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Muhammad, son of Imbrael, ruler of Persia and of Chorasmia and of Media and of certain other places, undertook a war in the time of the emperor Basil against the Babylonians and Indians, but being defeated, he sent for an allied force from the Turks; and the general for those who came as allies to Muhammad was Tangrolipix Moukalet. With these, Muhammad, having attacked his opponents, routed them and having returned to his own territory, he did not allow the Turks to go back to their own land, 635 but wished to detain them, so that he might use them as allies against others. But they, being unable to depart to their own land, unless the bridge of the Araxes was opened to them (for this is a river not crossable except by the bridge, and the bridge was towered on either side, and guards were stationed in the towers), revolted and, having fled to the mountains (for they, being three thousand, did not dare to fight hand-to-hand against many myriads), sallying forth from there, plundered the lands of the Saracens. Muhammad, therefore, sent out armies against them, about twenty thousand, entrusting their command to ten men of his own race. The Turks attacked them by night and very easily cut down the greater part. Those who survived returned with their generals back to Muhammad. He blinded the ten commanders of the army, and against the surviving soldiers he threatened to inflict the worst things upon them. But they, fearing this, joined the Turks; and now, since many others had flocked to them, both wicked slaves who delighted in pillage and plunder, they became a numerous army and clashed with Muhammad near Aspachan, and 636 when many Saracens had fallen, Muhammad himself also died. The armies, therefore, being of one mind, Tangrolipix was entrusted by all with the rule of the lands under Muhammad. Having been chosen to command, he sent men and tore down the towers on the bridge of the Araxes. And thus, the crossing of the river having been opened to the Turks, a great multitude of these barbarians flocked to Tangrolipix, and the leader of the Turks, having acquired from these a strong force, took away the rule from the Saracens everywhere, and assigned it to himself and his kinsmen, and made the descendants of Hagar subjects. Then he himself acquired the Babylonians by battle, and sent his nephew Koutloumous with an army against the Arabs; but he, being defeated, returned and sent an embassy to the ruler of Media (for so Vaspurakan was called of old), asking to be allowed to pass through his country. But the one appointed by the emperor to rule this country not only did not grant him passage, but also drew up his forces against him and, having joined battle, was defeated and lost many 637 of his own men, and was captured himself. So Koutloumous, having returned to Tangrolipix, related the events of the war in Media and praised the great fertility of the country and added that it was easy to capture, being harvested by women, thus calling those who had fought against him. But Tangrolipix was enraged at him because of the defeat, while he himself was marching against the Arabs. And Koutloumous, in fear, fled with those with him and, having seized Pasar (this is a city of the Chorasmioi), he revolted from the sultan (for so Tangrolipix was named) and for a long time resisted his uncle who was besieging him, but who was unable to accomplish anything because of the strength of the city. And so the sultan was occupied with the siege of Pasar; and he sent Asan against Media with a force worthy of battle. But he, having attacked the country and engaged the Romans, fell himself, and the military force with him was defeated and, with the exception of a very few, all were lost. When the sultan learned this, he was disheartened, but he hastened to retrieve the misfortune and entrusting to Alim Abramios, 638 his half-brother, an army numbered at one hundred thousand, he sent him out against the Romans. And the general of Vaspurakan has made these things known to the emperor by letters,

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Μουχούμετ ὁ τοῦ Ἰμβραήλ, Περσίδος ἄρχων καὶ Χορασμίων καὶ Μηδίας καί τινων ἄλλων, πόλεμον ἤρατο κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους Βασιλείου τοῦ βασιλέως κατὰ Βαβυλωνίων τε καὶ Ἰνδῶν, ἡττώμενος δὲ συμμαχικὸν ἐκ Τούρκων μετεπέμψατο· ἦν δὲ τοῖς εἰς συμμαχίαν ἐλθοῦσι τῷ Μουχούμετ στρατηγὸς Ταγγρολίπιξ Μουκάλετ. σὺν τούτοις ὁ Μουχούμετ τοῖς ἀντιθέτοις προσβαλὼν τροποῦται αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀναζεύξας εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα οὐκ εἴα τοὺς Τούρκους εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν ὑποστρέψαι, 635 ἀλλ' ἤθελε παρακατέχειν αὐτούς, ἵνα καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέρους χρῷτο συμμάχοις αὐτοῖς. οἱ δὲ μὴ οἷοί τε ὄντες ἀπιέναι πρὸς τὴν σφετέραν, εἰ μὴ αὐτοῖς ἀνεθείη ἡ τοῦ Ἀράξιδος γέφυρα (ποταμὸς δ' οὗτός ἐστιν εἰ μὴ διὰ τῆς γεφύρας οὐ περατός, ἡ γέφυρα δ' ἐπεπύργωτο ἑκατέρωθεν, καὶ τοῖς πύργοις φρουροὶ ἐφειστήκεισαν), ἀποστατοῦσι καὶ εἰς ὄρη καταφυγόντες (οὐ γὰρ ἐθάρρουν ὄντες τρισχίλιοι πρὸς πολλὰς κατὰ συστάδην μαχέσασθαι μυριάδας), ἐκτρέχοντες ἐκεῖθεν τὰ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν ἐληίζοντο. ἐκπέμπει τοίνυν κατ' αὐτῶν ὁ Μουχούμετ στρατεύματα περί που τὰς εἴκοσι χιλιάδας, δέκα τῶν ὁμογενῶν ἀνδράσι τὴν αὐτῶν ἐγχειρίσας ἡγεμονίαν. οἷς οἱ Τοῦρκοι νυκτὸς ἐπιθέμενοι ῥᾷστα τοὺς πλείους κατέκοψαν. οἱ δὲ περισωθέντες σὺν τοῖς αὐτῶν στρατηγοῖς εἰς τὸν Μουχούμετ ἀνθυπενόστησαν. ὁ δὲ τοὺς μὲν δέκα τῆς στρατιᾶς ἡγεμόνας ἐξετύφλωσε, κατὰ δὲ τῶν περισωθέντων στρατιωτῶν ἠπείλει διαθήσειν αὐτοὺς τὰ χείριστα. οἱ δὲ δείσαντες τοῖς Τούρκοις προσέθεντο· ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἄλλων αὐτοῖς προσρυέντων συχνῶν, δούλων τε κακούργων λεηλασίαις χαιρόντων καὶ ἁρπαγαῖς, πολυπληθὲς ἐγένοντο στράτευμα καὶ τῷ Μουχούμετ περὶ τὸ Ἀσπαχὰν συρρήγνυνται, καὶ 636 πολλῶν πεσόντων Σαρακηνῶν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Μουχούμετ ἀπέθανεν. ὁμονοησάντων οὖν τῶν στρατευμάτων, παρὰ πάντων ὁ Ταγγρολίπιξ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν Μουχούμετ ἐνεχειρίσθη χωρῶν. αἱρεθεὶς δ' εἰς ἡγεμονίαν, πέμψας τοὺς ἐν τῇ γεφύρᾳ τοῦ Ἀράξιδος πύργους κατέβαλεν. οὕτω δ' ἀνεθείσης τοῖς Τούρκοις τῆς διόδου τοῦ ποταμοῦ, πολὺ τῶν βαρβάρων τούτων πλῆθος προσερρύη τῷ Ταγγρολίπικι, καὶ χεῖρα βαρεῖαν ἐκ τούτων ὁ τῶν Τούρκων κτησάμενος ἀρχηγὸς ἀφαιρεῖται μὲν πάντοθεν τοὺς Σαρακηνοὺς τὴν ἀρχήν, ἑαυτῷ δὲ ταύτην καὶ τοῖς ὁμογενέσιν ἀπένειμε καὶ εἰς ὑπηκόους τοὺς ἐκ τῆς Ἄγαρ κατέστησεν. εἶτα αὐτὸς μὲν μάχῃ τοὺς Βαβυλωνίους προσεκτήσατο, τὸν δὲ ἀδελφόπαιδα Κουτλουμοὺς σὺν στρατιᾷ κατὰ τῶν Ἀράβων ἐξέπεμψεν· ὁ δὲ ἡττηθεὶς ὑπέστρεφε καὶ διαπρεσβεύεται πρὸς τὸν τῆς Μηδίας ἄρχοντα (οὕτω δ' ἐκαλεῖτο πάλαι τὸ Βαασπαρκᾶν), αἰτῶν παραχωρηθῆναι διὰ τῆς χώρας αὐτοῦ διελθεῖν. ὁ δὲ τῆς χώρας ταύτης ἐκ βασιλέως ἄρχειν προχειρισθεὶς οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀνῆκε τούτῳ τὴν δίοδον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντετάξατο κατ' αὐτοῦ καὶ συμβαλὼν ἡττᾶται καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν 637 τῶν οἰκείων ἀπέβαλεν, ἥλω δ' αὐτός. ὁ γοῦν Κουτλουμοὺς πρὸς τὸν Ταγγρολίπικα ἐπανελθὼν τὰ περὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν Μηδίαν διηγεῖτο πολέμου καὶ τῆς χώρας ἐξύμνει τὸ πάμφορον καὶ προσετίθει εὐάλωτον εἶναι ταύτην, παρὰ γυναικῶν καρπουμένην, οὕτω καλῶν τοὺς μαχεσαμένους αὐτῷ. ὁ δὲ Ταγγρολίπιξ αὐτῷ μὲν διὰ τὴν ἧτταν ἐμηνία, ἐκεῖνος δὲ κατὰ τῶν Ἀράβων ἐχώρει. καὶ ὁ Κουτλουμοὺς δείσας ἀπέδρα μετὰ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ Πασάρ (πόλις δ' ἐστὶ τῶν Χορασμίων τουτί) κατασχὼν ἀφίσταται τοῦ σουλτάν (οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Ταγγρολίπιξ ὠνόμαστο) καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ πρὸς τὸν θεῖον ἀντικαθίστατο πολιορκοῦντα αὐτόν, διὰ δὲ τὴν τῆς πόλεως ὀχυρότητα μηδὲν ἀνύσαι δυνάμενον. καὶ ὁ μὲν σουλτὰν τῇ πολιορκίᾳ τοῦ Πασὰρ προσησχόλητο· στέλλει δὲ κατὰ Μηδίας Ἀσὰν σὺν ἀξιομάχῳ δυνάμει. ὁ δὲ προσβαλὼν τῇ χώρᾳ καὶ συμμίξας Ῥωμαίοις, πίπτει μὲν αὐτός, ἡττᾶται δὲ τὸ σὺν αὐτῷ στρατιωτικὸν καὶ βραχίστων ἄτερ τὸ ἅπαν ἀπόλλυται. ὃ μαθὼν ὁ σουλτὰν ἠθύμησε μέν, ἐπαναλαβεῖν δ' αὖθις ἔσπευδε τὸ δυστύχημα καὶ Ἀλὶμ Ἀβραμίῳ 638 ἑτεροθαλεῖ ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφῷ στρατιὰν ἐγχειρίσας εἰς ἑκατὸν ἀριθμουμένην χιλιοστύας κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐξέπεμψεν. ὁ δὲ τοῦ Βαασπαρκᾶν στρατηγὸς τῷ βασιλεῖ περὶ τούτων διὰ γραμμάτων δεδήλωκε,