Taher (1979)

Catalog in English

Chapter 2 - Earthquakes and Natural Disasters in Syria and Rum

528 AD

Al Birûni says:

According to the Syriacs, the year 838 after Alexander (2nd year of the reign of Justinian 527-565 AD), an earthquake^1,2 occurred in Antioch, which caused landslides and the fall of the mountain of Quludhyya into the Euphrates which was blocked, causing a flood. The river abandoned its bed to seek another passage.

Footnotes

1 Tahdid, 48.49.

2 Founded in 300 BC by Seleucus ter (left bank of the Orontes), this city suffered at least ten great earthquakes during the first five Christian centuries, Cf. Streck, Gibb, E.I. 2nd ed., p.532; N.Canard, History of the Mamdanides dynasty, t.1, p.p.227-28.

References

Taher, M.A. (1979): Corpus des texts arabes relatifs aux tremblements de terre et autres catastrophes naturelles, de la conquete arabe au XII H/XVIII JC, Ph.D. Thesis (Univ. Paris), 337 pp.

13-140 A.H./634-757 AD

13 A.H./634 AD

A terrible earthquake ravaged the land of Palestine for 30 days and an epidemic followed³. Before the capture of Aleppo by Abû 'Baiyda Ibn al Djrah, the walls and the citadel of this city were destroyed due to an earthquake⁴.

Footnotes

3 Al Makin ibn al 'amid, Tarikh, 19

4 Ibn Chadâd, al A'laq, 1/1/23

23 A.H./645 AD

We find in the book "the beginning and the History"⁵ that the the earth shook in Damascus and that Abû Ad-Darda' had said:

"This is our reprimand, now try to be kind in [conduct ?]".

The same historian¹ reports that 'Ali ibn abu Talib prostrated four times while praying during the earthquake and that 'Abdullah ibn 'Abas had the same behavior and had said to his entourage:

"We are the companions of the Prophet, let us consider these prodigies as a blessing, see it as a sign.”

Footnotes

5 Al Madisi, al Bad, 2/36.

1 As Suyuti, Kashf, 22, 23.

94 A.H./713 AD

The earth shook in the land of Syria for 40 days. The country was ravaged and the epicenter was located in Antioch².

Al-Khawarizmi² dates the beginning of the earthquake to 10 Adhar (March) and gives it a duration of 40 days, demolishing the highest buildings; the maximum intensity zone was located in Antioch where houses were demolished.

Almost all historians point out that under the caliphate of Walid 'Abd al-Malik seismic shocks of this duration (40 days) were numerous.

Footnotes

2 Hamza al Asfahani, Tarikh, 187; Ibn al Athir, al Kamil, 4/582.

100 A.H./722 AD

According to As-Suyuti³:

Waki' and Ja 'afar ibn Barqân report that 'Umar 'Abd-al-'Aziz had written to them because of the earthquake that occurred in Syria to arrange to meet them on Monday of such month, so that they may be witnesses that whoever fulfills the duty of alms is heard, like one who prays every time the name of God is pronounced.

Footnotes

3 Kashf, 13.

130-158 A.H./747-774 AD

The story of the sacred rock in Jerusalem on the night of the earthquake^1a, according to Abu 'Umayr who takes it from 'Jundub who refers to Rustum al-Farisi:

During the first earthquake, I was asked to give the call to prayer, and I replied that it was none of my business. We asked the same thing when the second happened and I made the same response. At the third shock, I was very scared, I approached the mosque. All the houses were destroyed. One of the guardians of the sacred rock asked me:
Quickly, go get me some news about my family and I will tell you the miracle!
I went to find out and brought him some news. So he said to me:
The dome rose, we could see the starry sky, he rested. We heard strangers giving each other orders: this way, again, a little more, as long as it has not been placed correctly

According to another version (from 'Ubayd Allah ibn Muhammad al Qaramâny) D amra and according to Rustum himself,:

There were 10 guards at each gate; when I brought him news of his family, my guardian told me that the dome had been removed, that we had seen the stars and that before my return, we heard rustling, then a voice saying "Put down" three times, and the dome was put back in its place.

Al Walld ibn Hamâd relates according to Abd-Ar-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Al-Mançûr ibn Thâbit who reports the following version that he got from his father and grandfather:

Abu 'Uthmân led the Ramadan vigil, after the Qyâm prayer (breaking the fast), on the black square. During the vigil, he heard the crash of an earthquake, the cries of distress of people across the city. It was a dark, cold night, full of rain and wind. He heard a voice (without seeing the person) which said:

Lift it gently, in the name of God and the dome was lifted so as to reveal the stars if one felt even the raindrops on the face, to the call for prayer. Afterwards the voice said Put it down, put it down, for God's sake. And the dome took its place again.

Ad-Dahabi^1b says:

All these events took place during the first earthquake, in the month of Ramadan 130. God knows best. That year there was a prodigious earthquake in Syria. We know by ibn Djûsa which refers to Muhammad ibn 'abd-al Wahab ibn Muhammad ibn 'Amr ibn Muhammad ibn Chadâd ibn Aws Al Ançary, who refers to his grandfather. According to this chain of witnesses we know that the earthquake of the year 130 was the most violent in Jerusalem. Many faithful (Ançars or not) were victims. The house of Chaddad ibn Aws fell on him and his guests, Muhammad ibn Chaddad was saved, but he lost his belongings under the rubble. He could only recover the Prophet's sandals. When her sister saw what had happened to her as well as his family, she took a sandal, telling him that as he did not have descendants, and that she had a son, he had to share with Muhammad the very precious relics. So she took a sandal, which remained with her until the day when Al Mâhdî (the Caliph) came to Jerusalem. That day, she was presented as a descendant of Aws. The caliph kissed him, gave a gift to all his children. They went to look for the old man Muhammad ibn Aws who had to be transported because of his great age. The caliph asked him for details about the sandals. Muhammad replied that his sister was telling the truth. So the caliph asked him for the other sandal. The old man began to cry. The caliph left him the sandal which remained with him.

According to another report^1c, Abu Ja'far al-Mançûr the prince of the believers was asked:

Oh, Prince of Believers, the West and East parts of the mosque have been damaged during the 130 earthquake, if you have us repair this damage, it will be very good
The caliph replied that he had no money.

Then the silver and gold plates that covered the doors were removed, since the caliphate of 'Abd-al-Mâlik ibn Marwan, denarii (dinars) and drachmas (dirhems) were minted which were used to finance reconstructions.

Under the caliphate of Al-Mahdi the second earthquake occurred, which destroyed the repairs that had just been made. The caliph received complaints from Jerusalem townspeople and said:
This building is in poor condition, it can no longer house anyone, it must be rebuilt, shorter and wider.
The mosque was therefore rebuilt. Al Mahdi was invested [declared Caliph?] in 158, on 6 Dhulhaidja.

Findings:

The myth of the dome which was lifted and then put back into place by unknown people (supernatural?, angels?)
The cult of relics is attested in the story of the Prophet's sandals.
There were earthquakes in Cham, Syria and Palestine.
The architecture of the Jerusalem mosque was modified.

Footnotes

1a Al 'Ulimi, al Uns, 1/237, 238

1b Tarikh al Islam, 5/39, 40

1c These are earthquake events between 140 and 158 H. (757-774). See al 'Ulimi, al Uns, 1/282,283.

140 A.H./757 AD

Al Mansûr¹ decreed the reconstruction of Al-Maççiça² under the responsibility of Djibra'il ibn Yahya. The surrounding wall had been weakened by the earthquake. The inhabitants of this town were few in number. The wall was rebuilt and called Al Ma'mura. And the head of work built a large mosque. He paid the wages of 1000 workers. It allowed many inhabitants to settle inside the enclosure.

Footnotes

1 Abu Dja'far, the 'Abbasid caliph, see Ibn al Athir, al Kamil, 5/500.

2 This is the ancient Greek city of Mopsuestia, located on the right bank of the Djaihan River. Cf. Honigmann, E.I., t.III, p.p. 591-96.

187-385 A.H./802-995 AD

187 A.H./802 AD

That year, the earth shook³, collapsing the walls and drying up the springs of al Maççiça.

Footnotes

3 Ibn al Athir, al Kamel, 6/189.

220 A.H./835 AD

The earth was shaken by earthquakes for forty days; the city of Antioch was subject to destruction⁴.

Footnotes

4 As Suyûti, Kashf. 25.

232 A.H./847 AD and 233 A.H./848 AD

Earthquakes⁵ increased throughout the world, notably in Syria, the walls of Damascus and Homs were destroyed; the most violent earthquakes occurred in Antioch and al-'Awàçim. This intense seismic activity continued for several days. The author of Al-Mireât then says:

In 233/848, a very violent earthquake¹ occurred; al -H'âfidh'ibn 'Asakir mentioned it in "Kitâb az-zalazil (the book of earthquakes); he says again:
Damascus was shaken by an earthquake at dawn on Thursday 11 Rabi' II and 233; a quarter of the mosque was torn to pieces, the large stones were uprooted and the minaret collapsed. Bridges and houses collapsed, the seismic wave traveled through al-Ghût'a; she destroyed Dârayyâ, al-Mazza, Bait Lihyâ and others. The people went to al-Muçallâ where they prayed until noon. Then everything calmed down. The seismic wave reached Antioch.

Footnotes

5 As Suyûti, Kashf, 25. He cited another earthquake in the year 230 AH with the same details - and events.

1 As Suyûti, Kashf, 25, 26. according to Ib 'Asa kir; adh Dhahabi, al 'iber, 1/413.

239 A.H./854 AD - Tiberias Landslide Quake

In Tiberias², during the night, the earth shook. The mountains collided, a rock 80 cubits long and 50 cubits wide broke away causing numerous casualties.

Footnotes

2 Ibn al 'Emad, 'hadharat, 2/91.

241 A.H./856 AD - Talking Bird - No Earthquake

According to Ibn Abi Al-Wadâh³, author of the chronicles of Aleppo, a white bird was seen, smaller than an eagle and larger than a raven, on the 7th day before the end of Ramadan, who spoke to the people telling them:

Stay respectful of God, God, God, God, ... (40 times God)
The next day he came back and shouted it 40 more times.
The postmaster spread this information in writing.

Ibn al 'Adim¹ tells the same story, but he dates it back to 242 A.H.

Footnotes

3 Ibn al Dawardi, kanz, Ns., 5/2/199.

1 Zubdat, 1/72.

242 A.H./857 AD

In Syria², that year, there were earthquakes accompanied by a great uproar.

Footnotes

2 At Tabari, Tarikh, 3/12/1433, 34.

245 A.H./860 AD

In Antioch³, an earthquake with strong shaking produced a large number of victims in Chawal, destroyed 1500 houses, demolished more than 90 towers of the ramparts, all in a terrible uproar and impossible to describe. The people fled into the desert, and the bald mountain collapsed into the sea which was stormy that day. There was black, dark and foul-smelling smoke everywhere. A Parsang from there, a river was completely submerged underground. At the same time the earth shook in Bâlis, ar-Ruqa, Hârran, Ra'S'ayn, Hims, Damascus, ar-Ruha, Tarsus, Al-Maçlça, Adana and nothing remained, neither houses nor inhabitants.

Footnotes

2 At Tabari, Tarikh, 3/12/1439, 40.

258 A.H./872 AD - Crash Quake

On the tenth of Sha'aban there was an earthquake⁴ with a great terrible crash, and terrible in Saymara. The next day we heard again the crash of the earthquake and it was more serious than the day before. Most of the city was destroyed and the walls collapsed causing 20,000 victims.

Footnotes

4 At Tabari, Tarikh, 3/12/1872.

267 A.H./881 AD

In that year the earth shook in Syria¹, in Egypt, in the Arabian peninsula, in Africa, and in Andalusia, with a terrible noise.

Footnotes

1 Ibn al Athir, al Kamil, 7/361.

340 A.H./September 951 AD

Ibn Tagribardi² cites an earthquake in Aleppo, al 'Awâçim³, lasting 40 days, leaving many buried victims under the rubble, and destroying the citadel Ra'Ban, Dûlûk, Tell Hamid. From the walls of Dûlek, 3 towers fell. About the citadel of Ra'ban, Yàqût⁴ says:

It is a town on the border of Aleppo and Sumayçat, near the Euphrates, counted in the 'Awâçim, it is a citadel in the mountain.

In 340, the emir Sayf ad-Dawla sent his brother Abu Frras al Hamadâni along with a detachment of the army to restore this citadel. They completed the repairs in 37 days.

Footnotes

2 Al Nudjûm, 3/305

3 See Canard, Histoire de la dynastie de Hamdanides, p.p.226-235.

4 Mu'djam, 2/791.

360 A.H./970 AD

The earth shook in Antioch⁵. A sizeable part of Syria was affected. Emperor Johannes Chamchik sent 12,000 workers under the order of Mikayl Burji to the reconstruction site. Damascus was attacked by the Karameta. They fought against Jaafar ibn Falei whom they defeated.

Footnotes

5 Al Antakt, Tarikh, 139.

362 A.H./972 AD

Damascus and its province were hit by a prodigious earthquake¹ which spread to Antioch, bringing down several towers.

Footnotes

1 Al Maqrizi, It'az 1/132.

381 A.H./April 991 AD

On Saturday 17 Muharram in Damascus, a prodigious earthquake² occurred, demolishing approximately a thousand houses and causing the death of a very large number of people. That night, the village of Baalbek collapsed. The earthquake devastated Damascus and its territorial constituency, Baalbek. The inhabitants left their homes to seek refuge in the desert, living under tents. The earthquake lasted without pause until Friday 17 çafar.

Footnotes

2 Al Antaki, Tarikh, 173; al Maqrizi, It'az, 2/273.

385 A.H./April 995 AD

Ibn Tagbribirdi³ says:

The earth shook violently, burying a crowd of victims under the rubble.

Footnotes

3 Nudjem, 4/169.

393-487 A.H./1002-1094 AD

393 A.H./April 1002 AD

Ibn Tagbribirdi⁴ says:

The earth shook in Syria, Al-'Awàçim and Ath-Thughûr, burying many victims under the rubble.

Footnotes

4 Nudjem, 4/207.

407 A.H./1016-1017 AD - Collapse of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem - Cause Unknown

The great dome¹ of the Mosque of the Rock in Jerusalem collapsed. The Qadi Mujir ad-Din al'Ulaymi² could not find the reason why it fell and had to be rebuilt.

Footnotes

1 Ibn al Djawzi, al Muntazim, 7/283.

2 Al Uns, 1/304

416 A.H./1025 AD - Meteorite Impacts

In the month of Rabi 'II, asteroids fell in Aleppo. We heard their impacts. It was violent like thunderclaps³.

Footnotes

3 Tarikh, 2/250.

417 A.H./1026 AD

During the first four days of Kanun I, in the time of Constantine, the imperial city was ravaged by a shock which caused the collapse number of houses⁴.

Footnotes

4 Tarikh, 2/250.

425 A.H./1033-1034 AD

Ibn Al-Athlr⁵ bears a testimony:

This year a very violent earthquake devastated Syria and Egypt. Its maximum force was located at Ramla. The inhabitants left their homes for a few days and a third almost all the houses collapsed, killing many people under the rubble.

Yahya ibn Sacid Al Antaky⁶ says for his part:

That year, Caliph Az-Zahir undertook to build the walls of Jerusalem the noble city, after having fortified Ar-Ramla. Builders began to destroy many churches outside the city taking the stones to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. Then came this prodigious earthquake the like of which had not been seen nor heard of until then, ending on the morning of Thursday 10 çafar. In terms of its damage, many walls were destroyed and there were a considerable number of victims. The city of Arriha fell on its inhabitants, as well as Nablus and neighboring villages. Part of the mosque of Jerusalem collapsed along with many houses and churches, within the circumsciption [?]. In Acre too, houses collapsed on their inhabitants and there were large numbers of victims. The sea receded and then returned in a tidal wave.

'Azra Hadad comments on the earthquake that occurred during Benyamin's journey (561-569)^1a (It is the earthquake of 565). Here are his words:

This district is very famous due to the frequency of earthquakes which affected it at different times. Among the old manuscripts of the Jews, we find an article on Ramla which contains a magnificent description of the earthquake that occurred in Syria and Palestine on 12 Tabith (Thursday) 425. There is therefore in this text, a description that we translate from Hebrew.
Dinab, II,232

People evacuated their homes to take refuge in the streets, the walls fell, the ceilings cracked at the top of the walls, well-built houses collapsed, new buildings collapsed, and people were buried under the rubble, without having found their salvation here or there... People evacuated their houses without thinking about the belongings they left behind. They abandoned their possessions, which were destroyed, seeking their salvation only in themselves. Whichever direction they took, they knew they would find a miracle from God they also ran — they headed down, then dispersed. The buildings that remained standing were nevertheless cracked and had lost their stability. Faced with such horrors that the eyes saw and the ears heard, the brain came out of its head... These events occurred at sunset. They suddenly returned to Ramla and throughout Palestine. The citadels and the countryside were leveled (brought back to the same level) of the sea to Banyas, from the south of the mountain to Jerusalem and the regions neighboring the sea up to Nablus and its villages. In Tiberias and its district, we saw the mountains moving like sheep, the rocks exploded and in the forests, and the trees bent. The wells overflowed. The tongue tires to recount this catastrophe ..

Ibn al-Jawzy^1b reports:

In Ramla, an earthquake occurred. The inhabitants evacuated the city with their children, their wives, and their slaves and spent eight days outside. The earthquake destroyed a third of the city, cut the great mosque, and killed a good part of the population. It then spread towards Nablus where it destroyed houses and killed 300. It overthrew a neighboring village which was swallowed up in the earth with its people and their flocks. Other villages suffered the same fate. Part of the walls of the Jerusalem mosque collapsed, as well as the synagogue of David, in large part, part of the mosque of Abraham was destroyed but the room was saved. The minaret of the Great Mosque of Ashkelon collapsed. The top of the Ghaza minaret suffered the same fate. At this same time, a plague occurred in Baghded.

We are in the presence of three sources. The Christian historian compares the earthquake to the destruction and looting of churches. The Jewish manuscript as well as the testimony by Ibn al Djawzy report the very significant damage that occurred in Palestine.

Footnotes

5 Al Kamil, 9/438.

6 Tarikh, 2/272.

1a Voyage, p.p. 88-89, Note N.3

1b Muntazim, 8/77; Ibn Chakir, 'Uyon MS., 145, 13/113.

438 A.H./1046 AD

That year, an earthquake occurred in Akhlât and Diyarbakr. who destroyed the citadel and the walls.¹

Footnotes

1 Ibn Taghribirdi, al Nudjûm az-Zahira, 5/41; as-Suyuti, Kashf, 32.

439 A.H./1047 AD - Another earthquake in Ramla

According to Al Fariqi², the earth shook in ar-Ramla and the people evacuated the city.

Footnotes

2 Tarikh, p.161.

442 A.H./1050 AD

The earth shook in the countries of Rûm under the effect of a violent earthquake, which Ibn Butlân³ reported in a message he sent to Baghdéd to Abû al-Eusayn Eilal ibn al-Muhsin aç-çabi a little after 440, to report his expedition from Aleppo to Antioch; Antioch depended on Constantinople. He describes a thunderbolt that struck the church of Antioch in the year 1362 after Alexander (442 Hegira). From inside or outside Antioch, on the night of Monday 5 Ab of the year cited, many witnesses saw a very intense burst of scintillating light in the sky which immediately went out. People were discussing the phenomenon in the morning. The news spread only at the beginning of the day from Monday to Ghundjara (in the Rum countries), 19 days' walk from Antioch, a terrible earthquake had struck, which continued that day, causing the destruction of houses. Outside the city, a collapse occurred, a church and a well-built citadels were completely submerged into the ground, without leaving a trace and very hot water gushed out at this location in a torrent which drowned 67 farms. Many people went to the top of the mountains, reaching the heights. They were spared. The water remained for 7 days on the surface of the earth, it surrounded the city on an equal radius of two days of walking, then the earth absorbed it, leaving mud.

Many who had seen these phenomena told the people of Antioch, as I wrote.

The victims who had transported their belongings to the top of the mountains trembled at the thought of the earthquake. Their belongings hurtled towards the base of the mountains. Outside the city, a river flowed backwards, from south to north, like the river of Jesus ('Isa).

Footnotes

3 Yâqût, Mu'djam, 1/382.

455 A.H./1063 AD

Ibn al-Jawze¹ :

In the month of Shaaban there was an earthquake in Antioch and Latakia, in part of the Rûm countries, in Tripoli, Tyre and Acre in [at?] Syria. The walls of Tripoli collapsed.

Ibn al-Athir²:

Syria was the site of an earthquake.

Ibn Kathir³:

The earthquake reached the middle of Syria, as far as Wasit.

Footnotes

1 Al Muntazam, 8/231.

2 Al Kamil, 10/30.

3 Al Bidaya, 12/89.

460 A.H./18 March 1068 AD

On Tuesday 10 Djumada I, a prodigious earthquake occurred in Palestine³. It demolished most of the houses of Ar-Ramla, its walls, and it damaged the mosque and caused the death of many inhabitants under the rubble.

The following story is told: a teacher had with him in his school, about 200 boys. The school collapsed on them, and no one asked about them because all the parents were dead.

The wells overflowed due to the earthquake.

In Banyas, 100 victims died under the rubble, as well as in Jerusalem. That year we heard a terrible clap of thunder and never heard it so far. It was a frightful outburst. Many men, women and children lost consciousness.

After this thunderclap, enormous clouds rose, some fell, and there was an intense hailstorm which destroyed many trees. A formidable thunderstorm brought [the hailstones] and carried away everything in its path: trees and stones.

Ibn al-Athir² reports that in Jumada I, a very violent earthquake occurred in Palestine and Egypt. The city of Ramla was destroyed, water gushed from the mouth of the wells, and there were 25 victims.

The mosque of Jerusalem was cracked and then repaired thanks to the most high God.

The sea receded a day's walk from the coast and returned to drown the people busy collecting things on the shore. There were many deaths.

Ibn al-Djawzy³

In Djumada I, a prodigious earthquake occurred in Palestine, which affected Palestine and the city of Ramla, destroying two battlements of the Prophet's mosque. Its effects were felt as far as Wàdi Aç-çafrai, Khaybar, the earth split and treasures appeared. Its effects were felt as far as Ar-Rahba and al-Kufa. Testimonies were reported by merchants, according to which the entire city of Ramla had collapsed, with the exception of two alleys. The number of victims rose to 15,000 people,

Footnotes

1 Ibn al Qalanisi, Dhayl, 94.

2 Al Kamil, 10/57.

3 Al Muntazim, 8/248.

462 A.H./1070 AD

On Tuesday 11 Djumada I at the third hour, (18 'Adhar)¹, an earthquake occurred in Ramla and its surrounding, which was completely destroyed. The walls were demolished; shaking spread to Jerusalem and Tinis, Aylat was completely destroyed. The sea receded, revealing the land. People marched on the strike and the sea returned to its original position. The corner of the 'Amr mosque was distorted. This earthquake was followed by two other tremors almost immediately.

Footnotes

1 The date corresponds to the year 460;.cf. Ibn al Djawzi, al Muntazam, 8/256.

479 A.H./1086 AD

There was an earthquake in Iraq, Jazira, and Syria², and most countries were devastated. People abandoned their houses to reach the desert and returned at the end of the earthquake.

Footnotes

2 Ibn al Athir, al Kamil, 10/158.

484 A.H./September 1091 AD

On the night of Tuesday 9 Sha'aban (Tishrin I)³ an extraordinary, unprecedented earthquake struck. People left their homes in fear of seeing the catastrophe repeat.

In Antioch, many houses were destroyed and the Notre-Dame church was shaken. Many victims were buried. 70 rounds of ramparts were demolished. The city remained demolished until the Sultan Malik-shah ordered the restoration.

Footnotes

3 Ibn al Qalanisi, Dhayl, 120; Ibn al Athir, al Kamil, 10/200.

487 A.H./1094 AD

Ibn al-Qalanisi¹:

At this period (Djumada I), there was a series of earthquakes, night and day, like never seen before, each shock lasting longer than usual.

Ibn al-Athir²:

That month, there was a prodigious earthquake in Syria which lasted a long time but did not cause any destruction.

Footnotes

1 Dhayl, 127.

2 Al Kamil, 10/200.

508-582 A.H./1114-1186 AD

508 A.H./November 1114 AD

That year, a formidable earthquake occurred in Syria³ which very much frightened people and then it calmed down.

Ibn al-Djawzi⁴:

I saw the writing of Abû Bakr ibn abd-el-Bâqi El Bazaz who says:
A message came to Baghdad on Thursday 17 Rajeb of the year 508 which mentioned that on the night of Sunday 18 Djumada II of this year, an earthquake occurred in Odessa (ar-Ruha) which brought down 13 towers of its walls and part of the walls of Haran and many houses collapsed on their inhabitants. In Sumaysat and Batis, 100 houses fell and half collapsed from the citadel, while the other half was saved!

Ibn Al-Athlr wrote:

it was an intense earthquake in Jazira and a lot of people died under the rubble and Ibn Kathir said that some houses had been destroyed in Khurasan and other countries. There were 100,000 victims with a large amount of damage.

Footnotes

3 Ibn al Qalânisi, Dhayl, 191.

4 Al Muntazam, 9/180,181.

513 A.H./November 1119 AD - Collapse of the Tomb of the Patriarchs - No earthquake mentioned - plus the whole account is fishy

Yaqût¹ mentions:

Al Hrawi said: "I entered Jerusalem in the year 567 and met Machaykh from the city of Khalil [Hebron] who told me that in 513, on the day of King Baldwin, there had been a collapse in the Khalil [Hebron] Caverns. A group of Franks entered and found Abraham, Isaac and Jacob there, peace be upon them, covered in worn shrouds. They were leaning against the wall and above them, there were candles. They were bareheaded. The king replaced their suzires [?] and unblocked the cave".

Abu Ya'ila al-Qalanisi² bears the same testimony.

Footnotes

1 Mu'djam, 2/468.

2 Dhayl, 202.

533 A.H./October 1138 - April 1139 AD

Ibn Al Qalanisi³:

On Tuesday 4 çafar, a tremendous earthquake occurred in Damascus in the afternoon. There were three tremors followed by others on Friday night at dusk, shaking the earth several times. On the 19th of Safar, there was another triple shock - glory to God Almighty and Wonderful — and new shakings in the night on Wednesday, then in the last quarter of that of Friday

We have from trustworthy people the description of this series in the North of the country (Syria). It was the worst in Aleppo and surrounding areas, collapsing houses in large numbers, cracking the walls, and shaking the walls of the citadel. The people of Aleppo evacuated their homes in the disaster. There were 100 shocks according to those who exaggerate and 80 according to the most precise witnesses. God knows what is true and what is false.

'Imad ad-Din at-Tâblk conquered the citadel of al-Athârib on Friday 1st Safar. We know that very violent tremors had occurred in Syria during the night from Friday 8 çafar. And on Saturday 17 Cha'aban (9 nisân) thunder resounded with a great crash before noon and a storm broke out, with hailstones weighing 8 “dirham” (some say 17 dirhams). Many birds were killed and plants and fruits were destroyed. On the morning of Wednesday 21 chawal, there were earthquakes which inspired great fear in hearts and souls.

Ibn al-Athir¹ mentions a large earthquake in Syria, Jazira and other countries, with maximum power in Syria. It lasted several nights and was accompanied by enormous noises and shaking.

Ibn al 'Adim²:

On Thursday 13 çafar a prodigious earthquake occurred, followed by other shocks, the catastrophe continued; people evacuated their homes in Aleppo to reach the countryside. The stones broke away from the walls and fell into the street and people heard a terrible noise. There the citadel of al-Atharib collapsed killing 600 Muslims. The governor (Emad ad-Din) was rescued with a few men.

The destruction affected many countries: Chiah, tell 'Amar, tell Khalid and Zâradna. We saw the earth shaking and the stones shake like wheat in a sieve. A lot of houses were destroyed, their walls were cracked, and the two east and west walls of the citadel split. 'Emad ad-Din took the citadel and then headed towards Mosul. The earthquake lasted until the month of Shawwal. There were 80 tremors.

'Emad ad-Din had decided in 32 [A.H. 532 ?] to seize the properties that the Allepons had illegally occupied since the time of Radwan until the times of Ilghazi. He levied a tax of 10,000 dinars and took 1,000 dinars worth of loot. Then came this earthquake which made Al At-Tâbik flee barefoot outside the citadel. This was the end of the tax.

Footnotes

3 Dhayl, p.p. 268-270.

1 Al Kamil, 11/71.

2 Zubdat, 2/270, 271.

542 A.H./March 1148 AD - Atmospheric Phenomenon - No Earthquake

On Thursday 21 chawal 542¹ (beginning of Naysâm) there was darkness and rain started to fall. At the time of the afternoon prayer, the plain disappeared under the darkness, in extraordinary darkness. It felt like twilight. The sky was yellow like the (vars), the mountain also, and also the trees of the Ghuta, like everything that could be seen: animals, plants, minerals.

There were flashes of lightning, unbearable thunderclaps that seemed to creep forward. Everyone was panicked, even the old people with white hair, so what can we say about the women and children! The horses stirred and reared in terror. The phenomenon lasted until nightfall at the same pace. Then everything became calm again by the power of God.

Footnotes

1 Ibn al Qalânisi, Dhayl, 296,297.

546 A.H./March 1151 AD

Abu Ya'la ibn Qalânisi¹ :

We have been informed of an earthquake that has occurred the night of 13 Djumada II 546, which produced three tremors in the Buçra region and that of Hurân, as well as in all their surroundings. In Buçra, many walls collapsed, elsewhere as well. The catastrophe stopped by the grace of God.

In Damascus (Ibn al-Qalânisi lived in Damascus):

On Saturday 22 chawal (3 chubat) a little before dawn the earth suffered three enormous tremors and the walls shuddered. Then everything calmed down.

Footnotes

1 Ibn al Qalânisi, Dhayl, 317.

551 A.H./September 1156 AD

EXPLANATION OF THE EARTHQUAKE THAT OCCURRED IN THE YEAR OF GRACE 551, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.

On the night of Thursday 9 cha'aban 551 (27 Aylul)² at 8 o'clock there occurred a prodigious earthquake. The ground shook 3 or 4 times, then it stopped under the effect of the same power that had triggered it. Glory to the mighty king and victorious.

Then, on the night of Wednesday 22 Cha'abane, according to testimonies, a comparable phenomenon occurred which continued throughout the day. It was less violent and caused 6 shocks.

On the night of Saturday 25 of the same month, the earthquake still filled people with fear until the end of the day. Then it ceased by the grace of God who had started it and made it stop.

We received reports from Aleppo and Humat reporting serious damage: a tower of “Afamya” [Apamea] collapsed under the effect of this blessed [?] shock. 40 shakes are mentioned — God knows best. We've never seen anything like this phenomenon in the previous year nor in previous eras.

On Wednesday 29 Chaàbane, there was another earthquake after the one we mentioned at the end of the day. Then another one at the end of the night. And a terrible earthquake struck on the first Monday of Ramadan which repeated a 2nd and 3rd time on Tuesday 3 Ramadan during the day. The first shock occurred during the day and was very violent, the 2nd and 3rd being less strong than the first. Shakes again took place at noon, of the same amplitude, and then others, very intense, which frightened hearts at midnight. Glory to God who is able to accomplish such miracles!

After that, at 9 o'clock on the night of Friday 15th Ramadan of the same year, another prodigious earthquake struck. In the morning of that night, other tremors took place, of lesser importance, followed by others at the beginning of Saturday night and others still on the night of Friday 23 Ramadan in the first third of the night. In the middle of the day, on Sunday 2 Shawwal of the same year, a tremor occurred from a prodigious earthquake which frightened and overwhelmed the people. On Thursday 7 Shawwal, another shock struck at the time of midday prayer. The following Monday, an earthquake took place, followed by another weaker one, then a third and a fourth.

On the night of Sunday 23 Shawwal, again an earthquake filled souls with fear.

There followed other shocks which were not counted due to their abundance. The Supreme God spared Damascus and its suburbs. The residents were relieved by this manifestation of benevolence and mercy. On the other hand, news came from Aleppo that there had been many damaged houses. With the exception of Chayzar, most of the houses had collapsed on the inhabitants, many of whom had been killed. The inhabitants of Kafratab were afraid, and in Humat, the same thing. In the other provinces of Syria, people did not know that prodigious events were happening there.

Footnotes

2 Ibn al Qalânisi, Dhayl, p.p. 334-336; Abu Chama, ar Rawdatin, 1/103,104.

552 A.H./April 1157 AD

The following year began on a Wednesday^1a. The sun was in the sign of Aquarius.

We mentioned in A.H. 551 the aftermath of the earthquake which we will not mention again.

On the night of Wednesday 19 çafar 552, in the early morning, a prodigious earthquake struck which frightened and tormented people. It stopped by the grace of God, then a second followed - weaker, and on the night of the following Thursday, another struck a few hours later and a fourth one struck after Friday prayers.

News came from the north country informing us of a series of earthen tremors. In the city of Chayzar (Caesarea) Humat, Caphratab and Afamya a few mahwalz [?] from Aleppo. It is God who knows everything.

On Thursday 25 Djumada I^1b, a prodigious earthquake broke out after dawn. The earth was shaken, and a second shock followed at the 6th hour and another at the 8th hour on Thursday. The third was stronger than the first two and more destructive.

He who started them, stopped them by his power!

At the end of the day, there was a 4th earthquake at dusk, which caused great harm to people. They began to pray and implore God.

On the night of Sunday 4 Djumada II, at noon, a new shock occurred, followed by another weaker one.

Information was received from the Northern Countries² according to which Aleppo had was affected by an earthquake which distressed the inhabitants and caused them great damage. Same event in Hums which had been partially destroyed, the same for Eumat, Ileratab, Aphamyat'. Repairs made after the last earthquake had been destroyed. In Tayma' the effects of the earthquake were felt with great violence and great terror.

At the 7th hour of Monday 4 Rajab 552 H. in Damascus, we had never seen such an earthquake. People were overcome with fear for their lives and their homes. They evacuated the homes, shops, everything that had a ceiling. They rushed out. They evacuated a number of precious, irreplaceable things from the mosque. Immediately afterwards, there was a shock which stopped by the grace of God.

He wanted to demonstrate his goodwill for his people. There is no greater mercy than that of God!

At the beginning of the night of the mentioned date there was a new shock, then another at midnight, another one at the end of the night, weaker than the first.

On Friday 8 Rajeb, another terrible earthquake overwhelmed the people in the middle of the night, and another in the early morning. Same thing on Saturday night, Sunday night, Monday night and the following. This defies explanation.

THESE CATACLYSMS HAVE INSPIRED A POET:

Fear grips us in the face of these earthquakes
that Destiny provoked at the orders of the God of Heaven

They destroyed Caesarea and Humat,
killed their inhabitants. Such is the fate,

And number of countries, citadels,
Well-built fortresses

At this spectacle tears of blood flow from our eyes when God has decided something, it is inevitable that it will be accomplished

The intelligent man, the one with a lucid mind, his heart no longer understands anything

We see him recite his rosary, with tears in his eyes,
So terrible is the misfortune that threatens him

God is so high, far above nonsense
And the ignorance of humans.

As for the people of Damascus, they evacuated their houses as well as all the places covered, they sought refuge in the mosque and in the open squares, because they feared for their lives.

Another earthquake occurred on the 29th. The city gate was opened and inhabitants went out to reach the fields and deserts outside. They spent a few nights and days outside, in fear. They begged God to spare them.

On Wednesday^1c 24 Ramadan of the same year, another earthquake caused people fear and damage, especially since they knew what had happened in the land of Syria. The destruction was significant.

It was reported that in Aleppo the mentioned earthquake had shaken the houses, the ramparts in large part. People had evacuated the city, fearing for their lives. In Humat, it was worse. What had been rebuilt was destroyed again. The devastation continued for several days. Daily a large number strong tremors occurred, accompanied by detonations comparable to thunderous and terrible rolls of thunder.

We relied on the grace of God.

Weaker tremors followed and on the night of Saturday 10 chawal, an earthquake occurred after evening prayer, which was very painful. The earth trembled. Shortly after, another shock occurred which was calmed by the grace of God. The people of Damascus were spared by the will of God.

The night of Saturday 10 Dhul Qi'da^1d of the same year, at the beginning of the night, an earthquake shook the earth and made hearts quiver with fear. It was followed by another, weaker one.

On Sunday, at the second hour, an earthquake broke out, immediately followed by another. It stopped by the grace of God. On the night of Friday 23 Dhul Qi'da, at first hour of the night, an earthquake made hearts beat, shook houses and walls and stopped by the grace of God.

On the night of Sunday 25 Dhul Qi'da, it resumed, followed by another on Friday at the start of the night.

At midnight, more violent shaking. People rushed towards the mosque and open spaces, imploring God. At the end of the night, the earthquake resumed a 2nd and 3rd time, less violent. Then a 4th shake, more weak, a 5th and a 6th. It calmed down by the grace of the one who had him made it begin. It did little damage.

The last Friday of Dhul Qi'da, at the 2nd hour of the day a shock occurred.

On the night of Friday 2 Djumada II we were informed of another earthquake.

MILITARY FACTS.

Nûr ad-Din left Damascus at the head of his army towards the country of Syria, when he learned that the Franks were gathering (may God exterminate them). They were waiting that the earthquake destroyed citadels, fortresses and houses to bring them back.

Nûr ad-Din went out to protect the ruins, and pacify Hums, Kafr-Tab, Caesarea, Hamat and the other cities, to rebuild. He had under his orders many Turkmen mercenaries, as well as the garrison.

They set up camp near Antioch, facing the Franks. He laid siege to the city, until no one wants to give in to corruption anymore.

Footnotes

1a Ibn al Qalânisi, Dhayl, 337.

1b Ibn al Qalânisi, Dhayl, 342.

2 Ibn al Qalânisi, Dhayl, p.p. 343/344.

1c Ibn al Qalânisi, Dhayl, 345.

1d Ibn al Qalânisi, Dhayl, 346.

553 A.H./April 1158 AD

15 Rabi' I¹: We learned that an earthquake had occurred in Aleppo. It had destroyed the homes, damaged the walls and the citadel.

Saturday 25, night: Earthquake in Damascus. It stopped by order of the one who started it.

Wednesday 23 Rajab: During midday prayer, earthquake which caused a great fright to people. It calmed down thanks to God

Thursday 24 Rajab: Earthquake followed by another at midday prayer.

Footnotes

1 Ibn al Qalânisi, Dhayl, 352.

554 A.H./January 1159 AD

The 1st Friday² of Muharram: An earthquake at dawn, followed the same day by two less strong shocks.

Sunday 22 Rabia' I, night: 4 shocks at the beginning of the night, which woke up the sleepers.

Friday 9³ Djumada I: A violent wind blew. At the end of the night, two very violent and unbearable shocks.

Footnotes

2 Ibn al Qalânisi, Dhayl, 354.

3 Ibn al Qalânisi, Dhayl, 357.

555 A.H./1160 AD

That year Ibn al-Qalânisi died. We have lost the eyewitness who described natural disasters. According to Ibn al-'Adim^1a, earthquakes occurred for seven years, causing many victims. Most historians stop the era of earthquakes at 552 A.H.

The year 552; Ibn-al-Jawzi^2a testifies as follows:

We learned in Ramadan that an earthquake had shaken Syria in the month of Rajab. It had affected 13 cities: 8 in the Muslim country, and 5 in the pagan possessions. For the Islamic countries these were Aleppo, Humat, Caesarea, Kafr-Tab, Aphamya, Hums, Ma'arrat, Tell Harran, The Frankish possessions were: Hisn al-Ak'rad, 'Arqat, Ladhigiat, Tripoli, Antioch. The number of victims, we get it from a teacher present in Humat. He mentions that he had left school for business that concerned him, that then the earthquake came to destroy the greater part of the city, and the school collapsed on all the children. The master said: "I haven't found anyone to give me student news".

We heard the same anecdote about the 460 earthquake that occurred in Palestine, with the same mention of the gathering place. The citadel of Caesarea is also cited in the same context"

We can establish the list of victims as follows:

Aleppo: 100 victims
Humat: Almost all the inhabitants perished. Rare survivors.
Caesarea: All were killed except a woman and her servant.
Kafr—Tab: No survivors.
Afamya: The citadel was destroyed.
Hums: Very heavy losses of inhabitants.
Ma'ra: Part of the population disappeared.
Tell haran: The city split in two and in the middle, tombs appeared. Many houses destroyed.

Ibn-Al-'Adim^1b adds:

At the Ach-Chumays citadel, near Salmyat, Hisn in Acrad and at 'Ariqa, many deaths.
In Latakia: A crevasse formed and an idol appeared there. Then, the slot fills with water.
In Tripoli: Most of the population was wiped out.
In Antioch: Idem

Almost all of the markets, citadels and ramparts were demolished and Mir-ad-Din undertook the restoration. The results are the same in the Frankish possessions.

THE EVENTS IN CAESAREA.

Caesarea^2b has not often been the subject of comment by historians, except in connection with the earthquakes, especially that of 552 H./1157. Its citadel, near Ma'arra, between this town and Humat, a day's walk away, was destroyed.

Abu'l Fidda^3a mentions, for his time, the existence of a bridge in this place which was called the bridge of Ibn Mùnqidh and that only a desert hill remains, west of Caesarea.

Ibn Al Athir^1c: the bani Munqiz had inherited this citadel at the time of Sâlah b. Mirdas.

Abu al-Fidda^2c disputes this assertion, saying that the B-Munqidhent came into possession of this citadel in 474 while Mirdas exercised its functions until 420. The Bani Munqia' took possession therefore of this citadel 54 years after the Death of Mirdâs. Abu'l Fidda here corrects a mistake made by Ibn al-Athir. It is based on Usama'b-Munqia' who survived the earthquake. This citadel depended on the diocese of Bishop Dimitri, who had left the usufruct [?] to his grandfather of Usama in return for tribute. The grandfather had also received use of the bishop's domain. The munquiaites had paid 3 years of taxes for the evacuation of the Byzantine garrison. The evacuation took place on a Monday of Rajeb 474.

This mention of the earthquake was made by historians with the sole aim of explaining the causes of the disappearance of this family.

Sadid al-Mulk 'Ali b.A1-Munqidh^3a was governor of it until 6 Muharram 479, after him Abu'l Murraf Naçr ibn 'Ali succeeded him until 491.

When he died, he appointed Murshid b—'Ali as his successor, who refused. He devolved his rights to his brother, Sultan b. 'Ali.

Murshid had children and feared that serving as governor would harm them. Among them, Usama had a strong personality. One day he killed a lion. His father advised him to go into exile, for fear that the uncle would take umbrage at his too great valor. All Murshid's children dispersed. They complained to Nur ad-Din who was at that time preoccupied with the crusade. He feared that the governor would not [would?] give the citadel to the Franks if he got involved in this affair.

The governor was Muhammad b-as-Sultân until Rajab 3, the day of the earthquake. After the earthquake, the citadel was reduced to ruins and Nur-ad-Din took possession of it, without firing a shot. Ibn al-Athir, Abû Chama and other historians^1d say that a Munqizite nobleman celebrated the circumcision of a child, and invited the whole tribe; they had a big party with a horse that welcomed the guests standing on two legs.

The earthquake occurred. The first to rush to the door was killed by a kick from the horse. No one dared to go out and everyone died under the landslide. There were only a few survivors.

According to Ibn al 'Adim^2d, a lady, Hatûn, the sister of the governor's wife, His [her?] life was saved and he [she?] was able to free himself [herself?] from the rubble. Ibn Wâcil^3c also specifies that a learned monkey jumped [singe savant saute] out of the window and thus had his life saved. He was the only survivor (according to him).

Abu Ya'lâ ibn—Al—Qalanisi^4a, regarding the earthquake land of 22 Shawwal 51, says that a series of tremors occurred and that on this occasion, Chayzar was destroyed: the suburbs from 51, and the citadel in Rajab 52.

This opinion seems very likely to me.

Most historians, including Ibn al-Athir^5a, agree to recognize that some of Nur-ad-Din's generals reconquered the citadel and its ramparts. Abu'l Fidda specifies that Nur ad-Din headed towards Caesarea, on Tuesday 3 Djumada I 53, that he attributed the citadel to Ibn ad-Daya.

A number of historians have reported different versions of how Nour-ad-Din reached to take command of the citadel.

Abu Châma^1st reports, according to Ibn Abù Tayy, that during the year during which the citadel was destroyed by the earthquake, Nûr ad-Din headed towards Caesarea, seized it and gave it to Madj-ad-Din Ibn ad-Daya.

But, he also reports^1e, according to other sources, that Nûr ad-din himself took command of the citadel, rebuilt it and had ramparts put up. He did the same for all the towns in the region which were destroyed by the earthquake. This was only a means to better defend against attacks from the Franks. Ibn Khallikân^2nd reports the same version.

Ibn al-'Adim^3d, for his part, relates that Nûr ad-dln headed towards the citadel and when he arrived there, he met Khatim, the Sultan's wife. He asked him [her?] where the treasure of the citadel was and [she] replied that [it] had remained under the rubble.

Ibn al—AthIr^4b reports two different versions. In one of them, Nûr ad-Din would have personally conquered the citadel. In the second, some of the generals of Nûr ad-Din headed to Caesarea while they were in a place near the city, at the time of the earthquake. It would be them who would have taken and delivered Caesarea to Nûr ad-Din, who would have rebuilt it as it was said above.

This version^5b is likely because Nûr ad-din fell ill during the earthquake which devastated the entire region.

Abu l-Fidda^6a also reports two different versions: In one, Nûr ad-Din himself seized the city and the citadel just after the earthquake. In the other, he would have captured the city on Tuesday 3 Djumada I 553, that is to say a year after the earthquake, and would have ceded it to Majd-ad-en Ibn ad-daya.

LITERARY PRODUCTION:

These earthquakes gave rise to important literary production. For example, Usama Ibn Munqii wrote: "Kitab al -manâzil wa-d-dyar"^1f in which he brings together the verses of poetry which are generally found at the top of poems and to whom we give the name “nasib” or “buka’iyyât” that is to say relating to lamentations (or tears over beings who have disappeared).

He had the idea of bringing them together after seeing the spectacle of the effects of the earthquake on the regions in which they took place. Furthermore, he composed a personal poetic work "the Diwan Usama"^2f in which he mourns his family as well as his country, victims of these earthquakes.

Inside this diwan, Usama specifies, among other things, that his loved ones perished in the earthquake in "the blink of an eye". Furthermore, to serve to awaken the conscience of the people who remained in indifference to divine commandments; The author also says::

O the greatest of the merciful, have mercy on your faithful (by putting an end) to these earthquakes, because they do not cause than death,

The lands where they are found are in convulsions to the point that they appear to be ships with agitated breaths,

Half of them have perished, the other half are in the expectation of what the first suffered. They replaced the permanent houses with huts which for them will be nothing more than tombs with a wooden roof.

The Fatimid vizier As-Salih^1g Tala'i' Ibn Ramik sent him a “qasida” to console him for the loss of his family. Inside of this poem, he specifies that the country of “Cham” [Syria] hates its inhabitants, it is he who is responsible for the fact that no wise man is established there. If wars become rarer there, they are replaced by aspen[?]—earth shocks or other serious events.

Other natural phenomena can still replace earthquakes, such as thunder, rain and tornadoes. All this is due to the fact that Islam is absent from Jerusalem, but the vine is present there. On the other hand, its occupants worship a crucified God.

This earthquake left its mark on many historians, including Ibn al-Wardy^2g (8th S.H.):

If God decides on a sentence, who can reject it? which of the Bani Munqid will be saved?

Ibn al-Wardy was appointed judge in Caesarea by the judge of judges in Aleppo. 'Uthman Ibn Al-Barizi al-Hamawi. As soon as he arrived in the city, he felt unwell which he believed was due to the pestilential atmosphere, which reigned in the city. He wrote to the judge in Aleppo asking to be transferred to another city. He responded favorably to his request and allowed him to leave Caesarea.

Footnotes

1a Zubdat, 2/308.

2a Al Muntazam, 10/176.

1b Zubdat, 2/306.

2b Yaqût, Mù'djam, 3/353.

3a Al Mukhtaçar, 3/31.

1c Al Kamil, 11/2.

2c Al Mukhtaçar, 3/31,32.

3b Ibn Khalikan, Wafayât, 1/368.

1d Al Kamil, 11/221; Ar Rawdatin,1/112.

2d Zubdat, 2/307.

3c Mufardj, 1/128.

4a Dhayl, 335.

5a - this footnote is missing from the original document

1e Ar Rawdatîn, 1/110; Ibid., 1/112.

2e Wafayât, 3/86.

3d Zubdat, 2/307.

4b Al Kamil, 11/221; al Bahir, 112.

5b Ellisséeff , Nûr ad-Din, 2/519.

6a Mukhtaçar, 3/31.

1f Introduction, p.53.

2f Ed. Badawi, Abd el Medjid, p. p. 304-309.

1g See Abû Châma, ar Rawdatin, N°6.

2g Tatitimat al Mukhtaçar, 2/58.

565 A.H./1170 AD

This year also^3a, on the 12th of Shawwal, there was another terrible earthquake. People had never seen one like it.

Its effects were felt in Cham [Syria], in Jazira, in Màwçil, in Iraq, and in other countries as well, the area of maximum intensity being Syria. It caused much devastation in Damascus, Baalbak, Humas, Hamat, Caesarea, Barin, Aleppo. It destroyed walls and citadels and caused countless victims.

When Nur ad-Din learned of the event, he marched to Baalbak to repair the fortifications and the citadel. He not only received this information. As soon as he arrived in Baalbak, he learned of the destruction noted in other towns: damaged fortifications and disappearance of inhabitants. He left a garrison in Baalbak, to protect and repair the city and he headed towards Huma where he made the same arrangements, then towards Hamat and Bârin.

He was very curious to know the situation among the Franks and in particular the citadel of Bârin. Not a single wall remained standing, and it adjoined the Frankish zone. He left an elite detachment there under the orders of a great emir. He organized the reconstruction of the site in such a way that that they worked night and day.

Then he arrived in Aleppo and saw the effects of the earthquake. It was without comparison with other cities. The city had been completely demolished by several tremors. The survivors were still terrified. If they had been able to protect themselves from landslides, they had found no shelter from the fear of earthquakes.

In addition, they feared settling outside of Aleppo, for fear of being surprised by the Franks. When Nûr ad-Din saw what the earthquake had done to Aleppo and its population, he himself took charge of the reconstruction. He monitored the workers, stayed there for the complete reconstruction of the city and spent a fortune there.

As for the possessions of the Franks - God curse them - the earthquake had also shown its effectiveness there. They began to rebuild their cities, in fear of seeing Nûr ad-Din arise. Each side struggled to repair one's possessions, in fear of seeing the other appear.

Here is the report of Al 'Imad al-Açfhani^1a:

The Franks had citadels near Bârîn, Haçn al-Akrad, Cafîtha and ar-Raqâ, which found themselves drowned after the surge of earthquakes, and in particular the al-Akrad citadel of which there is no longer a standing wall, and the repairs absorbed them entirely.

We learned of the seriousness of the damage that occurred in several regions of Syria, but some news gladdens our hearts: among the infidels, the damage was greater than among us, because it was a feast day, everyone was gathered in the churches and the ceilings collapsed on them.

The same author composed a eulogy of Nur ad—Din which mentions this earthquake:

The outburst of violence shook the earth along with its inhabitants. It destroyed the citadels so strongly, justice got the better of their strength (the Franks) and they were struck down by fate. Everything that rose high was thus lowered and the bastions were razed. God had made his decision which was fulfilled. The infidels (polytheists) were massacred, this prodigy was a sign for the monotheists. The enemy suffers the same punishment as the people of 'Aad. They wanted to oppose the sentence but it was carried out without an executioner

Al 'Imad al-Açfhani says again:

This is a new meaning that I find in the tremors of the earth; it thus complains of being the home of corrupt people.

Sibt ibn al -Djawzi^1b, for his part, writes:

An earthquake occurred in Shawwal in Syria, it destroyed the greater part of Damascus, brought down the battlements of the mosque, collapsed the ceiling of the trembling pulpit like a date palm in a high wind.

It was more serious in Aleppo, where half of the citadel and most of the city was destroyed. 80,000 inhabitants were buried under the rubble and the walls of the fortifications were cracked.

The inhabitants fled into the fields.

...The citadel of Hiçn al-Akrad fell. No trace of its walls remains. Same damage to Humat, and Hums.

... Nûr ad-Din made his way towards Aleppo, which was exposed to the enemy, devoid of its ramparts.

... This earthquake affected the whole earth; it destroyed all the Muslim citadels in the country of Syria: Aleppo, all the capitals, Antioch, Latakia, Djabalat, all the coastal cities, up to the Rûm countries.

... It is said that there was only one death in Damascus. He was on the Djiron staircase and received a stone on the head. Only this man remained because all the inhabitants had evacuated the city and gone into the desert.

... The earthquake spread as far as the Euphrates, reached Mawçil, Sinjar, Nàçibin, Odessa, (Ar—Raha), Harân, Ar-Ruqat, Màrdln, and other regions; it spread to Baghdâd, Wasat, al-Baçra, and all regions of Iraq.

... People had not seen such an earthquake since the beginning of Islam.

Ibn Al-'Adim^1c writes and confirms:

Nûr ad-Dîn learned of the earthquake that occurred in Syria and especially of the damage in Aleppo, the evacuation of residents, and the continuation of the tremors for several days. It was Shawwal 12, a Monday, at sunrise.

... The number of victims rose to 5,000, women and men.

Abû Châma^2a:

I read some books of Abu al-Husien Ar-Razi and he reports from the teaching of his masters that the earthquake occurred in Damascus in Dhul Kaada 245. The damage was then as significant if not more.

Ibn Chaddâd^3b reports in the biography of Salah ad-Din:

The two earthquakes should not be confused: that of 552 and that of 565.

The Jewish traveler Beni—Amîn (Benjamin) of Toledo^1d is reported to have reported that Tripoli had been afflicted by a short-lived earthquake before its arrival. There were victims among the Jews and also among the other inhabitants, buried under the rubble of collapsed houses.

This time there were approximately 20,000 victims in Palestine

The translator of Beni—Amîn’s travel stories, an Iraqi named 'Azrâ Hadâd.

He identifies the reported earthquake as that of 552. However, the journey took place between 561 and 569. It seems preferable to think that Beni-Amin mentions the most recent earthquake, that of 565. Furthermore, ibn Chaded warns against confusion between 552 and 565.

THE FACTS OF EARTHQUAKES AMONG FRANK HISTORIANS.

Some Frankish^2b historians report that in the autumn 1156 AD a series of earthquakes occurred. Damascus was damaged, as well as Aleppo, Home, Ephemia.

In November and December, the tremors increased in intensity. At this time, Caesarea was ruined. Cyprus and the coastal cities north of Tripoli were hit by the tremors the following spring. In August 57, the Orontes valley was hit by serious shaking. There were many victims in Homs and Aleppo.

In Hamat, the damage was so significant that this earthquake was named by the chroniclers "the Hamat earthquake".

In Caesarea, the Munqidites were gathered and celebrated the circumcision of the prince's son, when the walls collapsed on them, the only survivors the princess of Caesarea and Usama who was then on a diplomatic mission.

Both camps, Muslims and Franks, were too busy repairing of their ruined fortifications to think about serious operations for a while.

In October 1157, 2 months after his return from Banyas, Nûr ad-Din entered Aleppo to receive his inheritance.

But he had to reckon with the opposition of his half-brother, ibn ad-Daya. As soon as the rumor of the prince's death ran through the streets of the city, all the notables of Aleppo gathered around his bed.

But he was still alive. And he even overcame the illness. But he lost part of his abilities and his energy. He was no longer the invincible warrior. New forces appeared in Syria which were going to soon to dominate the scene.

Bohemond of Antioch, immediately released, came to Constantinople to visit his sister and borrow money from her brother-in-law, to pay Nûr ad-Din part of the ransom he owed him. Manuel granted the requested assistance. Bohemond made the return trip to Antioch in the company of the Greek patriarch Attanassius II. The Latin Patriarch Aimery protested and asked for their exile to the castle of Qosair. For the next five years, the Greeks dominated the church of Antioch. It does not appear that any Roman bishops were dismissed but the vacant seats were filled by Greeks. The vassal church of Tripoli was not influenced. The arrival of the Greeks rocked the Jacobite church in the Roman camps. They had been on good terms since 1152, the year of the miracle at the tomb of the Syrian Saint Barsauma: a frank child who was limping had been healed. In 1156, the Jacobites, to the great joy of their patriarch Mikaël (the historian) were authorized to build a new cathedral, whose dedication [was attended by] the Princess Constance and the Armenian Prince Thoros. Patriarch Mikaël visited Aimery in Qoser, to assure him of his friendship.

Mikael's hostility towards the Greeks was so strong that he refused to go to Constantinople for a theological debate, to which Manuel, who was so passionate about it, had invited him.

Saladin was far too wise to fall into the diplomatic trap prepared for him by Amarlic. Nûr ad-Din had trusted Shirkuh, but he was wary of the ambitions of the new masters of Egypt. Saladin, however, behaved impeccably. In April 1170, his father, Najm ad-Dîn Ayoub, was sent to him by Nûr ad-Din with a detachment of Syrian troops, half as a sign of friendship, half to make an allusion. Indeed, Ayoub was completely devoted to his master. Likewise a good number of Damascene merchants followed the convoy, with the aim of establishing commercial relations with Cairo. Nûr ad-Din made a demonstration against Kerak, to ensure the caravan a sar [?] route through the Jordanian territories.

This was Nûr ad-Din's only operation against the Franks. During their operations in Egypt, he had left them in peace, and in January 1170, they had even managed to recover the citadel of Acre, in Bugaya, which they had probably lost in 1165. Ambric, regent of Tripoli, united this possession with Araqa (Acre) and entrusted everything to the control of the Hospitallers who thus had power over the entire valley.

On June 29, 1170^1e, Syria was affected by a terrible earthquake, as destructive as those of 1157, and in the months that followed, Christians and Muslims were busy repairing their damage: Aleppo, Chayzar, Hama and Homs had been seriously damaged, such as Karak des Chevaliers, Tripoli and Djubayl.

In Antioch, the damage was enormous. But the Franks saw it as a sign of God's justice: Indeed, the Greek patriarch and his clergy were busy celebrating mass in Saint-Pierre Cathedral when the building collapsed on them. As Athanasius had died beneath the ruins, the. Prince Bohemond and his court went with all haste to the castle of Qosair, near Aimery, his rival, to bring him to the seat of the Patriarch. Thus ended the short episode of Greek rite.

ARCHITECTURAL FACTS.

The people of Syria settled in wooden huts, in Aleppo. Nur-ad-Din^1f owned a house on the banks of the river in Aleppo which enters the citadel from the north. The year of the earthquake, he built a wooden house opposite it with better security, where he lived permanently, spending the night there and carrying out his prayers. This is where he died and was buried.

Indeed, it was dangerous at that time to live in stone houses.

Abl Châma^2c writes:

I read in the diwan of Al 'Arqala that Salah ad-Din Yussuf al-Ayubise was found the day of the earthquake in the company of 'Ubayd, his valet, known as a man of strong build, in a house in Huma. The whole town was destroyed except for this house.

Then Al-'Arqala said to Salah ad-Din: "Give 'Ubayd whatever he wants, it is thanks to its large size that the house remained standing.

Other notorious victims attest to the danger:

Abû al 'Ala ibn An-Nada al-Ma'ari^3b died at the age of 25 during the earthquake of 552 (some say 551). Abu Sahl ibn Abderrahman ibn al—Mudriq ibn Abi al-Muqhchud grew up in Caesarea and died in Humat in 553. He was a poet.

The Aleppo earthquake destroyed the house of Muhyi ad—Din Ach—Chaharzeri. He lost his family there and Al 'Amâd Al—Asfahan^1g wrote him a consolation poem.

Even if we do not find many biographies, we know that entire families were victims of the devastation of earthquakes.

Abu Châma^2d indicates having read in the Diwân of prince 'Usâma ibn Munqidh that people had fled luxurious houses to settle in wooden cabins. He quotes :

Oh you the most merciful of the Merciful Spare your servants these earthquakes causes of great damage and ruin.

They are shaken by earthquakes like travelers on a sea that rises to the rhythm of their breathing half of them are dead and the other half are waiting their turn, they have replaced their luxurious houses with cabins which are so many tombs with wooden ceilings, so many boats from which we cannot escape.

According to Al 'Imad Al Asfahani, Abu Chama tells us that Nur ad-Din suspended the tax on wood, hence the word the poet addressed to him when his army entered Egypt:

It is to reward you for the exemption from taxes on wood for the benefit of the people of Syria that Egypt offers you its riches.

OBSERVATIONS COMMENTING ON THE MOVEMENT OF NUR-AD-DIN’S TROOPS.

That year^1h, in the month of Çafar, the Franks laid siege to Damietta. They held Syria. They became afraid when they saw the advent of Assad-ad-Din Shirkuh. They asked reinforcements to their garrisons in Sicily and Andalusia; on the Muslim side, there were the Turkish mercenaries from Egypt. The Franks were afraid that the Turks would take Jerusalem, they called crusaders (priests and religious) to go down to Damietta and seize Egypt in order to protect the rear. At that time, Assad-ad-Din died, replaced by Salah ad-Dîn. He sent almost all its reserves of men by the Nile in the direction of Damietta, then called for reinforcements from Nur ad-Din explaining to him that he feared unrest in Cairo if he left the city without a garrison and that he feared Frankish attacks in Damietta if he did not go there. Nûr ad-Dîn responded by putting several successive detachments en route and at the same time he proceeded against the possessions Franks of Syria on expeditions that were all the more effective as the places were devoid of their fortifications.

Seeing this, the Franks found themselves like the ostrich who had come to ask for horns and who left without ears. They only stayed 50 days in Damietta.

A sign of Egypt's economic prosperity at this time is that Salah ad-Dîn admits to having received from the Caliph al 'Adid the sum of 1000 Egyptian dinars, plus clothes and other gifts for the price for his intervention in Damietta.

At the same time in Syria, the situation was not as prosperous, as proof the poem of Aç—Çâlàh Talâ'' ibn Ruzik^2e, consolation to Osama:

The inhabitants of Syria rightly hate their country. No sane mind can remain there. The restrictions due to war were already severe and those resulting from earthquakes were added to them.

That year, Nûr ad-Dîn therefore entered the Frankish zone, and in Djumada II, he laid siege to Al-Karak, which controls the strategic routes.

The reason for this siege was that Salah-ad-Din had called for help from Nûr ad-Din who had sent Najm ad-dln Ayub (father of Salah ad-Din) with him. Large numbers of merchants [mercenaries?] had followed the expeditionary force as well as allies of Salah ad-Din.

Nûr ad-Din led the expedition to Al Karak which he besieged with his siege machines. There he learned that the Franks were preparing for battle. He set out immediately, plundering and burning the Frankish country, as far as 'Achtara. There he heard the news of the earthquakes in Syria and in particular the destruction of Aleppo. He then made his way towards this city, each camp then taking care to repair its damage after earthquakes.

OPPOSITION OF THE QADIS REGARDING THE WAQFS.

We will now see how Nur ad-Dîn responded to the qadis who opposed levies on the funds of the Waqfs (pious foundations) to repair the damage of the earthquake.

Abu Châma¹ⁱ:

According to the qâdi Radi ad-Dîn abu Sâlim 'Abd al-Mun'im ibn al Mundhir, Nûr ad-Din came to the citadel of Damascus on Thursday 19 Afar 554 for a conference with an assembly of judges of which Charaf ad-Din ihn'abi 'Açrûn was a member. They told him that the funds of the waqfs of Damascus could not be used for such repairs. He replied to them that priority should be given to works that would ensure the safety of Muslims: repair of the surrounding wall of Damascus and rehabilitation of the peripheral ditch. He therefore requested authorization to take money from the funds belonging to the waqfs to devote to these works. Sharaf ad-Dla 'abd al Wahab the Melchite recognized the validity of the reason, but other judges requested a period of reflection. Sharaf ad—Din ibn 'abi 'Açrûn said that we did not have the right to spend the money intended for the mosque on other purposes, which had to be drawn from the coffers of the state, and all followed him in this opinion. 'Açrûn then asked Nûr ad-Din if he had already used the money of the Waqfs to repair the walls of Damascus, the Kallasat, the crenellated ceilings of the "Nasr" at the mosque^1d, the lead covering the terrace of the Chamite cloister, and other repairs concerning the mosque on his own initiative. Nûr ad-Dîn admitted having given these orders. (this was to repair the damage from the earthquake of the 1150s).

We have a very important document concerning the history of the city of Damascus and the anecdote of ibn 'abi 'Açrun, written by Al Wharani in his books "jalis kull fare"^2e (treasure of good presents) and “manamat al wahrâni”^3c (dreams).

He says in substance that at the mosque of Damascus a meeting of the mosques of the city was held, who had come to implore their mistress, the Umayyad mosque, and to deplore the destruction which had damaged them during the time of Nûr ad-Din. Nairab Mosque said that the mosques had suffered a lot of outrages from the workers, that the coffers of the waqfs had been looted and the walls and ceilings had been destroyed. The Al Maza and Barza mosques also complained. Hearing this, the Umayyad mosque notified the judge of judges 'Açrun who read the notebook of grievances and annotated it by mocking the Umayyad mosque. Obviously, he was very angry and appealed to Prince Nûr ad-Dîn, followed by the other mosques. The prince took the matter in hand, carried out repairs and dismissed judge 'Açrun.

Al Wahrâni^1k was a supporter of Nûr ad-Din. He generously exercised his satirical talents and another judge played his part. This is the qâdî Nahmûd ibn Yahla ibn Aflah al Lakhami.

It was because of his bad character that God sent us the eclipse and terrorized us with this earthquake which made us evacuate our homes

On the other hand, our author addresses praises^2f Nûr ad-Din when he decided to live like a hermit like the Caliph 'Umar ibn 'Abd al 'Aziz. Al-Wahrâni declared in Baghdâd about him:

He is the arrow of the state. He gets straight to the point.
He is the cornerstone of the Khalifate

According to Abu Châmâ^3d, Nûr ad-Dîn repaired the damage to the mosques produced by earthquakes or other causes. He delegated his powers to the qâdî Kamal ad-Din Ach-Shahrzawrl (the successor of 'Açrûn) for matters concerning the waqfs with a mission to apply the law, to do good and to oppose evil, and authorization to allocate for repairs what remained of the money in the treasury of the waqfs, with the agreement of the founders.

We noticed that asceticism had many followers at that time, as happens after great catastrophes.

Al Usàma ibn Munqidh testifies¹¹:

Everyone followed the example of our sultan, leading a life of contemplation. Those days were pure as time of Lent, without the stain of sins. They lived in thirst and hunger (far from orgies).

Footnotes

3a Ibn al Athir, al Bahir, 145, Abu chama, ar Rawdatîn, 1/184.

1a Cf. Abu Chama, ar RawdatIn, 1/184,185. Note: location of footnote missing from main text

1b Mir'at, 8/174,175.

1c Zubdat 2/33.

2a Rawdatin, 1/107.

3b Nawader as Sultanya, 43; Ibn Wasil, Mufardy, 1/185.

1d Voyage, p.88.

2b Rec. Hist. des croisades, Robert de Torigny, an.1157; Mich.arm., 356; Chron.an.syr., 302; Guillaume de Tyr [William of Tyre], XVII, 17,19, p.p.847-53; Cahen, La Syrie du Nord, p.396; Runciman, History of crusades, vol. II, p.p.343-344.

1e Mich.Arm., III, p.339, Guillaume de Tyr [William of Tyre], XX, 18, p.p.971; Rohricht, Regesta, p.125

1f Cf. Aba Chlma ar Rawadatin, vol.1, p.228.

2c op.cit. 1/185,186.

3b Al Tabakh, I'lâm, an Nublâ, 4/98,99; Sibt ibn al-Djawzy, Mirat, 8/140,141.

1g Abu Châma, ar Rawdatin, 1/185,186.

2d op.cit., p.160.

1h L'année 565 H./1170. Cf. Ibn al Athir, al Kamil, 11/351,352,353; Abu Chama, op.cit. 1/180; Ibn Wasil, Mufardy, 1/185.

2d Abu Châma, op.cit., 1/106.

1i Abu Chama, op.cit., 1/17,18; Ibn Khalikan, Wafayat, 2/256.

1j This is the Umayyad mosque.

2e Raad, Janvier 1965, p.p.234-256.

3c Dar al Katib al 'Arabi, 1968, p.p.61-71.

1k Rasa'il, Mb. Dar al Kutub au Caire, x.11.

2f Abû Châma, ar Rawdatin, 1/229.

1l Abû Châma, ar Rawdatin, 1/229.

582 A.H./1186 AD - celestial phenomenon - no earthquake

Al 'Imad al-Asfahani^2a points out the abundance of seers and soothsayers who predicted the end of the world for the month of Chaabane this year, when the 7 planets would enter in the sign of Libra, there would be a violent storm in all the cities. They warned the unbelievers, all the foreign kings and the nations of Rûm. When the star entered the sign of Libra, they dug caves which they protected against the winds, they transported water and food there and took refuge there to wait for the deadline.

When we learned this, we laughed a lot. And our sultan listened for the words of these seers, sure they were based on lies and divination. When the night came when I had to see place the disaster of Aâd, we were sitting at the sultan's house in a large room, we didn't see anything unusual

Al Magrizi¹ dates these events to 583. He says that in this year they met in the sign of Libra the 7 stars: the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Zaharat (Astarte), 'Utârid, al-Muchtara, az-Zuhal, and Azfar Adhib for fourteen hours and the seers had said that the winds would be unleashed, that the earth would reverse its course, that there would be no plants, no animals alive, no walls standing. The most frightened were the nations of Rûm.

Y. Blochet^2b “It was especially the Rûm which was mistreated by this natural phenomenon.”

That year, Salah ad-Din captured Jerusalem, taking many captives.

Footnotes

2a Abû Châma, 2/72, Sibt ibn al-Djawzy, Mir'at, 8/247.

1 Al Sulûk, éd. Zyâda, 1/1/98,99.

2b Histoire d'Egypte de Mukrizi, Leroux, Paris, 1908. Extrait de la Revue de l'Orient latin T.VI, VII, XI,

597-692 A.H./1200-1292 AD

597 A.H./1200 AD

Abâ al-Muzaffar Sibt-b-Al Djawzî³ bears this testimony:

30,000 victims were buried under the rubble and Acre was destroyed like Tyre and all the citadels of the coast. The earthquake spread as far as Damascus and caused the exterior minaret of the mosque to fall and most of Al Kalâsa, as well that the Baymaristan of Nûr ad-Din. Most of the houses were destroyed in Damascus with few exceptions. The people fled towards the square and 16 battlements fell from the mosque. The lady of Naçr collapsed half below the people. Walkers had left Balabak to pick gooseberries in the mountains of Lebanon and the two mountains closed around them and they were destroyed. The Citadel of Balabak was destroyed despite its careful construction.

The earthquake also spread towards Homs, Hamat and Aleppo, and all the capitals. It tore the sea towards Cyprus and there were very high waves and the boats were propelled onto the coast and shipwrecked. It continued towards Akhlat and Armenia, Adhebayjan and Jazira. The number of victims that year rose to 1 million 100,000 men and it lasted for as much time as it took to read the Surat al Kehl [in the Quran]. Then there were other successive shocks.

Ibn al-Athîr¹:

In the month of Chabane that year, the earth shook in the countries of Jazira, Syria, Egypt, and others. The catastrophe was horrible. It accumulated destruction until Damascus, Hums, and Hamat. The village of Buçra collapsed. The Syrian coast was affected the worst. The destruction ruined Tripoli, Tyre, Acre, Nablus and other cities. The earthquake reached the countries of Rûm. The area of minimum damage was in Iraq, where no houses were destroyed.

Footnotes

3 Mir'at, 8/308,309.

1 Al Kamil, 12/110.

598 A.H./1201 AD

Sibt ibn al Djawzî²:

In the month of Chaabane a prodigious earthquake occurred and Homs was destroyed along with the citadel, the watchtower which dominates it, and Hisn al-Akrad. The earthquake spread to Cyprus, Nablus and neighboring regions. This earthquake reached the three coastal cities: Tyre, Tripoli, and 'Arqa and it caused much devastation in the Muslim countries of the North. It was felt all the way to Damascus where it shook the heads of the miners [?] of the mosque and several battlements of its north wall.

A North African man was killed in Kalasa as well as a Turkish mamluk, slave of an accountant who lived in the alley of Sumaysat, this, in the early morning of Monday 26 Shaabane (20 Ab in the Syriac calendar). The earthquake lasted until the next morning.

When the earthquake occurred in Egypt, it was recorded by Mouafaq Abdin Abdellatif Al Bagheadi, the “Shafiite”, nicknamed ibn Al-Labâd who was living in Egypt at the time and later died in Baghdâd in 629 AH and who lives on his own. Written information reached his friends in Syria. He gives all the explanations in his book “Compendium of News from Egypt” (Mukhtaçar Akhbar Miçr) written in Cairo in 600 A.H., about the event of the year 598 AH, and describes the earthquake in these terms:

With the dawn of Monday 26 chaa'bane¹ (25 Bachans), a prodigious earthquake struck. The people were very agitated. They jumped out of bed in surprise and invoked God (Subhana). The cataclysm continued for a long time. It seemed like the coming and going of the sieve, or the beating of the wings of birds. It ended with three strong tremors: the buildings shuddered, the doors slammed, the ceilings creaked, and poorly constructed buildings collapsed. Then it took up on Monday at noon. Not everyone felt it then because this shock was weak and short-lived. The night was very cold and we needed to cover ourselves, unlike usual. And in the morning, the cold turned into extraordinary heat, a wind from Sumun arose, so strong that it made it impossible to breathe and even the most enduring people endured with difficulty. It has rarely occurred in Egypt a earthquake of such power.

News has spread by word of mouth that an earthquake had occurred at the same time in distant regions. And, what interests me, at the same time the earth had moved in Damietta, Alexandria, in all the coastal countries and over the entire surface of Syria. Cities were ruined, until they disappeared without a trace. Vast populations and countless nations were wiped out and I know a city as well established as Jerusalem which nevertheless undergoes damage that we would never have anticipated. The possessions of the Franks were more affected by this earthquake than the Islamic countries. We heard that the earthquake was felt as far as Akhlat and its borders and as far as the island from Cyprus. The seas were rough and the lighthouses suffered significant damage. The waters were divided and waves rose like mountains. The boats washed ashore and many fish were washed ashore.

Messages came from Damascus and Hamat announcing the earthquake. Well here are two that I had in hand and which I transcribed word for word: Text of the message from Hamat:
On the 26th of Chaabane an earthquake occurred and it was almost like as if the earth had started moving; the mountains parted and everything the world believed it was the Last Hour. There were two shocks: The first lasted an hour or a little more, and the second was shorter but more violent. Some citadels were affected. The first, Hamat, suffered despite the quality its architecture; that of Barein too, despite its solidity and good finish, and Baalbak also despite its robustness and cohesion.

On distant countries and citadels we have not received any specific information that I can mention. On Tuesday the 27th of this month, at noon, an earthquake occurred. land of which everyone was aware: those who slept and those who watched. Everyone was shaken. Those who were standing as well as those who were sitting. Another earthquake also took place that day during afternoon prayer:
Text of the message from Damascus: We received news from Damascus that the earthquake had damaged the eastern minaret of the mosque and most of Kallasat as well as the hospital (Baimaristân) in full. Several houses had collapsed on their inhabitants, who had been killed. Here is the text of the message:
The Mamlek says: An earthquake occurred on the night of Monday 26 Chaabane at dawn and it lasted for some time.

Some of his comrades specify: time to read the Surat al Kahf [of the Quran].

Someone from Machaikh in Damascus mentions that he had never seen such a shake before.

The damage extended to the cemetery, it also concerns 16 battlements of the mosque, a minaret, the other which is cracked, the lead dome named Nasr, Kallasat which collapsed killing two men, another was killed at the Djiran gate and the numerous collapses occurred in many places: several houses.

Muslim countries were affected: Banyas in part, Cafad, where there remains as survivors as the sons of the lord. Tibnin also, and Nablus of which there remains not a wall standing except Samrat's lane.
He specifies that Jerusalem was spared by the grace of God.
As for Bayt djin, only the foundations and walls remain, and even then, they have collapsed. The country of Heirân is collapsed and we cannot recognize the location of its villages.

Acre is largely destroyed, Tyre and 'Araqa are 30% destroyed like Saafitha. At Mount Lebanon, people had gone out to pick green currants, and the mountain closed on them. There were approximately 200 victims. People talked about it a lot.

Four after that (4 days and 4 nights) we asked God to protect us.

He is our help and our best guarantor.

Footnotes

2 Al Kamil, 12/110.

1 Mukhtacar, p.p. 262-270.

599 A.H./20 September 1202 AD - shooting stars - no earthquake

At the beginning of Muharram¹, on Saturday night, shooting stars appeared in the sky, from east to west, and they looked like locusts spreading from right to left. We had never seen such a phenomenon, except at the birth of the Prophet, then in 241 and 600.

Footnotes

1 Sibt ibn al Djawzy, Mirat, 8/333.

600 A.H./1203 AD

That year¹ there was an earthquake in most countries: Egypt, Syria, Jazira, country of Rum, Sicily, Cyprus. It reached Mawsil and Iraq, and other countries. Among the devastation, we must take into account the walls of Tyre and most of Syria which was very affected. The earthquake spread to Sebta, in the Maghreb country, with the same effects.

Footnotes

1 Ibn al-Athir, al Kamil, 12/198; Ibn al Wardy, Tatitma, 2/122.

601 A.H./24 March 1205 AD - Comet and Earthquake

At the beginning of Cha'aban², of that year, in Yemen a mysterious comet appeared towards the west. She embraced the horizon. It was followed by tremors which shook the earth.

Footnotes

2 Ibn al Qasim, Ghaya, p. 387.

604 A.H./February 1208 AD

Abû Châma¹ says that the earthquake struck Khalat and its surroundings. There was a collapse of the ground, al Awhad ibn the sultan² had stayed there and had left the place a night earlier. Sibt al Djawzy³ does not mention it, but he was surprised to see so many corpses along his pilgrim route.

Footnotes

1 Al Dhayl, 64.

2 The sultan al 'Adel Ayob

3 Marat, 8/347.

608 A.H./May 1212 AD

The night of 27 Dhul-Qi'da, a terrible earthquake⁴ occurred in Karak ash-Shawbak in Transjordan, and there were many casualties, destroying towers and houses. The strongest intensity was at Elat, by the sea. Before the shock, there was a black wind and shooting stars. On the 15th of Ramadan, we saw a cloud coming down from the sky, between the west and the direction of Mecca, seen from the tomb of 'Atika⁵, outside Damascus, during the afternoon

Footnotes

4 Al Dhayl, 78.

5 Ibn Kathîr, al Bidaya, 13/62.

658 A.H./1259 AD

The princes Badr ad-Din M. ibn Karadja⁶, governor of the Damascus citadel and Gamal ad-Din as-Sayrafî had revolted. They had closed the doors. Katbogha (a tartar) appeared and besieged the citadel on the night of 6 Rabi' II. God sent rain, cold, strong winds, thunder, lightning and tremors in several places for this reason. People were afraid of the sky (Allah) and the land (the Tatars) and the revolt failed.

Footnotes

6 Al-Maqrizi, al Suluk, 1/2/426.

660 A.H./1261 AD

The earth shook in Syria.¹

Footnotes

1 Al Qalqachandi, Ma'ather, 2/114.

667 A.H./1268 AD

News came from the land of Sys² that the citadel had been destroyed by an earthquake, like that of Siraf-Andakar and Hajar Shaghlân.

Footnotes

2 Al Malty, Tarikh, 148; al 'Ayni, 'Eqd, MS., 3/20/553.

674 A.H./1275 AD

A prodigious earthquake³ occurred in Khalât which destroyed houses, markets and hotels. It spread to Dyar-Bakr.

Footnotes

3 Al Yonini, Dayl Mirat az Zeman; al 'Ayni, 'Eqd Ms.

683 A.H./1284 AD

Adh Dhahabi⁴ said that Damascus and its region had been very agitated. Egyptian soldiers camped in the valley and the river had overflowed.

Al-Yafi'y⁵ says it was likely because of the earthquake.

Ibn-al-'Imâd⁶ says that the water broke the dikes at Bâb al-Faradis and reached the school of Mùqaddamyya.

Footnotes

4 Al 'Ebar, 5/342.

5 Mirat, 4/198.

6 Al Hanbli, Shadharat, 5/381.

686 A.H./March 1287 AD

Ibn 'Abd Az-Zahr¹ reports the capture of the tower of Ladhiqyya [Latakia?]. The tower was fortified. It was very important not to leave it to the infidels, because it was at sea, without access on dry land. We could not reach its walls, the sea protected it like a moat. The Franks benefited greatly from the port of Ladhiqyya, as important as that from Alexandria. God decided to cause several earthquakes that year, one of which affected the Cafad citadel. The sultan was busy with repairs for half of the month of Muharram.

The citadel of Hume was also affected by a shock on 21 Muharran just when it had just been repaired. On the night of Saturday 5 Cafar, the earthquake gripped Ladhiqyya, destroying most of the tower which stood in the sea, because God wanted to prove the Muslims right. He was the one who protected this tower. A quarter of it was destroyed, and the dovecote was also destroyed, as well as the lighthouse which indicates the coast. The earthquake was intense, and this was one of the reasons why it was easy for the Muslims to take the tower. When Prince Husam ad-Din Tarantay, the commander of the troops, had completed the capture of the citadel of Sahyun, he set out to attack the tower which had already been attacked by the earthquake. The Franks were convinced that the sultan was supported by an angel and also by the earthquake. They also noticed that their pigeons could no longer fly and that their lighthouse no longer lit. Also, they signed peace. The Muslims won this victory on Sunday 5 Rabia' I.

They let the Franks leave with their goods, leaving behind only their weapons.

Footnotes

1 Tachrif, 151, 152.

692 A.H./1292 AD

Ibn 'Abd Az-Zahr Al-Maqrizi¹ and ibn Al-Furât²:

In the month of Cafar, the earth shook in Ghaza, ar-Ramla, al-Lid, al Karak; with prodigious strength. Three towers of the Al-Karak citadel were destroyed. Afterwards, there was a heavy rain storm, which was noted in a letter from the governor of Ramla: Al Ghars ibn Ash-Shawa, fell, who [which?] destroyed the mills of Al 'Awdja' by breaking the stones and all the tools. Eleven lions were found killed by the storm. After this storm, a prodigious earthquake occurred which ravaged the coastal countries, killing a large number of people, and which demolished the minaret of the mosque of Ar-Ramla. A decree from the Sultan determines the damage. The minaret of the Ghaza mosque was also destroyed and another decree was issued which determined the damage. The Emir Ala' ad—Din Aydghudi Ash—Shudjac' was delegated from Damascus with workers to carry out reparations to Al Karak for an honorable decree.

Footnotes

1 Al Suluk, 1/3/783.

2 Traikh, 8/154.

706-889 A.H./1303-1484 AD

702 A.H./1303 AD

A letter from Cafad³ announced that on the day of the earthquake, a large section of wall of the citadel of Cafad had collapsed and the sea had receded two parsangs in Acre, uncovering its bottom and revealing many things in place of water: goods. The wall of the Umayyad mosque in Damascus was cracked.

It is ibn Bahadir⁴ who speaks:

"The earthquake caused the collapse of one side of the Cafad citadel. The gate towers collapsed and were repaired the following year. The sea retreated to Alexandria, only to return later and destroy. For a great value of goods, many people were drowned. In Acre, the sea discovered the coastline and revealed at the bottom many things which had been thrown there at the time of the siege. The people rushed to plunder and the sea came back on them and drowned them."

... "The earthquake reached the strength of 5 degrees¹, causing the earth to shudder for 20 days and countless victims disappeared under the rubble. It was summer and the Sumûn wind blew with a unbearable heat for several days."

Footnotes

3 Al Maqrizi, al suluk, 1/2/944.

4 Futuh, MS., 2/206.

1 25 minutes. See ibn Iybak Ad-Dawadary, Kanz, MS. 9/110-113.

706 A.H./1306 AD - apparent landslide - earthquake not mentioned

Messages² arrived from Hamat reporting events occurring in Huçn al-Akrâd, in the district of Tripoli; Between two neighboring mountains of Barin, in the country of Hamat, a river flows. A mountain moved, crossed the river to join the other mountain No stone fell into the river that separated them. And the rest of the mountain was hollow (concave), like the niche of the "Mihrâb".

Al Magrizi³ and ibn Taghribardi⁴ report the same story, while specifying that mail reached King An Nâçr from Hamat.

Footnotes

2 Am Minayry, Nihaya, MS., 3/1/155-158.

3 Al Sulûk, 2/1/23.

4 Al Nudjûm, 8/222.

719 A.H./1319 AD - strong wind - vanished monastery - no earthquake reported

There were on Bald Mountain⁵ (Antioch) more than 300 olive trees. The wind rose and felled them all, and it swept away all traces of these trees into dust.

This year also the wind carried away the monastery of Simon, close to this place, causing it to disappear. Every trace: stones, animals, provisions, everything. A report was written and sent to Sultan Muhammad ibn Qalawun.

Footnotes

5 Ad Dimashqi, Nukhbat, 85.

723 A.H./1323 AD - possible lanslide with possible earthquake allusion (trapped vapors evokes earthquake theories of antiquity)

Ad-Dimashqi¹ :

Scientists report that hills were dislocated, perhaps due to the turbulence of trapped vapors within the earth. The topography changed, valleys appeared here and ridges there.

That year, the rain was abundant in Syria and the springs dried up. God sent the earthquake during summer, and the springs gushed out and the rivers overflowed more than four times. Ad—Dimashqi reports this example to show the benefits of earthquakes.

Footnotes

1 Ad Dimashqi, Nukhbat, 84, 85.

739 A.H./13 January - 12 February 1339 AD

In the month of Rajab², there were 60 residents of Tripoli (Syria) killed in an earthquake.

Footnotes

2 Al Yafi'i, Miraat, 4/300; Ibn al'Imad, Shadharat, 6/120.

741 A.H./16 May - 17 June 1341 AD

In the month of Dhul Hidja³, a prodigious earthquake occurred in Egypt and Syria. Alexandria was also affected. The number of victims is uncountable, and many boats were wrecked.

Footnotes

3 Ibn al 'Imad, Shadharât, 6/127.

744 A.H./December 1343 AD

That year there occurred⁴ a terrible earthquake which caused significant devastation. It extended from Syria towards Egypt. Its greatest violence was in Syria, and the Aleppo region was hit hard. It is dated from the 4th hour of Saturday 16 Shaabane.

It damaged the citadel of Aleppo, the northern border posts:

'Aynatab, qal' at ar-Rum (named Qala' at al muslimin), Al Bira, Mambidj; some say it spread to Madjdin. A weaker tremor followed this one, the people of Aleppo evacuated the city for fear of the earthquake, The maximum intensity zone was in Mambidj, which was largely destroyed, where there were many victims buried under the rubble; They saved those who were absent. The number of victims is estimated at around 5,700.

Al 'Ayni¹ tells us the following information:

On the day of the earthquake, his father was not yet an adult, he stayed with his family 40 days outside the city, as well as the Aleppins and all the inhabitants of Syria

Ibn Al-Kathir²:

On Saturday 15 Cha'abane, a very light earthquake occurred in Damascus.

Footnotes

4 Ibn al Wardy, Tatimat, 2/338.

1 'Eqd, MS, 24/1/70.

2 Al Bidaya, 14/211.

768 A.H./7 October - 5 November 1366 AD

In the month of Cafar³ there was an earthquake in Safad.

Footnotes

3 Al 'Imad, Shadharat, 6/210.

802 A.H./20 September 1399 AD

Ibn Hadjar⁴ says that:

On the night of the 17th of Muharram, the earth shook in Damascus. It was a weak earthquake.

Footnotes

4 Inba, 2/296.

806 A.H./11 February 1404 AD

Ibn Hadjar¹ says that on the 8th of Sha'abane the earth shook Aleppo and its region with great violence. There was significant damage. Before this shock, the earth had shaken on Friday 3 Djumada II at noon, then it calmed down, only to resume several times throughout the year. Earthquakes were more violent in the west.

Al Magrizi² said that in Cha'abane the news came from Tripoli in Syria, of a very violent earthquake, which had destroyed a large number of houses, including part of the citadel from al-Marqab. The earthquake had spread to Ladhiqyya, Jabalat, the citadel of Huns, Thaghr-Bakâs, and several regions of the coast and the mountains. Many victims perished under the rubble.

Ibn Ash-Shuhna³ speaks of the prodigious earthquake which devastated Aleppo and a large number of countries. Afterwards, a lighter earthquake occurred, which was accompanied by battles (because of Tamerlane). At the end of the world, earthquakes and battles will be abundant. I believe that the last hour is coming.

Scientists say it's because of the vapors stirring in the earth. Theologians explain these phenomena by other reasons: morals, the will of God, the announcement of the Last Day.

Footnotes

1 Inba, 2/262.

2 Al Suluk, 3/3/1122.

3 Rawd al Munâzer.

807 A.H./5 November - 5 December 1404 AD

Ibn Hadjar⁴ tells us that in Djumada I, the earth shook violently in Aleppo and the people there were greatly overwhelmed, and everything stopped by the grace of the Most High God. Then the shaking started again twice without causing destruction thanks to God.

Footnotes

4 Inba, 2/296.

809 A.H./9 April 1407 AD

In the month of Dhul-Qi'da¹ in Antioch there was a very strong earthquake. It was violent and many victims were buried under the rubble.

Footnotes

1 As Suyuti, Kashf, 56.

811 A.H./1408 AD

The chroniclers² report that a prodigious earthquake occurred on the 10th of Sha'aban, in Aleppo and Tripoli, with an extension to Latakia, Djabalat, and Hums where it reached many neighborhoods. The Hums citadel was shaken and 15 inhabitants died under the rubble.

In Djabalat, there were also 15 victims. The town of Thaghrbakas was completely destroyed, with its citadel, and most of its population fled, with the exception of 50 survivors. The earth split for a distance of a mile, from Al-Qucir to Saltûhum, it is a place in the mountain, which was transported during the night to a distance of a mile with its inhabitants, its trees, its springs, without anyone realizing it.

The earth shook in Cyprus and many localities were ravaged. The coastline and the mountains were affected and the ice from the summit of Bald Mountain descended towards the sea. The sea had a tidal range of 10 parsangs. The sailors said that the boats had made landfall on the outgoing tide; then the tide had returned and there had been no devastation.

Footnotes

2 Ibn Hadjar, Inba, 2/400,401; al Maqrizi, al Sulûk, 4/1/60,81; Ibn al 'Imad, Shadharat, 7/89.

822 A.H./15 March 1419 AD

Al Maqrizi³ says:

On Tuesday 17 Cafar, the earth shook in Bursa, in the kingdom of Rum, for three days and three nights without stopping. The city walls were ravaged, as were most of the houses, without a single one remaining unscathed. From the mountain, a piece as big as half of the pyramids of Egypt broke away. The earth split. Springs gushed out at Wâdi Azraq (the blue valley). Rivers overflowed. The earthquake followed a West-East direction and it resumed to last 40 days with two, three or even four daily shocks. So much so that people sought refuge in the desert. Then it resumed again to last a year.

Al 'Ayny¹ says:

On 29 Rabia' I, the sun underwent an eclipse, before setting, and that day, a serious tremor occurred of land in Arzanshan which caused many victims. The same phenomenon took place in Istanbul, where it destroyed many houses.

Al Magrizi² mentions that in the month of Dhul-Hidja, the earth shook in Istanbul and in many other places, the sea was very rough and overflowed, contrary to its usual state.

Footnotes

3 Suluk, 4/1/482,83.

1 'Eqd, MS, 25/3/481.

2 Al Suluk, 4/1/513.

863 A.H./1458 AD

A very violent earthquake³ occurred in Al-Karak. The citadel, walls and towers were damaged and a hundred people died.

Footnotes

3 As-Suyuti, Kashf, 58.

889 A.H./29 March 1484 AD

In Rabia' I, Aleppo⁴ was affected by six frightening earthquakes of rare violence.

Footnotes

4 As-Suyuti, Kashf, 59.

1099-1174 A.H./1687-1760 AD

1099 A.H./1687 AD

The master of our master Majd-ad-Din Muhammad Ibn 'Ayssa Al Kinany—al—Khaluti as Sliahl said¹:

On Friday 21 Ramadan before the great prayer, the earth shook in Izmir, in the land of Rum, near Constantinople, with great violence, and the earthquake demolished the walls, the houses, the residences, the hotels, the markets, the great mosques, and mosques. All the buildings collapsed and all these places were swallowed up in the earth, and fire mixed with sulfurous vapors appeared. Among the victims were a crowd of Muslims, of Christians, women and children, and soldiers. Their number rises above 50,000. There were only a few survivors: those who were outside the city or in gardens far from buildings. The survivors embarked on a Frankish boat towards Cyprus, then towards Acre. It was on Tuesday 6 Shawwal that the boat docked in Acre.

We wrote this testimony to inform people, by copying the story of the master 'Ala-ad-Din 'Ali. The author of these remarks specifies:
I have this testimony from two eyewitnesses, Salahiat residents in Damascus: Ahmed-al-Ljabali -da-Saleby who was found in a mountain village, sitting in the sun. He was watching the phenomenon happening in Izmir. He has seen the top of the minaret which emerged from the water, we could only see this trace of the city. It was a 5 degree earthquake.

Footnotes

1 Al Ghazi, at tadhkira, B.E.O., Damas, 1975, p.76.

1117 A.H./1705 AD

Hamid-Al-lmâdî¹ mentions that an earthquake occurred that year in Damascus. His master, the learned Abd-al-Ghani An Nabulsî, dates this event in a verse-date: "yuzalzilu-l-'ardà".

Footnotes

1 Cf. Taher, B.E.A. Damas, 1975, p.61.

1129 A.H./1716 AD

I saw, written by my grandfather and my master Abd-al-Ghani An Nabulsî², that on Saturday 26 Jumada II, Sheikh Ilyas ibn Ibrahim Al Kurani informed him in Damascus that the news had spread, coming from Syria, among the notables and the people, according to which on the date mentioned an earthquake had occurred in the region of Qaysarya, in the countries of Rum, and that it had caused the destruction of half of the city and 4 villages in the district.

Footnotes

2 Cf. Taher, B.E.A. Damas, 1975, p.71.

1148 A.H./1735 AD

Al-'Imadi tells us that³:

An earthquake occurred on Saturday 11 Rajeb during the night, in Damascus, mentioned in a verse:

“Hawlan zalzalat al Ardâ”; it took place an hour before dawn. Al-Ghazzî mentions the same phenomenon.

Footnotes

3 Cf. Taher, B.E.A. Damas, 1975, p.61; p.76

1159 A.H./1746 AD

Al Muràdi⁴: He establishes a relationship between the earthquake and the assassination of Fathi ad-Daftarî.

His assassination took place on Sunday at one o'clock in the afternoon, the 15th of Jumada II. There were particular shocks, and others followed when his corpse was brought back to Damascus.

Footnotes

4 Cf. Taher, B.E.A. Damas, 1975, p.102; Silk addurar, 3/279.

1163 A.H./1749 AD - wind and rain - no earthquake

In those times¹, in the month of Adhar of the Syriac calendar, there was a violent wind, as we had not remembered, which shook the land of Syria, so that the people believed that the last day had come. Then came a great cold and a violent rain which lasted until the end of the night.

Footnotes

1 Cf, Taher, B.E.A. Damas, p.p.88-101.

1167 A.H./1753 AD

On the night of Thursday 19 Çafar (3 Kanun I), at the 3rd hour of the night, a slight earthquake occurred in Damascus; in some places in the governor's palace, stones fell on people, and there were two victims: a Muslim and a Christian. This month was very rainy, and thanks to God, it was a great prosperity.²

Footnotes

2 1170 H./6 September 1757 : Al Bidiri says "on the night of 14 Dhul Hidja, the moon suffered a terrible eclipse, and on the 22nd of Dhul Hidja, the earth shook for a long time, as had not happened for several years. The earthquake lasted several days and nights. And this happened after an eclipse of the sun which had caused the stars to appear in broad daylight. And this nation did not understand the Warning.

1173 A.H./1759 AD

Al Bidiri (eyewitness) writes: At the beginning of Rabia' II (Tishrin II), not a drop of water had fallen from the sky. The night of Tuesday 8 Rabia' II, in the last third of the night, the muezzins launched the call to prayer from the minarets and then came a slight earthquake, followed by a second tremor, then a third. Then, in Damascus, the earthquake was enormous, and the Damascenes believed the last hour had come. There was very significant destruction of houses and mosques. Most minarets lost their tops throughout Syria. We cannot count the damaged houses and other places in all the country. Even the dome of An-Naçr, which stood atop Mount Qassiun was shaken and half destroyed. In the villages of Syria, there was a lot of rubble, burying countless victims.

The second night^1a, the earth shook at the same moment as the day before and in the morning the earthquake continued, and during the day too, it continued again, several times, but lighter than the first two shocks. Panic and dismay were their height. People evacuated their homes and they slept in the alleys, the gardens, the cemeteries and tombs, the plantations, and the courtyard of the Umayyad mosque.

During this earthquake, the Qunaytira hotel fell on its occupants, and there were few survivors among the animals and travelers. The same disaster occurred at the Khan of Sa'asa'. News came to Damascus that the towns and villages of Syria had collapsed on their inhabitants without sparing any survivors.

On Tuesday night, at the tenth hour of the night, On the 5th of Rabia' II, the sky parted, and we heard cries, rolling noises, thunderclaps, and horror. Illuminated people saw the ceilings rise, the stars appear, and the ceilings return to their place.

News came that mountains had collided, imprisoning villages which disappeared without any trace of them being found.

On the night of Friday 18 Rabia' I, at the time of the twilight prayer, a shooting star crossed the sky from west to east, illuminating the mountains and houses. Then it fell and we heard a huge sound, louder than a cannon shot, and we saw lightning. During the first shocks, an enormous rock fell into the Qanawat river, which it blocked and the city waited for water for 11 days. It took 11 days to cut this rock and let the river water pass through. People endured two misfortunes: the earthquake and the water cut.

On the night of Monday 6 Rabia' II, at the fifth hour, a prodigious earthquake occurred, with a power of several degrees. There were terrible tremors. The rest of the minarets collapsed. The great lady of the Umayyad Mosque collapsed, as well as the entire North Pillar, the Madrasa Al Kallasata was also destroyed, as was the Al-Barid gate and the towers of the citadel, and most houses of Damascus. Those which had not fallen had nevertheless been badly damaged. Many victims were killed in the villages, people evacuated their houses to escape and take refuge in orchards, plantations, and cemeteries. They pitched tents in the fields and took refuge there with their families. Despite this, the shaking did not stop, during neither the day nor the night. Then the governor of Syria Abd-Allah Bacha-Achataji ordered that everyone shout together for 3 days in the great mosque for a solemn prayer, the Friday, because we knew that God was not deaf to the invocations that rose from the mosque (Al Muçlaa).

People went to the mosque. Then the governor joined them, with the notables, the muphti and the judge. The scholars followed, women and children. They spent 3 days in prayers, supplications, implorations, like the day of Arafat, as one can imagine the Last Day.

God merciful more than the Clements forgave, the tremors diminished, became lighter. The people stayed in the orchards and meadows, not very reassured, until the snow and rain. So they returned, still not very reassured.

On 8 Djumada II, news came from Damascus that Abd-Allah Bacha-Achataji had fallen disgrace, and on 22 Djumada II, the governor was transferred to Diyar Baqr.

On the night of Monday 25 Djumada II, before dawn, an earthquake occurred in Syria, lighter than the previous one.

Rumors circulated, announcing more violent earthquakes, people gave in to panic, went out again to the cemeteries and gardens, imploring her, mercy of God.

On the first Monday of Rajeb, the new governor Muhammad Pasha-ach-châlik ibn Bulaîd-Pasha made his entry.

In the middle of the month of Rajeb, intense winds blew for 4 days and 4 nights, destroying many places, leaving very few trees standing. The tremors were incessant, night and day.

Prices soared, even those of vegetables. The historians testify:

The poor man had no more resources, the rubble from the earthquakes constantly accumulated. The townspeople sought refuse in the countryside:

During the day of Saturday 22 Rajeb, an architect specializing (in domes) came from Constantinople. His name was Sabaniah Zada. He examines the Umayyad mosque, to reconstruct the dome and its northern pillar, the minarets damaged by the earthquake. With him was a site manager, workers, men to undertake the repairs to the mosque.

We noticed that a plague epidemic had begun, weak at first in Djumada II, increasingly strong in Rajeb and Chaeban. The price rise was also growing.

The month of Ramadan began on Thursday, so the festival (Eid) took place on Friday. It was a celebration for the dead more than for the living. Two days before 'Eid al-Fitr, and two days after the festival, of each Damascus Gate left 1000 funeral processions of victims of the plague. This has never been seen since the time of the plague of 'Amwas^1b.

Al Ghazzî writes^2a: I saw in the text of Chihab ad-Dîn Ahmad al-'Aglouni Ad-Dimachqi Adj-Djarahi -ch-Chafîf, died on Monday 18 Dhul Qi'ada 1188, that the night of Tuesday 6 Rabiaâ I, (in the middle of Tishrin I), an earthquake had occurred at the tenth hour of the night, the ground had suffered a violent shaking, then subsided, then the agonizing trembling resumed; the wind had blown in a storm, with many claps of thunder, the people were stunned, the ceilings had cracked, the walls had split and there had been in Syria, a quantity countless houses destroyed. The tops of the minarets of Damascus had collapsed, the minaret East of the Great Umayyad Mosque had been damaged, as well as part of the Al Arous minaret; Overall, this mosque had not been significantly damaged.

On the other hand, all the minarets of Damascus had been affected, with rare exceptions.

Other shocks occurred the next day (7 Rabia' I) In the morning, the earth shook very hard and the minaret of the venerable mosque of the Umayyads was damaged, as well as the North and East walls; we heard a loud noise. All the minarets were greatly weakened, even that of the Sulaymaya al-Mahyawiya mosque, (Mosque built by Sultan Selim II, near the tomb of Muahy ad-Din b-Araby) in the Salahyya district. Sections of construction were rushed to the ground, finally, the minaret collapsed. Same disaster at the mosque Muzafary, at the minaret of the Sibay mosque, at the Mu'alaq mosque, Hassan Mosque, Emir Mandjaq Mosque, Mahallat Masjid al-Aqcab, to the minarets of the mosques of al-M1dân square, the other minarets of the mosques of Damascus were not spared, with rare exceptions close.

The great dome of Naçr, in the great mosque, split and was weakened, the east wall of this mosque was cracked, and most of the houses in Damascus had their ceilings demolished. The battlements of the great mosque, which were 5 cubits long and dominated by a from a man's height the ceiling of the mosque over its entire perimeter were shot down. They had been built to cut off the view of the neighboring houses to those who climbed onto the roof of the mosque. The battlements collapsed on nearby buildings, including the houses of the Ghazzites. The Khaloutya room, At-tabakhya, in the Simisiatids convent (north-east of the Cmayyad mosque) was damaged, and the vault of the Nawan Hall was dislocated. This is for the northern parts of the mosque.

The other sides of the mosque suffered the same damage. The stones were broken, the columns of the mosque split, on the side of the door which opens onto the venerable mausoleum of the Prophet, in front of the capital which supports the dome.

At the end of the month of Rabia' I, people implored God to put an end to this ordeal, the likes of which they had never seen. They read the whole tradition of Imam Bukhari and the marvelous Quran many times. They implored God with divine formulas and the formulas of the prophet. During this night, at Chihab's house Ahmad -b- Al Mininl, two floors collapsed on top of each other and 6 of his children died under the rubble. The father did their funeral toilet and buried them together Marj-ad-Dahdah. Three other victims died under the rubble of the minaret of Mahalat al-Midan. A man was killed by the crescent of the minaret of the mosque of Hassan when he had come out of an oven which he feared the collapse. That night the earth shook in Çafad (Safed), most of the inhabitants died; there were 1,300 Jewish victims. A large part of Nablus was destroyed, and there was a crowd of victims. In Acre, the earth shook in the same way and part of the towers the enclosure fell into the sea. Among the other towns affected: Tiberias, Dir Hanâ, Qala' at al-Jandal^1c, the country of Chouf, the rest of Palestinian coast: Saida, Beirut, Tripoli, Latakia, Djafa, Haifa, all the rest of the coast of northern Syria, not a single one remained village of Jebel Druze which was not affected by the disaster, the Khâns were destroyed, and collapsed on the travelers.

In Damascus, the number of victims (men and women) is incalculable. The catastrophe which occurred at the Damascus mosque was without previous precedent. And this disaster had an amplitude less than one degree. The people cried out to God, fearing that the Last Day had come, asking him what would become of them after the resurrection. The people came running from the West and the coast, the Damascenes told them, Praise be to God, he spared us, among your neighbors there are only a few survivors.

The Umayyad Mosque was restored by the governor of Damascus Ach—Chitadji and the administrator[s] of the Waqfs of the mosque, the sheikh, the mawla Ali ibn-Baha-d-Dîn b-Mohammed Muràd, al Mùràdi, the Hussimid An-Naqchabandi, mufti Sàda the Hanafi of Damascus, who displayed intense zeal to repair the minarets. The rickety sections of wall of the eastern minaret were torn down. The workers were afraid to put hands on it as the enormous construction had become fragile. The team of Christian masons asked a crazy price to accomplish demolition work as they required security fences. The governor sent to cut enormous pieces of wood which he had transported towards the mosque. Much wood was felled in the famous groves from the valley east of Damascus and other places. We transported the pieces until they filled the mosque. All the saws of the city were requisitioned to cut large beams a third or so thick of a quarter of a cubit. The masons erected the scaffolding around the minaret in question. The Christian Masons protested before the necessary work and a member of the guild (Al-Habtalf) was delegated as the sawyer [one who saws] to order the demolition and he took up the challenge: he climbed the minaret without scaffolding, up to the crescent, without removing his Qauq^1d (headdress) nor his Chukchtra (pants)^2b. He took a hammer and a small iron chisel and he freed the stones which he threw down.

Spectators watched him from the courtyard of the mosque. He thus demolished part of the minaret, which at that time measured 35 cubits higher than today in height and 5 cubits more in width. The crescent rested on a large stone. Seeing these exploits, the Christian masons looked grim. The governor that we mentioned above was there when Habtali accomplished his feat and he rewarded him with a magnificent present, and promised him another when the construction was completed. The masons set to work. They prepared the mortar and dug the foundations to rebuild the building.

The month of Rabia' II began on Wednesday and Monday the 16th after the evening prayer, in the venerable mosque, a shock took place, which lasted 3/4 of an hour and was very violent. We had never recorded anything like it before.

The mountains began to move, the earth to jump, and the waters to sink. The shock calmed down and a second followed it, softer, of an amplitude by 2 degrees. People implored God who sounded the future, the spirits lost their way, the strongest became frightened, the dust and darkness came at that moment; that moment, the darkness spread, the people were surprised by this disaster, overwhelming, Through this overwhelming terror, tongues tied, words cut off, their eyes sunk, their lips dried up. The earth shook and undulated like broth on the fire. The minaret of Damascus fell, broken like a straw. The East Minaret mentioned fell, and it was no longer necessary to demolish it. The dome of An-Naçr fell despite the remarkable quality of its construction. The North Pillar fell, with all its columns supporting also of good quality as well as their bows.

Between two columns were placed marble arches, made of eight-sided stones; the eastern minaret fell on the mosque, it demolished three mihrab^1e which were near him. Walls and ceilings cracked and almost collapsed. It is God who commands, God the Lord Almighty. All the domes of Damascus collapsed and the Yalbugha mosque collapsed with its immense dome and its minaret, and yet, it was of remarkable construction quality. The Khan that Asa 'ad-masha, governor of Damascus, had built, lost three domes. The houses of Damascus were almost entirely demolished. The victims were countless that night. Neighboring villages of Damascus were damaged and an inestimable quantity of animals and people died there. The devastation extended to the villages of the hills and there were more than 500 victims. There were few survivors. The mountain villages were devastated, such as Al-Hama and Zabadani, in the Barada valley, there was an uncountable number victims buried under the rubble.

The walls of Damascus collapsed into the river 'Aqrabâ and its course was crossed out. The western wall of the citadel of Damascus collapsed totally; by blocking the course of the Bânyâs. The roads were blocked. Dust, wood, stones. The sky shook, the earth moved, fortunes and crowds were destroyed. No one can know the number; everything has disappeared, the furniture, the domestic belongings, the porcelain pottery, a number of other objects. It is an action that God thus accomplished to make it known that all the things of this world would disappear one day. People became landless, always on the run. The Damascenes evacuated the city, taking their belongings, by taking their children. They pitched tents and stayed 3 months out of town.

On the occasion of this earthquake, the scholar Mustafa b-Ahmad b-Mohammed, originally from Damiàt, resident in Damascus, where he died, known under the name of Al-Luqimi, the chafifte, composed this poem:

I will forget all the good times of the broken,
I will never forget the night of the earthquake,
yes reminds us of the cradle,
and shows us the dance of the mountains,
makes us see the palaces cradled like a child.

When the governor of Damascus, ach-Chitadjî, made the report of the events at the Sublime Porte (in Constantinople) where he had informed the Sultan on the state of the Umayyad mosque, the citadel of Damascus, and other destroyed places, he asked him where were the repairers.

At that time, Sultan Mustafa, the son of Sultan Ahmed, reigned ; he issued a decree ordering reconstruction and sent to Damascus as secretary Mustafa Mohammed nicknamed Isbatahdji^1f, who, upon his arrival in Damascus, reported the decree and orders of the Sultan (this was happening in the year 1174).

The Governor of Damascus and the Judge of Judges Sati Ali b-Mustafa b-Khatan Effendi, the Hanafist, went down to the mosque to take an inventory of damages. The person in charge of the Waqf was called.

An anonymous historian writes:

Let us now consider^2c the earthquake in terms of the damage it caused to schools, mosques, almshouses, caravanserais, mausoleums, markets, and homes. We will leave the numbers to the discretion of God who knows everything. The earthquake occurred on the night of 7 Rabia'a I, after half past ten in the evening. We were in a village near Dames, in the district of La Chuta: Barza^1g. There is in this village the mausoleum of Abraham al-Khalil, upon this prophet remaining prayer and peace. It was there that he saw the moon appear and he thanked God for having allowed him to find one another according to ibn 'Asâkr^2d.

In this mosque rests one of the companions of the prophet, which makes the village bear his name.

Here is a poem about the earthquake:

He made him who was standing sit down, and
wake the sleeper,
the earth was shaken with its inhabitants,
the one who lived righteously and the one who was in the wrong.

The people were overwhelmed, women, children, animals. We heard various voices, haunting like the sound of waterfalls, which lasted until morning. We gathered for prayer in a garden outside the village. It was the garden of the heirs of the late 'Agha al-Warana. We stayed there three days and three nights, the earthquake continued night and day. People brought us news of Damascus and Salahya. Some people told us that the top of the minaret East of the Umayyad Mosque had fallen. It was called the minaret of Our Lord Jesus, according to Tradition which says that Jesus will descend at the end of time on the white minaret east of Damascus, at the time of Lord Muhammad al-Mahdy. It will be brought by a cloud, with an angel on his right and an angel on his left, his face will be covered with sweat. It is indeed this minaret, no one has confused it with the one yes is also located east of Damascus, on the square of the Orient Gate.

Women. The women congratulated each other on having survived. But my insides were naked before these blows of fate. We cleared the rubble to extract the corpses. The death market was saturated. People buried their dead without funeral. The son carried his father, the brother his brother, neighbor his neighbor. There were up to 8 bodies buried in the same grave. The earthquake lasted without anyone seeing safety arrive. The people stayed in the orchards and the mountains, under tents. Sleep no longer came when they closed their eyelids. They no longer knew sleep. We cannot count the victims buried under the rubble, only God knows their number. I wanted to take an inventory of the destroyed mosques, public baths (hammams), and schools, because I could not estimate the number of victims. I went down in Damascus to al-Barîd gate, to see the devastation suffered by the solitary mosque built by WalId as-Salih, the Umayyad, who was fair and righteous, and who had spent an incalculable amount of money. The mosque had 7 doors; one is there. Bab-al-Barid^1h: to its right and to its left, you find two small doors, they overlook the Bab al-Barid market. This is the district where the big traders are: musk traders, amber, 'Ud, perfumers and sellers of rose water and other flowers. Another large door is called Bah-Djirun, to the east of the mosque, at its right and to its left, two small doors flank it, and it opens onto the Adh—Dhahabiya market.

This is the district of scarves embroidered with gold and silver, there is a coffee that has no equal. There is a jet of water there 5 cubits high stambouliennes [Istanbul like ?], the water flows into a large basin.

Opposite the coffee market is a thermal bath called Adh-Dhahabiya - you climb ten steps to access it, it is among the most beautiful hammams [thermal bath]. There is also the mosque of the Prophet John (Yahya).

Another large northern gate is close to Chirabâchyya. Another large gate, to the north, is called Bab-as-Sâ'at, it overlooks the Al-Kalasa school.

Two smaller gates were built after the repairs. A large door is to the south. It is called 'Ambarânyya. All these doors are covered with yellow copper, chiseled, on each the name of its builder and that of its decorator is written.

The mosque is decorated with three minarets. One is called the eastern minaret is the minaret of Jesus, son of Mary; In these minarets 75 muezzines, doua'ajys and chiefs are employed. There are 7 schools there. The most grandiose is located below the dome An-Nâçir. There are 25 study locations. In everyone there is a master since morning prayer until noon, serving students in all science.

Outside the sanctuary there are two domes, one of which rests on 8 columns, the other on 6. One of the two has a basin from which water gushes out.

The mosque has 4 covered aisles: one to the east, near the minaret of the Lord Jesus; there is a master of the Chochtouri sect there, and there the rosary is said after the great Friday prayer.

The second covered aisle is outside the sanctuary, there is a master who leads the litany on Friday nights and Monday.

The third aisle is to the West. There is another Chochtourite master. There the rosary is said every Friday after the afternoon prayer.

The fourth aisle is to the west too, it has two windows overlooking the mosque's thermal baths. There is a pool for ablutions.

There are wonderful rooms where the Quran is recited. There are more than 100 copies. There is the copy of 'Uthman who collected the suras, wrote with his hand, the liter [?] still bears traces of his blood.

There were inscriptions that the most skillful; theoreticians cannot reinvent, before Tamerlan [burned] them.

There were the marvels in this mosque that even a century-old man would have been surprised to find there.

There were amulets there which prohibited entry to those who were harmed. soiled from having made love. There are also talismans there to ward off the birds, the sparrows. There are talismans in the walls that keep sweepings away.

I arrived at Bab al-Barid, and realized the effects of the earthquake. I saw that the roof was broken down, the columns and arches which supported on the length and breadth lay on the ground. What humiliation! The mind refuses to accept! I cried over the misery of this building. I say this improvised poem:

On the al—Barid gate, I wanted to cry
His solitary door to the mosque was closed
I implore God to come to his aid,
On the mail horses.

(he asks the Sublime Porte to repair the damage).

Then I surrendered, full of sadness and horror, and I walked like one who goes to the top of a mountain, to go around from the doors of the honorable mosque, in order to realize the effects of the shock.

I saw the northern aisles, the small doors, the Dome, the dome of the Shafiite mufti, the ceiling had fallen, the arches and columns were lying on the ground. The Al-Aàraus minaret, the minaret of Our Lord Jesus, the western minaret lay on the ground.

The An-Naçr dome was also on the ground; most of the mosque: its ceilings, its walls, its arches.

What I saw filled me with amazement. I regretted coming; my spirit escaped, and I was prey to torment. I improvised:

The Umayyad mosque cries with sadness,
She was like the head of the other mosques,
The destruction has weakened its minarets,
She lost the 'Aârous,
Its dome of Naçr fell to the ground,
She humbly greets the class location.

I then arrived at the Djirun gate, to the north, there my my approach was weighed down by sadness, my eyes watered. I repeated: Everything happened by the will of God. I found the neighborhood deserted, the cafes emptied of their customers. Where were the companions? Absent or returned to dust? No seats around the pool. The thermal baths were also not very lively only graves.

"I will ask for the help of the Sultan and the intervention of Al Müràdi (the head of the Waqf)"

I left, my heart swollen with sadness, and I saw that the Gate was destroyed on its 4 sides. I then visited 'Umara, near there, under the citadel, the Khan of Pasha, there Al Ghawani lane, Al Bahça, Al hasûdyya, Darwichyya, Châghur, what had not yet fallen would soon do so.

Here is the list of mosques and minarets demolished:

The Tawba mosque, M'ulaq, Châmyya, A1 Bugha, Sanjaqdâr, the Sibahyya mosques, Chamyya, part of the Sulaymanyya, the mosque of Safar DJalâny^1j, the mosque located in Al Kharâb, that of Annata'aayin that of Châghur, the mosque of Calahyya, the mosque of Selim, that of Hanbal, the Al Jadid mosque, the Atabakyya mosque, that of 'Azizat ad-Din Al Mardanyya, the Al Murchadyya mosque, the Al Afram mosque, the Al Hajib mosque, in Salahyya, that which was among the most beautiful mosques.

The Al Hajib Mosque in Salahyya, one of the best mosques, which saw its walls completely ravaged, as well as its parquet floor in white and pink marble, up to the wooden window frames fragrant, the dome of the minaret, which rested on 6 marble columns, which had remained intact despite the ravages of time; all is fallen, mosque, minaret, only the 6 columns remained; We ask God Most High that good people rebuild it, it is he who has the power to do what he wants in all things.

Damage occurred in villages:

the Barzat mosque
Tal Mosque
Minin Mosque
the mosque of Alqabûn
the mosque of Alqabûn
the mosques of Arbin and Aichâ'ary
the mosque of An Nachâbyya
Al Farida Mosque
the mosque of Al 'Ibada

And some of these honorable places fell to the ground, and others were not far from it. All of the minarets were destroyed, what I say in my verses:

The minarets of the mosques have fallen in prostration,
their head has joined their foot,
By seeing people prostrate themselves,
The stones followed suit.

The hammams were also affected:

The Qaramâni thermal baths, located below the citadel (on Mahalat Tahat al Qala')
The An-Naçr thermal baths on the mentioned mahalat
Al Bawabjyyà thermal baths^1k
The thermal baths of As Silsila al Kabir and Al Silsila As-Saghir
The Manjak thermal baths
The Sultan Baths
The thermal baths ach Chamyya
Al Aaqbat al Kubra thermal baths
The thermal baths of Aâilâni
The thermal baths of An-Naib
The Misq thermal baths in Tali' Al Quba
In Salahyya, the Muqaddim and al Hajib thermal baths
In the villages: the thermal baths of Duma, Al Hama, Qatanà, 'AarbIn, of At Tal, of Minin, of Halbun, everything was destroyed, even the bases that had been spared by the previous earthquake.

The brick domes bound with mortar were also damaged. Among them are:

The dome of the Damascus mosque (An Nàcr) which rested on 4 pillars, each of about a hundred cubits, in white and red marble, and was adorned with indescribable decorations.

The top of the dome was decorated with 22 crystal moons, ten cubits high. On another level, below, we admired a frieze of inscriptions that no one would be able to imitate. The dome housed a place of study, as I say in this verse:

The Dome of Naçr fell to the ground
to respectfully salute the study.

Also destroyed:

The dome of King Zahir, that of King Al 'Aàdil^1k, that of the famous Nur ad-din^2e
the dome of Al 'Açrûnyya^3a
that of As-Sâdât
also 5 domes of the new khan, built for the late Haj A's âd—Pasha
the domes schools
the thermal baths café
the golden dome in the orchard of Dahdah
the dome of Nacryya
that of Dar at-Tarh (this was the tax administration) which was previously Mahalat Man al-Qaçab
the dome of the Al Hachr mosque
that of the mosque of Fatha-effendi
that of Marj ad-Dahdàh
that of the top of the citadel of Damascus, which was called Diwân de Zahir (the offices of Zahir)
that of Sheikh Al Nahlawy
12 domes of Darwichyya
that of the Al Yaghuchyya mosque below the citadel

Here is the damage that occurred in Salahyya:

The dome of the great master Muhyie ad-Din al 'Araby; two domes in Tikyya, two domes of Sheikh Abi-l-Hassan Al 'Umary, two domes of the school Aj-Jakrkasyya, two domes of Al Ma'azamyya, the dome of Sheikh Raslân, with its arch, the dome an Naçr, the dome Al Mardânyya, other numerous domes that I do not know.

The Sultan's citadels were not spared:

the citadel of Damascus lost its southern curtain wall, and the neighboring walls of the ditch, a tower, on the portion which goes from the Khana towers to Al-Manakhilyya, and many houses were destroyed by its fall. The citadel of Bâ'albak, one of the most marvelous citadels of the world, the one that Sulayman b—Dawid had offered as a dowry to Balqls when he married her. There was the changing of the guard tower there, 3 Ahjâr (stones) wide. One of the stones that made it up had a size of 5 cubits by 5 cubits. There was a room of 30 cubits long and 20 cubits wide. Its walls were made of stone carved, the ceiling rested on a stone rat decorated with inscriptions, there were no columns.

The citadel also housed the palace of Balqis, which had 16 columns twenty cubits long, plated with yellow copper, which fell until the last one.

There was also the citadel of Tiberias, that of Chaqif, the khan of Nabatyya which looked like a citadel; some citadels of Saida were shot down.

The caravanserais also suffered damage:

the Khan of Pasha
in Damascus
the Khan of A'Sa'ad-Pacha
the Khan which is located below the citadel
Khan Al-Dalakyya
the Khan of Othman
Khan al Qacir
Khan As-Sabil
Khan Maysalun
Khan Hâçbaya
Khan Al Qabun
Khan Saâsaâ,
Khân Ad-Dimâs
the Khan al Khuçaryya
the Khan of the Franks in Beyrout

The mills were also affected:

The Turba mill
Chinan’s
that of Harasta
that of Tell
Minin’s mill

The presses were not spared either:

The An—Nachabyya press
the Zamalka press

Neither do covered fountains; in villages, such as Muarra, in Tal, there were 425 victims under the rubble and there were many others that were not removed.

In the village of Machout, the well was destroyed. That of Halbûn was in part. The well of the village Dartj was destroyed, that of Saydnaya too, and those of Harastâ, Aârbîn, Dawma, 'Adhra, Maza, Hamuryya, Bayt Sawa', Jisrin, Al Aftaris, Kafr Batna, Al Manima, Zabdin, Bayt Nayam in full, Al-Acha'ari, Salahyya Al Marj, Al-Jarba, Al Farida, Al Bahrya, Maydâ'à, Al Maymunya, As Sawamia', Tal al Kurdi, Rayhan, Kafr Madir^1l, Chaqunyya, Damar, Alhamat in its entirety, Dirraya, Al Jadida, Ayn Tûz, Qawqab, Qatana, Sarghaya, Ba'albak and its region, Al Hûlat and its surroundings, Al Biqa'a and its region; Most of these villages were completely or almost destroyed. Only God can estimate the number of victims. In the houses there were 10 victims, a little more or a little less. Misfortune and mourning struck everyone, men, women and children. There were a few survivors who pitched tents in the meadows, others built huts in wood for shelter, others had neither tent nor cabin, and they would have preferred to die.

The peasants dug niches in the ground, above which they placed bamboo and branches. They observed the fast for three days and called on God. The earthquake continued night and day; The victims were still fleeing.

As for me, I saw Salhya and the location of my house, the rising of my sun, the abode of my affairs, the goal of my hope; I entered and saw that the corners of my house were destroyed, everyone was upset, its trees slept on the ground, the vines lay on the ground; I lost my spirits, I was dizzy.

I went out to my garden and saw that it was completely empty, ravaged with rubble, what was yesterday a cause of pleasure had become a cause of sadness.

I looked at the ruined palace, the houses without their owners, and the mosques with closed doors.

Here is some very surprising news spread by the itinerants:

When the governor of Damascus Haj Abdallah Ach Chitajy saw the earthquake lasted like this, he gave orders to keep a close watch on people in bad conditions. life; There was a house in Salahyya inhabited by a woman, and frequented by the Kurds, night and day, shamelessly. The neighbors didn't say anything for fear of the soldiers who were the Kurds. When the governor of Damascus made his decision, the neighbors asked that this woman be evicted.

The governor summoned her to him and ordered her to leave her house, which she did. In her place came an honest man moved with his family. The first night he spent there, the earthquake occurred, and honest people were buried and the debauched woman was saved. A man from Dimas did not want to sleep under a roof and preferred to sleep the desert. He was so afraid that he no longer trusted anyone. In the morning, the travelers mounted their mounts to continue their journey, abandoning their camp where embers were still burning.

Our man was a smoker. He approached a wall to light his pipe. The wall collapsed on him.

Thieves attacked a man in the village of Zabadan, and they wanted to spend the night at his house. The walls fell on them. 5 perished, killed in the rubble. The sixth had an arm caught in the scree, but his life was saved. In the morning, he was surprised.

A gardener went to sell his beef at the market because he had no more money. The thieves awaited his return to steal the proceeds of the sale. They waited until nightfall, they entered his home and kidnapped his child, whom they made cry outside. The father went out, believing in the wolf. The thieves broke into his house... to die under the rubble.

The earthquake surprised people invited to friends' houses or parents. Those who remained at home were spared.

Here is another very strange prodigy, which we cannot understand only on condition of having faith. The village Ach-Chalf, in the district of Al Latiqa was built at the bottom of a valley where a river flowed. After the earthquake, the valley became a plain and the village disappeared. Someone passed by and a shepherd told him that the village had disappeared with all its inhabitants, without there being any survivors.

The village of Bayt 'Jin was between two mountains which joined under the effect of the earthquake; nothing remained of the village.

In the village of Al Hama, a wanderer came to show his conjuring tricks. Everyone came out to see him and when the earthquake occurred, everyone was spared.

In Hasaya, the water in the river stopped flowing and people remained deprived of water for several days, until it returned by the will of God.

There was a plain nearby, at the base of a mountain. The relief was reversed: the mountain took the place of the plain and the plain that of the mountain. A man from this village swears he saw the ceiling of the hall of his house crack open and let you see the stars, to then take its place again. Another man swears by Wonderful God to have seen in the hall of his house in Damascus a carved stone albino horse go down twice and go back up again. It happened at the occasion of this earthquake of wonders that words cannot describe, that a living being is quite incapable of reporting. Let us implore God, that faith does not get lost, may he give us patience, may he spare us from fantasies of nightmares, that it strengthens the unity of the group of those faithful to the last prophet, the imam of the founding prophets of religion, may he grant us all rest in his mercy, sheltered from misfortune. Amen.

Then, after the period mentioned above, on the night of Sunday 24 Jumada II, at 10 a.m. evening, the earth shook twice, then the earthquake continued to visit the world, taking or leaving the living, according to the luck of each, until the morning of Friday 28 Rajah, followed by rain, snow and winds of prodigious violence. People remained locked in their homes for 4 days, without going out, because the storm was raging. Some lost their minds and said "what a waste, all that lost!" The earth's temples were white with snow, people stayed in their homes without moving for fear of the earthquake, they were in danger inside, but outside the snow was spreading everywhere cape, on the plains and the mountains, the cold added to the wind which pierced the great body of the snow with an arrow, which bled until it fell lifeless. The seven rivers that flowed from the same heart began to foam and bubble. They overflowed tyrannical and destructive, nothing opposed them, so they spread their waters from the Mahla which is found under the citadel, up to the Khân du pasha, at 'Al Khadiryya, sparing no house, no inhabitant, flooding the markets with devastating waves, opening every door, until morning.

Here the author of this article stops,
Glory to God the Most High
that prayer hovers over the prophet,
and his generous followers.

Mohammed Khâlil b—Al Murâdi^1m, Hanafi muphti in Damascus, was born in Damascus in the year of the great earthquake of 1173 AH, he died in 1206 AH, barely 30 years old.

He establishes a relationship between the earthquake and injustice, murder and quarrels, famine and inflation. There was in fact a quarrel between the Yankarajyya faction and that of the Yurlyya. In the biography of Fathy Ad-Daftary, we find mention of these militias Hassan Pasha gave the order to assassinate this chronicler "which was made on Sunday at one o'clock in the afternoon, on the 15th of Jumada II, from the year 1159, and at the time of his death occurred an earthquake followed by a other after the burial".

In the biography, Husin Pasha Miky, governor of Damascus, prince of the pilgrimage of 1171, Al Muràdi writes:

He did not hold very firmly in his faction, which made the Yurlyya gain importance, and the quarrel developed, although it had previously remained unnoticed. Inflation and famine appeared in Damascus, the inhabitants complained troubles arose, the situation deteriorated; Yurlyya sects, Qaby Qu1 and others among the factions of Kurdish soldiers, events happened like this, from quarrel to civil war, even during the month of Ramadan, stubborn tyrants continued murder and violence, after which an epidemic of plague occurred, tremors of earth, these are the events of this time, plague, tremors of land, quarrels, wars, go beyond the possibilities of description.

It seems that the earthquake occurred in Châm between 1171 and 1173, under the mandate of 'Abd Allah Pasha-Chitaji, and about whom Al Muradi reports:

It occurred in Damascus¹ⁿ in 1173, on Tuesday night 8 Rabiaâ I, shortly before dawn; it spread towards Jerusalem, Gaza, Sayda, Safad, all the countries on the Syrian coast, Hums, Ramat, Caesarea, Hiçn al A'krad, Antioch, Aleppo, with 2 or 3 tremors per week, until the night of Monday 6 Rabia'a II at the time mentioned, at the end of the twilight prayer, and it reached in Damascus 3 degrees, by ravaging Damascus, Antioch, Sayda, Qàl'at al Burayj, Hisyya, the pillar North of the Umayyad mosque was destroyed, the great lady too. the northern minaret, the Bâb al Barid market was ruined, most of the houses in Damascus were demolished, the mosques too; the shaking continued until the end of the year mentioned. Then in Damascus, before the end of the year, an epidemic occurred; most mosques were rebuilt thanks to funds donated by wills of the dead and the great mosque of Damascus, the citadel, Latakia Sulaymanyya. were rebuilt with funds from the Ottoman state.

In the biography of Mustafa Al-'Alwâny, we are told that he composed a poem about earthquakes, dedicated to. Al Murâdt, mufti of Syria, father of our chronicler. This piece mentions the destruction of the Damascus mosque, undermined by the earthquakes and the last verse allows us to date the disaster:

The Umayyad Mosque was destroyed by the earthquakes, and Mustafa, the famous king, rebuilt it

AMAWY JILAQ AN HAWYYA 'ZALAZIL
75 133 51 21 21 77
PABIMUCTAFA AL MALIK AL MAJID YUSHADU
3 1 1 1 2 1 7 7 3 1 5
Year 1174.

A scholar from Aleppo 'Umar Al Labaqy also talks about the earthquake that hit Aleppo:

My heart is at peace thanks to the God of Truth, he stripped away the fear that the tremor inspired in him earthen.

In the dictionaries of Al Muràdi's biographies, there is no mention of the victims of the earthquake, as usual, apart from the indication contained in the note on Asa 'ad Al Mujallid:

When the earthquake occurred in Damascus and throughout the region in 1173, he was half paralyzed as a result of the wall which had fallen on his body, and he lay on his back until he died, occurred in Ramadan 1180.

Raslàn b-Yahya Al Qary^1o writes these sentences in his work:

"The Minister Governor of Damascus", p. 82, which contains the biography of 'Abd Pasha Ash-Shitadjy:

"In 1173, in the month of Rabia' I, on the night of the 7th, in the last third of the night, an earthquake occurred wanted by God, we never had seen a similar one before; the tops of the minarets fell, some houses collapsed and some people were killed. — it was their time — some mosques were damaged. The phenomenon lasted 27 nights with low intensity, then the night of Monday 4 Rabiaa II, half an hour after dusk, a very violent shock occurred, which did not spare the minarets, neither the domes nor the mosques, the hammams, and the buildings which had resisted were no longer of any use, no one dared to enter. Many saw their houses collapse on them, several took and fled, but the landslides killed them in the alleys. The columns broke apart. The eastern wall of the Umayyad mosque collapsed, and the East minaret was damaged and by collapsing, damaged a third of the sanctuary. People sought refuge in the desert, some set up cabins bamboo, the others set up the tent; the number of victims who found death in Syria is incalculable. May the clemency of God accompany them, those who died in faith. In the villages too, there was a crowd of victims. God is merciful in his plans and actions. When reached the capital the news of the events occurring in Syria, of the almost total destruction of the buildings, an expedition of architects, specialists in vaults, accompanied by masons set out to repair the Umayyad mosque and the citadel, and they expelled 'Abdy Pasha in the month of Jumada II 1173."

Footnotes

1a Taher, B.E.O., 1975, p.99.

1b Al Bidiri, Hawadith, p.228.

2a B.E.O., 1975, P.P. 72-76.

1c Dussand, T.H.S.A.M., p.393.

1d Dozy, supt. t. II, p.296.

2b Dozy, sup. t. I, p.734.

1e See An Nu'ymi, ad Daris, 2/395.

1f He was born in the year 1115 AH.

2c Cf. Taher, B.E.O., 1975, P.P.80-94.

1g Yaqût, Mu'djam, 1/563.

2d Tarikh madinat Dimsshq, éd. Al Minadjid, 2/100.

1h Kurd Ali, Khitat ac-Cham.

1i Kurd Ali, Khitat ac-Cham.

1j Ibn Abd al Hady, Thimar, 224.

? Al Minadjed, Wolat Dimachq, p.89.

1k Herzfeld, Studies, dans Ars Islamics, IX 1942, 46-49; Creswell, Cairene Madrasas, dans B.IFAO XXI, 1923, 6-12.

2e Creswell, Cairene Madrasas, BIFAO XXI, 27.

3a Sauvaget, Perles choisies, 111; Ibn Khallikân Biographical Dictionary, 11, 32-36.

1l AL Nu'imi, ad daris, 2/368.

1m Taher, B.E.O., 1975, p.p. 102-104

1n Volney, Voyage en Egypte et en Syrie, p.166

1o Volney, Voyage en Egypte et en Syrie, p.105; Kitab al Wozara, p.82,83.

1174 A.H./1760 AD

Al-Bidiri¹ writes:

On the third night of Ramadan, at the time of twilight prayer, a terrible earthquake occurred. The people cut prayer short and fled in an abominable stampede. They lost their minds. They also lost clothes. The next night passed in the same way.

Footnotes

1 Hawadith, p.229; Taher, B.E.O., 1975, p.101.

Chapter 3 - The Volcanic Eruption in the Hejaz Before Islam - The Legend of K. el-'Absi

See Taher (1979:139-145)

Chapter 4 - Earthquakes and Natural Disasters in the Hejaz

5 A.H./627 AD

According to Ibn al-Athir¹:

The earth shook in Medina and the prophet interpreted the phenomenon as a small reproach of friends between God and his people

According to Al—Biruni²:

The years which passed between the flight to Medina and the death of the Prophet were named after a feat (Badr, Uhud..) and we call the year 5 H "the year of the earthquake"

Footnotes

1 Usd al Ghaba, 1/22.

2 Al Athar, 31.

6 A.H./628 AD

Ibn al-Qasim³ dates an earthquake from that year in Medina and an eclipse. It is possible that he was mistaken.

Footnotes

3 Ghaya, 1/87.

19 A.H./641 AD - volcanic eruption

At-Tabari⁴ reports:

There was an eruption from Harat Layla, near Medina. 'Umar ordered that the duty of alms be performed. He wanted to try to go out with his soldiers to fight the volcano.

Yâqùt¹ reports, about Barat Annâr:

This is the name "burning fire" that was given to it, it is near Harat Layla, not far from Medina, in the region of Bani Sulaym. As for what is said of the relay of the Djûzâm and the Bulay, of the region of the Bulqin, and of the 'Udhra, he says: "The eruption mentioned in the tradition on 'Umar is somewhere among the Bani Sulaym in the region of Khaybar and tradition relates that a man came to 'Umar ibn al Khattab and that 'Umar asked him:

what’s your name?

Chihâb (the meteorite)

whose son?

son of Djamara (the ember)

what is your ancestry?

Drâm (threads of firebrands) (Huraqat) (incandescent matter)

Where do you live?

the harat an-nâr (the mountain of fire)

where are you going?

to Dhât Alladha (to the one who has the flame)

Go home and save the world before we all burn

and the man returned home and found his territory surrounded by lava.

Al-Bayhaqi¹ relates in his Dala'il an-Naboua (signs of the prophecies) in the chapter:

Everything that happened regarding the miracle that manifested itself on Tamim ad-Dâri to glorify the Chosen One - may God pray for him and may he rest in peace — and which illustrates the name of those who believe in him

Mu'awiya ibn Harmal mentions in a note on his visit to Medina that 'Umar had told him:

Go to the best of the believers and come down to him” and then: “today the fire came out of the hara”. 'Umar - may God bless him - came to Tamin'' - may God bless him - and said:
“Get up, let’s go see this fire,” and Tamim replied: “Prince of believers, what can I do?” 'Umar insisted so that Tamin got up and followed him, I went with them, they rushed to the fire and Palmira began to gather the fire like the shepherd his camels, until he entered the cave. Tamim entered after him and 'Umar began to say: "He who has seen is not like he who has not seen" three times, God knows best.”

Footnotes

4 Tarikh, 1/5/2579.

2 Mu'djam, 2/250; An Nuwayry, Nihaya 3/144. 1 See as Shumhudi, Wafa, 154,155, al Maqrizi, daw'as sary, 103,104.

20 A.H./642 AD

The earth shook under the rule of 'Umar. (ibn al-Jawzi²).

Footnotes

2 Al Mu dehish MS, f.29

23 A.H./645 AD

According to ibn al-Qâsim³, there was a series of very violent earthquakes in most countries.

'Umar¹ struck the earth with a stick, saying:
“Calm down, I’m going to make you see justice.”

and the earthquake subsided. As—Suyuti¹ reports that the people were very frightened when they heard a voice announcing to them:

Since you have behaved so badly, I will wreak my havoc on you.

Footnotes

3 Ghaya, 1/87.

1 As Suyuti, Kashf, 22.

100 A.H./722 AD

There was an earthquake² and the caliph 'Umar ibn 'Abd-al-'Azlz summoned the provincial leaders, he went out into the desert with his men and implored God to stop the earthquake. He was granted.

Footnotes

2 As Suyuti, Kashf, 13.

245 A.H./860 AD - water shortage - no earthquake

The sources Machach³ (Musaniyat according to other sources, including ibn Al-Athîr) in Mecca, was sealed, and the price of a skin of water rose to 80 dirhams. Caliph Al Matawaqil took care of the repairs.

Footnotes

3 At-Tabari, Tarikh, 3/12/1439, 40.

259 A.H./873 AD

Al Ya'qubi⁴ reports that in that year, Al Fadhl ibn al 'Abâs led the pilgrimage. The Bedouins suffered from an earth tremor, violent winds and darkness. Among the Bedouins of the surroundings of Medina, the tribe of the descendants of Bani Hilâl, that of descendants of Bani Sulaym and also the main branch of the Qays took refuge towards Medina and Mecca to put themselves under the protection of the tomb of the Prophet and the Ka'aba, they deposited the spoils taken during their raids against the pilgrims. There were many victims among the Bedouins.

Footnotes

4 Tarikh, 2/511.

260 A.H./874 AD - rising prices - no earthquake

At—Tabary¹ reports that prices rose in all Muslim countries; those who had sought refuge in Medina emigrated to Mecca and other cities faced with the rising cost of living. Ibn Al-Jawzi² reports that a planet appeared, similar to Az-Zahra in size and its clarity, to the left of the direction of Mecca. It oscillated and emitted towards the earth a radiation similar to that of the moon, this manifestation took place on the night of Friday at the beginning of Cha’abane.

Footnotes

1 Tarikh, 3/12/1885.

396 A.H./1005 AD - light radiating from a planet - no earthquake

Ibn Al-Jawzi² reports that a planet appeared, similar to Az-Zahra in size and its clarity, to the left of the direction of Mecca. It oscillated and emitted towards the earth a radiation similar to that of the moon, this manifestation took place on the night of Friday at the beginning of Cha’abane.

Footnotes

1 Al Muntazim, 7/230.

407 A.H./1016-1017 AD - structural damage - earthquake not mentioned

A wall¹ of the prophet's tomb split, the corner of the mosque looking towards Yemen cracked.

Footnotes

1 Ibn al Djawzi, al Muntazim, 7/283.

411 A.H./1017 AD - Attempt to destroy the black stone of Kaba'a - no earthquake mentioned

A member of the Batnyyn² sect (belonging to the Fatimids) struck the black stone of Mecca 3 times with a javelin, saying:

How long will this stone be worshipped? Neither Mohammed nor 'Ali will stop me, today I am ready to demolish this building

The people were afraid and he almost ran away. He was a man with a sanguine complexion, blond, and of strong stature. He had 10 knights to protect him. A man stabbed him and they all rushed upon him and killed him, then burned him. The 10 knights accused of supporting him were also put to death. The crowd panicked. The Egyptian caravans were raided. The black stone became rough, a few shards fell from it and it cracked.

Footnotes

2 L'époque de al Hakim [The Eara of Hakim] (386-411), ccf. Ibn Kathir, al Bidâya, 12/14; Ibn al Emad, Chadrat, 3/197,198.

460 A.H./18 March 1068 AD

Ibn al-Djawzy³:

In Djumada I a prodigious earthquake occurred in Palestine which affected Palestine, and the city of Ramla, destroying 2 battlements of the Prophet's mosque. Its effects were felt until Wadi Aç Çafra'¹, Khaybar, the earth split and treasures appeared. Its effects were felt as far as Ar-Rahba and al-Kûfa. Testimonies were reported by merchants, according to which the city of Ramla had completely collapsed except for two alleys. The number of victims rose to 15,000 people.

Ibn Taghribardi² relates according to ibn aç—Cabi':

An 'Alid from Hejaz told me that he had been in Hejaz when the earthquake happened it was Tuesday II Djumada I. Two battlements of the prophet's mosque collapsed. He dated these events to 459.

Footnotes

3 Al Muntazim, 8/248.

1 A valley between the mountains in which palm groves accumulate and where there are numerous springs. Cf. Ibn djubair, voyages, p.169 and pp.216-217.

2 Al Nudjum az zahira.

515 A.H./1121 AD

This year³ there was a prodigious earthquake in Hedjaz, in the sacred places, in the Ka'aba, at Ar-Rukn. al-Yamâni who destroyed part of the Prophet's tomb.

Footnotes

3 Ibn Kathir, al Bidaya, 12/188.

654 A.H./1256 AD - Volcanic Eruption

The seismic tremors¹ began in Medina, at the end of the month of Jumada I or at the beginning of the month of Jumada II of the year 654, but they were very light at the beginning and some residents did not perceive them, although they were repeated. They got worse on Tuesday, according to the "qutb" El Qastalâni², and manifested themselves to everyone, common people and notables. Then, in the last third of the night of Wednesday 3 Jumada II (or 4) a great shock occurred, of which the people were greatly frightened. Their hearts were seized with holy horror at its prodigious appearance. The earthquake continued for the rest of the night, lasting until Friday, with resonances louder than thunder. The earth shook, the walls were shaken, and there were up to 18 tremors in one day alone (not counting the night, according to El-Qastalani).

... for the rest of this entry see Taher (1979:153-169)

Footnotes

1 As Samhûdi, Wafa', éd. M.Mohyi, pp. 142-152.

2 This is Qutb ad din abû Bakr (died in 686) who composed an abridged compendium of wonders What does fire accomplish in Hejaz?. Cf. Ibn Kathir, al Bidaya,13/311.

692 A.H./1292 AD - Volcanic Eruption

Ibn Kathir bears¹ this testimony:

I read in the chronicle of Zahir ad-Din al-Kazaruni that an eruption comparable to that which took place in the year 654 had manifested itself near Medina, but its flame had risen higher still. It burned stones but not trees.

Footnotes

1 Al Bidaya, 13/332.

886 A.H./1481 AD - Fire in Medina - Volcanic Eruption ? - Earthquake not mentioned

The fire that occurred in the mosque of Medina the honorable.

According to As-Samhudi²:

I add this chapter which contains details on the construction of the Mosque. I was at that time in Mecca at the beginning of Ramadan and I saw myself finding there many trustworthy texts describing to this event. The burning of the mosque occurred at the beginning of the third of the night of the 13th of Ramadan, the leader of the Muezzins Chams ad-Din Muhammad ibn al Khatib called the head of the mosque. He launched the call to prayer from the East minaret, which is known to be the main minaret. The other muezzins went up to the other minarets. Clouds were gathering. The thunder rang out waking the world and lightning struck the crescent of the eastern minaret. Flames of fire fell into the mosque. The top of the minaret split, the muazzin we spoke about was killed by this lightning. The ceiling of the mosque, in the room of the prophet, was pierced with a hole. The fire caught this ceiling, and the mosque fell prey to the flames, everything burned, including the library.

When the news of this fire reached Rhodes, in a Christian country, the infidels were filled with joy. They made a beautiful procession and rang the bells loudly. Their joy was short-lived because God sent them a prodigious earthquake which partly demolished the walls of the city and the church, and most of their houses. There was an innumerable crowd of victims. The earthquake lasted several days. I read this in texts from the port of Alexandria, written by reliable people: The testimonies came from navigators coming from Rhodes. The earthquake continued after they had left Rhodes. It was necessary to clear the rubble to free the victims, which the survivors transported out of the city. Contemplate these miracles which come from the Prophet and the Lord!

When Sultan¹ Qayt-Bay heard the news of the fire and the death of the muazzin, he cried and the people also cried. Shaykh Shams ad-Din al Qadry declaimed:

If the mosque burned, it is not a scandal, it is because of the heretics who had defiled it, the fire came to purify it.

A mission was sent to repair the damage. The Sultan donated another library.

On 17 Muharram² (March 19, 1481) a terrible seismic shock the likes of which had never been mentioned before occurred in Mecca .

Footnotes

2 Wafa, 3/638, 39.

1 Ibn Iyas, Badai', 2/209.

2 Ibn al 'Imad, Shadharat, 7/344.

887 A.H./12 December 1482 AD - Storm - no earthquake

During the month of Dhul Qi'da, clouds gathered on the mountain, only to cause torrential rain. Torrents descended and several houses in Mecca were destroyed, until the door of the ka'aba. There were a large number of victims. It appears that a change has occurred in the climate of the region of Mecca at the end of the 9th century.¹

Footnotes

1 Ibn al 'Imad, Shadharat, 7/376. JW: Footnote not placed in main text but a footnote was at the bottom of the page

888 A.H./29 March 1483 AD - Lightning strike - no earthquake

On Tuesday 18 Cafar, lightning struck the Prophet's mosque and the main minaret, the low wall surrounding the crescent was cracked.²

Footnotes

2 Ibn al 'Imad, Shadharat, 7/376. JW: Footnote not placed in main text but a footnote was at the bottom of the page

Chapter 5 - Earthquakes and Natural Disasters in Yemen

23 A.H./645 AD

According to Ibn Al-Qasim¹, there was a series of very violent tremors in most countries.

Footnotes

1 Ghaya, 1./187.

212 A.H./827 AD

That year² there was an earthquake in Sana' with the area of greatest intensity in 'Aden. The houses were destroyed, several villages were devastated, and there were many victims.

Footnotes

2 Ibn al Qasim, Inba, Ms., 1/60.

242 A.H./857 AD

In Yemen³ also the same phenomena [earthquake] are attested with the addition of landslides.

Footnotes

3 At Tabary, Tarikh, 3/12/1433, 34.

245 A.H./860 AD

Al Hamadâni (Al Iklil)⁴:

The river of Wâdi Dahar was twice as large as it is now, it irrigated the lands up to 'Alaman, its flow decreased by half under the effect of the earthquake.

From the same source⁵, we know that a two-hour walk of Sana'a, in this wadi had important hydraulic equipment built by Dhahar ibn Sa'ad. It included, in addition to a citadel, and sources, orchards irrigated by this river, which gave the best fruits of Yemen. In the era of ignorance, the flow of the river was double that of now and it had been reduced by half due to earthquakes.

Footnotes

4 Ed. al Kirmilly, 8/74.

5 Ed. al Kirmilly, 8/76,77.

549 A.H./1154 AD

Ibn al-Husayn al-Qâsim^1a tells the story that year of the people of Ma'laq in the village of Tuhama, between Al-Kadra' and Al-Mahjam. God sent upon them a black cloud which came from Yemen bringing a storm and fiery lightning.

At this sight, they lost their reason and sought refuge in the mosque. They bowed their backs under the blows of fate. The wind took everything from the village away - people and boxes - and propelled them 5 miles further. All were killed. We heard some moaning but no one survived. They had become blind, deaf, and mute before dying. According to other reports, the wind carried them away and threw them into the sea.

In the work of Al Muçtançir, we find the mention of two villages from the province of Djatha. One is called Al-Ma'alak and the other As-Sahla. Everyone led their own way, the men plowed, the women spun, the donkeys cried out and the dogs barked. They were all carried away in the air, dogs, men, women, and we lost sight of them. No one knows what God did with them.

This event occurred in 64. Nobody knows better than God. And who can say which of these two dates (49 or 64) is the closest?

In the same year, a rain of stones and the earth shook under people's feet. This happened on Friday 16 Rabia' I of the year mentioned. At noon we could see embers and smoke.

On the 9th of Rajeb, a prodigious earthquake occurred in Yemen, from Sana'a to Aden. It caused many victims and much damage to walls, citadels and dwellings. In Sana'a, there were only 300 victims but in other cities, many inhabitants were killed. This is confirmed by Al 'Arachani^1b in his work "Al Maya'z wa al E'tbâr" (the warning and the call) where he identified the damage caused by this phenomenon.

May God protect us from such disasters.

Footnotes

1a Ghaya, 1/308; Anba, MS., 2/213.

2 Abu Makrama, Tarikh Thaghr 'Aden, 2/136. This footnote was unplaced in the main text

1b missing footnote

652 A.H./1254 AD - Volcanic Eruption

News ¹ arrived in Mecca that an eruption had occurred on certain mountains of Aden. The sparks flew towards the sea, during the night, and thick smoke descended during the day. The people did not doubt that it was of the eruption that the Prophet had announced for the end of time, and everyone felt warned. We converted to a virtuous life.

Footnotes

1 Sibt ibn al Djawzî, Miraat, 8/525,26; Ibn Habib, Durat, M.S., 1/9,10

659 A.H./November 1260 AD

In Sana'a², the earth shook on the 4th of Dhul Hidja, without damage. But a second shock occurred at sunset and it was very deadly. 22 Dhul Hidja new shock.

Footnotes

2 Al Khazradji, al 'Oqud, 1/128.

663 A.H./1264 AD

The earth shook³ in Sana'a and in Yemen.

Footnotes

3 Inba, M.S, 2/366.

830 A.H./1426 AD

Al Magrizi⁴ tells us that in the month of Mâharram an earthquake occurred on the island of Daràht, near Hirmiz, in the region of Bahrayn, and the stud farm of the Sultan partly collapsed, like the house of the Qâdl (of the judge). A mountain neighbor was split. Rats as big as dogs were seen escaping. The news reached Damascus, emanating from a trustworthy guarantor.

Footnotes

4 Al Sulûk, 4/2/736.

908 A.H./1502 AD

At 'Adan⁵ there was an earthquake which caused a terrible fire, destroying many houses; people lost a lot of goods, only a stake can estimate the amount.

Footnotes

5 Ibn 'Abdullah al 'Aydaros, an Nûr, 51.

910 A.H./1504 AD

At Zubayd¹ there occurred a prodigious earthquake, and the same night the city of Zayla' was also agitated; some houses were destroyed, and the inhabitants fled to the beach, to avoid returning to their homes until the morning.

This year a huge meteorite fell on the town of Zubayd, which had broken into multiple fragments. After this phenomenon occurred, there was a shattering earthquake.

Footnotes

1 Ibn 'Abdullah al 'Aydaros, an Nûr, 52,53.

915 A.H./1509 AD

The city of Zubayd² shook again. The ceilings cracked and the vases toppled onto the shelves.

Footnotes

2 Ibn 'Abdullah al 'Aydaros, an Nûr, 91.

916 A.H./1510 AD

A planet appeared³ during half of the night and then disappeared. The earth shook three times, and in the afternoon, meteorites fell towards the East. They came from the direction of Syria; we see them in broad daylight. Then the earth shook with a sound of thunder and the town of Mûwza' was hit with its province day and night the earth continued to shake, more or less strongly.

At this location, the damage was considerable, the poorly constructed houses split, the plowed fields were crossed by cracks, and the tombs as well. The flow of the wells was disrupted.

Footnotes

3 Ibn 'Abdullah al 'Aydaros, an Nûr, 93.

917 A.H./1511 AD - Spontaneous sinkhole ?

The earth collapsed¹, swallowing the elephant of Sultan 'Amir ibn 'abd al-Wahab, who was called Marzuq (the elephant). This happened in a village called Rakaz. The cornak had forced the elephant into the home of fakir Sheikh Ahmad ibn 'Ilwan. It was thought that it was a miracle performed by the fakir.

Footnotes

1 Ibn al 'Imad, Shadharat, 8/77. 2 Ibn al 'Imad, Shadharat, 8/407.

985 A.H./1577 AD - Comet

A comet appeared², with a long tail. We know that comets often announce major events: the murder of Abel by Cain, the Flood, the sacrifice of Abraham, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra, the exodus of Moses' people and the drowning of the Pharaoh, the battle of Badr, the murder of 'Ali and that of 'Uthman. Comets often herald earthquakes and other disasters.

Footnotes

2 Ibn al 'Imad, Shadharat, 8/407.