Al-Afdal appeared before Damascus on 13 Sha'ban 595 (10 June 1199), fell back to the hill of al-Kiswa after the failed assault of the next day, and with al-Zahir's Aleppan army besieged the city until food ran low; after the brothers quarrelled they withdrew to Marj al-Suffar, south of al-Kiswa, where they stayed until the last days of Safar 596 (about 15-20 December 1199), then moved to Ra's al-Ma' on the Hauran road meaning to winter, and then broke up (Abu'l-Fida).
On 1 January 1200 the Ghouta and the plain south of the city have been foraged by two armies for six months, and the last allied troops may still be in the Hauran.
How things stand that morning
Raided ground, no longer besieged; the allies leaving.
Who raids whom
The armies of al-Afdal (Egypt) and al-Zahir (Aleppo) against al-Adil's Damascus.
Anchors on each side
Damascus and its citadel (al-Adil); the camps at al-Kiswa, Marj al-Suffar and Ra's al-Ma' (the allies).
Last campaign
Siege from 10 June 1199 to about December 1199; withdrawal from Marj al-Suffar about 15-20 December 1199.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The camps and dates are in Abu'l-Fida; the damage to the orchards is inferred from the length of the siege, not described in the sources read. Ra's al-Ma' is not located precisely here.
On the map: Outline of the Ghouta and the plain south of al-Kiswa; Ra's al-Ma' is not placed.
Sources and studies
- Abu'l-Fida, Annals (al-Mukhtasar), Arabic text with French translation in Recueil des historiens des croisades, Historiens orientaux I (1872), pp. 150-172 (years 589-615 AH), read through archive.org search-inside
- Al-Adil I (English Wikipedia), citing Runciman (1954) and Humphreys, From Saladin to the Mongols (1977)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.