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Battle of Yarmouk
In summer 636 CE, forces of the Rashidun Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire fought for days near the Yarmouk River in southern Syria, ending in a dec…
Timeline
- 636Yarmouk River · SyriaByzantine emperor Heraclius ordered Vahan and other generals to lead a multi-ethnic coalition of Greeks, Armenians, and Syrians, some tens of thousands strong, facing Khalid's Arab coalition across the Yarmouk River; both sides sought to settle Syria's fate in one blow.
- 636Yarmouk battlefield · SyriaThe battle lasted several days; the Arabs used mobile cavalry and night attacks to split the Byzantine line, and the Byzantine coalition gradually disintegrated due to command disputes, supply difficulties, and low morale, with Greek and Syrian units fleeing in turn.
- 636Yarmouk River · SyriaThe Byzantine main force was devastated; Heraclius was forced to abandon plans to recover Syria and withdrew to Anatolia. After the battle the Arab army advanced rapidly, and cities in Syria and Palestine fell one after another.
Sources
- Byzantium and the Early Islamic Conquests — Walter E. Kaegi (1992)