Khawarij, and Iraqi forces. Marwan's army was, on paper at least, far larger and more formidable than that of his opponents, as it contained many veterans of earlier Umayyad campaigns against the Byzantine Empire
; its support for the caliph, however, was only lukewarm. The morale of the Umayyads had been damaged by the series of defeats inflicted earlier in the rebellion, while the morale of the Abbasid armies had increased.
The Abbasid army formed a spear wall, a tactic they had adopted from their Umayyad opponents, presumably from witnessing it in earlier battles. This entailed standing in a battle line with their lances pointed at the enemy (similar to the stakes used by English longbowmen at Agincourt and Crécy many centuries later). The Umayyad cavalry charged, possibly believing that with their experience they could break the spear wall. This was a mistake on their part, however, and they were all but butchered. The Umayyad army fell into retreat, its morale finally shattered. Many were cut down by the zealous Abbasids or were drowned in the wintertime River Zab.
(r. 750–754), bringing to an end Umayyad rule in the Middle East.
See also
Battle of Talas was a military engagement between the Abbasid Caliphate against the Chinese Tang dynasty in July 751 AD.
References
Citations
Encyclopedia Britannica
. Retrieved 17 December 2019. Abū Muslim déclencha l'opération en 747 et la victoire fut acquise à la bataille du Grand Zāb en 750. Ibrāhīm étant mort entre-temps, Abū Muslim proclama calife son frère Abū l-'Abbās, dit as-Saffāḥ, en 749 à Kūfa. Abū Muslim started the operation in 747 and victory was gained at the Battle of the Great Zāb in 750. Ibrāhīm having died in the meantime, Abū Muslim proclaimed [as] caliph his brother Abū l-'Abbās, known as as-Saffāḥ, in 749 in Kūfa.
^Kennedy, H. (2004). The prophet and the age of the caliphates. 2nd ed.
Abbasid Caliphate
Umayyad Caliphate