Battle of the Iron Bridge
| date | October 637 |
|---|---|
| place | Antioch , Syria |
| output | Arab victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 20,000-30,000 | 17,000 |
| losses | |
|
over 10,000 |
Low |
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Byzantine-Arab Wars
Early battles
Mu'ta - Tabuk - Dathin - Firaz
Arab conquest of the Levant
Qartin - Bosra - Adschnadain - Marj al-Rahit - Fahl - Damascus - Marj ad Dibadsch - Emesa - Yarmouk - Jerusalem - Hazir - Aleppo
Muslim conquest of Egypt
Heliopolis - Alexandria - Nikiou
Umayyad conquest of North Africa
Sufetula - Vescera - Carthage
Umayyadidische invasion of Anatolia
and Constantinople
Iron bridge - Germanikeia - 1. Konstantin Opel - Sebastopolis - Tyana - 2. Konstantin Opel - Nicaea - Akroinon
Arabic-Byzantine border war
Kamacha - Kopidnadon - Krasos - Anzen and Amorion - Mauropotamos - Lalakaon - Bathys Ryax
Sicily and Southern Italy
1st Syracuse - 2nd Syracuse - Campaigns of the Maniac
Byzantine counter-attack
Marasch - Raban - Andrassos - Campaigns of Nikephoros Phokas - Campaigns of John Tzimiskes - Orontes - Campaigns of Basil II. - Azaz Sea
operations
Phoinix - Muslim Conquest of Crete - Thasos - Damiette - Thessalonike - Byzantine reconquest of Crete
The Battle of the Iron Bridge took place in 637 between the army of the Muslim Rashidunkaliphate and the Byzantine army . The battle took place near a nine-arched bridge that spanned the Orontes and gave the battle its name. It was one of the last battles between the Byzantine Empire and the Arabs in the Roman province of Syria .
background
The Muslim army had won a decisive victory on the Yarmuk River that brought them control of the Levant . Jerusalem was conquered a little later. Muslim armies marched north a little later and penetrated into northern Syria, where it borders on Anatolia . They tried to conquer Antioch and thus secure their conquests against a Byzantine attempt at reconquest. After the conquest of Aleppo sent Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah part of the army under Malik al-Ashtar to Azaz to conquer in northern Syria. The capture of Azaz was intended to ensure that there was no longer a large Byzantine army north of Aleppo to stab at the Arabs in their siege of Antioch. As soon as Malik rejoined the main army, Abu Ubaidah marched west to conquer Antioch. Chālid ibn al-Walīd led the vanguard. The army marched from Aleppo via Harim and approached Antioch from the east.
battle
Twelve miles before the city, near today's Mahruba , a partly iron bridge spanned the Orontes . The battle between the Muslim Arabs and the Byzantine garrison of Antioch took place here. The battle was probably on a larger scale, but no precise information is available. The Byzantine troops suffered heavy losses and were defeated. The remnants of the defeated army fled to Antioch, the Arabs followed them and besieged the city. On October 30, 637 the city surrendered. The surrender conditions stipulated that the Byzantine garrison was allowed to withdraw unmolested.
consequences
After the surrender of Antioch, the Muslim armies moved south along the Mediterranean and captured Latakia , Jabla and Tartus . Khalid ibn al-Walid made a foray east towards the Euphrates , where he met little resistance. In January 638 the campaign was over. After the defeat of Arab Christians from Mesopotamia , who led the siege of Emesa in 638, Abu Ubaidah sent Chalid ibn al-Walid and Ayadh ibn Ghanam to the plains of Ararat and in the west to the Taurus Mountains to break the resistance of the Christians.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari : History of the Prophets and Kings . Volume 3, p. 98.
- ↑ Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari: History of the Prophets and Kings. Volume 3, pp. 99-100.
- ↑ AI Akram: The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns . Nat. Publishing House, Rawalpindi 1970, ISBN 0-7101-0104-X .