Terrain would have a major impact on the course
of the battle. The Yarmouk plateau is predominantly an undulated
flat plain, dotted with rocky outcrops. Rivers Yarmuk, Ruqqad, ‘Allan and Harir
slice deep into the level plateau, creating deep gorges with steep cliffs. The grassy plain offered enough fodder and
several springs to supply both armies. And the Byzantines were not in a rush. Vahan was instructed by the emperor to try
and pay off the Muslims to go back to Arabia, or at the very least to stall negotiations
until the Sassanians were ready to attack in Iraq. Jabalah and Gregory did much of the mediation, but as the talks dragged on for up to three months, reinforcements sent by Umar began
arriving. Concerned that he might lose the numerical
advantage, Vahan took matters into his own hands and asked to negotiate with Khalid in
person. By his own words, the Armenian general regarded
the Arabs as nothing more than "impoverished, hungry, wretched Bedouins" and he offered
Khalid food and gold to leave Byzantine lands. Unimpressed by Vahan's condescendence, Khalid
responded: “It is not hunger that brought us here…”, calling on the Christian general
to embrace Islam in exchange for peace, adding: "If you refuse there can only be war between
us... and you will face men who love death as you love life". Enraged, Vahan fired a warning: “Better
men tried to take our lands but were all defeated.” Negotiations were over… Vahan positioned the main Byzantine camp near
al-Yaqusah from where one of the main Roman roads connecting Egypt and Syria could be
defended. He anchored his battle line to the gorge in
the south and arrayed his troops along the ‘Allan river, stretching to the town of
Jabiyah in the north. On his left flank he placed the Slavic infantry,
commanded by Qanatir, a Slavic prince. In the center, Jabalah commanded the Ghassanid
contingent, while Dairjan led the Armenians. Gregory commanded the experienced Greek infantry
on the right flank. It is said that the last Roman legion, the
Macedonian 5th, was under his command. Archers were mixed with the infantry. Cavalry contingents were supporting each of
the four divisions of infantry. Byzantine army numbered around 40,000. Across the field, Khalid stretched his infantry
to match the length of the Byzantine line, with the left flank anchored on the gorge
in the south, while his right flank reached the vicinity of the town of Nawa. He placed Amr in charge of the right flank,
Shurahbil and Abu Ubayda in the center, and Yazid on the left, with archers mixed in with
the infantry. Cavalry contingents were positioned to prevent
breakthroughs, while Khalid took command of the handpicked cavalry reserve. Arab army was around 25,000 strong. The long battle line, stretching around 10km
across the plain, would test the leadership of commanders on both sides. Early on August 15th, the two armies stared
each other down. One Arab warrior came forward, dropped his
shield and removed his armor, crying out: “I am the death of the Pale faces, I am
the killer of Romans, I am the scourge sent upon you, I am Zarrar Ibn al-Azwar!” Several Byzantine officers challenged the
Muslim champion. In a matter of minutes Zarrar cut them down
in single combat. More Muslim champions stepped forward, and
as the dueling spectacle continued Byzantine troops witnessed the slaying of many of their
officers. Then, at noon, Vahan ordered the army to advance. Using his numerical advantage to extend the
front, he forced Khalid to stretch his infantry thin, and he planned to probe the Muslim line
for any weak spots that he could punch through. As the Byzantine army closed the distance, Vahan ordered a third of his infantry to advance on the enemy. The fighting was not too intensive, as both
sides tested each other’s resolve. Nevertheless, Vahan was surprised by the determination
of Arab troops. He observed that the deep gorge to the south
would restrict cavalry maneuvers and offer some protection to the Muslim left flank,
while the terrain to the north was open, leaving the Muslim right exposed. Khalid was also aware of this problem and
he positioned himself slightly closer to the right wing so that he could reinforce it quickly,
if necessary. As the day began drawing to a close, Vahan
broke off the attack and ordered his troops back into position on the ‘Allan river. During the night both commanders contemplated
their next move. Khalid knew that a frontal assault against
a better equipped and more numerous enemy would be dangerous, especially when supported
by contingents of Byzantine heavy cavalry. Vahan, meanwhile, was ready to attack and
break the Muslims. Early next morning, the Byzantine commander
committed all of his troops forward. He intended to catch the Muslims unprepared
during their morning prayers. But Khalid expected this. During the previous night he ordered the construction of outposts in front of his line to prevent any surprise attacks. Despite losing the element of surprise, Vahan
remained confident in his drilled veterans. The Byzantine commander planned to apply steady
pressure against the Muslim center in order to tie down as many of Khalid’s troops as
possible, while focusing the main thrust of his attack on the flanks where he expected
to overwhelm and drive the enemy from the field with his superior numbers. As the two armies clashed, Khalid’s men
held their ground in the center against the stalled Byzantine advance. But for his troops on the flanks, the situation was different… Qanatir attacked Khalid’s right flank in
force. The outnumbered Muslim infantry held fast
but were pushed back. Amr ordered his cavalry to check the Byzantine
advance in order to buy time for the infantry. The cavalry counterattack blunted the Byzantine
charge, but Qanatir kept pushing the Muslims back toward their camp. Women from the camp rallied, and some joined
the fighting. They hobbled the camels around the camp, thus
providing additional protection. A desperate struggle ensued as the Byzantines
could not dislodge the determined Muslim fighters. Qanatir’s heavy cavalry bogged down as their
horses balked at the smell of aggressive camels, refusing to respond to the commands of their
riders. In close quarters the legs and bellies of
the partially armored Byzantine horses now became exposed and many of the heavily armored
riders were pulled down from their saddles. Qanatir could not sustain the attack any longer… … With Vahan’s attack against the Muslim
right flank broken, Khalid seized the moment to exploit the gap that had opened up between
Qanatir and the Byzantine center. He ordered Amr to send his cavalry regiment
and attack Qanatir’s flank from the north. With incoming cavalry support Amr ordered
a general advance. The three-pronged attack forced Qanatir to
abandon his advanced position and retreat towards the main Byzantine line. By timing his flanking maneuver to perfection
Khalid managed to push the Byzantines back with fewer troops. Had it not been for the disciplined retreat
of Qanatir’s experienced Slavic infantry the Byzantine flank could’ve collapsed entirely. But the situation on the Muslim left was considerably
more serious… … With much of Khalid’s mounted units
currently on the right flank, Yazid’s position was being overrun. Byzantine cavalry broke through the ranks
and pushed towards the Muslim camp. Gregory’s infantry slowly ground their way
forward as Yazid’s outnumbered infantry could not stop them. As they fell back to the camp, Yazid’s troops
were met with a barrage of insults and rocks thrown at them by the ferocious Arab women
who urged them to not let the enemy defeat them, with some of the women taking part in
the defense of the camp. Yazid was finally able to stabilize his line
near the camp, temporarily stemming the Byzantine assault. Just as Vahan’s plan appeared to be
succeeding on the Muslim left, Khalid again showed his ability to adapt quickly. With the right flank stabilized he dashed
across the battlefield to aid the embattled Yazid. He detached a cavalry contingent under the
command of Dharar ibn al-Azwar, ordering him to round the Byzantine center. This decision proved crucial, for when Dharar
struck the flank of the Byzantine center, he fixed them in place, preventing reinforcements
from reaching Gregory to support his push against the Muslim left. But most importantly this maneuver gave the
impression to the Greeks that they were being outflanked, damaging their morale. Further on the left flank Khalid came to Yazid’s
aid, hitting Gregory’s division. The Greeks gave ground under pressure, suffering
particularly heavy casualties. During the fighting in the center, Dharar’s
troops killed the Byzantine commander Dairjan, who fought with his troops in the front. Finally, as dusk approached the two exhausted
armies ceased hostilities for the day. For Vahan, losing one of his key lieutenants
was an enormous blow and the speed of Khalid’s counterattacks exposed weaknesses in his plan,
forcing him to change tack. The battle resumed with the Byzantines again
advancing on the Muslim line. This time, however, Vahan focused mainly on
Khalid’s right flank where the Byzantine heavy cavalry could do more damage. Bitter fighting ensued as the Byzantine heavy cavalry charge outmatched Arab light mounted units. Amr’s division fell back, followed shortly
by Shurahbil. As Jabalah’s flank slowly became exposed,
Khalid sprang into action at this critical moment, charging into the gap towards the
Ghassanid flank. Finally, Amr managed to rally his forces and
re-engage. Shurahbil too reorganized after taking some
losses and went on the offensive. The fighting developed into a bloodbath as
the outflanked Ghassanids took a heavy beating and retreated in disarray. Seeing Jabalah disengaging, Qanatir too withdrew
in good order. Khalid’s well timed flanking attack again
stopped the Byzantines. The next day, Vahan persisted with the same
battle plan. Qanatir lead the Slavs against Amr’s division. Jabalah’s Ghassanid division, now reinforced
by Vahan’s Armenians, advanced on Shurahbil. As soon as they met the Byzantine charge,
the Muslims were hard-pressed. Arab light cavalry was especially having trouble
holding the push of the Imperial cataphracts. Meanwhile, Vahan ordered the Armenians and
Greeks forward, at a slower pace. Khalid now feared a general Byzantine assault
along the entire line. He understood that, considering the losses
on the previous day, he no longer had the numbers to repulse a general advance by Imperial
troops, and his cavalry reserve would not be able to reinforce both flanks at the same
time. To avert disaster, Khalid sent Abu Ubayda
and Yazid forward, aiming to stall Vahan’s advance and buy some time for his troops on
the right. He then hastily rushed towards the gaps that
opened between Shurahbil and Amr, as their lines started buckling under the weight of
the Byzantine attack. Meanwhile, the Muslim left held the initial
Byzantine push, but Vahan reinforced the attack with horse archers, subjecting the Arabs to
ceaseless barrages of arrows. The point-blank volleys caused such losses
to Abu Ubayda’s and Yazid’s divisions that the incident became known as the “Day
of Lost Eyes”. Unable to withstand the storm of arrows, the
Muslim left retreated to get out of range of Byzantine archers. On the other side of the battlefield Amr rallied
his forces and halted Qanatir’s advance, while Khalid shored up Shurahbil’s ranks
and pressed Jabalah’s division. The Ghassanids fought stubbornly, but having
taken heavy losses they slowly gave ground. Now that he was committed on the right, Khalid’s
worst fear was realized - Gregory ordered the general advance of his division, sensing
that the Arabs were shaken by the losses they took from Byzantine arrow volleys. Sure enough, Yazid’s battered division gave
way, with Abu Ubayda barely holding Vahan’s Armenians. With the Rashidun left in dire straits, Arab
women from the camp picked up weapons and joined the fighting. The desperate last stand of the women inspired the Muslims to hold their ground against all odds. Meanwhile on the right, the Byzantines finally
retreated after several hours of fighting, and the rest of Vahan’s line soon followed. The fourth day of the battle was devastating
for the Arabs, particularly the left wing. But incredibly they managed to hold back the
Byzantines. Next morning, Vahan unexpectedly sent an emissary,
offering a truce. Arab commanders met for an impromptu war council. Some argued to accept the truce, seeing it
as a victory after fighting a much larger army deep within enemy territory, while others
noted that the men are tired, wounded and vastly outnumbered. The consensus was to leave and come back to fight another day. Khalid listened to his comrades, then stood
up saying: “The past four days tested our resolve." "Now is not the time to concede, now is the
time to be decisive!” He argued that the strategy was to be on the defensive, wear out the enemy, then counter attack. And now he sensed that the Byzantines lost
heart and that Vahan was trying to buy time to raise morale of his troops. The time to attack is now! There would be
no truce... During the night Khalid inspected the troops. Wounded soldiers leaned on each other, but
even in the face of such overwhelming odds their spirit never wavered. Determined to go on the offensive, the Muslim
commander sent Dharar with 500 riders on a wide flanking maneuver to capture a key bridge
across the Raqqad gorge that served as the main line of communication between the Byzantine
army and their camp… The fightback has begun… As the sun rose on the next day, from the
Byzantine line a hulking figure trotted out on his war horse into the no man's land. It was Gregory, the commander of the Byzantine
right flank, reputed to be a formidable fighter. Abu Ubayda answered the challenge. As the overall strategic commander of Arab
forces in Syria, before leaving he told Khalid: "If I don't return you shall resume command
of the army after the battle, until the Caliph decides otherwise". And with that the tall, slim figure of Abu
Ubayda, a man in his 50's, rode out to meet Gregory. The two met in the middle, both excellent
in single combat. Circling each other they traded blows for
several minutes, as both armies anxiously watched. Then Gregory ran back towards his line - a
trick designed to fool Abu Ubayda into lowering his guard. As the Arab general caught up with him, in
a split second Gregory turned to strike, Abu Ubayda ducked to evade the blow, striking
the Greek general across the neck with his blade. Gregory dropped his sword and slumped from
his horse. Moments later Khalid ordered the Muslim line
forward! Having spent most of the night reorganizing
the troops, Khalid left a token force of cavalry behind the infantry divisions, spreading their
formations to make it appear to the Byzantines like the disposition of the Arab army remained
the same as it was during the previous days, and he took all of the remaining cavalry,
hiding it in the shallow dips of the plateau. Some of the men in the Byzantine line could
hardly believe that, despite such heavy losses, the Muslim army went on the offensive. As the clash in the center erupted, the Arabs
pressed hard. They were determined to drive the enemy back,
but their substantial numerical disadvantage meant that they could not sustain this battle
of attrition for long. Just as Vahan’s troops managed to slow the momentum of the Muslim advance, Khalid sprung his trap. From the gentle dips in the terrain 8,000
riders galloped forward. By amassing most of his cavalry Khalid planned
to surround the Byzantine left flank. Knowing that time was of the essence he urged his men to ride fast and without hesitation. Speed would decide the outcome of the
battle. Busy with commanding the troops in the center,
Vahan glanced to the left and saw the ominous cloud of dust. He scrambled to send his cavalry to cover
the flank, realizing that the Muslim commander has outwitted him. In full gallop Khalid surged past Amr’s division and began to envelop Qanatir’s Slavs. The rest of Arab riders followed their general
as he guided them around Byzantine ranks. Over his left shoulder Khalid could see the
fierce fighting in the center as he pushed his steed to go faster. Qanatir’s and Jabalah’s line began folding,
as they braced for the impact of the Arab cavalry. As the Muslim riders smashed into Vahan’s
left, Khalid pierced an enemy soldier, breaking his lance in two. He drew his sword, striking anyone in a red
tunic. The horses twisted and turned, wreaking havoc
among the Byzantine infantry. Jabalah and the Ghassanids disengaged and
started fleeing. But to their horror they realized that the
bridge across the Ruqqad, their main escape route, was blocked. Jabalah’s troops dispersed as each man tried
to save himself. Qanatir fought on bravely, but the Slavic
division was surrounded and stood no chance. The entire Byzantine line began collapsing. Shocked by Khalid’s rapid maneuver, the Imperial heavy cavalry tried in vain to stem the tide. The noose was tightening as Vahan’s army
was being pushed back towards the cliffs. The Armenian general barked orders, and while some Byzantine units kept their cohesion, others were in total
disarray. Unable to cope with the rapid movement of
the Arab light cavalry, Byzantine cataphracts were attacked on all sides. Seeing that the situation was hopeless they fled, abandoning the infantry to their fate. Khalid steadied his steed, closed his eyes
and whispered a prayer of gratitude. Though it was not immediately apparent, he
knew that the battle was won. Vahan’s army was cornered against the steep
cliffs of the Raqqad and Yarmouk gorges, and over the next several hours Byzantine troops
were systematically killed. Such was their desperation that hundreds,
if not thousands of Imperial soldiers jumped to their deaths from the cliffs to escape
the wrath of Khalid’s troops. On that day the Rashidun army achieved a victory
that would change the course of history forever… The Battle of Yarmouk was certainly the battle
of the century and one of the most pivotal battles in world history. The juggernaut that was the Byzantine army
was made up of disciplined warriors, who probably thought they can easily outmatch the Arabic
desert army. Unfortunately for them, in Khalid ibn al-Walid
they faced possibly the greatest military mind of the age. In just a few short years he restructured
the rag-tag Arab forces into an army that would conquer half of the known world. On August 20th 636, at Yarmouk, after six grueling days only one side was left standing. Islam stepped onto the
world stage...
This was dope