The Alexandrian Chronicles--a Fatimid AAR

[CirdanDharix]

In the name of God, the Merciful, this tale of years was written by Abu Saliha, the Andalusian, in the city of Al-Iskandariyah, to record the deeds of men, both great and foul, so that, God willing, they shall remain forever in writing. This record begins in the month of Sha’ban, in the 464th year since the Hijra of the Prophet Muhammad (may God’s peace be upon him), this being the 37th year of the Imamate of Al-Mustansir of the House of Fatima; it tells the events which occurred throughout the world, in the lands of Islam, but especially in Egypt, and the history of the House of Fatima. All that is contained within, I either witnessed myself, having travelled from Gebel Tariq to the Sea of the Khazars, or heard recounted by trustworthy men.

Before I begin the tale itself, however, it is necessary that even the sons of the sons of our sons know of the misfortunes that befell Egypt and the House of Fatima, so that they understand the state of the country in the first years of my tale. The first tribulations occurred when the one who called himself the Ruler by the Grace of God, Al-Hakim bi Amr Allah, became Khalifa of the Shi’ia while he was still a child. Al-Hakim, may God forgive him, had his tutor put to death and ruled over men as a child ruling over his toys. He persecuted the Nazarenes and the Jews, and even to the Muslims who did not share his persuasions he was cruel. He had many of his guests jump into a pool of water in which he had concealed a sharpened stake, so that they impaled themselves. He forbade women to leave their homes, and once, the great city of Furat having risen against him, he caused this city, the chief city of Egypt, to be burned and many of the inhabitants killed. His greatest sin was to allow a sect, the Druze, to regard him as a prophet. It is also said that he lived chiefly at night. Under his reign, many revolts broke out and the lands towards the setting of the sun were lost to the House of Fatima. Yet, with the aid of Turkish warriors bought with the wealth of Egypt, he also knew victories against the Buyids, and others to whom the Sunni Khalifa had given power.

One day that al-Hakim was wandering the lands alone on a donkey, he was killed by unknown hands. Then his son, al-Zahir being young also, took power away from his aunt and ruled himself. However, he came to rely on his ministers, so that when his vizier was good he reigned well, but let an evil vizier get away with great crimes. Yet in chief his viziers were good; so that the worst excesses of al-Hakim came undone and trade flourished, bringing great wealth to the House of Fatima. The Druze were punished for their heresies and driven into the mountains of Lebnen. However, God visited a plague upon the land and al-Zahir died, having ruled but few years. His son, al-Mustansir, was only a child of six at the time, so that power was held by his mother and his father’s viziers. It was during his reign that the House of Ziri, to whom the Fatimids had entrusted their city of Mahdiya and Ifriqaya, from which they had risen themselves, declared their allegiance to the Abbasid Khalifa, and slaughtered thousands of the Shi’ia who revolted. But in the year 436 after the Hijra, the viziers of al-Mustansir sent against the Zirids the Beni Hilal and other Bedouins. Some of the Zirid soldiers betrayed them and the Bedouins were victorious, after which they ravaged Ifriqaya by the sword, plundered the cities and took Mahdiyah. The Zirids fled to the coast where they held Tunis, and to Kairwouan which they still held; and the House of Hammad, whoa re brothers to the House of Ziri, ruled in Kabylia still, and provided them with aid. However, the Beni Hilal settled themselves down and waged war against thethem. Thus the power of the Zirids was ruined, yet the lands were not regained for the House of Fatima.

The trials of al-Mustansir were only begun. After this, the Abbasids invited Togrul Bey and the Seljuk Turks to make war upon the House of Fatima. The Seljuks captured Baghdad, where they brought back the Khalifa. Then they made themselves rulers over the Khalifa, and attacked the Fatimids in Syria and in Palestine. To fight them, al-Mustansir and his ministers used their vast wealth to hire many Turks. However, the many nations of the army warred against each other, instead of against the enemy, and the pay of the Turks ruined the State, al-Mustansir being forced to sell many jewels and works of art. At length, the Sudanese were defeated and driven from the country, while the Berbers descended upon the land which they devastated, destroying the crops and the works which brought water from the great river of Egypt to the fields. As a result the people starved, although the king of the Rumi sent grain to the government of al-Mustansir. Meanwhile the Turks were masters of the ruler and his court, but fell to quarrelling among themselves, until again there was war in Egypt. In fighting among themselves the Turks first burned Furat, then the faction of them that was the weaker fled to al-Qahira, the citadel of the Fatimids, and the opposing party attacked them there. Being again victorious, they caused much damage to the city and their ruler, who bore the title of Nasir-ud-Dawlah, governed in the name of al-Mustansir, though really he paid no respect to the Khalifa of the House of Fatima. Even his own troops found his rule harsh and oppressive. Turks and Berbers plundered the land, while the Seljuks seized almost the whole of the Levant.


Thus my tale can properly begin. In this 464th year since the Hijra, Nasir-ud-Dawlah was the most powerful man in Egypt, being Grand Vizier and Amir-ul-Umara and other titles besides. He emptied the treasury into his own purse, though he also strove to put an end to private plunder by the soldiers. Al-Mustansir, seeing that he would be made a beggar by his own army, finally attempted to react. Through a trusted nurse he sent word to the Judge of Judges, the Qadi al-Qodat, of Egypt, who although himself a Sunni, did not caution the rule of the Turks, hoping to make an alliance against Nasir-ud-Dawlah. The Judge encouraged the farmers of Lower Egypt to form militias. However, the following year, H.465, Nasir-ud-Dawlah was murdered by his own men, and it seemed the Turks would fall to fighting among themselves again. To prevent this, al-Mustansir gave every mark of honour to Mahmud, known as al-Hakim, a young Turkish warrior of promise, who he named Amir-ul-Umara. He also persuaded Mahmud al-Hakim to send him to al-Iskandariyah, where he was relatively safe from the intrigues of al-Qahira.
Despite this, though the army was increasingly divided and factious. Hearing this, Bedouin leaders in Syria and al-Jawf formed an alliance amongst themselves and rebelled, hoping to seize Dimashq for themselves. The city’s governor made an expedition against them but was defeated and slain, and in the month of Rabi al-Akhir, H.467, the rebels laid siege to Dimashq. However, Salim ibn Abdullah, who was then the most respected alem and prayer leader in Dimashq, went to Mahmud al-Hakim and persuaded him to march to the city’s rescue. The young Amir-ul-Umara set off to assemble the best of the Turkish mercenaries and Ghilman he could find. Unfortunately, he was delayed by fighting with a rival and the difficulty in assembling gold, for the treasury had been left empty by his predecessor, so that it was almost a year before he could relieve the city. Fortunately, the Bedouin know nothing of siegecraft, so that the city still held and he surprised their camp with his cavalry, defeating them soundly and raising the siege.

[Athenogoras]

This is very interesting. I think there is a chance i might actually learn someting here. Go Fatimid!

[jermagon]

wow amazing AAR and very detailed it's like a historical chronicles +rep only if you upload pictures

[DaVinci]

Yeah, cool story!

Edit: Added to the sticky list.

[CirdanDharix]

Thanks all for your comments. Here's the next installment; I've made a couple of screenshots, will upload them after editing them.





At the same time as al-Hakim crushed the Bedouin revolt, in Egypt al-Mustansir moved to undermine the power of the Turks and Berbers. At the suggestion of Muzzafar ad-Din, the Qadi al-Qodat, he gave arms to the Egyptian people to put an end to the depredations of the soldiery, and surrounded himself with a bodyguard of Saqalibah Ghilmen; men with yellow hair and blue eyes, whom the Jews buy as children North of the Derbent Pass and bring to Egypt, and who are not friends of the Turks. Also, al-Mustansir sent a mission to the land of the Rumi and to the rulers of the Armenians, to open new trade-roads with them, and also he supported merchants and had new works of irrigation dug, and generally did all in his power so that the coffers of the State began to be filled anew with silver, and the granaries with corn. Finally, he brought into Egypt Nubian soldiers, mainly from the Zanj coast South of the Bab-el-Mandeb, and named these the guard of the Khalifa. Appointing as their commander Abu Badis Adil, an honest and pious Muslim of the Shi’i persuasion from the Hijaz, Al-Mustansir sent his Nubian Guard to Furat, making Abu Badis governor of the city, so that they could keep watch over the Turks who still controlled al-Qahira. In all these affairs Muzaffar ad-Din was the chief advisor of al-Mustansir, although the Judge refused the position of Grand Vizier when it was offered to him; nevertheless he supported the ruler’s action with a fatwa, declaring it illegal for Muslims to plunder Muslims or any of the Peoples of the Book in Egypt.

At the same time, the Seljuks determined to seize the last of the Fatimid possessions in Syria. In the year H.468 they devastated the Hawran and destroyed the crops, so that famine ensued in Dimashq. In Muharram of H.469 the Seljuks took the city of Homs, leaving the jewel of Syria open to invasion from all sides. These threats held all of the attention of Mahmud al-Hakim, who drew also many Turks out of Egypt to fight the Seljuks. But then, he learned that Dalokay, the Seljuk commander in Syria, had carelessly encamped his troops in the Bekaa Valley, just over the mountains from Dimashq, and that the Turkmen were drunk and did not expect an attack. Instantly gathering the best horses and riders of his army, al-Hakim left the city in the afternoon and marched through the night to surprise the enemy with sunrise. He found his foes asleep, scattered and confused, and wreaked great slaughter upon them near a place called Ain Zahra, in the Bekaa Valley. This occurred on the 13th day of Safar in the 469th year after the Hijra, and the battle was so swift that afterwards Mahmud al-Hakim joined the Khutba in the Umayyad Mosque of Dimashq. I will not tell of the numbers I heard spoken for his forces and those of Dalokay, for fear that the reader should think me a liar or a madman, so few were the Fatimids, and so many were the Seljuks.



However, the Bedouins East of the Urdun and masses of free Turkmen tribes assembled in a great army, and rumours abounded that they would march against Dimashq. To ascertain their strength, al-Hakim rode out with a handful of horsemen, until he found himself facing a huge army, barring the entire horizon.

Seeing that a party of the enemy horse was ahead of their ain force, the Amir-ul-Umara fell in with it and killed many. Then he charged the Bedouin foot warriors that ran up to support their horsemen and drove them back. Seeing that the Turkmen were moving the encircle them, al-Hakim sounded the retreat and with his followers cut his way to freedom through a multitude of foes. Although the Fatimid Ghilmen fled to Dimashq, in the skirmish less than ten of them had fallen, while of the Bedouin and Turkmen more than two hundred and fifty of them lay slain. Perhaps this had discouraged the nomads, for they did not advance into Hawran, raiding in the valley of the Urdun instead. It is also said that Mahmud al-Hakim played a role in this, by sending secret emissaries with bribes to the tribal leaders. Concluding then a temporary truce with the Seljuks, al-Hakim deported to Mecca to perform his Hajj, being named the chief of the pilgrims for that year, a great honour.

After Mahmud al-Hakim had accomplished his Hajj, al-Mustansir died on the 21st of the Holy Month of Ramadan, H.469, of an illness that was as sudden as it was unexplained. Because of this, many men, including some that are reputed for their wisdom, believe that he was poisoned, especially as he was not yet old. Many leaders of the Turks and Berbers are accused of poisoning him, including Mahmud al-Hakim. To secure his succession against such intrigues, al-Mustansir had sent his eldest son to Gaza, at the suggestion of Muzzafar ad-Din. This son, al-Mustali, received the Imamate of the Shi’ia and proclaimed himself Khalifa of the House of Fatima, being then twenty-four years of age.

[Athenogoras]

This is like reading alternate history. It seems you are well aquainted with this period. The arab expressions brings flavor to the story(although I have to google them). Very interesting.

[CirdanDharix]

Thanks. The alternate history feeling is definately the goal. Editing screenshots in now.

[Bull3pr00f de Bodemloze]

nice, very nice

[CirdanDharix]

Al-Mustali considered himself to be a zealous follower of the House of Ali; for this reason he disregarded the advice of the Sunni Qadi al-Qodat. He appointed Abu Badis, the commander of the Nubian guard, to be his Grand Vizier and delegated great power to him. Shortly thereafter, as the Turks holding al-Qahira were quarrelling amongst themselves again, one faction brought Abu Badis and his Nubian soldiers from Furat into the city. The Turks being few in numbers since many of them had gone off to Syria, Abu Badis, being master of al-Qahira, dispersed them into garrisons throughout the realm. Thus full control over al-Qahira was restored and the Turks reduced to serving the ruler, as soldiers should. Afterwards, Abu Badis invited al-Mustali to return to the capital of his forefathers. He also purchased timber from the Rumi king and the Armenians, and with it began building a fleet in al-Iskandariyah. Al-Mustali was of a religious disposition, and having begun his rule so happily, he ordered the construction of hostelries for the pilgrims on their way to Mecca throughout his realm.


Meanwhile, in Syria, Mahmud al-Hakim had begun preparing an expedition in the greatest secret, even before he departed for his Hajj. He hired Bedouin warriors, being careful to hire a few from each tribe and never many from a single tribe. He also gathered supplies in Dimashq from many sources, always taking care that the spies of the enemy might never note a single large convoy. Under the guise of developing the crafts of the smiths in Dimashq, he had large quantities of Indian steel brought overland from the ports of Oman and Bahrain, which local smiths turned into the tips of lances and swords. Thus he avoided his emissaries being seen purchasing arms in Persia. Finally, he made secret contacts with influent citizens in the cities of Palestine.


At the beginning of Muharram, H.470 al-Hakim marched out of Dimashq with an army of about twenty-five thousand men. The Seljuks and their vassals were taken by surprise, for there had not been a sudden increase in activity and the slow build-up had escaped their notice. Leaving the city at dawn, by nightfall he had encamped his army in the Golan. The following day he marched into Galilee. Tabariyah went over almost at once; Nazareth, the home city of the prophet Jesus, was also taken without bloodshed. Afterwards, Mahmud al-Hakim laid siege to the great fortress at Akka, which surrendered on the last day of Safar. However, this siege was very difficult for the army, as many soldiers had fallen ill when camping in the marshes of Galilee. Having thus secured strong bases for himself, and wishing to leave the unsanitary marshlands behind, al-Hakim marched South along the coast, taking several towns on the way, until he reached Yaffa. The city's Malik-ul-Tujjar had been secretly gained to the cause of the House of Fatima, and because of the importance of the trade port his influence was great, so that he was able to bring the city over. After this, no army of the Seljuks or their vassals having come to oppose him in the field, al-Hakim began the siege of al-Quds al-Sharif, the holy city of Hierusalem.


The siege was no easy affair, as the diseases contracted in Galilee had not subsided entirely, and the city was well fortified and garrisoned with fierce Turkish soldiers. The length of the walls prevented al-Hakim from entirely encircling the city, so that he could not entirely cut off communication with the outside. Nevertheless, he placed his troops in fortified encampments opposite the main gates, sent patrols into the country to prevent any large convoy of food from going in, and hired clever Armenians to reduce the walls with engines and digging. Also, he sent emissaries into the city, to incite the Nazarenes and the Jews, who were mistreated by the Seljuk governors, to open the gates to his soldiers. However, the defenders exhorted the followers of the Sunna to resist the siege of the heretical Shi’ites and to attack the Shi’ites within the city. They placed bowls of oil atop the ramparts, so that when the Armenians attempted to burrow beneath them, the oil’s surface could be observed to ripple, and the defenders dug their own tunnels until they met the sappers, whom they put to the sword.


The winter brought harsh trials to both sides. The besiegers suffered greatly from the cold, especially the Bedouins who were not used to snow. The army chopped down many fruit-trees to light large fires, by which the soldiers warmed themselves. Meanwhile, in the city, supplies came short. As he marched through Palestine during harvest seasons, al-Hakim had acquired great quantities of corn, to prevent it reaching al-Quds, and the granaries were nearly empty at the start of winter. Soon starvation set in. When spring arrived, the besiegers’ situation improved, for the weather was no longer cold, while in the city things became worse. In desperation, the defenders boiled leather which they ate, and the meat of rats was sold in the market—may God forgive the desperate wretches who ate of it. Perceiving their troubles and eager to take advantage of his army’s rising morale, al-Hakim decided to make an assault on the walls on the fifth day of Shawwal.


While the archers exchanged arrows and the engines hurled stones at the walls, the Fatimid footsoldiers advanced with ladders and rams.


Soon they scaled the walls and the defenders met them, throwing them off their ladders or cutting them down.

As long as the gates held, the Seljuks held the walls. But when the main gates at last splintered and broke under the blows of the battering rams, then the Fatimid soldiers entered through the gates and found little resistance.

Behind them the horsemen also entered the city, and the soldiers on the walls were attacked from all sides, being slain by the lance or being cast to the ground below. Mahmud al-Hakim ordered that those who had not resisted should be left unharmed, nor did he permit his men to pillage the city; but those who had withstood him by the sword, perished by the sword, even when they laid down their arms and pleaded for mercy. Also, being a fair and generous man, al-Hakim ordered that the people of the country around, who had their property damaged or looted during the siege, receive payment in accordance to their loss, provided they were Muslims or People of the Book and had played no part in resisting the soldiers of the House of Fatima, as was indeed the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, may God’s peace be with him.

[Athenogoras]

Alternate ending of chapter
"And so exalted were the theologians to see their detested enemy destroyed by such divinely inspired leadership that some heralded the return of the Twelth Imam and the Shia millenium"

This is really getting better and better. Great screenshots and great story.
Thank you very much for this.

Edit: +rep of course

[DaVinci]

Seconded

[Caliburn]

Excellent AAR. I'm truly enjoying reading it.

[CirdanDharix]

Alternate ending of chapter
"And so exalted were the theologians to see their detested enemy destroyed by such divinely inspired leadership that some heralded the return of the Twelth Imam and the Shia millenium"

Edit: +rep of course

Well, the Fatimids were Ismai'ili so they believed in only seven imams before the occultations, and moreover, their official doctrine was that the occultation was over, so that would take brave theologians. But some theological weirdness could always come in handy later on, especially when Hassan-e-Saba splits away, despite Nizar being nonexistant in Chivalry

And I'm sorry I don't have an update, but my lazy graphics card went on strike to protests against excessive alt-tabbing to make screenshots. So I've now got to play a major battle over again, and of course to re-write the commentary on it.

Incidentally, what's wrong which Chiv's map of Syria and Transjordan? I've been getting the feeling of something wrong in the Levant, and only now realised what it is--Dimashq is where Amman should be, Kerak is correct (relative to the Dead Sea) but the settlement called Amman is in the location of Ma'an. And there's nothing where Dimashq should be, although the map shows what looks suspiciously like the mountains passes used by the modern Beirut-Damascus Highway.

[Athenogoras]

the Fatimids were Ismai'ili so they believed in only seven imams before the occultations

Heretics! Burn them! And thanks for the historylesson.

Hassan-e-Saba splits away, despite Nizar being nonexistant in Chivalry

More googling for me. Forgive my ignorance but are these persons or faiths. Perhaps you have some suggestions for ancillaries for the muslim factions?

And I'm sorry I don't have an update, but my lazy graphics card went on strike to protests against excessive alt-tabbing to make screenshots. So I've now got to play a major battle over again, and of course to re-write the commentary on it.

Very frustrating. No need to hurry though. I am not going anywhere.

[CirdanDharix]

Heretics! Burn them! And thanks for the historylesson.

This deserves the Official Seal of Khomeini Approval! Let us burn these Ismai'li dogs!

EDIT: this was not serious. I hope no actual Ismai'li think I'm calling them dogs.

And I didn't mean to sound condescending. I hope it didn't come out that way.

More googling for me. Forgive my ignorance but are these persons or faiths.

Hassan-e-Saba was the leader of the assassins, who were also the original Nizaris (today, Nizaris are the most numerous Ismai'li sub-sub-faith). Their original contention was that the succession of the Imamate should have run from al-Mustansir to his elder son Nizar (who was imprisoned and killed by his brother), and not his younger son al-Mustali; in order to back up his spiritual authority when dealing with outsiders (his control over his followers was already absolute) Hassan-e-Saba claimed to have a hidden son (a recurring theme for the Shi'a) of Nizar with him. However, the Nizaris have become stranger over time.

Perhaps you have some suggestions for ancillaries for the muslim factions?

I'm sure I could suggest some

[Athenogoras]

Ok thanks. Hassan-e-Saba was a leader of the Haschaschin(spelling) and Nizari is a follower of the Nizari faith(based on some succesion of Muhammed named Nizar) To have a Nizari as a retinue(in game lingo) would be like for a chritian to have the a descendent of Jesus or Petrus.

Edit: Perhaps not Jesus, but Petrus or John the Baptist

Anyway here is a link to suggestion of Muslim ancillaries and traits
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...ghlight=ancill

Incidentally, what's wrong which Chiv's map of Syria and Transjordan? I've been getting the feeling of something wrong in the Levant, and only now realised what it is--Dimashq is where Amman should be, Kerak is correct (relative to the Dead Sea) but the settlement called Amman is in the location of Ma'an. And there's nothing where Dimashq should be, although the map shows what looks suspiciously like the mountains passes used by the modern Beirut-Damascus Highway.

I am not able to answer this. Other teammembers have to answer you here.

[DaVinci]

Please give me a screenshot of the map (extract), where i shall position Dimashq. I'll correct this then for the patch 1.1.

[CirdanDharix]

Please give me a screenshot of the map (extract), where i shall position Dimashq. I'll correct this then for the patch 1.1.

[Will do so in a different thread, now back to your regularly scheduled AAR ]

The conquest of al-Quds was the cause of much rejoicing in Dimashq, Fustat, Al-Iskandiryah, Dumyat, and the other cities of the realm. However, al-Mustali and his vizier were not as pleased with al-Hakim as could have been expected. Al-Mustali remembered that al-Hakim was a Turkish general, and feared lest he should try to make himself master of the state, as others had done before him; while Abu Badis saw him as a powerful rival for the Imam’s favour and the first place in the state. Because of this, when Mahmud al-Hakim asked for ships to blockade Asqalan, where a small Seljuk garrison still held out, Abu Badis claimed that no ships were ready to take sea and did not send even a single sambuk. Because the Amir of Tarabulus-al-Sham, a vassal of the Seljuks, paid merchants to take supplies into Asqalan by sea, the siege lasted for six months, before the gates were opened by treachery and the city fell to the soldiers of the House of Fatima, in Rabi al-Akhir of the 471st year since the Hijra.

Meanwhile, al-Mustali decided to punish the rebellious governors of the fortress of Banghazi, which controls the way West along the coast from Egypt into the Maghrib. Al-Hakim wrote to inform him that, in his respectful opinion, the House of Fatima ought to exert its efforts either towards the Mashriq or the Maghrib, but not in both directions at once. However, he was ignored, and al-Mustali began his preparations in earnest, gathering ships, men and supplies, while also ordering al-Hakim to expand his territory in Syria.

Although he was delayed by the long siege of Asqalan, Mahmud al-Hakim obeyed his Khalifa’s orders and marched North, taking Zahlah in the Bekaa and compelling the ports of Sur and Sayda to place themselves under his protection, drove the Amir of Tarabulus beyond the Awali river. With the return of spring, he hoped to capture Baalbek and forge an alliance with the Nazarenes of the mountains in order to march against Tarabulus, but the Seljuks did not idly await his blows. Marching from their base at Homs, Seljuk soldiers came to threaten Dimashq herself. Al-Hakim marched to counter them, but Mesud Aga, the wily Seljuk governor of Homs, slipped away without giving battle. Al-Hakim then took his army back over the mountains and took Baalbek by surprise, when his enemies still thought him near Dimashq. However, the Amir of Tarabulus persuaded the Druze apostates to attack him, and they descended into the Bekaa valley in strength. Allying himself with the Maroni Nazarenes, he defeated the Druze, pursuing them into their mountain strongholds and destroying their town of Aley with fire and sword, slaying the inhabitants as traitors and apostates. While the Fatimids were pursuing and destroying the Druze on either hand of Mount Lebnen, the Amir fortified his city and brought in Seljuk reinforcements. While Mahmud al-Hakim was busy with his campaigns against the Druze, a subtle envoy named Abir al-Mamun persuaded the Zirids they had nothing more to fear from the House of Fatima, and lulled them into a false sense of security. It was also about this time that the Persian Omar Khayyam revealed his calculations of the length of a solar year.

In the month of Rabi al-Awwal, H.472, Mesud Aga again marched forth, and distracted al-Hakim with clever manoeuvring. While the two commanders where marching back and forth against each other, a great Seljuk force from Iraq came out of the desert and fell to plundering the Hawran. Al-Hakim marched against them and the Seljuks fled from his approach, but Mesud Aga took his chance to recapture Baalbek. Bugra Suvari, a Seljuk Beg, meanwhile marched South, again through deserts, to attack al-Quds; but al-Hakim, advancing so fast he exhausted his army, reached the city first and headed off the attack. Bugra then took the city of al-Khalil, where he established his quarters, threatening both al-Quds and Egypt. Leaving a garrison in al-Quds, al-Hakim repaired further South, to Bir al-Seba at the gates of the desert, where he proceeded to raise fresh troops for a decisive battle. Meanwhile, in Egypt, damage to his ships from a storm caused Al-Mustali to delay his expedition West. In a fit of rage, he ordered several of al-Iskandariyah’s chief shipwrights to be beheaded.

It was not until Shawwal that the Seljuks made their move. Having communicated together, at the same time Bugra laid siege to al-Quds, and Eren, known as the son of the Bey, laid siege to Dimashq with a fresh army. Immediately, Al-Hakim marched North to relieve al-Quds, although his forces were fewer than those of the enemy. Bugra, when he learned of the approaching threat, marched to meet him, leaving only a curtain of troops to maintain the siege. The armies meet in the hills between Bethlehem and al-Quds. Al-Hakim hastily arrayed his army on a hill higher than its neighbours, and Bugra began the battle by sending a first wave of horse archers against the Fatimids. Al-Hakim responded by charging with his Ghilmen, and the horse archers withdrew before him, although Bugra led his cavalry to meet the charge. However, the Ghilmen rode over the more lightly armed Turkmen horsemen and fell upon the main body of the Seljuk infantry with fury.

Pulling himself away from the wreck of his cavalry, Bugra Beg marshalled his footsoldiers against the cavalry while sending a fresh wave of mounted archers to swarm over the rest of the army. However, the Bedouin soldiers, occupying a good position, made a strong defence with javelins and drove off the Turkmen.

Al-Hakim, being in a difficult position on account of the enemy’s superior numbers, sent a messenger to order an attack against his right wing. A force of Bedouins still mounted on their camels rode out far to the left before coming back into the enemy’s exposed flank, while the remainder charged on foot.

The Turkmen on their right soon gave way before this onslaught, and the rest of their line was soon in full rout. Bugra found himself injured and surrounded with only a few bodyguards,

but was ultimately able to escape at the cost of his men’s lives. As the Fatimids celebrated their victory, the Seljuk horse archers made a final attack on their rear, but al-Hakim turned about and flung himself into their midst with his Ghilmen, who fought as lions and scattered the multitude of Turkmen.

By nightfall, there was nothing left of the Seljuk host and Mahmud al-Hakim made a triumphant entrance into al-Quds.


Shortly thereafter, al-Mustali left for Benghazi with a fleet and an army, most of the soldiers being Nubians, but there were spearmen levied from among the Egyptian peasants and Berber and Bedouin horsemen, as well as the Imam’s Saqalibah bodyguard. After forty days, the Egyptians heard that he had crushed the much smaller army of the sons of Sulaym, rulers of Banghazi, and captured the city which he treated harshly. Meanwhile, al-Hakim went to relieve Dimashq. Marching almost without rest, he attacked the Seljuks before they even knew of the battle of Bethlehem. As he came down upon the besiegers in the basin of Dimashq, Daylami soldiers sided with the city’s garrison and joined its sally. These Daylami live East of the Persians, who are their kinsmen, and are fierce warriors on foot who, in the past, helped the Abbasids to overthrow the Umayyads and later al-Mamun to defeat his brother al-Amin. Until now, many Daylami still leave their native lands still to serve as paid soldiers for the Seljuks and the Khalifa. Eren, the Seljuk commander, attempted to prevent al-Hakim from taking up position against him by sending his cavalry, but again the lightly-armoured Turkmen horsemen were swept away by the Fatimid Ghilmen.

Threatened by the sallying garrison and the Daylami in his rear, and facing an army as powerful as his in front, he attempt to pull his troops out, but the retreat was soon turned into rout by the pursuing Fatimids who put many Seljuk soldiers to the sword with few losses.

[DaVinci]

Wow ... and damn great battle-shots (with nice filters)

( You really should make the described AAR thread in the RTW-AAR section, see http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...40#post4558940 )

[Athenogoras]

Great screens and a great story. I have no suggestions for improvement. Perhaps a map so we can see your expansion more clearly.