History of the Arab Invasions: The Conquest of the Lands

Ahmad bin Yahuya al-Baladhuri's History of the Arab Invasions is perhaps the most important single source for the history of the great Arab conquests of the Middle East in the sixth and early seventh centuries. The author, who died in 892, was a historian working at court of the Abbasid caliphs in Baghdad. He had access to a wide variety of earlier writings on the conquests and has preserved accounts that are not found anywhere else. But the book is much more than a series of accounts of battles. Baladhuri was very interested in the origins of the Islamic state and its institutions. His work contains a wealth of information about government, land-holding and economic developments. It is, in short, a key text for anyone interested in the formation of the Islamic world.
In this new modern translation, fully annotated with a scholarly apparatus and commentary on the places, events and individuals mentioned, a key source on the Arab conquests is made available in English. It will be essential reading for scholars and students of Islamic Studies and Middle East history.

Ahmad b. Yahuya al-Baladhuri (d. 892) was a leading historian of his day. Persian by birth, he spent much of his life in Baghdad living at the court of various caliphs and he was tutor to the son of one of them. His two extant works are Kitab Futuh al-Buldan (Book of the Conquests of Lands) and Ansab al-Ashraf (Lineage of the Nobles).
Hugh Kennedy is Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London, UK, and a leading scholar of the Arab conquests and Abbasid caliphate. His most recent book is Caliphate (2016). His other books include The Great Arab Conquests (2007) and The Court of the Caliphs (2004).

Introduction
PART I: CONQUESTS IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA
1. Medina
2. The Possessions of the Banu al-Na?ir
3. The Possessions of the Banu Quray?a
4. Khaybar
5. Fadak
6. Wadi'l-Qura and Tayma
7. Mecca
8. The Wells of Mecca
9. The Floods in Mecca
10. Al-?a'if
11. Tabala and Jurash
12. Tabuk, Ayla, Adhru?, Maqna and al-Jarba'
13. Dumat al Jandal
14. The Peace Agreement with Najran
15. Yemen
16. Oman
17. Al-Ba?rayn
18. Al-Yamama
19. Information about the Apostasy of the Arabs in the Caliphate of Abu Bakr al-?iddiq, may God be pleased with him
20. The Apostasy of the Banu Wali?a and of al-Ash?ath b. Qays b. Ma?dikarib b. Mu?awiya al-Kindi
21. The affair of Al-Aswad al-?Ansi and those in al-Yaman who apostasised with him.
PART II: THE CONQUESTS OF THE ARMIES OF SYRIA
22. The Conquest of Syria
23. The advance of Khalid b. al-Walid on Syria and the places he reduced on the way
24. The Conquest of Bu?ra
25. The Battle of Ajnadayn
26. The Battle of Fi?l in the province of Jordan
27. The Case of Jordan
28. The Battle of Marj al-?uffar
29. The Conquest of Damascus and its province
30. The Case of ?om?
31. The Battle of al-Yarmuk
32. The Case of Palestine
33. The Province of Qinnasrin and the cities which are called al-?Awa?im
34. The Case of Cyprus
35. The Case of the Samaritans
36. The Case of al-Jarajima
37. The Frontier Districts of Syria
38. The Conquest of al-Jazira
39. The Case of the Christians of Banu Taghlib b. Wa'il
40. The Frontier Districts of al-Jazira
41. The Translation of the Roman diwans.
42. The Conquest of Armenia
PART III; EGYPT AND THE WEST
43. The Conquest of Egypt and the Maghreb
44. The Conquest of Alexandria
45. The Conquest of Barqa and Zuwayla
46. The Conquest of Tripoli
47. The Conquest of Ifriqiya
48. The Conquest of Tangier
49. The Conquest of al-Andalus
50. The Conquest of certain islands in the sea
51. The Terms made with the Nubians
52. The Qara?is
PART IV: CENTRAL IRAQ AND THE ARMIES OF KUFA
53. The Conquest of al-Sawad in the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-?iddiq
54. The Conquest of al-Sawad in the caliphate of ?Umar b. al-Kha??ab
55. The Battle of Quss al-Na?if or the Battle of the Bridge
56. The Battle of Mihran or al-Nukhayla
57. The Battle of al-Qadisiya
58. The Conquest of al-Mada'in
59. The Battle of Jalula
60. The Founding of Kufa
61. Wasi? al-?Iraq
62. Al-Ba?a'i?
63. Madinat al-Salam
64. The Translation of the Persian diwan.
65. The Conquest of the Mountain Ranges (al-Jibal): ?ulwan
66. The Conquest of Nihawand
67. Al-Dinawar, Masabadhan and Mihrijanqadhaf
68. The Conquest of ?amadhan
69. Qumm, Qashan and Isfahan
70. The Death of Yazdajird b. Shariyar b. Kisra v. Abarwiz b. Hurmuz b. Anushirwan
71. Al-Rayy and Qumis
72. The Conquest of Qazwin and Zanjan
73. The Conquest of Azerbayjan
74. Mosul
75. Shahrazur, al-?amaghan and Darabadh
76. Jurjan and ?abaristan.
PART V: SOUTHERN IRAQ AND THE ARMIES OF BASRA
77. The Conquest of the districts of the Tigris (Kuwar al-Dijla)
78. The Founding of al-Ba?ra
79. The Canals and Qa?a'i? of Basra
80. Concerning the Asawira and the Zutt
81. Districts of al-Ahwaz
82. Fars
83. Kirman
84. Sijistan and Kabul
85. Khurasan 1
86. Khurasan 2
87. The Conquests of Sind
PART VI: FOUR CONCLUDING ESSAYS
88. Concerning the laws of the kharaj lands.
89. History of the ?a?a' in the caliphate of ?Umar b. al-Kha??ab
90. The Seal
91. The Coinage
92. The Art of Writing.
GLOSSARY
BIBLIOGRAPHY