The Levant Egypt North Africa Anatolia & Constantinople Border conflicts Sicily and Southern Italy Naval warfare Byzantine reconquest Ridda Wars Conquest of Sasanian Persia Conquest of Byzantine Syria Campaigns in Africa Campaigns in Armenia and Anatolia The siege of Damascus (634) lasted from 21 August to 19 September 634[2][a] before the city fell to the Rashidun Caliphate.

Damascus was the first major city of the Eastern Roman Empire to fall in the Muslim conquest of Syria.

Suppressing several internal revolts, Abu Bakr sought to expand the empire beyond the confines of the Arabian Peninsula.

The peace terms included an assurance that no pursuit will be undertaken by Muslims against the departing Roman convoy for three days.

[6] While Heraclius focused his attention on the internal affairs of his empire, the Sassanid Persians conquered Mesopotamia, overran Syria in 611, and entered Anatolia to occupy Caesarea Mazaca.

[7] Over the next decade, the Persians conquered Palestine and Egypt and Heraclius rebuilt his army, preparing for a new offensive, which he launched in 622.

In 627, he launched a daring winter offensive against Persia in Mesopotamia, and won a decisive victory at the Battle of Nineveh.

[12] After a successful conquest of the Persian province of Iraq, Abu Bakr's confidence grew and in April 634 his armies invaded the Byzantine Levant from four different routes.

These armies proved to be too small for the task, necessitating reinforcements from Iraq, led by Abu Bakr's capable general Khalid ibn Walid[13] Crossing the desert, Khalid ibn Walid entered Syria from an unexpected route in a bold move.

He attacked and overthrew the Byzantine defenses of Levant and quickly captured the Ghassanid capital city of Bosra.

If unable to defeat or repel a Byzantine rescue effort, the detachment commander was instructed to send for reinforcements from Khalid.

[19] The corps commanders were instructed to repel any Byzantine offensive from the respective gates and seek assistance in case of heavy attack.

Dharar bin al-Azwar commanded 2.000 horsemen from the mobile guard to patrol in the empty area between the gates at night and to reinforce any corps attacked by the Byzantines.

[19] Emperor Heraclius was at Antioch at the beginning of the siege and[citation needed] on 9 September, he dispatched a relief force, thought to have numbered around 12,000 men.

[29] After some hard fighting at the Jabiya Gate, commander Abu Ubaidah and his men, repulsed the sally and the Byzantines hastened back to the city.

The timely arrival of Khalid with his reserve of 400 veteran cavalry and his subsequent attack on the Roman flank, marked the turning point in the sally at the Eastern Gate.

[26] After intense fighting, Thomas, seeing that there was no weakening in the Muslim front, decided that continuing the attack would be fruitless and would lead to even heavier casualties among his men.

He ordered a withdrawal and the Romans moved back at a steady pace, during which they were subjected to a concentrated shower of arrows by the Muslims.

He had lost thousands[clarification needed] of men in these sallies, and could no longer afford to fight outside the walls of the city.

[31] On 18 September, a Syriac monophysite priest named Jonah[32] informed Khalid about a festival celebration in the city that night.

[e] The festivities offered Khalid an opportunity to capture the city in a surprise attack on the relatively lightly defended walls.

[clarification needed][30] With no time to make a coordinated plan of attack for the whole army, Khalid decided to storm the East Gate himself.

[31] Leaving a few men to assist the climbers, Khalid descended into the city, killing the guards at the inside of the East Gate.

He sent envoys to the Jabiya Gate to talk with Abu Ubaidah, the second in command to Khalid, and offered to surrender the fort peacefully and to pay the Jizya.

[27] The terms of the peace agreement were that no one would be enslaved, no harm would be done to the temples, nothing would be taken as booty and that safe passage was given to Thomas, Harbees, and every citizen of Damascus who was not willing to live under Muslim rule.

[32]The Syriac, Jonah, who had helped Khalid enter the city by the East Gate, showed him a short-cut to Antioch.

Leading a cavalry regiment, Khalid caught up with a convoy of Byzantine refugees from Damascus at the sea, near Antioch.

According to chronicles, the Greek man Jonah, who guided Khalid on the short cut to Antioch, got his fiance, but she committed suicide.

On 25 August 750, the Abbasids, having already beaten the Umayyads in the Battle of the Zab in Iraq, conquered Damascus after facing little resistance.

"[48] ^ e: It is not clear which festival it was, some early Muslim sources says it was a celebration of the birth of son to the high priest of Damascus (Al-Waqidi, p.46)