cians than in Medina.

Hosain b. Nomair arrived before Mecca in September 683 and found Ibn
Zobair ready to defend it. A number of the citizens of Medina had come
to the aid of the Holy City, as well as many Kharijites from Yamama
under Najda b. 'Amir. The siege had lasted 65--others say 40--days, when
the news came of the death of Yazid, which took place presumably on the
14th of Rabia I, 64 (12th November 683). Eleven days before a fire,
caused by imprudence, had consumed all the woodwork of the Ka'ba and
burst the black stone in three places. The evidence is quite conclusive;
yet the fire has been imputed to the Syrians, and a tale was invented
about ballistas which hurled against the House of God enormous stones
and vessels full of bitumen. In fact, the siege had been confined to
enclosure and skirmishes. It is said that on the news of the death of
Yazid a conference took place between Hosain and Ibn Zobair, and that
the former offered to proclaim the latter as caliph provided he would
accompany him to Syria and proclaim a general amnesty. Ibn Zobair
refused haughtily, and Hosain, with a contemptuous criticism of his
folly, ordered his army to break up for Syria.

Hitherto Ibn Zobair had confined himself to an appeal to the Moslems to
renounce Yazid and to have a caliph elected by the council (_shura_) of
the principal leading men. He now openly assumed the title of caliph and
invited men to take the oath of allegiance. He was soon acknowledged
throughout Arabia, in Egypt and in Irak. The Omayyads, who had returned
to Medina, were again expelled.

Yazid is described in the _Continuatio Isidori Byz._S27, as
"iucundissimus et cunctis nationibus regni eius subditis vir gratissime
habitus, qui nullam unquam, ut omnibus moris est, sibi regalis fastigii
causa gloriam appetivit, sed communis[17] cum omnibus civiliter vixit."
This is confirmed by the fact that Moawiya II. is said to have been a
mild ruler, like his father, and goes far to outweigh the prejudiced
account given by his opponents and coloured still further by tradition.
Against the accusation of being a drinker of wine he himself protested
in verses which he recited when he sent the army against Ibn Zobair.
Decisive is also the testimony of Ibn al-Hanafiya, who declared that all
the accusations brought by the Medinians were false. It may be true that
he was fond of hunting, but he was a peace-loving, generous prince. It
is uncertain at what age he died. Accou