The Umayyad victory at Marj Rahit secured Umayyad control of Islamic Syria but entrenched a lasting Qays-Yaman tribal rivalry that destabilized the Umayyad Caliphate.
Key Facts
- Date
- 18 August 684
- Conflict
- Second Fitna
- Victor
- Umayyads under Caliph Marwan I
- Defeated side
- Qays, supporting Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr
- Strategic outcome
- Umayyad consolidation of Bilad al-Sham (Islamic Syria)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Second Fitna divided the Islamic world between the Umayyad Caliphate based in Syria and the rival caliphate of Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr based in Mecca. Arab tribal loyalties split along Yaman and Qays lines, with the Kalb-led Yaman confederation backing the Umayyads and the Qays supporting Ibn al-Zubayr, bringing both factions to armed confrontation in Syria.
On 18 August 684, Umayyad forces dominated by the Kalb tribe and the Yaman confederation under Caliph Marwan I met the Qays army led by Al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri at Marj Rahit. The battle ended in a decisive Umayyad victory, killing Al-Dahhak ibn Qays and crushing Qays military resistance in Syria.
The victory secured Umayyad authority over Bilad al-Sham and proved instrumental in their eventual triumph over the Zubayrids in the civil war. However, the battle deepened the enmity between the Qays and Yaman tribal groupings, generating persistent factional strife that would undermine internal stability throughout the remaining decades of Umayyad rule.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Marwan I.
Side B
1 belligerent
Al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri.