The Mediterranean littoral reduced. Abu-Ḥafṣ ash-Shâmi from al-Waḍîn:—At first Yazîd ibn-abi-Sufyân directed Muʿâwiyah against the littoral of the province of Damascus excluding Tripoli whose possession he did not covet. Muʿâwiyah sometimes spent on the reduction of the fort a few days two or more in the course of which he was resisted either slightly or strongly before he could take it.
When the Moslems conquered a city, whether so situated as to overlook a wide territory or on the coast, they would station in it whatever number of Moslems was necessary; and if the enemy in it should start a revolt the Moslems would flock to it for reinforcement. But when ʿUthmân ibn-ʿAffân became caliph he wrote to Muʿâwiyah instructing him to fortify the coast-cities and man them, and to give fiefs to those whom he settled in them. Muʿâwiyah did accordingly.
Abu-Ḥafṣ from Saʿîd ibn-ʿAbd-al-ʿAzîz who said:—"I heard it said by some that after the death of his brother Yazîd, Muʿâwiyah wrote to ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb describing the condition of the coast-towns. ʿUmar wrote back ordering that their fortifications be repaired, that garrisons be stationed in them, that watchmen be posted on their towers and that means be taken for lighting the fire on the towers to announce the approach of the enemy. ʿUmar gave Muʿâwiyah no permission to carry out a naval campaign. But Muʿâwiyah insisted so much that ʿUthmân allowed him to carry out a sea expedition and instructed him to keep ready in the coast-cities troops in addition to those already in them, whether he wanted to set out on the campaign in person or send some one else on it. He also instructed him to give the garrison lands and distribute among them whatever houses had been evacuated, and to establish new mosques and enlarge those that had been established before his caliphate."
