Timeline Monday 15 August 636

Events on Monday 15 August 636 1

• 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.