November 16th, 637 - The Battle of Al-Qadisiya

Conflict: Islamic Conquests

Combatants: Rashiduns vs. Sassanid Persians

Location: Iraq

Outcome: Rashidun victory

Over the course of a three-day battle, an army of 30,000 Rashidun Arabs defeated a Persian Sassanid army of 50,000. This opened the way for the Siege of Ctesiphon, the capitol of the Sassanid Empire.

Depiction of the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah from a manuscript of the Persian epic Shāh-nāmeh (Source - British Library)

Points of Interest:

• A few months later, the Rashidun Arabs again defeated the Persians at Jalula.

• The Arabs quelled most Persian resistance in the newly conquered lands between 640 and 650.

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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.