In a previous article, we dealt with the death of “Al Muwaffaq Billah” and his successor “Al Mu’tamid Alallah”, as well as Khumarawayh, the son of “Ahmad Ibn Tulun” the ruler of Egypt then, who faced a lot of wars which all ended in his victory and reconciliation with “Al Mu’tamid” and “Al Muwaffaq” after a period of tension during the reign of his father “Ahmad Ibn Tulun”.
And thus, Khumarawauh’s rule of Egypt got settled and peace prevailed especially after Al Mu’tadid, the son of Al Muwaffaq, became the Caliph and got married to Qatr Al Nada, the daughter of Khumarawayh, who held a great celebration for his daughter’s marriage and spent large sums of money on that. Historians report that he established a palace for his daughter in each of her journey phases from Egypt and Baghdad until she arrived there in 282 AH (895 AD).
Khumarawayh attended to renew his father’s palace; so he turned the square neighboring “Ahmd Ibn Tulun’s mosque into a wonderful orchard in which he planted trees, basils, flowers, crocuses, and palm trees brought from Khorasan. Historians affirmed that Khumarawayh built a tower inside the orchard; made from teak woods, with bulging out engraves. He paved its floor, made rivers flowing out from waterwheels, then he filled the tower with birds of sweet voice, peacocks and others.
Khumarawayh made a private place for himself in the orchard, which he called the “House of Gold”, as he painted its walls with gold, and decorated it with wooden pictures, that his palace became one of the wondrous buildings in the world. Then he constructed a pond and filled it with mercury, placing a bed for himself to in the pond to sleep on after he had complained to his doctor about sleeplessness. He also built a great dome from which he used to oversee the city, he built a den for lions, historians gave us a story about one of the lions which name was Zuraiq for it was blue-eyed, not hurting anyone, so it wandered freely inside the palace, eating only when Khumarawayh sat to eat and feed it himself from the food laid on the table, while at Khumarawayh’s sleeping time, Zuraiq used to guard him, keeping an open eye all the time so no one could come near Khumarawayh.
He also built a new house for women; the mothers of his father’s children and the mothers of his own children. He broadened the barns of his animals, allocating a special house for each kind; camels, leopards, tigers, elephants, giraffes, etc. He took for himself men from Hove known for their courage and strength and called them the selected.
While about his traits, Ibn Taghri said: “Khumarawayh was a dignified man with dominion, people believed that if someone pointed out to him with his hands, or talked about him or approached him, something offensive would befall him! While his procession going, neither a word nor a cough nor a sneeze nor a splutter would be heard, motionless with awe!”
Among the events Egypt passed by during his reign was the Nile waters’ decrease in the eighth year and prices rising.
Not a long time had passed after the marriage of the Abbasid Caliph to his daughter, that Khumarawayh led his armies to Damascus where more than twenty of his servants conspired against him, killing him on his bed in Damascus. There were many accounts of the cause of his death. He was then transferred to Egypt where he was buried in 282 AH (896 AD) after ruling for nearly twelve years. His successor in ruling Egypt was his son Abu al-Asakir Gaish. After his death, strife and rebellions had flared up; this loosened the control of the Tulunians on the country. Thus, Tarsus, Qinnasrin and the capitals were restored to the rule the Abbasids. The Tulunians had no authority except over Egypt and the Levant. And… stories never end in beautiful Egypt!
The General Bishop
Head of Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
