Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, medieval

Battle of Talas

Battle of Talas was a battle fought in April AD 751 at Taraz, in what is now Kazakhstan. It was part of the Muslim conquest of Transoxiana, which ran from AD 673 to AD 751. The recorded result: Abbasid victory.

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FoughtApril AD 751
WhereTaraz, Kazakhstan42.525N, 72.233E
OutcomeAbbasid victory
BelligerentsAbbasid Caliphate; Tibetan EmpireagainstTang dynasty; Ferghana Kingdom; Karkota dynasty
Part ofMuslim conquest of TransoxianaAD 673 to AD 751

Where it sits in the Muslim conquest of Transoxiana

Battle of Bukhara, AD 709Battle of Samarkand, AD 712Day of Thirst, AD 724Battle of Baykand, AD 729Battle of the Defile, AD 731Battle of the Baggage, AD 737Battle of Kharistan, AD 737Battle of Talas, AD 751AD 709AD 751Battle of Talas, AD 751
8 placed engagements of the Muslim conquest of Transoxiana in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateApril AD 751 (month precision)
to August AD 751
PlaceTaraz, Kazakhstan
42.525N, 72.233E
KindBattle, medieval
Territorial changeConsolidation of Abbasid rule in Transoxania; End of Tang presence in Transoxania
Commanders
  • Al-Saffah
  • Abu Muslim
  • Ziyad ibn Salih
Battle of TalasBattle of TalasSaratoga campaignSaratoga campaignTarazShuQaratauToktogulTash KomurOytalQulanKara Balta100 km42.525N, 72.233E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Battle of Talas
Battle of Talas. SY, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Talas
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Talas today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-30. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 1,230 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 1,180 to 1,642 m, 462 m of relief, steep country and today it is 41% cropland, 33% built-up, 15% tree cover.

cropland: 41%built-up: 33%tree cover: 15%grassland: 9%cropland 41%built-up 33%tree cover 15%grassland 9%
west to east, 10.0 km1,185 to 1,274 mnorth to south, 10.0 km1,222 to 1,368 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

Battle of Talas is one of 158 engagements of the 8th century in the atlas and one of 20 in present-day Kazakhstan.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q492415, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Talas, revision 1381545201, 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.