The early Islamic conquests
In a single lifetime Arab armies take Persia, Syria, Egypt and North Africa.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 29 years
- Known to
- ± 1 year
- Era
- Post-Classical, Holocene
Between 632 and 661 CE the Rashidun caliphate destroys the Sasanian Empire entirely and strips Byzantium of Syria, Palestine and Egypt — its wealthiest provinces. Both empires had been exhausted by decades of war with each other and by plague. Conquered populations were generally not forced to convert but paid a tax as protected non-Muslims; conversion was gradual over centuries. It is among the most rapid and durable political transformations in history.