Timeline August 636

Events in August 636 2

• 636 Battle of Yarmouk -- Syria lost The Battle of the Yarmouk (August 636) is the most consequential military defeat in Byzantine history. A Byzantine army of perhaps 15,000-20,000 under the Emperor's brother Theodore is destroyed by an Arab force of similar size under Khalid ibn al-Walid in a six-day battle on the plateau above the Yarmouk River. The defeat is total: most of the Byzantine army is killed or captured. The road to Syria, Palestine and ultimately Egypt is open. Damascus falls in 635; Jerusalem surrenders to Caliph Umar in 638; Caesarea (the provincial capital) in 640; Alexandria in 642. Heraclius reportedly says as he sails away: 'Farewell Syria, what an excellent country this is for the enemy.'
• 636 Battle of Yarmouk -- Syria lost in six days The Battle of the Yarmouk (15-20 August 636) is fought on the plateau above the Yarmouk River in modern Jordan/Syria. The Byzantine army under Theodore Trithyrius and Vahan -- perhaps 15,000-20,000 men, including Armenian, Ghassanid Arab and regular Byzantine troops -- faces an Arab force of similar size. Over six days of fighting, an Arab flanking manoeuvre and a sandstorm that blows into the Byzantine faces on the final day destroys the Byzantine army. It is not primarily a numbers battle -- it is a battle of command, cohesion and momentum. The road to all of Syria and Palestine is open.