Wâḳidi:—In the year 162, al-Ḥasan ibn-Ḳaḥṭabah aṭ-Ṭâʾi invaded the land of the Greeks at the head of an army of the people of Khurâsân, Mauṣil,[1] and Syria, reinforced by men from al-Yaman and volunteers from al-ʿIrâḳ and al-Ḥijâz. He started near Ṭarsûs and called the attention of al-Mahdi to the great troubles spared to Islâm, and the good chance it afforded to frustrate and avert the enemies' intrigues and plans by building Ṭarsûs, fortifying it and stationing a garrison in it. In that campaign, al-Ḥasan distinguished himself and subdued the land of the Greeks, and was therefore called ash-Shaiṭân [the devil]. Among his men in the invasion were Mandal al-ʿAnazi—the traditionist of the school of al-Kûfah—and Muʿtamir ibn-Sulaimân al-Baṣri.
Muḥammad ibn-Saʿd from Saʿd ibn-al-Ḥasan:—When al-Ḥasan left the land of the Greeks, he camped at Marj [plain of] Ṭarsûs from which he rode to the city, which was then in ruins. After examining it, he went around it in all directions and estimated that it could be inhabited by one hundred thousand.[2] When he appeared before al-Mahdi, he described the condition of the city and referred to the strength that Islâm and the Moslems would acquire, and to the anger and disappointment that will ensue to the enemy, if the city were rebuilt and manned with a garrison. He also told al-Mahdi something about al-Ḥadath that encouraged him to build it. Accordingly, al-Mahdi ordered him to build Ṭarsûs and start with al-Ḥadath, which was immediately built. Al-Mahdi then ordered that Ṭarsûs be built. In the year 171, ar-Rashîd heard that the Greeks had enjoined one another to set forth to Ṭarsûs in order to fortify it and station troops in it. He therefore sent in the year 171 Harthamah ibn-Aʿyan as commander of the summer campaign and ordered him to build Ṭarsûs, settle people
