after al-Mutawakkil became caliph, he conferred the governorship of Armenia upon Yûsuf ibn-Muḥammad ibn-Yûsuf al-Marwazi. As he passed through Khilâṭ, Yûsuf seized its patrician Buḳrâṭ ibn-Ashûṭ and carried him off to Surra-man-raʾa, which act greatly offended the patricians, nobles and feudal lords [Ar. mutaghallibah] . Later a ʿâmil of his, named al-ʿAlâʾ ibn-Aḥmad, went to a convent at as-Sîsajân, called Dair al-Aḳdâḥ, which was highly respected and richly endowed with gifts by the Armenian Christians, and carried away all what was in it and oppressed its occupants. This act was too much for the patricians, who held communication with each other and urged each other to throw off their allegiance and rise in revolt. They instigated al-Khuwaithiyah,[1] who were "uncircumcised" and were known by the name of al-Arṭân, to fall upon Yûsuf, and urged them against him in revenge for the carrying-away of their patrician Buḳrâṭ. Meanwhile, every one of the patricians and feudal lords sent them horses and men to help them bring that about. Accordingly, they fell upon Yûsuf at Ṭarûn, after he had distributed his followers in the villages, and slew him, carrying away all that his camp contained.
The governorship of Bugha the Elder. Al-Mutawakkil assigned to the governorship of Armenia Bugha-l-Kabîr [the Elder] who, arriving in Badlîs, seized Mûsa ibn-Zurârah who, in revenge for Buḳrâṭ, had favored and taken part in killing Yûsuf. Bugha warred against al-Khuwaithiyah, slaughtering a great number, and carrying many away as captives. He then invested Ashûṭ ibn-Ḥamzah ibn-Jâjiḳ, the patrician of al-Busfurrajân, at al-Bâḳ,[2] compelled him to surrender his castle and carried him as captive to Surra-
