Radio War Nerd EP #249 — Arab Conquests, Part 2: Rise of a New Empire

Guest: Aamer, podcaster & writer

Recorded: October 7, 2020

We're back with Aamer for Part 2 in our series on the Arab Conquests in the 7th-8th centuries. In Part I (EP #246) we learned about pre-Islamic history of the Arabian peninsula & the rise of Muhammad and Islam through Muhammad's death in 632. In Part II, it's all war gore: the turbulent succession after Muhammad's death, the brief reign of Abu Bakr, the lightening expansion of the new Islamic empire throughout the Arab peninsula and into modern-day Iraq and Syria, taking on both the Sassanid Empire and Byzantium Empire. 

First: the Nerd and Ames sound off on the sorry state of US presidential politics...

At 23:40 - Aamer joins us to for Part II of the Arab Conquests.

*Maps

*Ridda Wars, 632 

*Battle of Chains vs Sassanids (Kuzima, modern-day Kuwait)

*Muslim invasion of Byzantine Syria, 634

*Battle of Yarmouk vs Byzantines

Check out Aamer's true crime podcast Das Criminal here. Sign up for Aamer's new substack here.

Total time: 2:24:21

Direct link to this episode's mp3 here