his
adversary to give battle, but without effect. For two months the two
hosts faced each other without fighting. At last, the stores of the
Arabs, as well as their patience, began to fail; and it was necessary to
employ some device, or to give up the war altogether. Hereupon, Noman,
by the advice of two of his captains, had recourse to a stratagem. He
spread a report that Omar was dead, and breaking up from from his
camp began a hasty retreat. The plan succeeded. Firuzan quitted his
entrenchments, and led his army on the traces of the flying foe. It was
two days before he reached them, and on the third day the battle began.
Noman, having addressed his soldiers and made arrangements concerning
the command in case of his own death, mounted a milk-white steed, and
gave the signal for the fight by thrice shouting the famous tehbir,
or battle-cry, "_Allah akbar_." The Arabs charged with fury, and for a
while, amid the clouds of dust which rose beneath their feet, nothing
was heard but the clash of steel. At length the Persians gave way; but,
as Noman advanced his standard and led the pursuit, a volley of
arrows from the flying foe checked his movement, and at the same time
terminated his career. A shaft had struck him in a vital part, and he
fell at the moment of victory. For his men, maddened by the loss of
their commander, pressed on more furiously than before; the Persians
were unable to rally; and a promiscuous flight began. Then followed a
dreadful slaughter. The numbers of the Persians must have impeded
their retreat; and in the defiles of the mountains a rapid flight was
impossible. Firuzan himself, who, instead of falling back on Nehavend,
took the road leading north to Hamadan, was overtaken by El Kakaa in a
narrow pass, and put to the sword. More than 100,000 Persians are
said to have perished.128 The victors, pressing onwards, easily took
Nehavend. Hamadan surrendered to them shortly afterwards.120

The defeat of Nehavend terminated the Sassanian power. Isdigerd indeed,
escaping from Rei, and flying continually from place to place, prolonged
an inglorious existence for the space of ten more years--from A.D. 641
to A.D. 651; but he had no longer a kingdom. Persia fell to pieces on
the occasion of "the victory of victories," and made no other united
effort against the Arabs. Province after province was occupied by the
fierce invaders; and, at length, in A.D. 651, their arms penetrated
to Merv, where the last scion