The first territorial conquests were made under Khalid ibn Walid in Umar's reign; Damascus in 635. Damascus, and Jerusalem - considered by Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike to be a holy city - in 637. In 635 Damascus surrendered, its inhabitants being promised security for their lives, property, and churches, on payment of a poll tax; the Jizya. A counterattack by the emperor Heraclius forced the arabs to abandon Jerusalem and Damascus but was defeated at the Battle of the Yarmuk River in 636. Damascus and Jerusalem was re-occupied and by 640 the conquest was virtually complete.
Arab Administration
The new rulers divided Syria into four districts (junds): Damascus, Hims, Jordan, and Palestine (to which a fifth, Kinnasrin, was later added) and the Arab garrisons were kept apart in camps, and life went on much as before for the local population. Conversion to Islam was limited to the Arab tribes already settled in Syria; except for the tribe of Ghassan. The Muslim's adopted policy of tolerance towards other religions, resulting in a positive effect on the new subject people, especially the Christians Nestorian and Jacobite Christians and Jews (People of the Book), who had been previously persecuted under Byzantine rule. The loyalty of his new subjects was paramount to the success of Muslim rule in the region, therefore excessive taxation or oppression was avoided. The taxes instituted were the kharaj - a tax that landowners and peasants paid according to the productivity of their fields - as well as the jizya - paid by non-Muslims in return for the freedom to practice their own religion. The Byzantine civil service was retained until a new system could be instituted; therefore, Greek remained the administrative language in the new Muslim territories for over 50 years after the conquests.
Umar was also engaged upon creating a buffer zone around all of Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam, and so while Syria was being captured to the west, Muslim forces were also heading east and engaging the Sassanid Empire there. After the Islamic conquest of Persia the Muslims were able to resume the offensive against the Byzantines by pushing into Aegyptus (Roman province).
under the Umayyad dynasty that came to power following the Muslim civil war.
2007-02-22 02:27:50
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answer #1
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answered by Adia Azrael 4
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