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battle, major, ancient

Battle of Qarqar

Battle of Qarqar was a battle fought in 853 BC at Tell Qarqur, in what is now Syria. It was part of the Assyrian conquest of Aram, which ran from 856 BC to 732 BC. The recorded result: Inconclusive; Assyrian tactical victory in battle; Assyrian advance temporarily halted, strategic defeat.

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Kurkh stela of Shalmaneser that reports battle of Karkar, of en:853 BC.
Kurkh stela of Shalmaneser that reports battle of Karkar, of en:853 BC.. Yuber, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought853 BC
WhereTell Qarqur, Syria35.743N, 36.331E
OutcomeInconclusive; Assyrian tactical victory in battle; Assyrian advance temporarily halted, strategic defeat
BelligerentsNeo-Assyrian Empireagainst12 Kings alliance: Hama; Israel; Aram-Damascus; Ammon; Arab; Arwad; Quwê; Irqanata; Shianu
Casualties and lossesUnknownandUnknown
Part ofAssyrian conquest of Aram856 BC to 732 BC

Record

Date853 BC (year precision)
PlaceTell Qarqur, Syria
35.743N, 36.331E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength35,000, including: 20,000 infantry,; 12,000 cavalry,; 1,200 chariots53,000–63,000 infantry,; 4,000 chariots,; 2,000 cavalry,; 1,000 camel cavalry
Casualties and lossesUnknownUnknown
Commanders
  • Shalmaneser III
  • Irhuleni
  • Ahab
  • Hadadezer
  • Baasha of Ammon
  • Gindibu
  • Arwad
Battle of QarqarBattle of QarqarSiege of Ma'arraBattle of ApameiaSiege of ApameaBattle of ApameaBattle of SarminBattle of ApameiaSiege of ApameaBattle of ApameaBattle of SarminAleppoHomsTarsusHamahİskenderunTartusSamandagiKilis100 km35.743N, 36.331E
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 Qarqar
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Qarqar today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-04-19. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 192 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 140 to 790 m, 650 m of relief, steep country and today it is 91% cropland, 4% grassland, 3% built-up.

cropland: 91%grassland: 4%built-up: 3%cropland 91%grassland 4%built-up 3%
west to east, 10.0 km158 to 485 mnorth to south, 10.0 km169 to 192 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

Battle of Qarqar is one of 3 engagements of the 9th century BC in the atlas and one of 133 in present-day Syria.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q849474, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Qarqar, revision 1376483973, 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.