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World at War

Arab–Muslim Conquests

632–750 AD Middle East / North Africa / Central Asia Status: ended Casualties: ~4 million

The fastest territorial expansion in history. Within 100 years of Muhammad's death, Islam spread from Arabia to Spain in the west and Central Asia in the east. Sassanid Persia fell; Byzantium lost Egypt, Syria, and North Africa.

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Belligerents

  • Rashidun/Umayyad Caliphate
  • Sassanid Persia
  • Byzantine Empire
  • Visigothic Spain

Casualties

~4 million

Key events

  • 636 — Yarmouk (Byzantines lose Levant)
  • 651 — Sasanid Persia falls
  • 732 — Tours (advance into France halted)

Aftermath

Permanently Islamized and Arabized the Middle East and North Africa. Created the Caliphate — by 750, the world's largest state. Fostered the Islamic Golden Age (algebra, optics, medicine, preserved Greek classics). Ended Sasanid Persia; halved the Byzantine Empire.

Weapons & matériel

  • Arabian camel cavalry
  • Composite bow
  • Straight swords (early sayf)
  • Light leather armour — speed over weight

Technology

Speed, mobility, and religious cohesion; logistics based on camel trains; integrated naval power within decades

Economy

Within a century, conquered Sasanid treasury, Byzantine grain provinces, and the gold of Spain; established the dinar and dirham — gold-silver bimetallism that lasted 1,000 years

Sources

  • Al-Tabari
  • Al-Baladhuri, Futuh al-Buldan
From World at War, an interactive atlas by Jairus Pereira. Figures are approximate, drawn from Wikipedia, UCDP, ACLED and academic sources — a design artefact, not an authoritative register. Contact.