The Turco-Mongol Invasions and the Lords of Armenia in the 13 ...

sedentary Christian population, especially the Armenians,
who had distinguished themselves as Mongol supporters .
Het'um pp. 56-59$ Abu'1-Fida (Nalb. p. 238); BH p.
454 describes the capture and robbery o.f a caravan of
Christian merchants from Cilicia and Rum in 1276; "And
at [this] time (1276) the captain of the host of the
fortress of Zaid (Xarberd) whose name was Biahar, a
wicked man and a shedder of blood, an old man, one hundred
years old, made up his mind to flee to the Egyptians.
For he had in his heart a hatred of Mar Barkis the bishop
of the Armenians in the city of Arzengan, who was a great
man and who was honored by the king of the Huns (Mongols).
He determined to kill him and then to go away. And,
taking certain of his free men with him, he went to the
country of Arzengan. He heard that the saint was in one
of his monasteries preparing for Palm Sunday, and he lay
in wait for him on the road. And when the holy man rose
up on the second day [of the week] of the Sabbath of the
Passion to go into the city, his son who was great and
famous, was also with him. And he said unto the holy
man, his father, 'Do thou go into the city, and I want to
go and occupy myself in such and such a village, where
they want to consecrate the church which they have built'.
And his father gave him permission to go, and he was not
to stay too long. And when they had separated from each
other, three Turkish horsemen came and met the holy man,
and they dismounted and went to kiss his hand. And they
said unto him, 'An ambassador hath come and he asketh
for thee and thy son also to read the yarlikh (!.£.,
a Mongol patent or administrative order) which Eenath
with him1. And the holy man said, 'My son hath gone to
such and such a village, but behold I will come'. And
when they had journeyed on a little farther, there fell
upon them about two hundred Turkish horsemen, and they
killed the holy man and the thirty souls, elders, monks,
and other slaves, who were with him. And they cut off
his head, and they took it and went and seized that village
and they surrounded the church (wherein was the son of
the holy man) very carefully. And when they entered the
church they could not find him because there was a heap
[of grain] there, and he had hidden himself inside it.
And when they wanted to depart, one of those accursed
infidels said, 'Let us set fire to this heap first, and
then .we will go forth'. And having set fire to it the
young man came forth only half alive. And the Turks said
unto him, 'Where is your father?' And he replied, 'He
has gone into the city'. Then they cast down before him
his [father's] head. And when he saw [it] he shrieked
and fell down on the head of his father. And then and
there, as he fell down, they hacked him limb from limb.
And after these things that wicked old man Bishar took his
134