Battle of Khaybar
غزوة خيبر
غزوہ خیبر
Field atlas · Terrain
Interactive 3D map
Historical maps album
58 local-first recordsHistorical overview
The Battle of Khaybar took place in 7 AH (628 CE) between the Muslims led by the Prophet Muhammad and the Jewish tribes inhabiting the fortified oasis of Khaybar, located 150 km north of Medina. Following the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Muslim army marched northward to neutralize the strategic threat posed by Khaybar, which had become a key hub for hostile anti-Muslim coalitions. The campaign involved a series of rigorous sieges against heavy stone fortresses built upon volcanic basalt hills, including Fort Na'im, Fort Sa'b ibn Mu'adh, and the central citadel of al-Qamus. After initial breaches proved difficult, the Prophet entrusted the main standard to Ali ibn Abi Talib, who successfully led the final assault, breached the gates of Fort al-Qamus, and defeated the warrior Marhab. The capitulation of the fortresses marked a major economic and strategic victory, securing Medina's northern trade routes.
Historical context and how to read this record
This record presents Battle of Khaybar, dated in the archive as 7 AH / 628 CE and associated with Khaybar, Hijaz. 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.
The timeline on this page is deliberately limited to information attached to the record: its displayed event date and era, its named location, and the geographic markers that the map author normalized for the scene. These map markers are not a minute-by-minute sequence of movements. They do not claim to reconstruct every decision, speech, or formation. Where historians preserve differing accounts, the distinction matters: a conventional date can help readers orient themselves, but a date recorded in a database should not be mistaken for a universally settled day or for a primary-source quotation.
The terrain is a deterministic educational model. A shared height function keeps water, formations, landmarks, and ground visually aligned; the normalized coordinates make the same record render consistently when the optional cloud archive is unavailable. This approach supports comparison of broad relationships—such as a camp in relation to a water feature, a fortified settlement against a highland, or a route beside a valley—without presenting synthetic elevation as archaeological survey data. Lighting, camera angle, and visual scale are choices for legibility, not evidence about the historical scene.
Read the forces and commanders panel as a record of the labels supplied for this map, not as an independently verified census. Estimates in classical narratives can differ because authors preserve separate transmissions, use rounded totals, or describe groups in different ways. This page keeps uncertainty notes attached to the relevant record when they are available. A missing strength estimate means the archive does not make one here; it should not be filled by inference from the size of a marker or from the appearance of the 3D scene.
The source dossier names the references bundled with this event, including Qur’anic passages or classical works where supplied. Numbering, chapter divisions, translations, and pagination can vary by edition, so a careful citation should identify the edition and translator consulted. A source title in the list is a research lead, not a claim that the entire event is established by that work alone. Compare the passages in context, separate a source’s wording from later commentary, and consult qualified scholarship when a question concerns creed, law, or a contested historical conclusion.
For an efficient study sequence, begin with the short overview, note the event date and place, then select each geographic marker in the dual reader. The camera will move to the schematic coordinate while the corresponding source note is brought into view. Next compare the land and water features, read any force labels and their uncertainty notes, and return to the source dossier before drawing conclusions. This order helps distinguish what the archive records, what the visualization illustrates, and what a reader may need to verify in a primary edition. The purpose is source-aware orientation and respectful learning, not a substitute for historical fieldwork or a scholar’s judgment.
Record timeline and tactical markers
- Archive date: 2026-10-03 · 7 AH / 628 CE
- Recorded setting: Khaybar, Hijaz
- Map feature 1: Volcanic basalt plateau (Harrat Khaybar)
- Map feature 2: Fortified hilltop citadels
- Map feature 3: Date palm oasis valleys
- Schematic marker 1: Muslim Army under Ali ibn Abi Talib · Ali ibn Abi Talib & Prophet Muhammad · 1,400 infantry and cavalry
- Schematic marker 2: Garrison of Fort al-Qamus · Marhab al-Khaybari · 2,000 defenders
- Schematic marker 3: Defenders of Fort Na'im and Sa'b · Al-Harith ibn Abi Zaynab · 3,000 defenders
Marker ordering is a reading aid, not a chronological claim about the event.
Forces and commanders
- Muslim Army under Ali ibn Abi Talib — Ali ibn Abi Talib & Prophet Muhammad (1,400 infantry and cavalry)
- Garrison of Fort al-Qamus — Marhab al-Khaybari (2,000 defenders)
- Defenders of Fort Na'im and Sa'b — Al-Harith ibn Abi Zaynab (3,000 defenders)
Geography: water and landscape
- Khaybar Oasis Springs (oasis)
- Bir al-Khatib (well)
- Volcanic basalt plateau (Harrat Khaybar)
- Fortified hilltop citadels
- Date palm oasis valleys
Sources
- Ibn Hisham, Sirat Rasul Allah, Vol. 2, pp. 328-350
- al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk, Vol. 8, pp. 116-128
- al-Waqidi, Kitab al-Maghazi, Vol. 2, pp. 633-702
- Shaykh al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad, Chapter on Ghazwat Khaybar