The siege marked one of the last Arab footholds in Transoxiana before the region was lost to Türgesh and Soghdian forces until after 738.
Key Facts
- Year
- 729 CE
- Duration of siege
- 58 days days
- Türgesh commander
- Suluk, ruler of the Türgesh Khaganate
- Outcome
- Negotiated withdrawal of Arab garrison to Samarkand
- Primary source
- History of al-Tabari
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Umayyad conquest of Transoxiana had been undermined during the 720s by uprisings of local Soghdian princes and repeated Türgesh invasions, reducing Arab control to a handful of strongholds. By 729, the small fortress of Kamarja near Samarkand was among the last Arab positions still standing in the region.
The Türgesh ruler Suluk personally led his forces alongside Soghdian allies in a siege of the fortress of Kamarja near Samarkand. The garrison mounted a stubborn defence that lasted 58 days before its commanders negotiated a withdrawal to Samarkand, an episode later celebrated in Arabic literature and recorded in detail by al-Tabari.
Although the garrison survived through negotiation, the Arab grip on Transoxiana was effectively broken. The subsequent Battle of the Defile two years later further cemented Türgesh dominance, and Arab rule over the region was not restored until the Türgesh Khaganate collapsed after 738.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
2 belligerents
Suluk.