Tag Archives: Damascus

The Rise of Zengi, 1127-46; the Fall of Crusader Edessa, 1144.

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Ruth

The Crusaders put new pressure on the fractured Muslim world. The First Crusade clearly only succeeded because Baghdad’s power had been so shattered by infighting and Turkish conquest. In order to repel the invaders, the Turks had to unite and … Continue reading →

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Greening Up Arid Spain with Arab Water Tech

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Ruth

Spain and Portugal share a peninsula that is mostly a high, arid plateau. Portugal’s western coast receives most of the rain. The capital cities of Muslim Andalusia were clustered on the arid plateau; Cordoba gets about 7 inches of rain … Continue reading →

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Abbasid Revolution: End of the Umayyads, 750

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Ruth

A coalition of pious Muslims who wanted reform of the sinful Umayyads, Arabs who had been left out of the Umayyad aristocracy, and converts who had been left out of even the perks Arabs got finally came together in a … Continue reading →

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Caliph al-Walid and al-Hajjaj, 705-715

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Ruth

Abd al-Malik handed off power to his son without difficulty. Walid (or al-Walid) had been leading military campaigns against the eastern Romans for some years while his father’s brother was the designated heir. But Abd al-Aziz died in Egypt around … Continue reading →

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The Divided Caliphate and lots of rebels, 683-692

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Ruth

Before the Syrian army could push farther into rebellious Arabia, it was called back to Damascus. Yazid had suddenly died. His son was a young man who died soon after him. (Shi’ite history records that he criticized his family for … Continue reading →

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The Battle of Siffin, 657

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Ruth

At last, after refusing to resign and circulating insulting satire against Caliph/Imam Ali, Mu’awiya made a formal allegation that Ali had engineered the death of Caliph Uthman. Further, he challenged Ali’s position as Caliph at all. In his allegation, he … Continue reading →

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The Umayyad Challenge to Ali

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Ruth

After the Battle of the Camel, Ali settled matters in Basra, paying those who had fought for him out of the official treasury. With Basra secured, he rode north to Kufa and stayed there. To some extent, the future of … 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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