The first advances
Arab armies enter Syria along several axes, take strongholds and compel Byzantium to move one army after another into a theatre difficult to supply.
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War
Arab Conquest of Syria
633 — 638
The conquest of Syria turns an imperial frontier into a new centre of power
Military history
The strategic problem
The Arab conquest of Syria pits mobile armies against a Byzantine Empire emerging from long wars with Persia. Arab contingents do not win through speed alone: they exploit divisions in command, knowledge of roads and the ability to concentrate reserves in a theatre where the imperial army must protect several cities.
Concentration at Yarmouk
Arab forces regroup their reserves and refuse to be destroyed separately. The battle drives the Byzantine army towards ravines and destroys its capacity for immediate reconquest.
The fall of Syrian centres
Damascus, Jerusalem and other cities negotiate or capitulate according to their situation. Control of roads and garrisons turns victory into a change of power.
Explore
1 published battles, in chronological order
Military history
Sources
Indirect primary sourceAl-Tabari, Histoire des prophètes et des rois
Arab traditions on the campaigns, commanders and consequences of the conquest.
Academic studyWalter E. Kaegi, Byzantium and the Early Islamic Conquests
Critique of figures, Byzantine institutions and operational dynamics in Syria.
Specialist overviewHugh Kennedy, The Great Arab Conquests
Chronology, armies, cities and political integration of conquered territories.