And in [that] year, which is the year five hundred and sixty-five of the Arabs (a.d. 1169),
died Kutb ad-Din Mawdud, the son of Zangi, the lord of Mawsil. And he commanded that his son
'Emad ad-Din Zangi, the son of Mawdud, son of Zangi, should succeed him. And Kutb ad-Din had a
deputy and administrator of his kingdom who was called Fakhr ad-Din 'abd al- MAsih, [339]
who was from the country of Antioch, and he fell into captivity (or, bondage).
Now because this 'Abd al-Masih hated 'Emad ad-Din he shared the opinion of the wife of
Kutb ad-Din, and they changed the command. And they set up Saif ad-Din Ghazi,
his younger son, in the place of his father, and the nobles swore fealty to him.
And 'Emad ad-Din departed and went to Syria to his uncle Nur ad-Din, weeping and complaining t
hat 'Abd al-Masih had robbed him of his inheritance and his kingdom. And on the second day
of the week (Monday), on the twenty-ninth day of the month of HAZIRAN (JUNE), which is the twelfth day of the tenth month of the ARABS,
there was a severe earthquake, and the earth rocked like a ship on the sea.
[This was] an event (or, happening) the like of which had not been heard of for
many generations. For the blessed Patriarch MAR MICHAEL said,
When we were standing in the temple (i.e. church) of the Monastery of MAR HANANYA during
the morning service, on the day of the festival of ST. PETER and ST. PAUL, a
sound like heavy thunder was heard from the earth. And we were lying prone on
our faces before the holy table, to which we clung, and we were tossed about
from one side to the other. And after a long time when, contrary to expectation,
we returned as from the graves, and then our eyes like those of a man who is woke
up from sleep, began to shed tears, and our tongues [to utter] praise.
And during that earthquake the walls of ALEPPO, and BA`ELBAK, and HAMATH, and
EMESA, and SHAIZAR, and BAGHRAS and of their fortresses and great buildings
fell down upon their inhabitants. The whole of the great church of the GREEKS
which was in ANTIOCH fell down, and the altar of the church of KUSYANA of the
FRANKS. As for us, that is to say the remnant of our people, He rendered us
great help, having consideration of our feebleness, for there was among us
neither king nor governor. Whilst all else in ALEPPO fell down, one church
was protected. And in ANTIOCH three churches were protected for us, viz.
the Church of the Bearer of God, and the Church of GEORGE, and the Church
of MAR BAR SAWMA. And in GABBALA also our little church was protected, and
so also in LAODICEA, for the glory of God, and the heartening of the feeble
orthodox remnant. And that earthquake lasted twenty-five days.
And in the year fourteen hundred and eighty-two of the GREEKS (A.D. 1171),
the governor 'ABU AL-KASIM brought for himself a wife who was the daughter of
KARA 'ARSLAN of the fortress of ZAID.
