g an envoy of
Timur incurred the displeasure of the world-conqueror; and in 1394 led
an army into Syria with the view of restoring the Jelairid Ilkhan Ahmad
to Bagdad (as Barkuk's vassal), and meeting the Mongol invasion. Barkuk,
however, died (June 20th, 1399) before Timur had time to invade Syria.
According to the custom that had so often proved disastrous, a young son
of Barkuk, _Faraj_, then aged thirteen, was appointed sultan under the
guardianship of two amirs. Incursions were immediately made by the
Ottoman sultan into the territory of Egyptian vassals at Derendeh and
Albistan (Ablestin), and Malatia was besieged by his forces. Timur, who
was at this time beginning his campaign against Bayezid, turned his
attention first to Syria, and on the 30th of October 1400 defeated the
Syrian amirs near Aleppo, and soon got possession of the city and the
citadel. He proceeded to take Hamah, Homs (Emesa) and other towns, and
on the 20th of December started for Damascus. An endeavour was made by
the Egyptian sultan to relieve Damascus, but the news of an insurrection
in Cairo caused him to retire and leave the place to its fate. In the
first three months of 1401 the whole of Northern Syria suffered from
Timur's marauders. In the following year (September 29th, 1402) Timur
who had in the interval inflicted a crushing defeat on the Ottoman
sultan, sent to demand homage from Faraj, and his demand was readily
granted, together with the delivery of the princes who had sought refuge
from Timur in Egyptian territory. The death of Timur in February 1405
restored Egyptian authority in Syria, which, however, became a
rendezvous for all who were discontented with the rule of Faraj and his
amirs, and two months after Timur's death was in open rebellion against
Faraj. Although Faraj succeeded in defeating the rebels, he was
compelled by insubordination on the part of his Circassian Mamelukes to
abdicate (September 20th, 1405), when his brother _Abd al-al-'aziz_ was
proclaimed with the title _Malik al-Mansur_; after two months this
prince was deposed, and Faraj, who had been in hiding, recalled. Most of
his reign was, however, occupied with revolts on the part of the Syrian
amirs, to quell whom he repeatedly visited Syria; the leaders of the
rebels were the amirs Newruz and Sheik Mahmudi, afterwards sultan. Owing
to disturbances and misgovernment the population of Egypt and Syria is
said to have shrunk to a third in his time, and he offended