A Turning Point in the Islamic-Byzantine Struggle: The Battle Of Yarmūk (15/636)

Authors : Casim Avcı

Pages : 1-12

Doi:10.16985/mtad.1449470

View : 88 | Download : 133

Publication Date : 2024-06-15

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :From the time of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), multifaceted relations took place between the Muslim Arabs and the Christian Byzantines. Byzantine Empire was one of the two superpowers of the period along with the Sasanian Empire. Military struggles have an important place in the relations between Muslims and Byzantium. Among these, the Battle of Yarmouk, which took place in 15/636 during the reign of Caliph Umar, is a turning point for both Islamic and Byzantine history. In the Byzantine-Sasanian struggle that continued during the birth years of Islam, Muslims were in favor of Byzantines, the People of the Book, against the Zoroastrian Sassanids. The envoy sent by the Prophet to Heraclius during the Madina period was well received by the emperor. However, after a while, the Prophet\'s envoy to the governor of Busra was killed by the Christian Gassanid emir. When Byzantium supported the Gassanians in the Battle of Mûtah, the armies of Islam and Byzantium faced each other for the first time. This was followed by the Prophet\'s expedition to Tabuk against Byzantium with an army of 30,000 men. During the reign of Caliph Abū Bakr, the Islamic armies fought against the Sassanids on the Iraqi front on the one hand and the Byzantine armies in Syria on the other. With the Battle of Ajnâdeyn that took place in this period, the gates of Syria were opened to the Muslims. During the reign of Caliph Umar, the struggle continued on both fronts. After the victories of Fihl and Marjussuffar against Byzantium, the Islamic armies captured the center of Syria, Damascus. Then the cities of Ba\'lebek, Hama and Homs were conquered. Finally, the Battle of Yarmouk between the Islamic and Byzantine armies in 15/636 decided the fate of the region and Syria fell to the Muslims. Emperor Heraclius, who had hoped that he could take back the lands the Muslims had conquered in the region, gave up hope and left the region, returning first to Antioch and then to the capital Istanbul. The Muslim victory over Byzantium at Yarmouk was a turning point in Islamic history. After this victory, the Islamic armies conquered Jerusalem, the religious center of the Christians, and other cities of the Palestinian region. This was followed by the conquest of al-Jazira and Egypt. With the first naval battle of the Islamic navy against the Byzantine navy during the reign of Caliph Uthman, the Muslims dominated the Eastern Mediterranean.
Keywords : İslâm, Müslümanlar, Bizans, Bizans İmparatorluğu, Hz Ömer, Herakleios, Yermük Savaşı, Suriye