Atlas of Battles

siege, major, medieval

Siege of Damascus

Siege of Damascus was a siege conducted in AD 634 at Damascus, in what is now Syria. It was part of the Muslim conquest of the Levant, which ran from AD 633 to AD 640. The recorded result: Rashidun victory. Recorded strength: 20,000 against 15,000–16,000.

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Damascus, Syria - Bab Kisan, now Greek Catholic Chapel of St. Paul, where by legend disciples lowered Saint Paul in a basket from ramparts and thus helped him escape from Damascus.
Damascus, Syria - Bab Kisan, now Greek Catholic Chapel of St. Paul, where by legend disciples lowered Saint Paul in a basket from ramparts and thus helped him escape from Damascus.. Heretiq, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtAD 634
WhereDamascus, Syria33.513N, 36.292E
OutcomeRashidun victory
BelligerentsRashidun CaliphateagainstByzantine Empire
Casualties and lossesLowandHeavy
Part ofMuslim conquest of the LevantAD 633 to AD 640

Where it sits in the Muslim conquest of the Levant

Battle of Ajnadayn, AD 634Siege of Damascus, AD 634Battle of Marj Rahit, AD 634Battle of Bosra, AD 634Battle of al-Qaryatayn, AD 634Battle of al-Yaqusah, AD 634Battle of Marj al-Dibaj, AD 634Battle of Fahl, AD 634Siege of Emesa, AD 635Battle of Yarmouk, AD 636Siege of Jerusalem, AD 636Battle of Hazir, AD 637Siege of Aleppo, AD 637Battle of the Iron Bridge, AD 637Siege of Emesa, AD 638Siege of Edessa, AD 639Siege of Raqqa, AD 639AD 634AD 639Siege of Damascus, AD 634
17 placed engagements of the Muslim conquest of the Levant in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateAD 634 (year precision)
to 19 September AD 634
PlaceDamascus, Syria
33.513N, 36.292E
KindSiege, medieval
Territorial changeDamascus captured by the Rashidun Caliphate
Strength20,00015,000–16,000
Casualties and lossesLowHeavy
Commanders
Siege of DamascusSiege of DamascusSiege of DamascusSiege of DamascusCapture of DamascusBattle of Damascus1973 al-Mazzah Airport RaidSiege of DamascusBeirutṬarābulusHaifaNazarethAs SuwaydaAd NabkAl QunaytirahIrbid100 km33.513N, 36.292E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of Damascus
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Damascus today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-06-18. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 691 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 656 to 1,151 m, 495 m of relief, steep country and today it is 72% built-up, 13% tree cover, 9% grassland.

built-up: 72%tree cover: 13%grassland: 9%cropland: 4%bare ground: 2%built-up 72%tree cover 13%grassland 9%cropland 4%bare ground 2%
west to east, 10.0 km662 to 860 mnorth to south, 10.0 km682 to 1,030 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 5 times between AD 634 and 1941.

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 634

Siege of Damascus is one of 203 engagements of the 7th century in the atlas and one of 139 in present-day Syria.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q639827, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Damascus (634), revision 1381443455, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.