Honourable Mention: Yarmouk – The Necessity of Studying the Battle in Early Medieval Military Historiography

Authors

  • Md Saifuz Zaman University of Waterloo

Abstract

The military successes of the fledgling Arab Caliphate of the 7th century, against the more established Byzantine and Persian empires, have been commonly attributed to religious fervour or fortuity. Often neglected is the fact that the Arabs had several commanders whose superior generalship compensated for a lack of resources and organization. Therefore the battles fought during these campaigns have to be re-examined to incorporate how military leadership played its part in the victories. The Battle of Yarmouk is one such encounter where the traditional historiographies require re-evaluation in order to encompass the effectiveness of the Caliphate army under the direction of Khalid ibn al-Walid.

Author Biography

Md Saifuz Zaman, University of Waterloo

Md Saifuz Zaman is a PhD student at the University of Waterloo where he is working on the Bengali Response to Abolition 1807 – 1876. He has a BA in History at the University of Miami, an MA in English at the University of York, UK and an MA in History at the University of New Brunswick. His research interests are in Postcolonial Studies, Military History, Classical Greco-Roman civilizations, South Asian History and East Asian studies.

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Published

2015-07-14

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 2 (2015)

Section

JMSS Awards of Excellence