Ḥâʾir[1] in which al-Muʿtaṣim had put him in confinement, thus giving more space for the inhabitants. Al-Mutawakkil also built a great cathedral mosque and lavished enormous sums of money on it, making the minaret so high that the voices of the muezzins could be easily heard, and the minaret could be seen at a distance of many parasangs. The Moslems gave up the first mosque and held Friday prayers in it.
Al-Mutawakkilîyah. Al-Mutawakkil founded a city which he called al-Mutawakkilîyah. He built it between al-Karkh, known by the name of Fairûz, and al-Ḳâṭûl, known by the name of Kisra, chose it for his abode and gave fiefs in it. The houses and the villages known as al-Mâḥûzah[2] were included in it. Al-Mutawakkil built in this city a cathedral mosque. From the time he started the city to the time he occupied it, only a few months elapsed, the occupation having taken place at the beginning of the year 246. Here he died in Shauwâl, [2] 47.
In the same night on which he died, al-Muntaṣir-Billâh was proclaimed caliph; and on Tuesday the 10th of Shauwâl, he left al-Mutawakkilîyah for Surra-man-raʾa, where he died.
ʿUyûn aṭ-Ṭaff. ʿUyûn [springs] aṭ-Ṭaff[3] which include ʿAin aṣ-Ṣaid, al-Ḳuṭḳuṭânah, ar-Ruhaimah, ʿAin Jamal and the lands that belonged to them, were held by the garrisons that guarded the frontier forts beyond as-Sawâd. These springs lay near Khandaḳ [trench] Sâbûr, which Sâbûr had dug between him and the Arabs who guarded the frontier and the other Arabs who lived there. Sâbûr allowed them the use of the land as fief without collecting kharâj from them.
