the palace of the caliphate, he beheld a sight that astounded him, and he saw of dignity, adornment, and sanctity that which dazzles the eyes. When he passed by the chamberlain, he thought him to be the Caliph, but he was told, 'This is the chief chamberlain.' Then he passed by the vizier in his pomp and thought him the Caliph, but he was told, 'This is the vizier.' The palace of the caliphate had been adorned with a splendor the like of which had never been heard of. That day it contained thirty-eight thousand curtains, of which twelve thousand five hundred were gilded. In that year twenty-two thousand carpets were spread. It contained herds of wild beasts that were tame with people, eating from their hands, and one hundred lions with their keepers. Then he was admitted to the House of the Tree, which is a pool of clear water, in the midst of which stands a tree of gold and silver with eighteen branches, most of them of gold. On the stalks and colored leaves are birds fashioned of gold, silver, and pearls, which give forth all manner of sounds from water directed upon them. The whole tree sways as trees sway, with wondrous motions that astound whoever beholds it. Then he was admitted to a place they call al-Firdaws, containing such variety of furnishings and instruments as cannot be counted or described for abundance and beauty. In its corridors were eighteen thousand gilded coats of mail. He kept passing by one place after another, each astounding him and captivating his gaze, until he reached the Caliph al-Muqtadir bi-Allāh, who was seated upon a throne of ebony spread with gold-embroidered dibayqī. To the right of the throne hung nine necklaces, and to its left nine others, of the finest jewels, their radiance surpassing the light of day. The envoy and his companion were made to stand before the Caliph at a distance of about one hundred cubits, while the vizier ʿAlī b. Muḥammad b. al-Furāt stood before the Caliph and the interpreter below the vizier. The Caliph addressed the vizier, the vizier addressed the interpreter, and the interpreter addressed the two of them. Then he bestowed robes of honor upon them and granted them fifty purses, in each purse five thousand dirhams. They were brought out from his presence and paraded through the rest of the palace of the caliphate. Along the banks of the Tigris were elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, and other such creatures. This is among the strangest events that occurred in this year.
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