Monthly Archives: April 2021

Conquest of Egypt, 636-42

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Ruth

We need a wide range of dates to cover the conquest of Egypt because histories conflict so much as to when things happened and in what order. General Amr ibn al-As, who had led his army to Gaza in the … Continue reading →

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The New Cities in Iraq: Kufa, Basra and Mosul, 636-40

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Ruth

The Muslim forces were a small population of conquerors in a very large settled agricultural society. Now that they controlled it, they were free to settle or build in it. They could have begun a massive migration from dry Arabia … Continue reading →

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Caliph Umar’s Administrative Headaches

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Ruth

The Islamic State of Medina had been a relatively simple organization. Tribute came in, it was collected near the mosque, and it was immediately spent on alms or provisions for an expedition. Caliph Abu Bakr kept things simple too, continuing … Continue reading →

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The Amazing Wealth of Persia, 638-40

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Ruth

Persian luxury was famous; even then, they put carpets on the ground that others would have prized as blankets or wall coverings. In the negotiations before the Battle of Qadisiyah, Arabs had taken pains to ruin any carpets they were … Continue reading →

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Conquering the Tigris, 636-7

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Ruth

The Arab general Khalid had moved quickly up the Euphrates River in 634, but he left his gains there and went to Syria. Now, with Damascus and Jerusalem securely held by Muslims and the remaining armies tackling the tougher port … Continue reading →

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Fall of Jerusalem, 637

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Ruth

The Muslim armies captured remaining towns in Syria in the months following the Battle of Yarmouk. They re-occupied Damascus, temporarily abandoned so as to have maximum forces at Yarmouk. The siege of Emessa/Homs took place in the winter, when the … Continue reading →

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Syria: Damascus, 635 and Yarmouk, 636

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Ruth

Caliph Umar confirmed the previous appointments of commanders and pushed for more action. He intended to lead fighters in the field, and probably did sometimes, but I didn’t see much detail about that. The main campaigns during his Caliphate were … Continue reading →

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Caliph Umar, 634

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Ruth

When Abu Bakr died, he was careful not to leave the same type of succession crisis as they had faced at the Prophet’s death. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. He named Umar as his successor, therefore Caliph. … Continue reading →

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The First Muslim Conquest in Syria, 634

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Ruth

The Arabs were much more familiar with Syria than with Mesopotamia. They had interacted a great deal with the Ghassanids, whose capital city was in the Golan Mountains. They stopped often at cities like Bos(t)ra. Some of the men of … Continue reading →

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Khalid Takes the Euphrates River, 633

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Ruth

Simultaneous invasions began in 633, with armies heading west into Syria and north into Persia (modern Iraq). The western campaigns had little to note until after Khalid’s eastern army joined them, so we’ll start with Khalid. He was in northern … Continue reading →

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