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 of the house of Babek had for some years found a refuge.  It is said that during this interval he had made efforts to engage the Khan of the Turks and the Emperor of the Chinese to embrace his cause; but, if this were so, it was without success.  Though they may have lent him some encouragement, no real effort was made by either potentate on his behalf.  Isdigerd, at Merv, during his later years, experienced the usual fate of sovereigns who have lost their kingdoms.  He was alternately flattered and coerced by pretended friends among his own people—­induced to cherish vain hopes, and driven to despair, by the fluctuating counsels of the monarchs of neighboring nations.  At last he was murdered by a subject for the sake of his clothes, when he was flying from a combined attack of treacherous subjects and offended foreigners.

It is difficult to form a decided opinion as to the character of Isdigerd III.  He was but fifteen years of age at his accession, twenty-four at the time of the battle of Nehavend, and thirty-four at his decease, A.D. 651.  It is in his favor that “history lays no crimes to his charge;” for this can be said of very few Sassanian sovereigns.  It is also to his credit that he persevered so long in struggling against his fate, and in endeavoring to maintain, or restore, the independence of his nation.