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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

without pressing around, the Arab Commander was content to retire on payment of N.
a million ḍiram, and recrossed the Oxus, carrying away with him 4,000 captives.
For his failure at Bukhárá, 'Abdulla Ziyád was removed from the command in
Khurásán in 56 H.=676 A.D., and Saíd bin Uthmán appointed in his place. He
immediately renewed the campaign against Bukhárá. Again her allies rallied round
the Queen with a host of 120,000 men collected from all Turkistan and Káshghar,
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'aíd 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 Khátun got rid of some obnoxious nobles who had spoken disparg-
ingly with reference to her familiarity with one of the late King's domestics, and
had threatened to oust the bastard Tughsháda in favour of a legitimate Prince.
S'aíd, on his return from Samarcand, and departure for Khurásán, 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'aíd, and were themselves slain in revenge.
M'uáwya was succeeded as Khálif by his son Yazíd. He appointed Muslim
bin Ziyád Viceroy of Khurásán, and he at once proceeded with vigour to prosecute
the war across the Oxus. On this Queen Khátun 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'aíd, 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 Turkis-
tán under Bandon, the Malik or Prince of that country, and with it camped on the
Kharcám 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 Islám, and a heavy indemnity; on the payment of which they
again retired across the Oxus.
Following this Kutaiba bin Muslim was appointed Viceroy of Khurásán. He
continued the war against Bukhárá, and conquered all Tokhárístán. 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 Káshghar 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