The Conquest of al-Ladhiqiyya

فتح اللاذقية

c. 635 CE · c. 14 AH

In al-Baladhuri: Abu Ubayda left Ubada ibn al-Samit (may God be pleased with him) al-Ansari over Hims, and he came to al-Ladhiqiyya whose people fought him — it had a great gate a host of men could not open; seeing the difficulty he camped at a distance, ordered trenches dug like souterrains each hiding a man and his horse, the Muslims labouring at guarding them till finished, then feigned withdrawal to Hims; under cover of night they returned to their camp and trenches while the Ladhiqiyyans went out each morning thinking them gone, and at dawn opened their gate and sent out their flocks — whereupon the Muslims surprised them and entered through the city gate, taking it by force; Ubada entered the citadel, climbed its wall and magnified God upon it; a group of its Christians fled to al-Yasayid, then asked safety to return to their land, being cut a kharaj to pay few or many, their church left them, and the Muslims built a congregational mosque at al-Ladhiqiyya at Ubada's order, enlarged afterwards; the Byzantines later raided its coast from the sea, demolishing the city and taking captives in Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz's caliphate in year 100, and he ordered it rebuilt and fortified, sending to the tyrant to ransom the Muslim prisoners — it was unfinished when he died in 101, and Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik completed and garrisoned it; Ubada and the Muslims also took Antartus, a fortress its people abandoned, which Mu'awiya built and made an amsar with land-grants, doing likewise with Maraqiyya and Bulunyas, and they took the town called Balda two farsakhs from Jabala by force — it fell ruined and its people left, and Mu'awiya founded Jabala and garrisoned it.

Overview

al-Baladhuri relates that Abu Ubayda appointed Ubada ibn al-Samit over Homs, and he came to Latakia, where its people fought him. There was a great gate there that a multitude of people could not open. ¹

The ruse

Ubada encamped far from the city and dug trenches in which a man and his horse could hide. Then the Muslims showed that they were returning to Homs, and came back at night to their trenches. When the people of Latakia opened their gate in the morning, the Muslims surprised them and entered. It was taken by force, and the Muslims built a congregational mosque there on Ubada's order. ¹

After the conquest

Some Christians fled and then asked for safe-conduct, and they were assessed a tribute and allowed to keep their church. In 100 AH the Byzantines raided the coast and demolished the city, and Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz ordered it rebuilt. Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik completed it after his death. ²

The conquest is part of the conquest of Syria. al-Baladhuri also credits Ubada and the Muslims with him with the conquest of Antartus. ²

The Conquest of Hims

In al-Baladhuri: when Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah finished with Damascus he put before him Khalid ibn al-Walid and Milhan ibn Zayyar al-Ta'i, then followed them; passing Ba'labakk, whose people sought safety and terms, he compounded with them securing themselves, their wealth, churches and houses inside and outside the city and their mills, the Byzantines to graze their flocks between them and fifteen miles without settling a peopled village, free to depart where they would after Rabia and Jumada I passed, whoever converted having our rights and duties, their merchants free to travel through the treaty lands, and jizya and kharaj upon whoever stayed; per al-Waqidi, while the Muslims stood at Damascus's gates a dense cavalry of the enemy approached and a company met them between Bayt Lahya and al-Thaniyya, routing them toward Hims on the Qara road and pursuing them to find they had passed it by — the people of Hims, already shaken by Heraclius's flight and by reports of the Muslims' might, offered their hands and sued for safety, which was granted, bringing out supplies and food while the Muslims stayed on the Asi under al-Simt ibn al-Aswad al-Jundi; when Abu Ubayda finished with Damascus he left Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan over it and came to Hims by way of Ba'labakk, camping at Bab al-Rastan, and its people compounded for safety of themselves, wealth, city wall, churches and mills, a quarter of the church of John being excepted for the mosque — compounding for a hundred and seventy thousand dinars; afterwards Hims and Qinnasrin became one.

The Conquest of al-Ladhiqiyya

At a glance

In time

Overview

The ruse

After the conquest

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Time

The Conquest of Hims