Byzantine–Arab Wars and the Early Islamic Conquests (634–718)

1. Battle of Dathin near Gaza

   Feb 4, 634Labels: Amr ibn, Gaza

   Rashidun forces under ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ defeated a Byzantine detachment near Gaza, part of the opening clashes of the Arab–Byzantine wars in the Levant.

   • Dathin

2. Battle of Ajnadayn in Palestine

   Jul 30, 634Labels: Ajnadayn, Palestine

   A major pitched battle in southern Palestine ended in a Rashidun victory over Byzantine forces, helping open the interior of the Levant to further Muslim advances.

   • Ajnadayn

3. Siege and capture of Damascus

   Sep 19, 634Labels: Damascus, Rashidun

   Rashidun armies besieged Damascus for several weeks and took the city, one of the first major Byzantine urban centers to fall during the conquest of Syria.

   • Damascus

4. Battle of Yarmouk decisively breaks Byzantine Syria

   Aug 15, 636Labels: Battle of, Rashidun

   A six-day battle near the Yarmuk River ended in a decisive Rashidun victory over a Byzantine-led force, effectively ending Byzantine rule in Syria and shifting the strategic balance in the eastern Mediterranean.

   • Britannica
   • Yarmuk

5. Battle of Hazir near Qinnasrin

   Jun 1, 637Labels: Hazir, Qinnasrin

   Rashidun forces defeated a Byzantine army near Qinnasrin (Chalcis), contributing to the collapse of remaining Byzantine field resistance in northern Syria after Yarmouk.

   • Hazir

6. Battle of the Iron Bridge near Antioch

   Oct 1, 637Labels: Iron Bridge, Antioch

   A Rashidun victory near the Orontes River (by an “Iron Bridge”) helped clear the approaches to Antioch and further consolidated Muslim control in northern Syria.

   • Iron Bridge

7. Battle of Heliopolis (Ayn Shams) in Egypt

   Jul 6, 640Labels: Heliopolis, Egypt

   Rashidun forces defeated Byzantine troops near Heliopolis outside modern Cairo, a turning point that helped decide the fate of Byzantine rule in Egypt.

   • Heliopolis

8. Siege and fall of Alexandria to the Rashidun

   Sep 1, 641Labels: Alexandria, Rashidun

   After a months-long campaign, Alexandria—the key Byzantine Mediterranean port and base in Egypt—fell to Rashidun forces, completing the initial conquest of Byzantine Egypt.

   • Alexandria

9. Battle of Nikiou defeats Byzantine reconquest attempt

   May 1, 646Labels: Nikiou, Amr ibn

   Byzantine forces that had reoccupied Alexandria were defeated at Nikiou by troops led by ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, ending a major effort to restore Byzantine control in Egypt.

   • Nikiou

10. Battle of Sufetula in Byzantine Africa

    Jan 1, 647Labels: Sufetula, Exarchate of

    Rashidun forces defeated troops of the Byzantine Exarchate of Africa near Sufetula (Sbeitla) in modern Tunisia, marking an early major Arab incursion into Byzantine North Africa.

    • Sufetula

11. Battle of the Masts (naval) off Lycia

    Jan 1, 655Labels: Battle of, Lycia

    A major naval battle off the Lycian coast ended in a Muslim victory over a Byzantine fleet led by Emperor Constans II, signaling the rise of Muslim sea power in the eastern Mediterranean.

    • Masts

12. First Arab siege of Constantinople begins

    Jan 1, 674Labels: First Siege, Constantinople

    Umayyad forces initiated sustained operations against Constantinople (traditionally dated 674–678), aiming to break Byzantine resistance by threatening the imperial capital by sea and land.

    • 674 678

13. First Arab siege of Constantinople lifted

    Jan 1, 678Labels: First Siege, Constantinople

    The initial Umayyad attempt to force Constantinople’s surrender ended without success, and Byzantium preserved its capital—an outcome often linked to the effective defense of the city and naval warfare (including Greek fire in Byzantine tradition).

    • 674 678

14. Second Arab siege of Constantinople begins

    Jul 15, 717Labels: Second Siege, Constantinople

    A renewed Umayyad campaign culminated in a major siege of Constantinople in 717, involving large land and naval forces and drawing in Byzantine diplomacy and regional allies.

    • 717 718

15. Second Arab siege of Constantinople ends

    Aug 15, 718Labels: Second Siege, Constantinople

    The Umayyad siege failed in 718; Byzantine defense (with Bulgarian assistance in many accounts) preserved the capital and helped stabilize the empire’s Anatolian core against further immediate conquest.

    • 717 718