▁Mes op ot am ia , ▁places ▁like ▁Germ ani ke ia ▁( Mar ' ash ), ▁Had ath ▁and ▁Mel it ene ▁( Mal at ya ) ▁became ▁major ▁military ▁cent ers . ▁These ▁two ▁regions ▁came ▁to ▁form ▁the ▁two ▁hal ves ▁of ▁a ▁new ▁fort ified ▁front ier ▁zone , ▁the ▁th ugh ur . ▁ ▁Both ▁the ▁Um ay y ads ▁and ▁later ▁the ▁Abb as ids ▁continued ▁to ▁regard ▁the ▁annual ▁exped itions ▁against ▁the ▁C ali ph ate ' s ▁" trad itional ▁enemy " ▁as ▁an ▁integral ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁continu ing ▁j ih ad , ▁and ▁they ▁quickly ▁became ▁organized ▁in ▁a ▁regular ▁fashion : ▁one ▁to ▁two ▁summer ▁exped itions ▁( pl . ▁ ṣ aw ā ' if , ▁sing . ▁ ṣ ā ' ifa ) ▁sometimes ▁accompanied ▁by ▁a ▁naval ▁attack ▁and / or ▁followed ▁by ▁winter ▁exped itions ▁( sh aw ā t ī ). ▁The ▁summer ▁exped itions ▁were ▁usually ▁two ▁separate ▁attacks , ▁the ▁" exp ed ition ▁of ▁the ▁left " ▁( al - ṣ ā ' ifa ▁al - y usr ā / al - ṣ ug hr ā ) ▁launched ▁from ▁the ▁C il ician ▁th ugh ur ▁and ▁consisting ▁mostly ▁of ▁Sy rian ▁troops , ▁and ▁the ▁usually ▁larger ▁" exp ed ition ▁of ▁the ▁right " ▁( al - ṣ ā ' ifa ▁al - y umn ā / al - k ub r ā ) ▁launched ▁from ▁Mal at ya ▁and ▁composed