Battle of Aror

Battle of Aror

The Battle of Aror took place in 711 near the Indus river between the Umayyad Caliphate and the Brahmans. It was Muhammad bin Qasim’s greatest victory and opened the Muslim expansion and migration into India.

Background

Piracy from the coast of Debal disrupted trade between the Arabian Empire and the Sinhala. The Indian Trade has a history of strategic importance in the silk road.

At the same time, Muhammad Haris Allafi had killed the Marzban of Makran, whose tenure was under Caliph`s control.

Battle

With his occupation in Sindh, Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan authorized the current Al Hajjaj, the governor of Iraq, a division of 20,000 warriors. This intrusion was motivated by the brutality Raja Dahir was imposing in the region, including pirated assaults on Muslim maritime merchants and the shelter of Muhammad Haris Allafi.

Muhammad bin Qasim marched to Shiras for Debal via Makran in 711 CE. He recovered previously held prisoners and hostages of Raja Dahir's futile campaign. His soldiers, alongside released prisoners and tribes near Debal, moved on to Nerun. The city's Buddhist governor supported the Caliphate's initiative against Raja Dahir and volunteered to assist.

Qasim's force advanced to Siwistan (Sehwan), where he was welcomed and received loyalties from many tribal leaders. His combined strength occupied the fort near Sisam and established the area west of the River Indus in Sindh. Dahir moved his 60,000 troops to the Indus River's eastern banks to prevent Qasim from crossing. Qasim eventually crossed the border and defeated forces led by Jaisiah (Dahir's son) at Jitor. Dahir was killed in the Battle of Aror near Raor (modern-day Nawabshah) in 712 AD. Dahar's head was sent to Hajjaj bin Yousuf.

Aftermath

The victory allowed Muslims to establish a checkpoint for further incursion into India. However, the Pratihara resistance and internal conflicts in the Abbasid Caliphate hindered serious Muslim conquests until the Ghaznavid Empire with Mahmud of Ghazni's expedition and the Ghurid Empire, which created the Delhi Sultanate.

Notes

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