Usama Ibn Munqidh: Kitab al-I’tibar

(The Book of Learning by Example) (1154)

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Taken from: Ph. K. Hitti, Memories of an Arab-Syrian gentleman in the Crusades

 

 

My arrival in Cairo was on Thursday, 2nd of Jumada al-Akhira of the year 539 [30th November 1144 A.D.]...

A great dispute and trouble developed among the sudan, who were found [in Cairo] in great numbers. Precisely, the dispute was between the Zanjaniyya (Rayhaniyya) who are the slaves (abid) of al-Hafiz; and the Juyushiyya, the Iskandaraniyya and the Farjiyya. On the one side stood the Zanjaniyya alone, on the other gathered all the other factions allied against the Zanjaniyya (Rayhaniyya). A party of the special guard (sibyan al-khass) joined the Juyushiyya. Many people had assembled on both sides. Al-Hafiz kept indoors, but his emissaries were going back and forth between the factions,because he [al-Hafiz] was anxious to bring peace among them. Although they [the troops] were siding with him, they did not yield to that [request]. On the next morning, a clash took place in Cairo. The Juyushiyya and their allies won the victory over the Zanjaniyya (Rayhaniyya), of whom one thousand fell in Suwayqa amir al-juyush (the Little Market of the Emir al-Juyush). We had remained under arms by night and day lest they might turn against us, as they had already done on an occasion prior to my arrival in Egypt. After such a slaughter of Zanjaniyya (Rayhaniyya), the population expected that al-Hafiz would manifest his disapproval of that Incident, and execute the murderers. But al-Hafiz was lying sick on the verge of death, and actually died two days later. Then not even two goats locked their horns [to dispute over the

succession] and az-Zafir, his youngest son, reigned.