As is known from the Gospel [of Luke, oe19], at the time of the
birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Caesar Augustus, Emperor of the
Romans, held absolute lordship over the entire world. But
subsequently, a certain Persian king named Xossorasat [Xosrov
Anushirvan, 531-79 or Xosrov Aparvez, 591-628] became the first
to rebel from the Roman empire and to have himself styled
Emperor of Asia. He seized control of Persia, Media, Armenia and
Chaldea, and his authority so increased that he entirely wrested
those territories from the Roman Emperor by force. Persian rule
over this territory lasted for three hundred and twenty-nine
[three hundred, oe19] years. Then the Saracens took the rule of
Asia from them, as may be seen from the account which follows.
In 622 A.D. [632 A.D., oe19], the Saracens entered the kingdom
of Syria and, through warfare, took the extremely wealthy city
of Damascus from the Greeks who had held it for a long time. In
a brief period they captured the kingdom of Syria. Thereafter
they besieged the gr