Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Nahāvand

Battle of Nahāvand was a battle fought in AD 642 at Nahavand, in what is now Iran. It was part of the Muslim conquest of Persia, which ran from AD 633 to AD 654. The recorded result: Rashidun victory. Recorded strength: 30,000 against 50,000–150,000.

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Castle Nahavend
Castle Nahavend. Eugène Flandin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtAD 642
WhereNahavand, Iran31.583N, 44.500E
OutcomeRashidun victory
BelligerentsRashidun CaliphateagainstSasanian Empire
Casualties and lossesHeavyandHeavy
Part ofMuslim conquest of PersiaAD 633 to AD 654

Where it sits in the Muslim conquest of Persia

Battle of al-Anbar, AD 633Battle of Ayn al-Tamr, AD 633Battle of Husayd, AD 633Battle of the Al Hira Canal, AD 633Battle of Chains, AD 633Battle of River, AD 633Battle of Ullais, AD 633Battle of Hira, AD 633Battle of Walaja, AD 633Battle of Muzayyah, AD 633Battle of Zumail, AD 633Battle of Saniyy, AD 633Battle of Firaz, AD 634Battle of Namaraq, AD 634Battle of Babylon, AD 634Battle of the Bridge, AD 634Battle of Burs, AD 636Battle of Babylon, AD 636Battle of al-Qadisiyyah, AD 636Siege of Ctesiphon, AD 637Battle of Jalula, AD 637Battle of Nahāvand, AD 642Battle of Spahan, AD 642Battle of Bishapur, AD 643Battle of Ray, AD 651Battle of Ray, 1224AD 6331224Battle of Nahāvand, AD 642
26 placed engagements of the Muslim conquest of Persia in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateAD 642 (year precision)
PlaceNahavand, Iran
31.583N, 44.500E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength30,00050,000–150,000
Casualties and lossesHeavyHeavy
Commanders
  • An-Numan ibn Muqarrin
Battle of NahāvandBattle of NahāvandBattle of al-QadisiyyahBattle of UllaisBattle of Dayr al-JamajimBattle of BursAlid revolt of 762–763Battle of UllaisBattle of Dayr al-JamajimBattle of BursAlid revolt of 762–763KarbalaAn NasiriyahAl KutAs SamawahAd Diwaniyah100 km31.583N, 44.500E
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 Nahāvand
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Nahāvand today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-09-19. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 23 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 10 to 59 m, 49 m of relief, flat country and today it is 93% bare ground, 5% cropland.

bare ground: 93%cropland: 5%bare ground 93%cropland 5%
west to east, 10.0 km20 to 36 mnorth to south, 10.0 km14 to 47 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 642

Battle of Nahāvand is one of 203 engagements of the 7th century in the atlas and one of 189 in present-day Iran.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q603549, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Nahavand, revision 1380331186, 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.