and the command of Egypt. And its importance, so he sent to it Abd al-Rahman ibn Utbah ibn Jahdam and instructed him to call people to his allegiance. However, Sa'id al-Azdi remained a supporter of the Umayyads, and only some of the Egyptians responded to the call of Abd Allah. Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr did not establish a firm foothold in the caliphate until from Egypt. Mu'awiyah ibn Yazid appointed governors over Kufa, Basra, Mosul, and Iraq, and he was in good health. He then subdued Damascus, appointing Abd al-Rahman ibn Utbah, whom he had sent to it, as its governor. He arrived in Sha'ban of the year and expelled from it those who were there, the callers to the Umayyad cause, including Sa'id al-Azdi. The people pledged allegiance to him, and some of them were loyal. As for the people of Sham, when they learned of the death of Mu'awiyah ibn Yazid, they pledged allegiance to Marwan ibn Umayyah. This was a setback for Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr. Al-Dahhak ibn Qays rose to his support with an army from his homeland. They marched to Damascus. Their news reached Marwan, so he marched from al-Bayya to meet them. The armies clashed in Marj Rahit, and great battles ensued, resulting in the defeat of Abd Allah's army. Marwan had sent his son Abd al-Aziz with an army from the people of Sham to conquer Egypt. After his victory over Ibn al-Zubayr in Marj Rahit, his resolve strengthened, and he marched with his entire army to Egypt. When Abd al-Rahman ibn Utbah, its governor, learned of this, he began to defend it. He dug a deep trench around Fustat, the traces of which are still visible in al-Qarafa. Marwan approached al-Matariyyah with Amr ibn Sa'd. Abd al-Rahman went out to meet him, and they fought fiercely for two days, but neither gained the upper hand. While the armies were engaged in attack and defense, Amr ibn Sa'd marched with an elite group of Marwan's men, heading for Fustat. When he entered it, Abd al-Rahman had no choice but to reconcile. They reconciled, and Marwan entered Egypt on the 10th of Jumada al-Ula in the year 65 AH. The governorship of Ibn Jahdam lasted nine months. On this day, Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn al-As, the conqueror of Egypt, died. The people could not take his body to the graves due to the unrest of the soldiers against Marwan. They buried him in his house near Amr's Mosque. As for Marwan, he was not confident in the Egyptians and their loyalty, fearing they might betray him and pledge allegiance to Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr. So he appointed his son Abd al-Aziz as their governor. Marwan then took control of all the treasuries of Egypt and abolished the stipends. All the people pledged allegiance to him, except for a group from the tribe of Maghafir, who said, "We will not pledge allegiance except to Ibn al-Zubayr." So he cut off their heads, and the head of Ibn Ma'n, the chief of the tribe of Lahm, who was among the killers of Uthman ibn Affan, was also cut off. The people were terrified and pledged allegiance to him. Marwan stayed in Egypt for two months, then entrusted its affairs to his son Abd al-Aziz and departed. The year 85117rMad)001