Battle of Yarmouk

Historical overview

In September 636 CE (14 AH), the Muslim forces of the Rashidun Caliphate under Khalid ibn al‑Walīd faced the Byzantine army commanded by General John at the Yarmouk River, a key frontier between the two empires. The battle began with the Muslims holding a defensive ridge, then launching a decisive cavalry charge that broke the Byzantine lines. The Muslims achieved a decisive victory, securing the Levant and opening the way for subsequent conquests of Syria, Palestine, and beyond. The battle is considered a turning point in Islamic history, marking the decline of Byzantine power in the region and the rapid expansion of the Caliphate.

Historical context and how to read this record

This record presents Battle of Yarmouk, dated in the archive as 14 AH / 636 CE and associated with Yarmouk, Syria. 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

1. Archive date: 2026-10-02 · 14 AH / 636 CE
2. Recorded setting: Yarmouk, Syria
3. Map feature 1: river crossing
4. Map feature 2: open plains
5. Map feature 3: elevated ridges
6. Schematic marker 1: Rashidun Caliphate · Khalid ibn al‑Walīd · 70,000
7. Schematic marker 2: Eastern Roman Empire · General John · 80,000

Marker ordering is a reading aid, not a chronological claim about the event.

Forces and commanders

• Rashidun Caliphate — Khalid ibn al‑Walīd (70,000)
• Eastern Roman Empire — General John (80,000)

Geography: water and landscape

• Yarmouk River (river)
• Well of Al‑Umar (well)
• river crossing
• open plains
• elevated ridges

Sources

• Tabari, vol. 11, ch. 1
• al‑Waqidi, Kitab al‑Maghazi, ch. 20

More 3D maps

• Karbala · The Plain of 61 AH
• Battle of Badr · Wells and Two Slopes
• Khaybar · Basalt Harrat and Fortified Oases
• Hijrah Route · Makkah to Madinah
• Najaf & Kufa · The Historic Plain
• Siffin · Euphrates Campaign Landscape