Battle of Walaja
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This article is about a battle during the Arab invasion of Persia. For the Palestinian village south of Jerusalem, see al-Walaja.
The Battle of Walaja (Arabic: معركة الولجة) was fought in Mesopotamia (Iraq) in May 633 between the Rashidun Caliphate army under Khalid ibn al-Walid and Al-Muthanna ibn Haritha against the Sassanid Empire and its Arab allies. The Sassanid army is said to have been two times the size of the Muslim army during the battle.
Quick Facts Date, Location ...
Battle of Walaja | |||||||
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Part of the Islamic conquest of Persia Campaigns of Khalid ibn al-Walid | |||||||
Map showing the region in Iraq where Battle of Walaja was fought. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Rashidun Caliphate |
Sasanian Empire, Christian Arab allies | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Khalid ibn al-Walid |
Andarzaghar Bahman Jadhuyih | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
15,000[2] | 25,000–30,000[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
~2,000+[2] | 20,000[2][3] |
Close
Khalid defeated the numerically-superior Sasanian forces by using a variation of the double envelopment tactical manoeuvre, similar to the manoeuvre that Hannibal had used to defeat the Roman forces at the Battle of Cannae.