Human Saga

Battle of the Yarmuk ends Byzantine rule in Syria

August 636 CE·Military & conflict·Levant (Syria/Jordan)·
August 636 CEDate
Military & conflictCategory
16Empires active
Date
August 636 CE
Category
Military & conflict
Region
Levant (Syria/Jordan)
Era
Post-Classical / Medieval
Significance

Over six days in August 636, the army of the Rashidun Caliphate, with Khalid ibn al-Walid playing a leading role, decisively defeated a much larger Byzantine force near the Yarmuk River on the borders of present-day Syria, Jordan and Israel.

The emperor Heraclius, recently victorious over Persia but ailing, had assembled a large multi-ethnic army to recover the Levant, but it was outmanoeuvred and broken on the rugged ground above the river. The defeat shattered Byzantine field strength in the region and ended roughly seven centuries of Roman rule in Syria; within a few years Palestine, Jerusalem and Egypt also fell to the Arabs. Heraclius withdrew the remaining forces behind the Taurus mountains, abandoning the eastern provinces and reportedly bidding Syria a final farewell. Yarmuk is one of the most consequential battles in history: it secured the early Islamic conquests, transferred the wealthy, populous lands of the eastern Mediterranean from Christian Roman to Muslim Arab rule, and reduced Byzantium to a smaller, Anatolian-centred state fighting for survival.

See the world map in August 636 CE →More military & conflictThe Post-Classical / Medieval era

One piece of history in your inbox, weekly

New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Empires active in August 636 CE

Related military & conflict events

Further reading

The wider story

Sasanian Persia: The Rise and Fall of an Empire

Touraj Daryaee

The standard accessible introduction to Sasanian Iran.

Get it on Amazon →

As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.