Судан и Большой Ближний Восток

316 IV. Ближний Восток и его соседи picture to illumination no. 259, fol. 113v top, which realistically depicts an Arab ruler drawn by a Western painter of Skylitzes’ manuscript. The emir appears on the left side of the picture with a turban fully covering his head, sitting nonchalantly in the typical Arab way with crossed legs on a wide cushion. Similarly, a painting of an enthroned Arab leader from the palace of Qu ṣ ayr ‘Amra (near Amman) is almost identical (see Fig. II ). Obviously, as noted by Tsamakda, 1 the painter of Fig. 259 was well familiar with the Arabs’ appearance, attire and manners. Thus, in general, in the first figure initiating the “Cycle of the con- quest of Crete”, the text, illumination and caption coincide without any deviations. Skylitzes, as well as all the relevant Byzantine sources, reports erroneously that the Andalusian Arabs, called “Ισπανοί” or “Ιβήριοι”, departed from Spain under the blessings of the supreme authority ( Amīr al-Mu’minīn ) in order to settle in another area. This is definitely a common error in all Byzantine sources that failed to report that the Andalusians started their expedition from Alexandria of Egypt for the conquest of Crete. 1 See Tsamakda, op. cit., 306. Fig. II. Depiction of an enthroned Arab prince in the main Hall of Qu ṣ ayr ‘Amra