In the same year that Jerusalem was taken, Said Ebn Abi Wakkas, one of Omar’s captains, was making fearful havoc in the territories of Persia.  He took Madayen, formerly the treasury and magazine of Khusrau (Cosroes), King of Persia; where he found money and rich furniture of all sorts, inestimable.  El-makin says that they found there no less than three thousand million of ducats, besides Khusrau’s crown and wardrobe, which was exceedingly rich, his clothes being all adorned with gold and jewels of great value.  Then they opened the roof of Khusrau’s porch, where they found another considerable sum.  They also plundered his armory, which was well stored with all sorts of weapons.  Among other things they brought to Omar a piece of silk hangings, sixty cubits square, all curiously wrought with needle-work.  That it was of great value appears from the price which Ali had for that part of it which fell to his share when Omar divided it; which, though it was none of the best, yielded him twenty thousand pieces of silver.  After this, in the same year, the Persians were defeated by the Saracens in a great battle near Jaloulah.

Omar, having taken Jerusalem, continued there about ten days to put things in order.

Omar now thought of returning to Medina, having first disposed his affairs after the following manner:  Syria he divided into two parts, and committed all that lies between Hauran and Aleppo to Abu Obeidah, with orders to make war upon it till he had completely subdued it.  Yezid Ebn Abu Sofian was to take the charge of all Palestine and the sea-shore.  Amrou Ebn Al Aas was sent to invade Egypt, no inconsiderable part of the Emperor’s dominions, which were now continually mouldering away.  The Saracens at Medina had almost given Omar over, and began to conclude that he would never stir from Jerusalem, but be won to stay there from the richness of the country and the sweetness of the air; but especially by the thought that it was the country of the prophets and the Holy Land, and the place where we must all be summoned together at the resurrection.  At last he came, the more welcome the less he had been expected.  Abu Obeidah, in the mean time, reduced Kinnisrin and Alhadir, the inhabitants paying down five thousand ounces of gold, and as many of silver, two thousand suits of clothes of several sorts of silk, and five hundred asses’ loads of figs and olives.  Yezid marched against Caesarea in vain, that place being too well fortified to be taken by his little army, especially since it had been reinforced by the Emperor, who had sent a store of all sorts of provision by sea, and a reinforcement to the garrison of two thousand men.  The inhabitants of Aleppo were much disheartened by the loss of Kinnisrin and Alhadir, well knowing that it would not be long before their turn would come to experience themselves what, till then, they had known only by report.  They had two governors, brothers, who dwelt in the castle (the strongest in all Syria), which was not at that time