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Al-Mutia' 45 Al-Rashid no money at all. although it afterwards appeared that she was possessed of immense treasure. After his deposition, however, she was obliged to discover them, and even depo- sit them in the hands of the new khalif al-Muhtadi. They consisted of 1,000,000 dinars, a bushel of emeralds, and another of pearls, and three pounds and three quarters of rubies of the colour of fire. Al-Mutia' Billall, ti^-*^'> the twenty-third khalif of the race of Abbas was the son of al-Muktadir Billah. He ascended the throne of Baghdad after al-Mustakfi in 946 A. D., 334 A. H., reigned 29 lunar years and 4 months and died in 974 A. D., 363 A. H. His son al-Taya' suc- ceeded him. Al-Muttaki Billah, t/^', the son of al-Muktadir was the twenty -first khalif of the dynasty of Abbas. He succeeded his brother al-Eazi Billah to the throne of Baghdad in 941 A. D., 329 A. H., reigned 3 years 11 months and 15 days and died in 945 A. D., 333 A. H. He was succeeded by his nephew, al-Mustakfi the son of al-Muktafi. Al-MutwakkU, 'Al-aUah, ^^•'it^ d^^J. This was the name and title assumed by Abul Fazl Ja'far on his accession to the throne of Baghdad. He was the tenth khalif of the house of Abbas, and the son of al-M6'tasim Billah. He succeeded his brother al-Wathik or Wasik in the year 847 A. D., 232 A. H., and began his reign with an act of the greatest cruelty. The late khalif s wazir having treated al-Mutwakkil ill in his brother's lifetime, and opposed his election to the khUafat, was on that account now sent to prison, and afterwards thrown into an iron furnace lined with spikes or nails heated red hot, where he was miserably burnt to death. During this reign nothing remarkable happened, except wars with the Greeks, which were carried on with various success. He was very intolerant, especially of the Jews and Chris- tians, on whom he heaped many indignities. He did not stop there. In his imbecility and ferocity he forbade the pilgrimage to Karbala, and caused the sacred repository of the ashes of Husain and the other martyrs interred there to be razed. He reigned 14 years 9 months and 9 days, and was assassinated and cut into seven pieces on the 24th December, 861 A. D., 17th Shawwal, 247 A. H., at the instance of his son al-Mustanasar who succeeded him. Al-Muwaffik Billall, the son of al-Mut- wakkil Billah, the khaUf of Baghdad and brother and coadjutor of the khalif al-Ma'tamid, to whom he was of much service in his battles against his enemies. He died of the elephantiasis or leprosy in the year 891 A. D., 278 A. H., and while in his last illness, could not help observ- ing, that of 100,000 men whom he commanded, there was not one so miserable as himself. His son Mo'tazid, after the death of his brother al-M6'tamid in 892 A. D., suc- ceeded to the throne of Baghdad. Al-Muwyyid (Isma'il), <d^-^ '^^♦^1, whose name is spelt in Lempriere's Universal Biographical Dictionary, " Alombuadad", and in Watkin's Biographical Dictionary " Almuvadad", was an Arabian historian, who gave a chro- nological accoimt of the Saracen afi'airs in Sicily from 842 to 904 A. D. This MS. is in the Ubrary of the Eseurial, in Spain, and a Latin version of it is inserted in Mura- toris' Eerum Italicarum Scriptores. Al-Muzaui, LS^"*^'^ ^^"^ Ibrahim Ismail. Al-Nasir Billah, A^t^^^l, or al-Nasir-uddin aUah, the son of al-Mustazi succeeded his father to the throne of Baghdad in 1179 A. D. He professed the Shia' faith, and after a long leign of 46 lunar years and 11 months,' died in the year 1225 A. D. He was the 34th khalif of the house of Abbas, and was succeeded by his son al-Tahir Billah. 12 Alp Arsalan, ej^r;' y'^^ (which means Ln the Turkish language " the valiant lion") was a king of Persia of the Saljiikian dynasty, and the son of Daiid Beg Saljuki. He succeeded his uncle Tughral Beg in 1063 A. D., 455 A. H., married the sister of the khalif Kaem Billah, and his name, after that of the khalif, was pronounced in the public prayers of the Muhammadans. He was a wai'Hke prince ; and, having spoiled the Church of St. Basil in Caesarea, defeated Komanus Diogenes, emperor of the Greeks in 1068 A. D., 460 A. H., who was seized and carried to the conqueror. Alp Arsalan demanded of his captive, at the first conference, what he would have done if fortune had reversed their lot. "I would have given thee many a stripe", was the imprudent and virulent answer. The Sultan only smiled and asked Eomanus what he expected would be done to him. " If thou art cruel", said the emperor, " put me to death. If vain-glorious load me with chains, and drag me in triumph to thy capital. If gen- erous, grant me my liberty." Alp Arsalan was neither cruel nor vain-glorious, he nobly released his prisoner, and gave all his officers who were captives dresses of honor, and sent them away. Alp Arsalan after a reign of more than nine years was stabbed about the 15th of December, 1072 A. D., 30th Eabi I, 465 A. H., by a des- perate Khwarizmian, whom he had taken prisoner and sentenced to death. He was buried at Marv in Khurasan, and the following is the translation of the inscription en- graved on his tomb : " All ye who have seen the glory of Alp Arsalan exalted to the heavens, come to Marv, and you will behold it buried in the dust." He was succeeded by his son Malikshah. Alp Arsalan, who is by some called Apal Arsalan, was the son of Atsiz, a Sultan of Khwarizm, whom he succeeded in A. D. 1166, 651—657 A. H. and died in 1162 A. D. Alptakin or Alptagin, (^i!^^^, vide Alaptakin. Al-Rashid or Harun al-Rashid, <^j^^ '^jj^, the cele- brated hero of the Arabian Nights, was the fifth khalif of the race of Abbas and son of al-Mahdi, he succeeded his eldest brother al-Hadi to the throne of Baghdad in 786 A. D., 170 A. H. This was one of the best and wisest princes that ever sat on the throne of Baghdad. He was also extremely fortunate in all his undertakings, though he did not much extend his dominions by conquest. In his time the Moslem empire may be said to have been in its most fiourishing state, though, by the independency of the Moslems in Spain, who had foimerly set up a kha- lif of the house of Umyj'a, his ten-itories were not quite so extensive as those of some of his predecessors. He, possessed the provinces of Syria, Palestine, Arabia, Persia, Armenia, NatoHa, Media or Azurbejan, Babylonia, Assyria, Sindh, Sijistan, Khurasan, Tabristan, Jiujan, ZabuUstan, Mawarunnahr, or great Bukharia, Egypt, Libya, Mauiitania &c., so that his empire was by far the most powerful of any in the world, and extended farther than the Eoman empire ever had done. In the beginning of the year 802 A. D., 186 A. H., he divided the government of his extensive dominions among his three sons in the following manner : To al-Amin the eldest, he assigned the provinces of Syria, Irak, the three Arabias, Mesopotamia, Assyria, Media, Palestine, Egj-pt, and all the part of Africa extending from the confines of Egypt and Ethiopia to the Straits of Gibraltar, with the dignity of khalif ; to al-Mamiin the second, he assigned Persia, Kirman, the Indies, Khurasan, Tabristan, Kabu- listan and Zabulistan, together with the vast province of Mawarunnahr, and to his third son al-Kasim, he gave Ai-menia, Natolia, Jurjan, Georgia, Circassia, and aU the Moslem territories bordering upon the Euxine sea. As to the order of succession, al-Amin was to ascend the throne immediately after his father's decease ; after him, al-Ma- mun ; and then al- Kasim, whom he had sumamed al-M6'- tasim. The most considerable exploits performed by this khalif were against the Greeks, who by their perfidy pro-