Basra, founded as a military encampment by…
December 656 CE
Basra, founded as a military encampment by Caaliph Umar, in 638, is the site of the first rebellion against 'Ali.
The conflict pits the forces of Ali against those of Aishah and two prominent Companions of the Prophet, Talhah ibn 'Ubaydullah and az-Zubayr.
Ali decisively defeats their thirty thousand-man army near Basra in the Battle of the Camel on December 4, 656, killing both leaders.
During the battle, ten thousand people lose their lives, with each party bearing equal loss.
Aishah (who had sat atop a camel amid the soldiers during the fighting, hence the name of the battle) is captured and exiled to Medina, where she is allowed to live quietly.