Battle of al-Qadisiyyah
معركة القادسية
جنگ قادسیہ
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58 local-first recordsHistorical overview
The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah occurred in 15 AH (636 CE) between the Rashidun Caliphate's forces led by Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and the Sasanian Imperial Army commanded by Rostam Farrokhzad near al-Qadisiyyah, south of modern Kufa, Iraq. Facing a massive Persian mobilization to reclaim Mesopotamia, Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab dispatched an army to secure the frontier. Sa'd deployed his forces with their backs to the desert border and the At-Atiq canal ahead. Rostam crossed the river with a formidable host, including heavy cavalry and a unit of armored war elephants. Over four days of fierce fighting—named Al-Armath, Agwash, Imwas, and Al-Qadisiyyah—the Muslims withstood initial elephant assaults, targeted the beasts' eyes and trunks, and received crucial vanguard reinforcements led by Qa'qa' ibn 'Amr. On the final day, a severe sandstorm blew into Persian lines, Rostam was slain, and the Sasanian force collapsed. This decisive victory shattered Sasanian control over Iraq and enabled the rapid fall of Ctesiphon.
Historical context and how to read this record
This record presents Battle of al-Qadisiyyah, dated in the archive as 15 AH / 636 CE and associated with Al-Qadisiyyah, Iraq. The date, place, summary, named groups, terrain features, and references shown here come from the bundled or published event record. They provide a concise entry point for study, while the linked source notes remain the place to check what each historical or religious text actually reports. A label in the archive is not, by itself, proof that every chronology, number, or interpretation is agreed across historians.
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Record timeline and tactical markers
- Archive date: 2026-10-04 · 15 AH / 636 CE
- Recorded setting: Al-Qadisiyyah, Iraq
- Map feature 1: Alluvial desert plain along the At-Atiq canal
- Map feature 2: Marshy lowlands bordering Euphrates tributaries
- Map feature 3: Open western desert edge toward Al-Udhayb
- Map feature 4: Sasanian earthen field fortifications and dam structures
- Schematic marker 1: Muslim Main Body (Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas) · Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas · ~30,000 troops
- Schematic marker 2: Sasanian Imperial Force & Elephants · Rostam Farrokhzad · ~40,000-60,000 troops, 33 war elephants
- Schematic marker 3: Syrian Vanguard Column · Al-Qa'qa' ibn 'Amr al-Tamimi · ~6,000 cavalry & infantry
Marker ordering is a reading aid, not a chronological claim about the event.
Forces and commanders
- Muslim Main Body (Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas) — Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (~30,000 troops)
- Sasanian Imperial Force & Elephants — Rostam Farrokhzad (~40,000-60,000 troops, 33 war elephants)
- Syrian Vanguard Column — Al-Qa'qa' ibn 'Amr al-Tamimi (~6,000 cavalry & infantry)
Geography: water and landscape
- At-Atiq River Canal (river)
- Ain al-Udhayb Spring (well)
- Alluvial desert plain along the At-Atiq canal
- Marshy lowlands bordering Euphrates tributaries
- Open western desert edge toward Al-Udhayb
- Sasanian earthen field fortifications and dam structures
Sources
- Tarikh al-Tabari (History of the Prophets and Kings), Vol. 12, Years 14-15 AH
- Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Vol. 2, Events of 15 AH
- Al-Baladhuri, Futuh al-Buldan, Conquest of Iraq