On a warm August day in 636 CE, the Arab army
under Khalid ibn al-Walid challenged the supremacy of the mighty Byzantine Empire. The two armies stared each other down across
the grassy field of the Yarmouk plateau, while the vultures circled above. One Arab warrior stepped forward, crying out:
“I am the killer of Romans, I am the scourge sent upon you!” The battle that would change the course of
history is about the take place… After Prophet Muhammad’s death in 632, the First Caliph Abu Bakr coordinated military campaigns, over vast territories of Arabia, turning the peninsula
into a stronghold of Islam. This expansion was spearheaded by battle-hardened
and experienced commanders, most notably Khalid ibn al-Walid. the most dependable commander for the Prophet and his successors. The Caliph’s goal to bring all Arab tribal
groups under Rashidun rule, including those in the steppes and cities of Iraq and Syria, led to the first direct clashes with the Byzantines and Sassanians. The two empires had been at war with each
other for decades and the prolonged conflict exhausted the two super-powers. The Byzantines formally restored control over
their territories, but decades of war brought political and economic strife across their
territory in the Levant, and the Imperial authority wasn’t yet fully re-established
beyond the Dead Sea in the south-east. Foreign policy changed as well. The Empire stopped subsidizing many tribal
groups that fought on their side, deeming this financial expenditure was no longer needed now that the war against the Sassanians was won. Instead, they began building defensive coalitions
with nomadic groups of northern Hejaz to guard Syria from the southeast, extending their
political control into Arabia, thereby directly threatening the Muslims who sought to unite
Arab tribes under the banner of Islam. Hence it was imperative for Abu Bakr to assert
Rashidun influence in the direction of Syria before the Byzantines could make headway in
pulling this area into their sphere of influence. In early 633, four Arab armies entered Byzantine
territory, commanded by Amr ibn al-As, Shurahbil ibn Hasana, Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, and Abu
Ubayda. They were ordered not to attack, besiege or
raze any major cities. The objective of this initial phase of the
campaign was to occupy the countryside inhabited predominantly by the Arabic-speaking population,
many of whom would join the Islamic cause, thus swelling Rashidun ranks and providing
valuable logistical support. These early operations laid the groundwork
for the upcoming invasion and, ironically, Abu Bakr’s focus on the countryside would
fool the Byzantines into perceiving the Muslims as mere raiders, and therefore no significant
Imperial forces were assembled to combat the threat in early 633. Meanwhile in the east, Caliph’s orders were
the same – bring the Arab tribes of Iraq into the fold. From the south Abu Bakr dispatched Khalid,
his most trusted commander, in early spring. As the army assembled, the core of Khalid’s
force of loyal volunteers was augmented by troops from several tribes across Arabia. Some of these tribes fought against Medina
in the Ridda Wars, but some sections remained loyal, and it was these troops that now reinforced
the campaign against the Sassanians. What followed was one of Khalid’s greatest
strategic achievement. The swift conquest of Sassanian lands west
of the Euphrates in a series of battles would be a display of true tactical genius. With his versatile implementation of the Indirect Approach, Khalid would attack opposing armies from unexpected directions with multiple rapid flanking maneuvers. Furthermore, he was one of only a few commanders in history who used Double Envelopment to encircle and destroy armies larger than his own, launching perfectly timed cavalry attacks on the opponents flanks. This daring war of movement reflected his
lightning-fast conquest of the territory west of the Euphrates. Then, as he laid the groundwork for Rashidun
administration and planned the offensive into central Iraq and the Sassanian capital, a
message arrived from the Caliph – Khalid was to urgently march to Syria to take command
of the invasion of the Byzantine Empire. In April 634 he departed Iraq with a small
force of veterans who’s loyalty to Islam was absolute, striking out across the desert
towards Syria – a most perilous of journeys. The troops couldn’t carry enough water to
last until they reached Syria, so Khalid forced twenty of the camels to drink large quantities
of water, then tied their mouths so they wouldn’t spoil it by eating or chewing their cud. Camels would then be slaughtered daily and
the preserved water in their stomachs would quench the thirst of the troops. The march through largely waterless country
lasted for SIX days, becoming one of Khalid’s most famous military feats. Upon entering Syria he moved south-west to
meet with the three Muslim armies near Damascus, capturing forts and towns along the way. Byzantine garrisons were caught completely
by surprise, not expecting that Muslim troops could enter their territory from an inhospitable
desert. So far the Empire relied on a system of forts
along the border that would relay information about enemy troop movements to the interior,
giving the Imperial army time to mobilize and respond to the threat. The prevailing mindset was that any attack
that penetrated into the interior would eventually be repulsed, thus any loss of territory would
only be temporary. But by now the Muslims gained full control
over rural areas in the south east and with Khalid’s arrival the Caliph turned his full
attention to the conquest of important Syrian towns. Bostra fell first, and the four Muslim armies
marched towards Palestine to join Amr ibn al-As, who was facing a large concentration of Byzantine troops commanded by Emperor Heraclius’ brother Theodore. The Byzantines reportedly recruited Bedouin-Christian
spies and were able to anticipate the movement of the Muslim army, managing to position themselves
for the upcoming attack. The Battle of Ajnadayn, the first major engagement,
was bitterly fought. Many prominent Muslims fell as martyrs on
the field of battle, but under Khalid’s leadership the Arabs managed to wipe out the
presence of the Byzantine field army in Syria and were now advancing north. Theodore retreated to join the emperor at
Emesa, while remnants of the Imperial army fled in disorder to nearby walled cities and
forts, with many of the survivors converging on Pella, joining the garrison that was stationed
there. Alarmed by Khalid’s rapid advance, Heraclius
dispatched two contingents to fortify key roads south of Damascus, to give the city
time to prepare for a siege that was soon coming, and then subsequently headed for Antioch to begin preparations to deal with the Arab threat. But the Byzantines were not able to hold Khalid’s
advance for long, as the Muslim army outmaneuvered their entrenched positions and proceeded to
surround Damascus two days later. The siege lasted for 20 days and, after a
Byzantine relief force was defeated, the city capitulated. But then came news from Medina that Caliph
Abu Bakr died about a month earlier, making Umar ibn al-Khattab, Khalid’s cousin, his
successor. Aware of Khalid’s popularity, the deeply
religious Umar demoted him and placed Abu Ubayda in charge of the Muslim army, aiming
to show that no matter who commands the troops, it is Allah alone who gives victory on the
battlefield. Under the command of the more cautious Abu
Ubayda, the Muslim advance continued at a slower pace over the coming months. He divided the army in two, advancing north
with the majority of the troops, while sending two armies to capture Palestine, where several
strong Byzantine garrisons remained in the rear during the initial rapid Muslim advance. Meanwhile in Antioch, Heraclius wasn’t sitting
idle. He displayed the military might of the Byzantine
Empire as five armies assembled and began their march back into Syria from multiple
directions, under the overall command of Vahan, an Armenian general. Furthermore, Heraclius sent word to all major
cities, reminding the people of the Byzantine superiority after recent victories against
the Sassanians. The message was clear - that Syria belonged
to the Empire was a fact of life after centuries of Byzantine rule and the current situation, while alarming, was a setback that will be dealt with. Heraclius’ army was prepared to defeat the
Arabs in a decisive battle or destroy their separate armies piece meal. Upon learning of the initial movement of enemy
troops Khalid immediately recognized that the Muslim position in the north will be surrounded
by the numerically superior Byzantine army. He urged Abu Ubayda to abandon northern Syria
and retreat south to a stronger position where the rest of their forces could join them. After some consideration, Abu Ubayda ordered
the army to march south. Messengers were sent to the two commanders
in Palestine to meet with the main army on the vast plains north-east of Lake Tiberias,
which offered plenty of fodder for the horses and were conducive to cavalry maneuvers. And, just as Khalid had suspected, four Imperial
armies marched on Emesa, which would’ve pinned the Arabs in the north, while another
Byzantine army was to re-capture Damascus and cut off their line of retreat – the
Muslim army withdrew just in time. Meanwhile, Yazdegerd negotiated with Heraclius
to mount an offensive from the east. However, the Sassanian army would not be ready
in time for a simultaneous attack. Back west, faced against a massive Byzantine
army, Abu Ubayda sent word to Caliph Umar to send all available reinforcements to Syria. And, as the Muslim armies met, scouts reported that a strong Byzantine garrison gathered at Caesarea. This made encamping on the plains near Lake
Tiberias a dangerous proposition, as the Arab army could now potentially be attacked on
two sides. Abu Ubayda again heeded Khalid’s advice
to move the army to a stronger position on the eastern end of the Yarmouk plateau. With the battle looming, Khalid was recognized
as the ablest field commander and was given temporary control of the troops, while Abu
Ubayda remained in overall strategic command. And the Byzantine army followed close behind…
Khalid Ibn Walid was the greatest tactical mind of his era and that’s not even an exaggeration, probably among the top 5 known military generals in history
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Loved it until the arabic broken text appeared. rip ratings