Damascus, Siege of

The devastating impact of the Byzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628, along with the cumulative effects of a century of almost continuous Byzantine-Persian conflict, has left both empires crippled.

The Sassanids are further weakened by economic decline, heavy taxation to finance Khosrau II's campaigns, religious unrest, and the increasing power of the provincial landholders at the expense of the Shah.

Constantinople’s empire is also severely affected, however, with the Balkans now largely in the hands of the Slavs.

Additionally, Anatolia has been devastated by repeated Persian invasions, and the empire's hold on its recently regained territories in the Caucasus, Syria, Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Egypt has been loosened by years of Persian occupation.

Constantinople, its financial reserves exhausted, finds difficulties paying veterans of the war with the Persians and recruiting new troops.

A Muslim Arab army under Khalid defeats the imperial forces (fifteen thousand men) and their Ghassanid allies in the Battle of Marj Rahit.

Large number of refugees from the region over which Khalid had recently operated had gathered here, and these refugees mingle with the crowds celebrating the joyous Ghassanid festival being held.

The Ghassanids, not unmindful of the danger which Khalid's entry into Syria poses for them, have positioned a strong screen of warriors on the route from Tadmur, below the pass; but this screen is scattered in a few minutes by a swift charge of the Muslim cavalry.

Although some Ghassanid resistance continues as the Muslims advance, it ceases once the main body of Muslims army reaches and attacks the town.

The Muslims raid the town of Marj Rahit.

After a little while, having collected a large amount of booty and a certain number of captives, Khalid pulls out of the town and camps outside.

The battle itself is not a major battle but it has some tactical importance to clean up the Muslim’s army rear so that the siege of larger cities can be laid in ease.

After the battle, Khalid sends a mounted column to the outskirts of Damascus to plunder the region.

Khalid bin Walid writes to Caliph Abu Bakr, informing him of the progress of his operations since his entry into Syria, and sends one-fifth of the spoils which had been won during the past few weeks.

Hardly had Bosra surrendered when an agent sent by Shurahbil to the region of Ajnadayn returns to inform the Muslims that the concentration of Roman legions is proceeding apace.

Soon they will have a vast army of ninety thousand imperial soldiers at Ajnadayn.

Khalid ibn Walid orders all the Muslim corps in Syria to concentrate at Ajnadayn and on July 30, 634, defeats the imperial army in the Battle of Ajnadayn.

Muslim Arabs under Khalid begin the siege of Damascus on August 21, 634.

According to Muslim chronicles, a Greek man, Jonah, was to be married but when the Muslim army launched the siege of the city, the marriage was postponed until peace was restored.

Frustrated with the long siege and delayed marriage, Jonah had come to Khalid and informed him about a weak post on the Wall of Damascus where that night security was to be weak.

Khalid with other Muslim warriors climbs up the wall and opens the gates and the Muslim army positioned at the Eastern gate enters the city.

The imperial commander Thomas, commander in chief and governor of Damascus and son in law of Emperor Heraclius, after hearing that Muslim troops had entered Damascus at the Eastern gate, wisely tricks the Muslim corps commanders at the other gates by suing for peace.

The peace offer is then accepted by them.

Khalid argues that he has conquered the city of Damascus by force.

Abu Ubaidah maintains the city had capitulated, through the peace agreement between him and Thomas.

The corps commanders discuss the situation, and reportedly tell Khalid that the peace agreement must be honored.

Their rationale had logic: if the Muslims give a guarantee of safety to a surrendered city and then slaughter those whose safety has been guaranteed, no other city will ever surrender to the Muslims.

This would make the task of conquering Syria immeasurably more difficult.

Khalid, though not happy, agrees to honor the peace agreement.

The terms of the peace agreement are that no one will be enslaved, no harm will be done to the city’s temples, nothing will be taken as booty and that safe passage will be given to Thomas and every citizen of Damascus who is not willing to live under Muslim rule.

The peace agreement also states that the peace will end after three days and that the Muslims can attack after these three days without violating the agreement.

The Greek Jonah, a recent convert to Islam, suggests that Khalid chase the imperial refugees after the three days of armistice agreed upon was over, offering his services to guide Khalid through a short cut route to reach them as soon as possible.

Jonah's fiancé, on hearing of his conversion to Islam, breaks the engagement and decides to move with the imperial refugees to Antioch.

This prompts Jonah once again to go to Khalid, who accepts Jonah’s: they will launch a pursuit after three days, when the three days grace period was over.

The Mobile Guard will dash out in pursuit and go at breakneck speed.

On Jonah's suggestion, it is decided that all would be dressed like local Arabs, so that any Roman units encountered on the way would mistake them for such and not intercept their movement.

The route taken by the Mobile Guard is not recorded.

It is stated by the historian Waqidi that the Muslims caught up with the convoy a short distance from Antioch, not far from the Mediterranean Sea, on a plateau beyond a range of hills called Jabal Ansariya, in Northern Syria.

Due to a heavy downpour, the imperial convoy had dispersed on the plateau, seeking shelter from the weather, while their goods lay all over the place.

So many bundles of brocade lay scattered on the ground that this plain will become known as Marj-ud-Debaj, i.e., the Meadow of Brocade, and for this reason the action described has been named the Battle of Marj-ud-Deebaj, or the Battle of the Meadow of Brocade.

Jonah and other scouts establish the location of the convoy without being spotted and they bring back sufficient information for Khalid to plan his attack.

Khalid arranges a skillful plan of attacking the imperial convoy from four different sides.

First, a cavalry regiment of a thousand warriors will attack the defenders from their rear in the south, subsequently followed by an attack of a cavalry regiment of one thousand warriors from the east, one thousand from the north (thereby blocking their retreat to Antioch) and finally one thousand from the west to encircle them completely.

It all happens as Khalid had planned.

The imperial convoy receives its first indication of the presence of the Muslim army when a regiment of one thousand cavalry comes charging at them from the south, along the road from Damascus, led by Zirrar ibn Azwar.

Half an hour later, another cavalry regiment of one thousand warriors, led by Raafe bin Umair, appears from the east and strikes the defenders’ right flank.

Within the span of half an hour, another cavalry regiment of one thousand warriors led by Abdu'l-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr (Son of Caliph Abu Bakr) approaches from the north, striking the defenders at the rear ,thus blocking their way to retreat north towards Antioch.

After about another half an hour, the final Muslim cavalry of one thousand warriors led by Khalid ibn Walid appears from the west and attacks the defenders’ left flank.

Now the convoy is totally encircled by the Muslim cavalry.

Khalid personally kills Thomas in a duel.

After some more fighting, Roman resistance collapses.

Since the Muslims are too few to completely surround the imperial army and the fighting has become confused as it increases in violence, thousands of imperial soldiers are able to escape and make their way to safety, but all the booty and a large number of captives, both male and female, fall to the Muslims.

According to a chronicle, Jonah found his beloved.

He moved towards her to take her by force; but she drew a dagger from the folds of her dress and killed herself.

As she lay dying, Jonah sat beside her and swore that he would remain true to the memory of the bride he was not destined to possess, and would not look at another girl.

When Khalid comes to know about this, he will offer Jonah the daughter of Emperor Heraclius, the widow of Thomas, but Jonah rejects the proposal; he will die a few years later in the Battle of Yarmouk.

The Muslim Arab armies, relentlessly pursuing and successfully battling imperial armies in the empire’s eastern provinces, capture a number of important cities and subjugate the native peoples by the end of 634.