Battle of Marash ( 953 ) The Battle of Marash was fought in 953 near Marash ( modern Kahramanmaraş ) between the forces of the Byzantine Empire under the Domestic of the Schools Bardas Phokas the Elder , and of the Hamdanid Emir of Aleppo , Sayf al - Dawla , the Byzantines ' most intrepid enemy during the mid - 10th century . Despite being outnumbered , the Arabs defeated the Byzantines who broke and fled . Bardas Phokas himself barely escaped through the intervention of his attendants , and suffered a serious wound in his face , while his youngest son and governor of Seleucia , Constantine Phokas , was captured and held a prisoner in Aleppo until his death of an illness some time later . This debacle , coupled with defeats in 954 and again in 955 , led to Bardas Phokas ' dismissal as Domestic of the Schools , and his replacement by his eldest son , Nikephoros Phokas ( later emperor in 963 – 969 ) . Background . In the period from 945 to 967 , the Hamdanid Emir of Aleppo , Sayf al - Dawla , was the Byzantines ' most persistent opponent on their eastern frontier , by virtue of his control over most of the Byzantine – Muslim borderlands ( " Thughur " ) and his commitment to " jihad " . After his establishment of a large domain centred on Aleppo in 945 , the Hamdanid prince began confronting the Byzantines on an annual basis . Despite the numerical advantage enjoyed by the Byzantines , the Hamdanid ' s emergence blunted a Byzantine offensive that had been unfolding since the mid - 920s and had already resulted in the fall of Malatya ( 934 ) , Arsamosata ( 940 ) , and Qaliqala ( in 949 ) . Sayf al - Dawla ' s main opponent during the first decade of continuous conflict with the Byzantines was the Domestic of the Schools ( commander - in - chief ) Bardas Phokas , who had been appointed to the post in 945 . Phokas was the personal choice of Emperor Constantine VII , who needed a reliable ally in this critical post . An experienced soldier , Phokas was by now well into his sixties , and not up to the task entrusted to him : even sources favourably disposed to the Phokades commented on Bardas that although a good general under someone else ' s command , he was unable to adequately fulfil the role of commander - in - chief . Sayf al - Dawla , on the other hand , has come down to us — mainly through the work of his court poets — as the archetype of Arab chivalry and a great warrior , but he was greatly hampered by lack of men and money , by rebellions in his domains and by lack of support from the rest of the Muslim world . Campaign of 953 . In early 953 , Sayf al - Dawla launched perhaps his most memorable campaigns . From Aleppo he marched to Harran and Duluk , crossed the Anti - Taurus Mountains over the pass of Darb al - Qulla ( modern Erkenek ) and marched north into Byzantine territory . He captured the fortress of Arqa , and ravaged the surroundings of Malatya . From there he essayed to cross the mountains and return to Syria , but found the pass in front of him blocked by Bardas ' youngest son , Constantine Phokas . The Muslims tried to break through the Byzantine position , but their attacks were repulsed with many casualties on both sides . Unable to return to Syria over the mountains , Sayf al - Dawla resolved to bypass the Byzantine forces holding the passes , and turned his army north . After marching past Malatya , ravaging the countryside once more , he crossed the Euphrates into Anzitene , which his troops also raided extensively , and re - entered the Muslim - held territory of Diyar Bakr . There , he was informed that in the meantime , the Byzantines under Bardas Phokas had invaded northern Syria and raided as far as Antioch . At once he turned his army south and west . Riding at great speed , he re - crossed the Euphrates at Samosata and arrived once more at Duluk , where he received news that the Byzantines were already on their march home . According to the reports of his panegyrists , Sayf al - Dawla only had 600 riders to face the much larger Byzantine army . The Arabs caught up with the Byzantines at Gayhan near Marash , and scored a great victory . No details are known on the fight , but the Byzantines suffered many casualties , including the " patrikios " Leo Maleinos . Bardas Phokas himself was wounded and was forced to hide in a basement to escape capture , while Constantine Phokas was taken captive with several other unnamed Byzantine leaders to Aleppo . Sayf al - Dawla also recovered the booty taken by the Byzantines and liberated their Muslim prisoners . Constantine was held captive at Aleppo for some time , but died 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 .