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Battle of Mount Phoenix(Battle of the Masts) |
year: 655 |
| A landmark defeat of Byzantium at sea by the Arabs who became a naval power | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
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enemy: Arabs
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location: Off the coast of ancient Lycia, near the harbor of Phoenix (modern Finike , South Turkey)
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accuracy:
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battle type: Naval Battle |
war: Early Byzantine-Muslim Wars |
modern country:
Turkey |
| ▼ The Byzantines(emperor: Constans II Pogonatos) | ▼ The Enemies | |
| Commander: | Emperor Constans II | Abdullah ibn Saad |
| Forces: | 500 ships | 200 ships |
| Losses: | Almost completely destroyed | Heavy |
| Background story: |
| In 645, Abdullah ibn Saad was made Governor of Egypt by his foster brother Caliph Uthman, replacing the semi-independent Amr ibn al-As (the conqueror of Egypt). One of the initiatives of the new governor was the organization of Jihad by sea. He built a strong navy and proved to be a skilled naval commander. Under him the Muslim navy won a number of naval victories including repulsing a Byzantine counter-attack on Alexandria in 646. In 655, Muawiyah (governor of Syria and, later, caliph) undertook an expedition in Cappadocia while his fleet, under the command of Abdullah ibn Saad, advanced along the southern coast of Anatolia. Emperor Constans II recognized the danger posed by Muawiya’s success at sea, since it meant that the Byzantine heartland of Asia Minor was being caught in the “pincers” of a double threat from the Arabs: attacks by land and a surrounding movement to the south by sea. Therefore, he embarked against it with a large fleet. The two fleets met off the coast of Lycia . |
The Battle: |
 Battle of the Masts At first the wind was blowing against the Arab ships, that is, it was favorable for the Byzantines, but it quickly stopped blowing completely. The Arabs used an unprecedented tactic of tying their ships together with ropes and chains so that it was impossible to penetrate their formation. The Arabs approached the Byzantines with this solid formation and rushed to the decks of the Byzantine ships that could not be maneuvered. The ships were involved at such a short distance that their masts became entangled and that is why the collision was called “Battle of the Masts”. The naval battle turned into a hand-to-hand battle, as if they were fighting on land. And it seems that this kind of conflict gave an advantage to the Arabs, who, in addition, showed higher seamanship than expected. On the other hand, in this mess, the Byzantines suffered from a lack of coordination and leadership. The battle lasted almost two days. At the end, the Romans were heavily defeated. According to the 9th century chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, “the sea ran with blood and the waves piled up the bodies on the shore.” Though outnumbered, the Arabs were victorious. As the Byzantines fled, a storm decimated what remained of their shattered fleet. Constans managed to make his escape by exchanging uniforms with one of his officers. The victorious Muslim fleet was also badly damaged and withdrew to allow Muawiya to contest for the Caliphate. |
Noteworthy: |
| Τhe night before the battle, Constans dreamed of being in Thessaloniki. The authorized dream interpreters of the Court ruled that the dream was a harbinger of victory. Of course, post factum , after the battle, all the courtiers claimed that the dream foreshadowed the defeat of the Arabs, because “Thessaloniki”, in Greek, is also read as “you want another victory” which meant that you would need another victory (in another battle, another time) to defeat the Arabs. |
Aftermath: |
| One of the biggest naval battles in world history. A milestone in the history of the Middle East as it established the superiority of the Muslims at sea as well as on land. |
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