Atlas of Battles

siege, major, medieval

Siege of Ma'arra

Siege of Ma'arra was a siege conducted in November 1098 at Ma'arrat Nu'man, in what is now Syria. It was part of First Crusade, which ran from 1096 to 1099. The recorded result: Crusader victory. Recorded strength: Unknown against Local militia and garrison.

See it on the globe Read the article

FoughtNovember 1098
WhereMa'arrat Nu'man, Syria35.643N, 36.668E
OutcomeCrusader victory
BelligerentsCrusadersagainstSeljuk Emirate of Aleppo
Part ofFirst Crusade1096 to 1099

Where it sits in First Crusade

Siege of Xerigordon, 1096Siege of Nicaea, 1097Battle of Dorylaeum, 1097Siege of Tarsus, 1097Siege of Antioch, 1097Battle of al-Barâ, 1098Battle of the Lake of Antioch, 1098Battle of the Bridge Gate, 1098Battle of Antioch, 1098Siege of Ma'arra, 1098Siege of Jerusalem, 1099Battle of Ascalon, 109910961099Siege of Ma'arra, 1098
12 placed engagements of First Crusade in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateNovember 1098 (month precision)
to December 1098
PlaceMa'arrat Nu'man, Syria
35.643N, 36.668E
KindSiege, medieval
StrengthUnknownLocal militia and garrison
Casualties and lossesAbout 20,000 civilians killed
Commanders
Siege of Ma'arraSiege of Ma'arraBattle of SarminBattle of QarqarBattle of al-FunaydiqBattle of ApameiaSiege of ApameaBattle of SarminBattle of QarqarBattle of al-FunaydiqBattle of ApameiaSiege of ApameaAleppoHomsṬarābulusHamahİskenderunTartusSamandagiKilis100 km35.643N, 36.668E
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 Ma'arra
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Ma'arra today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-06-13. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 544 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 448 to 642 m, 194 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 39% cropland, 39% grassland, 20% built-up.

cropland: 39%grassland: 39%built-up: 20%cropland 39%grassland 39%built-up 20%
west to east, 10.0 km503 to 575 mnorth to south, 10.0 km502 to 582 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 1098

Siege of Ma'arra is one of 318 engagements of the 11th century in the atlas and one of 133 in present-day Syria.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2503775, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Ma'arra, revision 1384921933, 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.