 In 927 – 928 , Kourkouas launched a large raid into Arab @-@ controlled Armenia . After taking Samosata ( modern Samsat ) , an important stronghold on the Euphrates , the Byzantines advanced as far as the Armenian capital of Dvin . An Arab counter @-@ offensive forced them out of Samosata after only a few days , and Dvin , which was defended by the Sajid general Nasr al @-@ Subuki , successfully withstood the Byzantine siege , until the mounting losses forced the Byzantines to abandon it . At the same time , Thamal , the emir of Tarsus , conducted successful raids into southern Anatolia and neutralized Ibn al @-@ Dahhak , a local Kurdish leader who supported the Byzantines . The Byzantines then turned toward the Kaysite emirate in the region of Lake Van in southern Armenia . Kourkouas 's troops and plundered the region and took the towns of Khliat and Bitlis , where they are said to have replaced the mosque 's minbar with a cross . The local Arabs appealed to the Caliph for aid in vain , prompting an exodus of Muslims from the region . This incursion , more than 500 kilometres ( 310 mi ) from the nearest imperial territory , was a far cry from the defensive @-@ minded strategy Byzantium had followed during the previous centuries and highlighted the new capabilities of the imperial army . Nevertheless , famine in Anatolia and the exigencies of parallel campaigns in southern Italy weakened Kourkouas 's forces . His army was defeated and driven back by Muflih , a former Sajid ghulam and governor of Adharbayjan . 
