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0176 Report of a Mission to Yarkund in 1873 : vol.1
Report of a Mission to Yarkund in 1873 : vol.1 / Page 176 (Color Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000196
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without pressing around, the Arab Commander was content to retire on payment of N. a million diram, and recrossed the Oxus, carrying away with him 4,000 captives.

For his failure at Bukhara., 'Abdulla Ziyad was removed from the command in Khurasan in 56 H.=676 A.D., and Said bin Uthman appointed in his place. He immediately renewed the campaign against Bukhara. Again her allies rallied round the Queen with a host of 120,000 men collected from all Turkistan and Kâshghar, but, in their first encounter with the Arabs, they were seized with a panic and dispersed in confusion. The Queen offered to buy off the invader with most liberal terms, but S'aid left the money in her keeping for safe custody till his return from Saghd, whither his victorious troops were pursuing the fugitives to Samarcand, and meanwhile took eighty hostages as security. Amongst these, the historian records, Queen Khâton got rid of some obnoxious nobles who had spoken disparagingly with reference to her familiarity with one of the late King's domestics, and had threatened to oust the bastard Tughshada in favour of a legitimate Prince. S'aid, on his return from Samarcand, and departure for Khurasan, carried these hostages away with him, together with a thousand other captives taken in the war. They were ultimately taken to Medina, and there set to till the land as slaves, but, rising in rebellion, they killed S'aid, and were themselves slain in revenge.

M'uawya was succeeded as Khalif by his son Yazi.d. He appointed Muslim bin Ziyad Viceroy of Khurasan, and he at once proceeded with vigour to prosecute the war across the Oxus. On this Queen Khâton sent her agents abroad to summon her allies, and by way of determining the hesitation of Tarkhon, the Prince of Saghd, who had so severely suffered at the hands of S'aid, sent him a proposal to share her bed, and the government of the country, on conditions that he came and drove back the Arabs. Tempted by the offer, he joined the army coming from Turkistan under Bandon, the Malik or Prince of that country, and with it camped on the Kharcam Rud River in the vicinity of the city. But the Queen in the interim had opened the gates to Muslim, and submitting herself to him secured, by the grant to him of the favours she had offered to others, a measure of leniency for her followers and subjects that excited surpise, and brought no little ridicule upon the rough Arabian soldier's susceptibility to the charms of the sex. The allies, however, disapproving the Queen's conduct, attacked the Arabs with all their force, but were discomfited with the loss of 400 slain, and their leader, Malik Bandon, amongst the number. They rallied,. however, under Malik Tarkhon, and renewed hostilities till the invaders, finding it unsafe to remain longer without support, were content to exact a profession of Islam, and a heavy indemnity ; on the payment of which they again retired across the Oxus.

Following this Kutaiba bin Muslim was appointed Viceroy of Khurasan. He continued the war against Bukhara, and conquered all Tokharistan. He crossed the Oxus in 88H.=707 A.D. to Bekand, which he took after a siege of fifty-days, and, leaving a garrison under Warca to hold it, marched on towards the capital. The Arabs left behind, following the example of their commandant, who had laid violent hands on the two beautiful daughters of one of the most influential Chiefs of the place, worried the citizens so by their lawlessness that they rose in revolt, and slew Warca and many of his men. On hearing of this Kutaiba hastened back, and took a summary vengeance by a general massacre of all those capable of bearing arms, and the plunder and destruction of all their temples. He sacked the town, and levelled its walls, and, finally, carried off the survivors captive in his army, amongst the soldiery of which they were distributed.

At the time of this destruction of Bekand many of its most wealthy merchants and other heads of families were absent on their trading business at Kashghar and the cities on the Chinese frontier ; and when they returned, they sought out and ransomed their families, their wives, and their daughters from the Arab captors, and rebuilt their ancient town upon its ruins. The circumstance is noted as a remarkable occurrence, owing to the rapidity with which a town of such extent, and so thoroughly

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