A History of Agriculture in India v2.c53.s5.1

v2.c53.s5.1

Abu Bakr succeeded Muhammad as his Caliph in A.D. 632. He was followed by Omar (A.D. 634-644), whose general, Khalid, defeated the army of Heraclius in A.D. 636 upon the banks of the Yarmak, a tributary of the Jordan. Damascus was taken in A.D. 635. In A.D. 641, the Persian army was defeated at Nahavend by Caliph Omar, and Iran, Mesopotamia and Central Asia passed into Muslim hands. Alexandria was sacked in A.D. 642. Syria, Iran and Egypt were conquered by the Arab Army, all in a period of twenty-five years. Thus the Arabs controlled the trade routes from China, India and Africa. Under Walid I (A.D. 705-714), northern Africa and Spain were conquered.