History of the Arab Invasions

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. Yahya al-Baladhuri

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