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Sultan Bondoudar, who held Egypt, Aleppo, Damascus and La Chamelle, was constantly at war with the Christians and trying to harm them. He sent his spies to mingle with the Christians.
They informed him that if he were to win Tartus, he would gain a great prize. They said that the city was poorly defended. The Sultan approached Tartus with a great army. He confirmed that there were few men in the city.
The people of Tartus, seeing the Sultan’s army mustered against them, were certain that they would die. They went to the church and prayed to the Virgin to save them from the infidel. The next day, the Sultan ordered his troops to take the city.
However, when they went to attack, they found every gate, barbican, and wall crowded with armed men. The Sultan summoned his Moorish spy and berated him for saying that the city was unprepared for attack.
The Moor was very afraid and told the Sultan that the white knights defending the city were sent from heaven. The Sultan asked him how they had got there, and the man replied that they came at the Virgin’s behest. He said that she had a church in the city, near the walls, by the beach.
The Sultan reminded him that in the Koran it states that Mary was always a virgin. The Sultan vowed that he would not wage war on her. After making a generous donation to the Virgin, the Sultan departed from the city.
 | A larger image of panel 5 of Cantiga 165 |
