The castle's forces, led by the Armenian Patriarch Stefanos IV, secretly carried out raids on Muslim caravans and on rural villages, in violation of a treaty with the Mamluk sultan of Egypt al-Mansur Qalawun.

Al-Maqrizi, a 14th-century writer, mentions that the most prominent preacher was the Abbasid caliph, who delivered a sermon in the mosque of the citadel.

[1][3] Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil bin Qalawun accompanied by his vizier Ibn al-Sal'us[7][8] came out at the head of the Egyptian army to confront the Armenians.

At that time, Emir Sanjar al-Shuja'i, the na'ib (deputy) of Damascus, ordered a chain to be made and entangled in the holes.

[1][3] Historian Muhammad Kurd Ali says: “In the year 691 AH, al-Malik al-Ashraf went with his Egyptian soldiers and went to the Rumkale Castle, which is on the side of the Euphrates, where the Armenian Patriarch Kitagekos (Stefanos IV) resided.

The population of Damascus bid farewell to the victorious Sultan on his way to Cairo at night with thousands of lighted candles.

The army returned, with Sultan El-Ashraf Khalil at its head, and entered Cairo at night from the Bab al-Nasr (Victory Gate), according to the old Egyptian custom.