Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, medieval

Battle of the Trench

Battle of the Trench was a battle fought in AD 627 at Medina, in what is now Saudi Arabia. It was part of the Muslim–Quraysh War, which ran from AD 624 to AD 630. The recorded result: Muslim victory; Beginning of the Siege of Banu Qurayza; Retreat of the confederates from Medina. Recorded strength: 3,000 against 10,000; 7,500 (Watt's estimate); over 12,000 men (Asad).

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Self-produced. Source: a replica of the map found from Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi's The Meaning of the Qur'an vol. 4, p. 65; verified by W. Montgomery Watt's Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman.
Self-produced. Source: a replica of the map found from Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi's The Meaning of the Qur'an vol. 4, p. 65; verified by W. Montgomery Watt's Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman.. Bless sins at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtAD 627
WhereMedina, Saudi Arabia24.467N, 39.600E
OutcomeMuslim victory; Beginning of the Siege of Banu Qurayza; Retreat of the confederates from Medina
BelligerentsFirst Islamic state; Ansars; Khazraj; Aws; Muhajirun; Khuza'ahagainstThe Confederates; Quraysh; Banu Qurayza; Banu Nadir; Banu Ghatafan; Banu Murra; Banu Asad; Banu Shuja
Casualties and losses6and3
Part ofMuslim–Quraysh WarAD 624 to AD 630

Where it sits in the Muslim–Quraysh War

Battle of Badr, AD 624Battle of Uhud, AD 625Battle of the Trench, AD 627AD 624AD 627Battle of the Trench, AD 627
3 placed engagements of the Muslim–Quraysh War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateAD 627 (year precision)
PlaceMedina, Saudi Arabia
24.467N, 39.600E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength3,00010,000; 7,500 (Watt's estimate); over 12,000 men (Asad)
Casualties and losses63
Commanders
Battle of the TrenchBattle of the TrenchInvasion of Banu QaynuqaSiege of MedinaBattle of MedinaBattle of al-HarrahBattle of UhudInvasion of Banu QaynuqaBattle of UhudYanbu al Bahr100 km24.467N, 39.600E
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 Trench
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of the Trench today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-10-19. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 604 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 587 to 963 m, 376 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 78% built-up, 20% bare ground, 2% tree cover.

built-up: 78%bare ground: 20%tree cover: 2%built-up 78%bare ground 20%tree cover 2%
west to east, 10.0 km601 to 759 mnorth to south, 10.0 km593 to 664 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

Contested ground: this site was fought over 6 times between AD 624 and 1916.

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 627

Battle of the Trench is one of 179 engagements of the 7th century in the atlas and one of 71 in present-day Saudi Arabia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q826083, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Trench, revision 1385043998, 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.