The Arabs catch up with the imperial…
953 CE
The Arabs catch up with the imperial army at Gayhan near Marash, and score a great victory.
No details are known on the fight, but the Empire suffers many casualties, including the patrikios Leo Maleinos.
Bardas Phokas himself is wounded and is forced to hide in a basement to escape capture, while Constantine Phokas is taken captive with several other unnamed imperial leaders to Aleppo.
Sayf al-Dawla also recovers the booty taken by the imperial troops and liberates their Muslim prisoners.
Constantine will be held captive at Aleppo for some time, but will die in captivity as a result of an illness, although various authors, both Arabs and Byzantines, have suggested that he was poisoned.
In retaliation, Bardas Phokas is said to have ordered the execution of many Muslim prisoners, including some of Sayf al-Dawla's relatives.