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32 A HISTORY OF SHARVAN AND DARBAND<br />

disembark (akhraj a-hum). He gave them much money and took them<br />

to Baylaqan, whose <strong>in</strong>habitants had revolted aga<strong>in</strong>st him (A 1054a).<br />

With the help of the Rus he captured Baylaqan and seized and killed<br />

his brother 'Askariya. Then the Rus quitted Arran for Rum and thence<br />

proceeded to their own country.<br />

In 423/1032 the people of the Sarir and the Alans (cf. §38) made an<br />

agreement, raided Sharvan and took Yazidiya by force. There and <strong>in</strong><br />

other parts of Sharvan they killed over 10,000 people and stayed ten<br />

days digg<strong>in</strong>g the earth and extract<strong>in</strong>g from it the money and goods<br />

which the <strong>in</strong>habitants had hidden <strong>in</strong> it. When their hands were full<br />

of Muslim booty, they went back to their country, but on their reach<strong>in</strong>g<br />

the Wooden Gate (Bab al-*khashaby- the people of the March of al-Bab<br />

attacked them, barred the roads and the defiles to them, and killed a<br />

great many of them—(a slaughter) the like of which has not been recorded.<br />

They took from them all the Muslim property, animate and <strong>in</strong>animate,<br />

which they had carried off from Sharvan. Only a small party, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g<br />

the lord of the Alans, escaped with their lives. Aga<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> 424/1033 the<br />

lord of the Alans came to take his revenge on al-Bab but this time too,<br />

with God's help, he was defeated.<br />

In 425/1034 the sharvanshah M<strong>in</strong>uchihr was treacherously murdered<br />

<strong>in</strong> his house after a reign of seven years. The murderer was his brother<br />

Abu-Mansur b. Yazid, The reason for the murder was that Abu-Mansur<br />

was afraid of the sharvanshah and was hid<strong>in</strong>g from him. Then one<br />

night he entered Yazidiya, when the <strong>in</strong>habitants were off their guard,<br />

and sent (a message) to his brother's wife, Sitt,2 daughter of Fadl, by<br />

name. She had an <strong>in</strong>cl<strong>in</strong>ation for Abu-Mansur and he let her know of<br />

his position and his arrival at the house of one of her ghulams, as she had<br />

directed him. On be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>formed the woman sent him one of her entourage<br />

with a kitchen-box. She made him sit <strong>in</strong> the box and he was brought<br />

<strong>in</strong>to Yazidiya. When he came to her house, she sent for her husband<br />

M<strong>in</strong>uchihr <strong>in</strong>vit<strong>in</strong>g him to come and showed him a letter from her brother<br />

Musa b. Fadl, lord of Arran. M<strong>in</strong>uchihr was engaged <strong>in</strong> read<strong>in</strong>g the<br />

letter, and as he looked at it and was expla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g it to her, suddenly from<br />

the farther end of the house there emerged Abu-Mansur with a naked<br />

sword (<strong>in</strong> his hand), M<strong>in</strong>uchihr asked: "Who has let thee <strong>in</strong>to my<br />

house?", but he did not f<strong>in</strong>ish his speech when Abu-Mansur smote him<br />

on the back of his head with his sword, and he was about to repeat the<br />

blow when his sword slipped from his hand, because of the fear which had<br />

seized his heart. Then the accursed wife gave orders to her handmaidens<br />

to complete the murder. Then they (?) had M<strong>in</strong>uchihr wrapped up <strong>in</strong><br />

1 But A has: Bab-fy,sh.b (without al-) suggest<strong>in</strong>g perhaps some personal name.<br />

2 Apparently her personal name.

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