The Battle of Yarmouk

Salam.

Here is a continuation about my journey in Jordan. One of the historical places in Irbid is the battlefield of Yarmouk. It was a major battle between the Muslim Arab forces of the Rashidun Caliphate led by Khalid Al-Walid and the armies of the East Roman-Byzantine Empire. The battle started on 12th August 636 A.D. (6 Rajab 15 Hijri), but only during the last five days from 13th August 636 A.D., the heavy fighting of the decisive.

The Battlefield

The battlefield lies about 65km south-west of the Golan Heights, an upland region currently on the frontier between Israel, Jordan and Syria.. The battle was fought on the plain of Yarmouk, which was enclosed on its western edges by a deep ravine known as Wadi-ur-Raqad, around 200m deep. This ravine joins the Yarmouk River which runs in the Yarmouk Valley. It forms part of the northern borders between Jordan and Syria. the Yarmouk River meets River Jordan slightly south to the lake of Tiberia. Strategically there was only one prominence in the battlefield; a 100m elevation known as Tel al Jumm'a (Hill of Gathering). The Muslim troops concentrated there, having a good view of the plain of Yarmouk. Logistically, the Yarmouk plain had enough water supplies and pastures to sustain both armies. The plain was excellent for cavalry manoeuvers.

The battlefield viewing point

Tourists will be brought to the lands of the village of Saham  Al Kfarat, overlooking the central location where Yarmouk Battle took place. The battle ground include Khalid's Hill, named after Khalid Bin Al Waleed, who was leading the Muslim army, and the slopes of the Golan Plateau (Al Wakowsa) where the Byzantines descend to the river bed. We could also see a stretch of the Yarmouk River where the main battle took place in its final days.

The plains of Yarmouk where the battle took place

The Battle

The Muslim army, numbered only about one third of the Byzantine army (40 000 Muslims to 125 000 Byzantines). The Byzantines descend into the river bed followed by the Muslim army, and the fighting spread along the Yarmouk River all the way from north of Mukheibeh, to Wadi Qwaylbeh (Abila). The battle ended by the Muslim fighters chasing the Byzantines in the many ravines and valleys in the immediate vicinity. The leader of the Muslim army, Khalid Bin Al Walid, chased one of the main leaders of the Byzantines (Mahan) and killed him. As for their other leader, Hercules, he managed to escape to Antioch, saying his famous sentence "Farewell to Syria, for the last time". In this battle, about 80 000 fighters from the Byzantines were killed, compared to only around 4000 Muslims fighters. 

Yarmouk was a decisive battle in the Islamic history. The Arab historian, Al Tabari, stated "There was never a battle as that of Yarmouk".

Epilogue

The Battle of Yarmouk is seen as an example in military history where an inferior force manages to overcome a superior force by superior generalship. Even though the Imperial Byzantine commanders had the obvious advantages of the favoured battlefield and bigger troops of army, they were at no substantial tactical disadvantage. 

Khalid Al-Walid on the other hand, although he commanded a numerically inferior force, he nevertheless had the confidence and foresight to dispatch a cavalry regiment the night before his assault to seal off a critical path of the retreat he anticipated for the enemy army. When he decided to take the offensive and attack on the final day of battle, he did so with a degree of imagination, foresight and courage that none of the Byzantine commanders managed to display. 

Khalid Al-Walid as a leader, understood very well the potential strengths and weaknesses of his mounted troops. His strategy in using the mobile guard that could move quickly from one point to another made the Byzantine commanders confused and they were unable to use the advantage of their bigger army effectively.  Although they were on the offensive five days out of the six, their battle line remained remarkably static. 

This all stands in stark contrast to the very successful offensive plan that Khalid carried out on the final day, when he re-organised virtually all his cavalry and committed them to a grand manoeuvre that won the battle. His leadership quality made the Muslims fighting alongside him placed a great trust in him as their leader. And of course, the biggest factor to their victory is the strong faith to Allah which led to their bravery.

George F. Nafziger, in his book Islam at war, describes the battle as:

"Although Yarmouk is little known today, it is one of the most decisive battles in the human history...Had Heraclius' forces prevailed, the modern word would be so changed as to be unrecognizable"

Jordan : an escapade

Salam. A little experience to be shared.


On Tuesday, 13th April we hired Abul A'la with his MPV to take us around Amman to visit a numbers of historical sites. We left Irbid for Amman at 0930 hrs. Amman is built on seven hills, or jabals, each of which more or less defines a neighborhood. Most jabals once had a traffic circle, and although most of these have now been replaced by traffic lights, Amman’s geography is often described in reference to the eight circles which form the spine of the city.

Amman city from The Citadel

The Citadel

The Citadel is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon, and excavations here have revealed numerous Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic remains. We paid 1JD* each for the entrance.

1st stop : Amman Citadel (Jabal Qal'ah)

Jabal Qal'ah, situated in the middle of Amman was occupied as early as the Neolithic period, and fortified during the bronze age. The emerging settlement was named Rabbath-Ammon (Great City of Ammonites) and centered here during the Ammonite Period (Iron Age). In ancient times, Amman with its surrounding region was successively ruled by the then-superpowers of the Middle East: Assyria (8 BC), Babylonia (6 BC), the Ptolemies, the Seleucids (3 BC), Rome (1st  BC), and the Umayyads (7 AD).It was then rebuilt in the classical style and named Philadelphia, after the Ptolemic ruler of Egypt, King Ptolemy II Philadelphus. The city was incorporated into Pompey the Great's province of Syria, and later into the province of Arabia created by Trajan (106 AD).

Team No-tea (from left) : Izyan, Dr. Anuar Sani, Nadia, Farahin, Syairah, Hani

When Transjordan passed into Arab rule in the 7th century AD, its Umayyad rulers restored the city's original name of Amman. Neglected under the Abbasids and abandoned by the Mamlukes, the city's fortunes did not revive until the late 19th century, under the Ottoman empire. Amman became the capital of the Emirate of Transjordan in 1921, and of the newly-created Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1947. Greater Amman (the core city plus suburbs) today remains by far the most important urban area in Jordan, containing over half of the country's population or about 3 million out of 5 million people.

Things to be seen in The Citadel:

The Temple of Hercules

The great temple of Hercules (Herakles), today also known as the Great Temple of Amman. The temple was built in the reign of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD). It is larger than any temple in Rome and the massive structure faces east. The temple stands within an immense temenos(sacred precinct) that is surrounded by porticos.  The absence of columns on the rest of the structure, has convinced the excavator that the temple was actually left unfinished.

The Byzanthine Church : The remains of a small Byzantine Basilica

The Umayyad Mosque

The Umayyad Palace Complex is known simply as Al-Qaser (the Palace), which dates back to the Islamic Umayyad period around 720 AD. Its exact function is unknown, but the building includes a monumental gateway, cruciform audience hall and four vaulted chambers. A colonnaded street runs through the complex and to the north and east, ruins of the palace grounds are visible.

2nd stop: The Grand Husseini Mosque

It was originally built by Umar Al-Khattab in 640 AD. Then, it was rebuilt by King Abdullah I in 1924 using striking pink-and-white stone. It is also speculated as the site of the Cathedral of Philadelphia. Between the Al-Husseini Mosque and the Citadel is Amman’s famous gold souq, which features row after row of glittering gold treasures.

We forgot to take some shots because we were quite 'busy' shopping at the Wastul Balad which is situated near the mosque.

The abayas there are gorgeous and quite cheap

Al-Mudarraj (The Amphitheatre)

The Roman Amphitheatre viewed from The Citadel

It is situated down the hill from The Citadel and connected to it via a long, deep, and hidden tunnel. It is said to be the most impressive legacy of Roman Philadelphia (Amman) built under Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161 AD). Its 33 rows once seated 5000 spectators for performances and possibly also had religious significance. It is still in regular use for theatrical and entertainment productions. The Forum was built in front of the Theater under Commodus in 189-190 AD. The entrance fee is 2JD but we didn't enter.

The Ahl Kahfi Mosque incidence

The mosque was built near the cave

Ahl Kahfi was not in our original plan because it was listed in the Jelajah Jordan programme. It was due to some misunderstanding and Abul A'la was very excited to show us the place. And so, we arrived there minutes before Asar. Visitors were told to perform the prayer first before they can enter the cave. The cave is quite small, inside it now are the tombs of the seven sleepers. 

May we all be granted the faith as strong as of the seven sleepers

Final stop : Maqam Bilal bin Rabah

He is a great man

The tomb is situated in a village quite far from the main city. We were there for a few minutes and prayed for his well-being.

We then stopped by at a bank because Dr. Anuar needed to withdraw some cash before we head back for Irbid. We arrived at around 0715 hrs and paid Abul A'la 80JD for his service. He was nice and quite friendly. At first, he didn't talk much but as the day passed, he talked more and faster. The night continued with the Pre-clinical Hang-out Programme at Bayt Mohabbatein before we called it a day. Overall, it was an enjoyable trip and worth any trouble.

 Team No-tea at Grande Pranzo

* 1JD = RM 4.60

Dari bumi Jordan

salam.

A little bit about our journey. we took off from KLIA at 0255 hrs. We had a transit at Doha, Qatar for 8 hours. what's fun there is that we got breakfast and lunch for free. It was cold over there. after having breakfast, most of us slept in the mosque, while some others window-shopped. the flight from Doha to Amman was about 2 hours. we arrived in Amman at about 5 o'clock in the evening. Then, we headed to Irbid by bus. It took another 2 hours. 

I'm using my host's laptop. there are 3 of them. they are 2nd year students. it's a nice house. but a bit cold inside especially at nights (read: 2-4 degree Celcius at night). we (Izyan and I) will be staying here for a week and move to a 3rd year's house next week as the 2nd years will be having their exam next week.

yesterday, we went to Balad and Bundle, and did a little bit of shopping there. the drivers here are very..em..courteous i would say. even if they are driving fast, they would allow pedestrians to cross the road. so, it is quite safe to cross the roads.

i think that's all for now. i'll continue my story (with pictures) when I get back to Malaysia.