Between the Ayyubid garrison of Sana'a and the imam's towns of Thula and the Hamdan country lies the ground fought over since Tughtekin's death: the Hamdan district, the southern Bawn plain and the edge of Arhab.
In 1197 the imam and the Hamdanid sultan marched on Sana'a and were beaten at Hadur; deserters gave them the city; in 1198 the imam took Sana'a and Dhamar and lost Sana'a again. No truce is recorded until 1205. No raid is recorded for the winter of 1199-1200 itself: the belt is drawn from the war before and after it (the next recorded campaign is al-Mu'izz's attack on the imam's headquarters in 597/1200-1201).
How things stand that morning
Open war without a recorded truce; raiding likely.
Who raids here
Zaydi tribesmen of Hamdan and the imam's men from Thula and the Hamdanid castles against the Sana'a basin; the Ayyubid garrison of Sana'a against the Bawn and Arhab.
Anchors on each side
Ayyubid: Sana'a. Zaydi: Thula and the Amran country; Hamdanid: Kawkaban.
Last campaign
1198 (Sana'a and Dhamar); next recorded 597 (1200-1201).
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Inferred from the campaigns of 1197-98 and 1200-1201; no raid is recorded for the winter itself.
Sources and studies
- 'Al-Mansur Abdallah', English Wikipedia
- 'Mansur-billah, Abdullah b. Hamza', TDV Islam Ansiklopedisi (Turkish Diyanet encyclopedia), via kureansiklopedi.com
- 'Ismail ibn Tughtekin', English Wikipedia (after Ibn Wasil, al-Maqrizi, Ibn Khallikan, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn al-Dayba', Abu al-Fida, al-Khazraji, Taj al-Din al-Yamani)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.