ʿUmar who, hearing the news of the conquest, exclaimed "Allah is great!"
Hishâm ibn-ʿAmmâr from one whose name I do not remember:—Ḳaisârîyah was taken by storm in the year 19. Hearing the news of its capture, ʿUmar exclaimed, "Ḳaisârîyah is taken by storm. Allah is great!" and so did the rest of the Moslems. The city was besieged for seven years and was finally reduced by Muʿâwiyah.
The death of Yazîd ibn-abi-Sufyân took place at the end of the year 18, in Damascus.
The date of the conquest of Ḳaisârîyah. Those who claim that Muʿâwiyah reduced Ḳaisârîyah in the days of his brother believe that it was not reduced before the end of the year 18; but those who claim that it was reduced while he was governor of Syria believe that it was reduced in the year 19. Of the two views, the latter is the tenable one. According to still other reports, the city was reduced in the early part of the year 20.
ʿAsḳalân reduced. ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb wrote to Muʿâwiyah instructing him to follow up the conquest of what was left in Palestine. Accordingly, Muʿâwiyah conquered ʿAsḳalân [Ascalon] which capitulated after some resistance. According to others, however, it was ʿAmr ibn-al-ʿÂṣi who first conquered the city. Later, its inhabitants violated the covenant and were reinforced by the Greeks. It was then that Muʿâwiyah reduced it, settled garrisons of cavalry in it and put it in charge of a guard.
ʿAbd-al-Malik makes repairs in ʿAsḳalân, Ḳaisârîyah and other places. Bakr ibn-al-Haitham from certain sheikhs of ʿAsḳalân:—The Greeks destroyed ʿAsḳalân and expelled its inhabitants in the days of ibn-az-Zubair. When ʿAbd-al-Malik ibn-Marwân became ruler, he rebuilt the city and fortified it, and made repairs in Ḳaisârîyah, too.
Muḥammad ibn-Muṣaffa from abu-Sulaimân ar-Ramli's
