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"Damascus is one of
the most blessed cities of al-Sham (Syria, Jordan, Palestine)."
[Prophet Muhammad (SAWS)]1
Damascus was known as the
paradise of Syria. A glittering metropolis which contained everything
that makes a city great and famous, it had wealth, culture, temples
and troops. It had history. The main part of the city was enclosed
by a massive wall, 11 metres high, 2 but
outside the battlements lay some suburbs which were not protected.
The fortified city was a mile long and half a mile wide and was
entered by six gates: the East Gate, the Gate of Thomas, the Jabiya
Gate, the Gate of Faradees, the Keisan Gate and the Small Gate.
Along the north wall ran the River Barada, which, however, was too
small to be of military significance.
At the time of the Syrian campaign, the
Roman Commander-in-Chief at Damascus was Thomas, son-in-law of Emperor
Heraclius. A deeply religious man and a devout Christian, he was
known not only for his courage and skill in the command of troops
but also for his intelligence and learning. Under him served, as
his deputy, a general by the name of Harbees about whom little is
known except that he was there.
The general who was in active command of
the garrison, however, was Azazeer, a veteran soldier who had spent
a lifetime campaigning in the East and had acquired fame in countless
battles against the Persians and the Turks. He was acknowledged
as a great champion and was proud of the fact that he had never
lost a duel. Having served in Syria for many years, he knew Arabic
very well and spoke it fluently.
Azazeer's garrison consisted of no less
than 12,000 soldiers, but Damascus as a city had not been prepared
for a siege. Although its walls and bastions were in good order,
nothing had been done for the storage of food and fodder-a task
which, for a garrison and a population so large, would take weeks
and months. The Romans can hardly be blamed for this neglect, for
ever since the final defeat of the Persians by Heraclius in 628,
there had been no threat of any kind to Syria; and it was not until
the Battle of Ajnadein had been fought that the Romans realised
the full extent of the danger which threatened them.
Heraclius, working from his headquarters
at Antioch, now set about the task of putting things right and preparing
Damascus for a siege. Having ordered the remnants of the army of
Ajnadein to delay the Muslims at Yaqusa, he sent a force of 5,000
soldiers from Antioch to reinforce the garrison of Damascus. This
force was placed under a general named Kulus, who promised the Emperor
that he would bring the head of Khalid on a lance. 3
Kulus arrived at Damascus at about the time when the battle of Yaqusa
was fought. The strength of the garrison at Damascus was thus raised
to 17,000 men; but Kulus and Azazeer were professional rivals and
there was little love lost between them. Each wished to see the
downfall of the other.
Thomas worked feverishly to prepare the
city for a siege. Provisions were rapidly gathered from the surrounding
countryside to sustain the garrison and the inhabitants in case
the lines of supply were severed by the besiegers. However, not
enough could be gathered for a long siege. Scouts were sent out
to watch and report on the movement of the Muslims; and the bulk
of the army, leaving strong guards and a reserve in Damascus, was
ordered to prepare to fight a battle outside Damascus. The idea
was to defeat and drive back the Muslims before they could invest
the city; but it was with mounting anxiety that the Damascenes awaited
the arrival of Khalid.
1. Abu Dawud,
Ahmad and Hakim from Abu Darda. Sahih Al-Jami' Al-Saghir No.2116.
2. Damascus City has risen 4 metres since
then, so that the wall is now only 7 metres above ground level.
3. Waqidi: p. 20.
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