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Battle of al-Qadisiyyah

Battle of al-Qadisiyyah was a battle fought on 16 November AD 636 at Al-Qādisiyyah, in what is now Iraq; it lasted 3 days. 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 50,000–100,000.

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Depiction of the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah from a manuscript of the Persian epic Shāh-nāmeh from Astarabad. Source- British Library (MS. I.O.Islamic 3265 (1614) f. 602r)
Depiction of the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah from a manuscript of the Persian epic Shāh-nāmeh from Astarabad. Source- British Library (MS. I.O.Islamic 3265 (1614) f. 602r). Unknown artistUnknown artist, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought16 November AD 636lasted 3 days
WhereAl-Qādisiyyah, Iraq31.583N, 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 al-Qadisiyyah, AD 636
26 placed engagements of the Muslim conquest of Persia in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date16 November AD 636
to 19 November AD 636
PlaceAl-Qādisiyyah, Iraq
31.583N, 44.500E
KindBattle, medieval
Territorial changeBeginning of the Rashidun siege of Ctesiphon in January 637
Strength30,00050,000–100,000
Casualties and lossesHeavyHeavy
Commanders
  • Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas
  • Khalid ibn Urfuta
  • Al-Muthanna ibn Haritha
  • Al-Qa'qa ibn Amr
  • Asim ibn Amr al-Tamimi
  • Abd Allah ibn al-Mu'tam
  • Rostam Farrokhzad
  • Bahman Jaduya
  • Hormuzan
  • Jalinus
  • Shahriyar bin Kanara
  • Mihran Razi
Battle of al-QadisiyyahBattle of al-QadisiyyahBattle of NahāvandBattle of UllaisBattle of Dayr al-JamajimBattle of BursAlid revolt of 762–763Battle of NahāvandBattle 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 al-Qadisiyyah
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 al-Qadisiyyah 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 92% bare ground, 6% cropland.

bare ground: 92%cropland: 6%bare ground 92%cropland 6%
west to east, 10.0 km20 to 36 mnorth to south, 10.0 km14 to 48 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 636

Battle of al-Qadisiyyah is one of 179 engagements of the 7th century in the atlas and one of 173 in present-day Iraq.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q836844, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of al-Qadisiyyah, revision 1381735682, 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.