n entered Syria with 80,000 men. Suleiman b. Hisham, at
the head of 120,000 men, was defeated at 'Ain al-Jarr, between Baalbek
and Damascus. Merwan made many prisoners, whom he treated with the
greatest mildness, granting them freedom on condition that they should
take the oath of allegiance to the sons of Walid II. He then marched
upon Damascus. But Suleiman b. Hisham, Yazid, the son of Khalid
al-Qasri, and other chiefs, hastened to the Khadra and killed the two
princes, together with Yusuf b. Omar. Suleiman then made himself master
of the treasury and fled with the caliph Ibrahim to Tadmor (Palmyra).
Only Abu Mahommed as-Sofiani escaped the murderers. When Merwan entered
Damascus this man testified that the sons of Walid II., who had just
become adult, had named Merwan successor to the Caliphate, and was the
first to greet him as Prince of the Believers. All the generals and
officers followed his example and took the oath of allegiance (7th
December A.D. 744). Merwan did all he could to pacify Syria, permitting
the Arabs of the four provinces to choose their own prefects, and even
acquiescing in the selection as prefect of Palestine of Thabit b.
No'aim, who had behaved very treacherously towards him before, but whom
he had forgiven. He did not, however, wish to reside in Damascus, but
transplanted the seat of government to his own town, Harran in
Mesopotamia. Suleiman b. Hisham and Ibrahim tendered their submission
and were pardoned.

But the pacification was only on the surface. Many Omayyad princes
considered Merwan as an upstart, his mother being a slave-girl; the
Damascenes were angry because he had chosen Harran for his residence;
the Kalbites felt themselves slighted, as the Qaisites predominated.
Thabit b. No'aim revolted in Palestine, Emesa (Homs) and Tadmor were
turbulent, Damascus was besieged by Yazid b. Khalid al Qasri. Merwan,
who wanted to march against Irak, was obliged to return to Syria, where
he put an end to the troubles. This time Thabit b. No'aim had to pay for
his perfidy with his life. After this new pacification, Merwan caused
the Syrians to acknowledge his two sons as heirs to the Caliphate, and
married them to two daughters of Hisham. All the Omayyad princes were
invited to the wedding, Merwan hoping still to conciliate them. He then
equipped 10,000 Syrians, and ordered them to rejoin the army of 20,000
men from Kinnesrin (Qinnasrin) and Mesopotamia, who, under Yazid b. Omar
b. Hobaira, were