Account of the King of the Mountains
the Ispahbad Sharwín Báwand
and Wandád Hurmuzd.

These were in alliance with one another, so that from Tammísha to Rúyán without their permission no one dared enter the highlands from the plains, and all the highlands were under their control. And when a Muslim died, they wold not suffer him to be buried in their country. So mat­ters continued until Khalífa b. Sa'íd came to Sárí, and wished to make his cousin Náfi' his deputy; and the Ispah­bad Sharwín’s men came down by night out of the hills and slew him. Khalífa remained at Sárí and wrote to Mih­rúya at ´Amul bidding him be on his guard, as the people of Ṭabaristán were ripe for revolt. This letter Mihrúya read in public to the people, adding reproaches to the soldiers, who attacked his palace that night, slew him, cut off his head, and cast his mutilated corpse, with circum­stances of atrocious dishonour, into the cross-roads of the market-place as a warning to all. So news was brought to the Caliph that the people of Ṭabaristán had revolted, but had not robbed the treasury; and he said, “It is not a revolt against us; this was an unjust governor, and it is quite right to suppress injustice.” Then he sent 'Abdu`lláh b. Sa'íd al-Jaríshí, and all the people went out to meet him, and brought him in with honour. He governed the country for four months, and succeeded in arresting four persons who were chiefly responsible for Mihrúya’s death and the disturbance which accompanied it, and sent them to the Caliph, who inflicted punishment upon them.

In A. H. 187 (= A. D. 803) Ja'far b. Hárún (f. 97a) was sent to reorganize the land-tax and to survey the country in the territory occupied by Wandásafán, who slew him with a blow from his mace while he was thus employed. Forty men who were with him fled to 'Abdu`lláh and informed him of what had happened, and he communicated the matter to the Caliph. Immediately after this it was rumoured that the Caliph had advanced into 'Iráq; and three days later 'Abdu`lláh went to Sárí, whence he proceeded to Ray, where the Caliph was. The Caliph thereupon despatched the Qáḍí Abu`l-Buḥturí, 'Abbás b. Zafr, Muḥammad b. al-Faḍl, and Ṣáliḥ b. Shaykh 'Umayra, with 300 horsemen and servants, to the Isfahbad Sharwín and Wandád Hurmuzd to ascertain whether or no their loyalty could be relied on. They received this embassy with every mark of respect and friendship, and the ambassadors on their returned reported that what Wandásafán had done, he had done entirely on his own responsibility, without their knowledge or approval; and that he was, in fact, the enemy and oppo­nent of Wandád Hurmuzd. Thereupon the Caliph left Ray, and encamped one day’s march therefrom, at the village of Arbanú, whence he wrote to the Ispahbad Sharwín and Wandád Hurmuzd, bidding them come to him. They answered that they were his obedient and loyal vassals, but that before coming they must have hostages for his good faith. The Caliph was angered at this and said, “How shall I sent Muslim hostages to Gabrs?” So he sent the Qáḍí Abu`-l Buḥturí and Harthama b. A'yan and Abu`l-Waḍḍáḥ the post-master to them, bidding them either come before the Caliph or prepare for war. These advanced to Wíma, whence they sent messages to the Ispahbad Sharwín, who was at the Castle of Kúzá, and Wandád Hurmuzd, who was at Lafúr, bidding them come to them. Wandád Hurmuzd came, but the Ispahbad Sharwín sent excuses, saying that he was too ill to come. When the bearer of this message arrived, Wandád Hurmuzd said to the Caliph’s ambassadors, “What­ever order you may issue in respect to the Ispahbad Shar­wín, I am ready to obey it (f. 97b). Harthama b. A'yan agreed with Na'ím b. Ḥázim that they should smite Wan­dád Hurmuzd unawares while they were marching together, and slay him, since the Caliph would certainly be pleased at his death. But Wandád Hurmuzd, seeing Na'ím edging towards him, divined his intention, reined in his horse, and said, “You must hold to your agreement.” His companions apologized, and made Na'ím swear that Wandád Hurmuzd should be conducted in safety before the Caliph. He remained with the Caliph for some time, till Hárúnu`r-Rashíd desired to buy some lands from him, which he refused to sell. They explained that his nobility of nature made him unwilling to sell lands which he might be willing to give as a present, so Hárún sent his little son al-Ma`mún to him; and when they had seated the child on his knee, Wandád Hurmuzd gave him all those lands which he had previously refused to sell; and Hárún presented him with a million dirhams, and a jewelled cup of priceless value, and a ring, with which last Wandád Hurmuzd was especially delighted. Then the Caliph bade him crave a boon, and he asked for the dismissal of 'Abdu`lláh b. Sa'íd; and Hárún dismissed him with a robe of honour, and sent Harthama with him to bring back his son Qárin and the Ispahbad Sharwín’s son Shahriyár as hostages. The former was entrusted to Harthama, but the Ispahbad Sharwín refused to give up his son Shahriyár, and sent another instead of him. But Harthama insisted that Shahriyár should be given up, and this decision was endorsed by the Caliph, so that the Ispahbad was compelled to surrender Shahriyár, whom Hárúnu`r-Rashíd took back with him to Baghdad.

Then the Caliph sent 'Abdu`lláh b. Málik as governor to Ṭabaristán, and ordered that all the country except the highlands should be taken from the control of the Ispahbad Sharwín (f. 98a) and Wandád Hurmuzd. A year later the Caliph again visited Ray on his way to Khurásán. There he fell sick, and sent Shahriyár and Qárin to their respective fathers, while he marched on to Ṭús, and there died and was buried.

On this war arose between Hárún’s two sons Muḥammad b. Zubayda, called al-Makhlú' (“the Deposed”) and 'Abdu`lláh al-Ma`mún; and Ṭáhir b. al-Ḥusayn, al-Ma`mún’s general, marched on Baghdad, took it, and slew the rival Caliph, and sent his head to his brother al-Ma`mún, who looked on it and said:

‘<Arabic>

So 'Abdu`lláh al-Ma`mún became Caliph, and he was the greatest and most illustrious of all the `Abbásid Caliphs, and openly shewed his attachment to the Shí'ite cause. It is related that Sindí b. Sháhak, whose tomb is at Sárí in the place now called Bá Naṣrí Mashhad, and other Shí'ite leaders and partisans of the Imám Riḍá reproached al-Ma`mún for his con­duct towards the Imám. Al-Ma`mún said, “I learned the Shí'ite faith from my father Hárúnu`r Rashíd.” They replied, “He used to kill the members of this house.” “Yes,” replied al-Ma`mún, “he killed them for political reasons, ‘for the state is a barren mother’” (<Arabic>). And in like manner did al-Ma`mún himself act in compassing the death of the Imám 'Alí Riḍá for state reasons, preferring the transitory glory of this world to everlasting blessedness and felicity (f. 98b). And through the deed he did was done 400 years ago, men still reproach it in these verses:

<Arabic>

Of such as these God says: “Those who violate the Covenant of God after its confirmation, and sever what God hath commanded to be joined, and do evil in the earth: these are the losers.

After having thus rid himself of the Imám 'Alí Riḍá, al-Ma`mún sent for his son, whom the Shí'ites call Muḥammad Taqí, and the Arabs Muḥammad al-Jawád, and gave him his daughter Ummu`l-Faḍl in marriage, and made such a marriage-feast as the world hath never seen, for there were displayed as his gift to the bridegroom 400 plates filled with balls of ambergris in each of which was a pearl. And he then sent Muḥammad Taqí and his bride to al-Madína. And in the reign of al-Ma`mún died both the Ispahbad Sharwín and Wandád Hurmuzd.