Battle of Khazir 686
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 686 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | Iraq | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Second Fitna | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Al-Mukhtar, Umayyad Caliphate | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 36.3100, 43.5300 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Khazir (Arabic: يوم الخازر, romanized: Yawm Khāzir) took place in August 686 near the Khazir River in Mosul's eastern environs, in modern-day Iraq. The battle occurred during the Second Fitna between the Syria-based Umayyad Caliphate and the Kufa-based pro-Alid forces under Mukhtar al-Thaqafi. It ended with the Umayyad forces being routed and resulted in the expansion of Mukhtar's rule into the Mosul region.
The Second Fitna left the Umayyad realm restricted to Damascus and its environs, after most of its territories came under the control of the Mecca-based Caliph Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr. However, the Umayyad caliph Marwan I began a resurgence and dispatched a Syrian army led by Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad to reconquer Iraq. To halt the Umayyad advance, Mukhtar deployed his mawali-dominated forces under the command of Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar. During the initial combat, part of Ibn al-Ashtar's forces were put to flight, but they regrouped under his leadership and charged the Umayyad center. Heavy casualties were inflicted on both sides, and Ubayd Allah along with several of his lieutenants was killed.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Khazir (revision 1380244500), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Second Fitna
- Battle of Karbala 680
- Battle of al-Harra 683
- Siege of Mecca (683) 683
- Battle of Marj Rahit (684) 684
- Battle of Ayn al-Warda 685
- Battle of Maskin 691
- Siege of Mecca (692) 692
All 8 battles of the Second Fitna →
Browse more: battles in Iraq · Asia · Medieval battles