The epic begins with the most flourishing epochs of the Umayyad Caliphate in the golden age of Abd Al-malik lbn-marwan until Marwan Ibn-Muhammed, the last of the Umayyad caliphs, who was pursued by Abu-Muslim Khurasani after his escape to Egypt till he tracked him down and assassinated him in Abu-sir in central Egypt.
The major incidents of the epic occur at the outset of the Abbasid era during the struggle for power culminating in the tragic end of the Barmakis , who were of Persian decent. It is a historical biography recasting a tragic political crisis between Arabs and Persians. The Palestinian ruling dynasty of al-Amira Dhat al-Himma who was a leader and Combattant, played a most important role in defending the state or the Abbasid caliphate during its early days.
Before relating the political events and incidents of the historical period covered by the epic starting nearly in the 8th century AD, we must draw attention to the significance of this monumental Arabic epic. The reader should take into account that the real story of princess Dhat al-Himma and her son Abd al-Wahab is still lost since it had been described by its original author or authors as a sort of folk history, or part of Arab Folklore, that does not have a known individual author.
The epic is recorded in volumes or chapters, whose pages amount to 23,000 of medium size, a copy of which is kept at the British museum in London. The original manuscript is stored in the state library in Berlin and has not been printed yet, hence proudly cherished by the library. it was put under good care to protect it against destruction during the second world war. The work had a great influence on the whole of Byzantine literature before the middle ages. It was translated into Persian and Turkish after the Ottoman invasion of the middle east. It was usually known by the name of Sayyid al-Battal, its super hero and fighter, famous for his clever war tactics, who enabled Dhat al-Himma, the protagonist, to achieve great military victories, ending in capturing the roman emperor Mikhail (Michale) and storming Constantinople. she was crowned empress of the city for a short period.
The main purpose of this epic was to record the history of this dynasty, its destruction, and the wars it fought Against foreign invasion. The work depicts the main figures as warriors defending the harbours and the coastal posts. Al-Sihash, grandfather of princess Dhat al-Himma, participated in the wars waged by the Umayyads against the Byzantine roman empire, including the expedition of Musalllama Ibn Abd al-Malik, as well as other expeditions which followed to safeguard the borders of the newly born Muslim state.
The story did not overlook the siege imposed on Constantinople for years, which led the Arab armies to establish a huge city facing it, known as al-Mustajadda (the newly born).
This blockade, the third during the rule of Sulayman Ibn Abd Al-Malik, saw the weakening of the popular hero Sayyid al-Battal. he was a real historical hero, martyred during the Arab wars against the Romans in 122 (HA). He appears in the epic as a military commander, especially transporting and supplying Arab armies at the war front in southern Europe, as well as in Andalusia, and the whole of the Iberian peninsula where the number of small states of Palestinian and Syrian origin amounted to more than forty six.
The epic also describes in detail the war of the Palestinian Bani Kulayb (Calbites) and their successors from the dynasty of Dhat al-Himma against the Byzantine state through consecutive generations. The wars were led by prince Junduba Ibn Harith al-Kilfabi and his son al-Sihsah, known for a series of heroic deeds, the first of which was rescuing the daughter of the Umayyad caliph from her kidnappers.
Then upon orders of the caliph, Al-Sihsah participated in wars against Byzantium as a commander until Dhat al-Himma appeared on the scene of events. Her real name is Fatima Bint Mazlum lbn Sihsah Ibn Harith Al-kilabi. Fatima, who was known by the name or the title of Dhat al-Himma, was born and raised in the desert. since her youth, she had to face domestic tribal assaults by the tribes of Bani Tayy, but she protected her honour and her tribe. Hence she became known as Dhat al-Himma. Her cousin Al-Harith lbn zalim who was a knight famous for his military exploits in protection of his people, fell in love with her. She gave birth to a son named Abd al-Wahab, whom caliph al-Wathiq wanted to appoint as ruler of Constantinople, but he refused.
The main goal of the epic of Dhat al-Himma is to record the history of continuous aggressions and wars launched by the Romans and Byzantines against the newly-born Muslim state; the same as the epic of Amr al-Nu'man who confronted Persian and Asian aggressions in minor, and the epic of prince Hamza al-Bahlawan. All these narratives share one atmosphere in which they all emerge and multiply and they had one aim; to confront foreign danger. The epic of princess Dhat al-Himma, recorded as well domestic affairs of political significance, like the crisis of the Persian Barmakis at the outset of the Abbasid Caliphate mentioned as part of popular history in the course of events covered by the epic, which took place in the 9th century AD, when caliph Harun al-Rashid assassinated his Prime Minister Ja'far Ibn Yahya al-Barmaki.
The epic mentions the reconstruction and rehabilitation of cities, like Maltiyya and Baghdad that caliph al-Ma'mun built on the river Tigris. He liked the site and named it after a monk who inhabited it called "Baghdad". The epic also refers to so many names of Palestinian ports and cities, such as Gaza, Haifa, Java, in addition to Malta, which was the first defence post on the Phoenician coast - whether Palestinian, Syrian, or Lebanese - throughout eras, particularly in the middle ages. The development of weapons and arms starting with explosives which the narrative calls "the Greek Fire" are also mentioned; describing in detail the ethnographic account of cities, churches and cathedrals. especially aye Sofia, plus the lifestyles of European people since the outset of the ninth century AD
