What if the Battle of Qadisiyyah Had a Different Result

The battle of Qadisiyyah was fought in 636 CE from November 1-4. The battle is not known well in Western history but it had major implications for the West and much of the globe. This was a battle where the Arab armies, newly converted to Islam, were able to defeat the Sasanid Persian Empire. The result was the conquest of what is now Iraq and eventually Persia, allowing the new Islamic Empire to emerge in the Middle East and, eventually, expand to other areas.

The Historical Circumstances

In 636 CE, there were two major universal religions, which were Christianity and Zoroastrianism. These faiths were supported by the two major superpowers of the Middle East, which were the Byzanitine and Sasanian Empires. Both these powers seemed invincible and held much great wealth. However, by the early 7th century CE, major wars across the Middle East devastated much of the region and led to both these empires to deplete their resources.

In 636, Caliph Umar had re-invaded Iraq, after a previous Muslim army was defeated and removed from the region. The Sasanian and Arab armies met at the village of Qadisiyyah, southwest of the modern city of Hilla in Iraq, which is near ancient Babylon. The battle was mostly fought by a relatively inexperienced Arab army; however, much of the Persian army was also inexperienced, as many of their best troops had died or were depleted from previous engagements. This made the two sides relatively even and after the first day of the battle it did not seem that either of them could break each other's defenses. A key turning point was Arab reinforcements that strengthened the Islamic army, who were much more professional soldiers and well trained, and that arrived at the battle of Qadisiyyah on the second day. These numbered about 5000 and proved to be the difference in allowing the Arabs to breakthrough the Persian main line, causing them to routed and forcing the main Persian force to retreat. By the fourth day of the battle, the outcome was clear and the Sasnian army fled to the north, although many were killed as they attempted to flee.

The key outcome came after the battle. First, a large amount of booty was captured from the Sasanian army. This helped finance later battles and the Muslim army to further march north. The next major defeat for the Sasanians was at their capital Ctesiphon, where their capital was captured after a two month siege. In 650, a new phase of invasions was then ready, leading to the conquest of Persia and defeat of the Sasanian Empire.