Comprehensive History

The Battle of Ain Jalut (also spelled as Ayn Jalut) was a decisive battle between Muslim Mamluks and Mongols. It is regarded as the battle that initiated the decline of the Mongol Empire. The Battle of Ain Jalut was fought in 1260 at Nazareth (now in Israel). Background Genghis Khan united various tribes of Mongols at the beginning of the 13 th Century. The unity and discipline converted these barbaric tribes into one of the world’s most formidable forces. They spread to all sides of Mongolia by crushing opponents and mercilessly killing civilians. Along with Russians, Chinese, and Europeans, Muslims also suffered badly at the hands of Mongols. In 1258, Mongols captured and destroyed Baghdad, which effectively ended the Abbasid Caliphate. Later in 1259, they took over Damascus and Aleppo from Ayyubids. Now, Mongols were in pursuit of the Holy Land. Crusades were also underway at that time. The invaders also had a few Christian realms (Armenians and Georgians) alongside Ayyubid t

The Brusilov Offensive was a major Russian offensive against the Central powers in today’s Ukraine. It is named after Russian general Aleksey Brusilov who was the mastermind behind this successful attack. This offensive relieved the besieged French forces on the Western Front. It is known as the largest Russian operation during WW1 and one of the most lethal offensives in world history. Background In February 1916, Germany besieged the French city of Verdun. It was a difficult time for France and the country requested its allies, Russia and Britain, to open new fronts to disengage Germany from Verdun. Russia initially responded with an offensive at Lake Narocz that failed miserably. After this failed offensive, Russians planned another operation from the north. During preparations for this offensive, General Aleksey Brusilov (commander of the Russian Southwestern Army) presented his plan to invade Austria-Hungary from the southwest, which would assist the main operation from th

During the era of the Rashidun Caliphate, Muslim armies fought simultaneously against two superpowers of the time, the Byzantine Empire and the Persian Empire. These warriors defeated both adversaries and expanded their rule from today’s Iran in the east to Libya in the west and Turkey in the north. During these campaigns against the superpowers of the time, Muslim forces remained victorious in almost every major battle. It is astonishing for many people how a newly formed state achieved these successes in such a short period. It happened even though the Persian and Byzantine empires got assistance from their Arabian vassal tribes and even cooperated against Muslims on some occasions (e.g. the Battle of Firaz near the Iraq-Syria border). Reasons for Early Muslim Conquests Following are some important reasons that made the Early Muslim conquests possible. New Religion The most important factor that enabled the transformation of the people of Arabia from Bedouins to a superpowe

Amr Bin al-As (or   Amr ibn al-As ) was a companion of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who is particularly known for his   conquest of Egypt   during the caliphate of   Umar bin Khattab (RA).   After the martyrdom of the third Caliph   Usman (RA),   Amr sided with   Muawiya bin Abi Sufyan (RA)   and became his right-hand man. He was a great political and military figure who played a crucial role during earlier Muslim conquests and later in the survival and rise of the first Ummayad caliph Muawiya.  Early Life Amr bin al-As (RA) was born in Makkah in the   Banu Sahm  clan of  the Quraysh   tribe around 585 AD. In his youth, he was a trader who visited different trading routes in various parts of Asia and the Middle East, including   Egypt.   This experience greatly helped him in his later expeditions as a Muslim Commander. In the early days of Islam, he was an opponent of Islam like most of the people of Quraysh. He was an intelligent person who led the envoy of Quraysh in   Abyssinia  

Aurangzeb Alamgir was the last great Mughal Emperor of India. He was one of the few rulers who ruled over almost the entire Indian subcontinent. But his path toward kingship wasn’t straightforward. Emperor Shahjehan, his father and the 5 th Mughal Emperor, had chosen his eldest son, Dara Shikoh, to replace him as emperor after his death. Aurangzeb had to fight against Dara before claiming the throne of the Mughal Empire. A major battle fought between the two brothers was the Battle of Samugarh in 1658. Victory in this battle resulted in the coronation of Aurangzeb. Background The combined forces of Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh (his younger brother) had already defeated Dara Shakoh in a smaller Battle of Dharmat. The two militaries decided to engage once again at Samugarh, 10 km east of Agra. Dara Shikoh had a larger and more powerful military, but Aurangzeb got the advantage of an experienced and battle-hardened army. The Battle The battle of Samugarh started on 29 th May 1658 w

The USSR invaded Afghanistan in December 1979 to assist the newly formed communist regime. At the time, the Soviet Union was already controlling the neighboring countries of Afghanistan in Central Asia, which made it easier for them to bring their soldiers directly to Afghanistan. Soviet-Afghan War Summary Soon after the invasion, the USSR faced stiff resistance from local freedom fighters, commonly known as Mujahideen, who received diplomatic and military assistance from a majority of Muslim and Western countries. Millions of Afghan civilians took refuge in neighboring countries. The resistance continued with its full force despite all types of cruelty and other possible measures taken by the USSR and its puppet regime in Afghanistan for ten years. The Soviet Union realized in 1986 that they would not achieve military victory in Afghanistan. At that time, they started negotiations with the US and other concerned parties, especially Pakistan. It resulted in severe military and ec