Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of the Persian Gate on the Mountain

Battle of the Persian Gate on the Mountain was a battle fought on 20 January 330 BC at Persian Gates, in what is now Iran. It was part of the Wars of Alexander the Great, which ran from 336 BC to 323 BC. The recorded result: Macedonian victory; Destruction of Persepolis. Recorded strength: 17,000 picked fighters against 40,000 infantry and 700 cavalry (Arrian); 700–2,000 (modern estimates).

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Photo of the place of the Persian Gate
Photo of the place of the Persian Gate. Jona Lendering at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought20 January 330 BC
WherePersian Gates, Iran30.708N, 51.599E
OutcomeMacedonian victory; Destruction of Persepolis
BelligerentsMacedonian Empire; Hellenic LeagueagainstAchaemenid Empire
Casualties and lossesUnknown, but moderate to heavyandEntire army
Part ofWars of Alexander the Great336 BC to 323 BC

Where it sits in the Wars of Alexander the Great

Battle of Thessaly, 336 BCSiege of Halicarnassus, 334 BCSiege of Miletus, 334 BCSiege of Termessos, 334 BCBattle of the Granicus, 334 BCBattle of Issus, 333 BCSiege of Tyre, 332 BCSiege of Gaza, 332 BCBattle of Gaugamela, 331 BCBattle of the Uxian Defile, 331 BCBattle of the Persian Gate on the Mountain, 330 BCSiege of Cyropolis, 329 BCBattle of Polytimetus, 329 BCBattle of Jaxartes, 329 BCBattle of Gabai, 328 BCSiege of the Sogdian Rock, 327 BC336 BC327 BCBattle of the Persian Gate on the Mountain, 330 BC
16 placed engagements of the Wars of Alexander the Great in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date20 January 330 BC
PlacePersian Gates, Iran
30.708N, 51.599E
KindBattle, ancient
Territorial changeConsolidation of control by the Macedonian army over half of Persia proper
Strength17,000 picked fighters40,000 infantry and 700 cavalry (Arrian); 700–2,000 (modern estimates)
Casualties and lossesUnknown, but moderate to heavyEntire army
Commanders
  • Ariobarzanes of Persis
  • Youtab
Battle of the Persian Gate on the MountainBattle of the Persian Gate on the MountainBattle of GabieneBattle of GabieneShirazMarv Dasht100 km30.708N, 51.599E
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 the Persian Gate on the Mountain
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 100 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of the Persian Gate on the Mountain today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-10-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 1,879 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 1,746 to 3,256 m, 1,511 m of relief, mountainous country and today it is 69% shrubland, 11% grassland, 10% bare ground.

shrubland: 69%grassland: 11%bare ground: 10%tree cover: 4%built-up: 4%cropland: 2%shrubland 69%grassland 11%bare ground 10%tree cover 4%built-up 4%
west to east, 10.0 km1,796 to 2,500 mnorth to south, 10.0 km1,857 to 3,013 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 the Persian Gate on the Mountain is one of 137 engagements of the 4th century BC in the atlas and one of 157 in present-day Iran.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q112016, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Persian Gate, revision 1370601823, 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.