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38 A HISTORY OF SHARVAN AND DARBAND
on him with presents and offerings (al~hadaya wal-khidma) and accompanied
him on his campaign of 460/1068. The sharvanshah marched
against the people of Qum killing many of them, driving away their
herds and burning their villages in order to avenge his cousin Lashkarsitan
(§21).
When Alp-Arslan returned from his campaign in Rum1 the people
of al-Bab complained to him of the sharvanshah who had seized some of
their chiefs. The sultan ordered him to release them, which he did.
Then the sultan imprisoned him for some days. His cousin-in-law
(sihr) Qara-tegin fled from Yazidiya to Masqat and was killed there.
*GUZEGDAHAM2 b, Sallar, brother of the sharvanshah, also fled to the
Lakz country carrying away the money (tribute) which he (?) had promised.3
Then the sultan released the sharvanshah and sent him to his
country but imposed on him (aqta*a *alayhi) a great sum of money to
be paid yearly (B 729).
In Ramadan 46o/July 1068 Afridun, son of the sharvanshah Fariburz,
left the citadel of al-Bab for Sharvan.
§23. In 461/1068-9 the news reached the sharvanshah that his
brother Guzhdaham had left the Lakz for al-Bab and had taken asylum
with the "chiefs" (A 1056a). The sharvanshah called together his army
and in Muharram/November 1068 halted on the bank of the Rubas.
Thence he resumed the march with the intention of entering al-Bab.
The inhabitants and his brother Guzhdaham b. Sallar came out to meet
him and a battle was fought outside the town, at a place called Khurmastan.
It lasted from early morning till midday and the number of casualties
on both sides grew without either of the opponents being victorious.
So the sharvanshah returned to his camp (mu'askar) and the people of
al-Bab to their houses. The sharvanshah attacked for the second time
and was met by the people of al-Bab and the archers of Khaydaq and
al-Bab. When the battle grew hot the chief-of-chiefs of al-Bab Mufarrij
b. Muzaffar went over (inkarafa) to the sharvanshah and the people of
al-Bab were defeated and began to retreat. However, those of Khaydaq
and Tuwayq (*Tawiq) stood firm and, on seeing their fortitude, the fugi-
. tives returned to the fray and straight away (ra'sari) rekindled the fire
of the battle. The Sharvanians grew weak, their casualties increased
and finally they were defeated. Later Mufarrij captured the citadel
profiting by a moment when the inhabitants were off their guard. Guzhdaham
b. Sallar remained in possession of the town (balad}, while Mufarrij
1 Surely after the five months' campaign in Georgia in 460/1068, when the Sultan
was returning via Ganja and Barda'a, see Akhbar, p. 46.
8 On the name see Justi, Iranisches Namenbuch, p. 114, 371.
3 Perhaps the tribute which the sharvanshah owed to Alp-Arslan ?