Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Fahl

Battle of Fahl was a battle fought in December AD 634 at Jordan River, in what is now Jordan. It was part of the Muslim conquest of the Levant, which ran from AD 633 to AD 640. The recorded result: Muslim victory. Recorded strength: 20,000–30,000 (estimations) against 50,000–100,000 (Arab sources).

See it on the globe Read the article

Pella (Tabaqat Fahil) : vue d'ensemble du site.
Pella (Tabaqat Fahil) : vue d'ensemble du site.. Jean Housen, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtDecember AD 634
WhereJordan River, Jordan32.450N, 35.617E
OutcomeMuslim victory
BelligerentsRashidun CaliphateagainstByzantine Empire
Casualties and lossesA few hundreds to a few thousandsand100,000 killed
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 639Battle of Fahl, 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

DateDecember AD 634 (month precision)
PlaceJordan River, Jordan
32.450N, 35.617E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength20,000–30,000 (estimations)50,000–100,000 (Arab sources)
Casualties and lossesA few hundreds to a few thousands100,000 killed
Commanders
  • Theodore Trithyrius
Battle of FahlBattle of FahlBattle of Belvoir CastleBattle of GesherBattle of Ain JalutBattles of the Kinarot ValleyBattle of SamakhBattle of Ain JalutBattles of the Kinarot ValleyTel AvivDamascusAmmanJerusalemGaza CityHaifaNablusAl Qunaytirah100 km32.450N, 35.617E
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 Battle of Fahl
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Fahl today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-19. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about -30 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -293 to 503 m, 796 m of relief, steep country and today it is 72% grassland, 9% tree cover, 8% cropland.

grassland: 72%tree cover: 9%cropland: 8%built-up: 7%bare ground: 2%shrubland: 2%grassland 72%tree cover 9%cropland 8%built-up 7%bare ground 2%
west to east, 10.0 km-289 to 380 mnorth to south, 10.0 km-81 to 100 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

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 634

Battle of Fahl is one of 203 engagements of the 7th century in the atlas and one of 28 in present-day Jordan.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1030249, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Fahl, revision 1380330376, 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.