Atlas of Battles

siege, major, medieval

Siege of Jerusalem

Siege of Jerusalem was a siege conducted in October AD 636 at Jerusalem, in what is now Israel; it ran into the following year. 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 Unknown.

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Al Jamea Al Qebli i Jerusalem
Al Jamea Al Qebli i Jerusalem. Barbara Kabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtOctober AD 636ran into the following year
WhereJerusalem, Israel31.783N, 35.217E
OutcomeRashidun victory
BelligerentsRashidun CaliphateagainstByzantine Empire
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 Jerusalem, AD 636
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

DateOctober AD 636 (month precision)
to March AD 637
PlaceJerusalem, Israel
31.783N, 35.217E
KindSiege, medieval
Territorial changeJerusalem captured by the Rashidun Caliphate
Strength~20,000Unknown
Commanders
  • Sophronius of Jerusalem
Siege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemConquest of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemTel AvivAmmanGaza CityHaifaNablusEl ArishNazarethAl Karak100 km31.783N, 35.217E
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 Jerusalem
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 Jerusalem today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-19. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 802 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 481 to 842 m, 362 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 76% built-up, 12% tree cover, 6% shrubland.

built-up: 76%tree cover: 12%shrubland: 6%grassland: 4%built-up 76%tree cover 12%shrubland 6%grassland 4%
west to east, 10.0 km555 to 819 mnorth to south, 10.0 km665 to 820 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 24 times between 1010 BC and 1967.

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 636

Siege of Jerusalem is one of 203 engagements of the 7th century in the atlas and one of 179 in present-day Israel.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q815154, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article First Muslim conquest of Jerusalem, revision 1384654121, 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.