Muslim Victories in Khazar, Armenia, and Campaigns Against Byzantine Romans

Cities of Khazar and Armenia

Hisham bin Abdul Malik appointed Jarrah bin Abdullah Hakami the governor of Armenia. In 111 A.H. Jarrah, making jihad from the side of Taflees entered Turkistan and after capturing the famous city of Baiza, he returned. In 112 A.H., the Turks arrayed their joint armies and attacked the Islamic territory. Jarrah came out to face them. Both fought at the plain of Ardabil (town in northwestern Iran, 38 miles from the Caspian Sea). The Muslims were outnumbered and Jarrah met his martyrdom fighting but not before making his brother Hajjaj bin Abdullah Hakami his deputy. Jarrah's death encouraged the Turkmen and the Turks in their intoxication of victory advanced near to Mosil.

When the news reached the capital of Damascus, Hisham bin Abdul Malik called Sayeed Huraishi and said to him, "Jarrah fled after being defeated." Sayeed said, "Jarrah feared Allah more than running away after defeat. He could not tolerate the shame of defeat at the hands of the Turks plus flight. I think he met his martyrdom." Hisham said, "What should be done now?" Sayeed said, "Please send me there with only forty men and keep sending forty men daily, also send orders to all the governors and administrators to extend reinforcements to me if need be."

Hisham liked the idea and Sayeed set out with forty men. They met Jarrah's defeated comrades on the way. Sayeed took them with him and wherever he passed by tribes of Muslims, he induced them to join the jihad. In this way, people continued to join him everywhere. At Khalat, he fought the Turks. After a fierce battle, the Turks suffered a defeat and the Muslims captured a large amount of spoils of war. Then Sayeed encamped at Barzgha. The Turks had besieged Warsan. Sayeed informed the people of Warsan of the arrival of the Islamic forces and threatened the Turks to either lift the siege or face them.

The Turks were terrified and they raised the siege and left. Sayeed entered Warsan and then continued to advance up to Ardabil and encamped there. He was informed that an army of ten thousand Turks was encamping at a distance of eight miles from there and they had five thousand Muslim captives with them. Sayeed attacked at night, killed all ten thousand Turks and freed the Muslim captives. He set out for Bajarwan while a spy informed him that another army of Turks was encamping near by. Sayeed led a night attack there also and freed all the Muslim captives after killing all the Turks. Jarrah's sons and other members of his family were among the captives, the Turks then rallied again and prepared a large army and fought with the Muslims at Zarand. The Turks had to retreat after a fierce battle. Trying to recover some of their losses, they again prepared for a confrontation and retaliation and assembled along the side of Began River. Sayeed arrived and started the fight. Many Turks were killed and of those who escaped most were drowned in the river.

Following the victory Huraishi returned to Bajarwan and encamped there and sent the good news of his victories to Caliph Hisham with the fifth part of the spoils of war. Hisham then recalled Huraishi to Damascus and sent his own brother Maslama bin Abdul Malik with the documents of governorship to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Turks again rallied after Sayeed's departure. They prepared a huge army with a vast amount of weapons and provisions. Maslama was a veteran commander and a brave person. It was not out of cowardice but out of shortage of men and a good estimation of the enemies strength that he moved the Muslims' weapons, provisions, women and children to Derbent (city in Dagestan republic in southwestern Russia) to avoid the risk of them being captured by the Turks. During his one and a half or two-year rule, he treated the Turks in Armenia kindly, which helped to discourage them from revolting against the Muslims. Following Maslama's arrival at Derbent, Marwan bin Mohammad bin Marwan who was in Maslama's army, left and went to Damascus. He complained to Hisham about Maslama stating that he dealt with the Turks in Armenia and Azerbaijan with great leniency, which encouraged them to revolt and when he was expected to fight them, he retreated and returned to Derbent. He claimed that if the caliph provided him with 120,000 warriors and sent him there, he would straighten out the problem with the Turks completely.

Hisham bin Abdul Malik agreed to his request and gave him the number of warriors he asked for and sent him to the cities of Khadar and Armenia. Meanwhile Maslama became sick and died in Derbent. When the Turks saw such a huge army with Marwan, they lost their nerve and surrendered. Marwan as he had said, completely corrected the situation and restored peace in the entire region of Armenia and Khadar. Hisham sent Marwan to Armenia in 114 A.H.

Caesar of Rome

During Hisham bin Abdul Malik's regime, the Muslims defeated Caesar's army repeatedly. Summer and winter armies had been reserved in the north for launching attacks since Amir Muawiya's times. Those summer and winter armies continued to invade Constantinople and Caesar's territories and because of this constant onslaught, the Romans were overawed by the Muslims. In Hisham's time princes like Muawiya bin Hisham, Sayeed bin Hisham, Sulaiman bin Hisham, Maslama bin Abdul Malik, Marwan bin Mohammad, Abbas bin Waleed all led attacks on them. Famous commanders like Abdullah Battal and Abdul Wahab bin Bakht were known to the Romans and feared by them. The Romans suffered great losses at the hands of the Muslims and failed to achieve any major victory against them.

Abdullah bin Oqba's feats in Spain were sufficient to keep the European Christians and the Christian kings fearful at the mention of the name of the Muslims. Peace was also restored in the Hijaz and Yemen.