that he become the chieftain of all the Quraysh. This change of heart prove temporary as al-Dahhak's partisans were adamant in their support for Ibn al-Zubayr's bid for the caliphate, particularly in the absence of a suitable Umayyad candidate. Meanwhile, Ubayd Allah, with the backing of Mu'awiya's traditional backers, Ibn Bahdal of the Banu Kalb and the chieftains of the Quda'a and Yemenite tribes, put forth the Umayyad elder Marwan ibn al-Hakam as their candidate for the caliphate. Al-Dahhak left Damascus to marshal the pro-Zubayrid Qaysi tribes at Marj Rahit, a plain north of the city. Meanwhile, Ubayd Allah entered the city and had Marwan recognized as the new caliph in the Friday prayer. Marwan and his backers, mainly the Banu Kalb, then confronted al-Dahhak's troops. In the ensuing twenty-day Battle of Marj Rahit in late 684, al-Dahhak was slain and his troops were decisively defeated. One of his sons, Abd al-Rahman, later returned to the good graces of the Umayyads and served as the governor of Medina under Caliph Yazid II (r. 720–724). Some structures associated with al-Dahhak survived centuries after his death, including his home and bathhouse in Damascus which was noted by the 12th century historian Ibn Asakir and a mosque at the southern wall of the Citadel of Damascus recognized by the 16th-century historian al-Almawi. See also References Bibliography 684 deaths Generals of the Umayyad Caliphate Umayyad governors of Damascus Quraysh Umayyad governors of Kufa 7th-century Arabs