History glossary
Battle of Yarmouk
the 636 battle in which Arab Muslim armies defeated Byzantine forces and opened Syria to Islamic rule.
- Category
- Battle
- Region
- Syria and the southern Levant
- Date range
- 636
What it means
The Battle of Yarmouk was a decisive Byzantine defeat in 636 during the early Islamic conquests. It shattered Byzantine control in Syria and helped shift the balance of power across the eastern Mediterranean after the long wars between Byzantium and Sasanian Persia.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Rise of Islam
From Muhammad's first revelations to the early caliphates, Islam grew from a Meccan message into a civilisation spanning Africa, Asia and Europe.
The Byzantine Empire
From Constantine's new capital to the fall of Constantinople, Byzantium preserved Roman law, Orthodox Christianity, imperial government and classical learning through more than a thousand years of adaptation.
