First Arab Siege of Constantinople

Timeline

1. 674–675Sea of Marmara · ConstantinopleAfter conquering the Anatolian coast, the Umayyad Caliphate sent a fleet into the Sea of Marmara to impose a sustained naval blockade and bombardment on Constantinople. The Arabs established winter camps on the Thracian coast, creating a stalemate lasting several years.
2. 675–677Walls of Constantinople · ConstantinopleThe Byzantine garrison withstood Arab attacks behind the triple wall system and the chain across the Golden Horn. The two sides fought each spring and summer and rested in winter; the siege dragged on for years without the Arabs breaching the defenses, while their supplies and morale gradually eroded.
3. 678Sea of Marmara · ConstantinopleWith Greek fire, invented by the Syrian-born engineer Kallinikos, the Byzantine navy devastated the Arab fleet in a spring naval battle. Many Arab warships were burned, the expedition lost its naval superiority, and it was forced to abandon the siege.
4. 678Constantinople · ConstantinopleAfter the failed Arab expedition the two sides concluded a treaty, with Byzantium paying annual tribute to the caliphate for peace. Though the threat was not permanently removed, Constantinople was spared major sieges for half a century, and Greek fire became the emblematic weapon of Byzantine naval defense.