Al-Ghamr ibn Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik was an Umayyad prince and commander. He led the last Umayyad campaign against the Byzantine Empire in 743. Family Al-Ghamr was the son of the Umayyad caliph Yazid II. He owned extensive estates around Harran and resided in the desert castles of al-Muwaqqar, Qasr Kharana and Dhu Khushub in the Balqa (Transjordan). He was a younger brother of Caliph al-Walid II, with whom he had good relations. Anecdotes recorded in the 10th-century , have al-Ghamr and al-Walid spending time imbibing wine and being entertained by singers at the monastery of Deir Murran at the foot Mount Qasioun near Damascus. Al-Ghamr introduced to al-Walid the poet Muti ibn Iyas and secured the caliph's favor with another poet, Malik ibn Abi Samh. Later, both al-Ghamr and al-Walid carried the bier of the famous singer Ma'bad ibn Wahb during his funeral at the palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar in the Jordan Valley. Raids against the Byzantines Al-Ghamr served as a commander in one of the largest campaigns undertaken against the Byzantines during the reign of his uncle, Caliph Hisham. The overall head of the campaign, al-Ghamr's cousin Sulayman ibn Hisham, dispatched him with 10,000 horsemen to ambush Byzantine forces in western Anatolia, while the governor of Malatya, Malik ibn Shu'ayb, and the commander Abdallah al-Battal, led separate forces, reaching as far as Akroinon. Sulayman and his troops came in as a rear guard. In the end, the campaign, while wreaking devastation on the inhabitants of Anatolia and their property, did not result in the capture of any forts or territory. While al-Ghamr and Sulayman returned safely to Syria, Malik and Abdallah al-Battal were both slain. In 743, Caliph al-Walid II appointed al-Ghamr to command the annual summer campaign against the Byzantines. It also ended without the capture of any territory or forts, but al-Ghamr took several prisoners. It was the first and only campaign of al-Walid II's reign and the final campaign against the Byzantines under the Umayyads.

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Overview

Al-Ghamr ibn Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik was an Umayyad prince and commander. He led the last Umayyad campaign against the Byzantine Empire in 743. Family Al-Ghamr was the son of the Umayyad caliph Yazid II. He owned extensive estates around Harran and resided in the desert castles of al-Muwaqqar, Qasr Kharana and Dhu Khushub in the Balqa (Transjordan). He was a younger brother of Caliph al-Walid II, with whom he had good relations. Anecdotes recorded in the 10th-century , have al-Ghamr and al-Walid spending time imbibing wine and being entertained by singers at the monastery of Deir Murran at the foot Mount Qasioun near Damascus. Al-Ghamr introduced to al-Walid the poet Muti ibn Iyas and secured the caliph's favor with another poet, Malik ibn Abi Samh. Later, both al-Ghamr and al-Walid carried the bier of the famous singer Ma'bad ibn Wahb during his funeral at the palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar in the Jordan Valley. Raids against the Byzantines Al-Ghamr served as a commander in one of the largest campaigns undertaken against the Byzantines during the reign of his uncle, Caliph Hisham. The overall head of the campaign, al-Ghamr's cousin Sulayman ibn Hisham, dispatched him with 10,000 horsemen to ambush Byzantine forces in western Anatolia, while the governor of Malatya, Malik ibn Shu'ayb, and the commander Abdallah al-Battal, led separate forces, reaching as far as Akroinon. Sulayman and his troops came in as a rear guard. In the end, the campaign, while wreaking devastation on the inhabitants of Anatolia and their property, did not result in the capture of any forts or territory. While al-Ghamr and Sulayman returned safely to Syria, Malik and Abdallah al-Battal were both slain. In 743, Caliph al-Walid II appointed al-Ghamr to command the annual summer campaign against the Byzantines. It also ended without the capture of any territory or forts, but al-Ghamr took several prisoners. It was the first and only campaign of al-Walid II's reign and the final campaign against the Byzantines under the Umayyads.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Al-Ghamr ibn Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik was an Umayyad prince and commander. He led the last Umayyad campaign against the Byzantine Empire in 743.