August 18th, 684 - The Battle of Marj Rahit

Conflict: Second Fitna

Combatants: Zubayrids vs. Umayyads

Location: Syria

Outcome: Umayyad victory

In 680, the reign of Yazid I, son of Mu'awiya, as Caliph of the Umayyads began. Abdulla ibn Zubayr led a rebellion against the rule of Yazid and established a caliphate over Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt. In August of 684, Marwan ibn Hakam defeated Zubayr's forces at Marj Rahit and re-established the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate.

Drachma of Mu'awiya (Yazid) I, 676-677 (Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Points of Interest:

• Marwan ibn Hakam died before he could complete the conquest of the Zubayr Caliphate.

• Abdulla ibn Zubayr was killed in 692 defending Mecca against Marwan's son, Abd ul-Malik.

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Sources:

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.