Battle of Marj ar-Rum
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Era | Date not recorded (no reliable year in Wikidata) | derived from year |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Syria | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| Coordinates | 33.5064, 38.3153 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Marj ar-Rum (Arabic: معركة مرج الروم, lit. 'Meadow of Rome'), also known as the Battle of Marj ad-Dimashq (Arabic: معركة مرج الدمشق, lit. 'Meadow of Damascus'), was a battle between the Rashidun Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire that occurred shortly after the Battle of Fahl, when the Byzantines attempted to recapture Damascus. Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor, sent two separate forces in the effort, one army led by Theodore the Patricius and another led by Shannash al-Rum. The Rashidun army led by Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah and Khalid ibn al-Walid was ordered to assist Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, who was acting as the garrison commander of Damascus.
The battle consisted of two separate engagements, however, Muslim historians regard these conflicts as a single battle because the fighting occurred concurrently and Khalid participated in both engagements.
The battle is considered as a decisive victory for the Rashidun army as all the Byzantine commanders were killed and the threat of losing Damascus ended.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Marj ar-Rum (revision 1370449105), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Browse more: battles in Syria · Asia · Date not recorded battles