Story Highlights
- Historical event:
- 20 August 636
- The Yarmouk River, near which the battle took place, is located near Galilee, where Jesus Christ had spent his childhood and youth.
This day marked the end of the famous Battle of Yarmouk (the Middle East), where the Muslims defeated the Byzantine army.
It was probably one of the most important battles in history. After the battle, a large part of the former Christian territories (which had been part of the Byzantine Empire) came under control of the Mohammed’s supporters. Mohammed died about four years after the mentioned battle. The Islamic rulers later conquered the vast areas in North Africa and Southwest Asia.
It is interesting to note that significant historical battles took place in the wider area of Galilee (during the several-thousand-year period). For example, the Battle of Megiddo had been fought when the Egyptian Pharaoh Tuthmosis III had ruled (in the 15th century B.C.). The famous Armageddon was named after Megiddo.
In 1187, the famous Battle of Hattin, which was fought between the Crusaders and Saladin, also took place in the area of Galilee. The Christian forces were defeated there. There is also the Battle of Ain Jaluta (in 1260), during which the Muslims for the first time managed to stop the expansion of the Mongols. Therefore, Jesus Christ’s Galilee was strategically a very important area. Even Napoleon’s forces fought against the Ottomans in the area of Galilee during the late 18th century (for example, the Battle of Mount Tabor in 1799).
