Umayyad invasion of Georgia

Umayyad invasion of Georgia
Part of Umayyad expansion

Georgia and Caucasus after the invasion.
Date735–737
Location
Result Umayyad Caliphate victory
Belligerents
Principality of Iberia
Principality of Kakheti
Kingdom of Abkhazia
Duchy of Argveti
Umayyad Caliphate
Commanders and leaders
Archil of Kakheti
Mirian of Kakheti
Leon I of Abkhazia
David of Argveti [ka]
Constantine of Argveti [ka]
Marwan II

The Umayyad invasion of Georgia, in Georgian historiography known as an Invasion of Marwan the Deaf (Georgian: მურვან ყრუს შემოსევა, romanized: murvan q'rus shemoseva) took place from 735 to 737, initiated by last Umayyad caliph Marwan II against the Principality of Iberia. The goals of the campaign are disputed among historians. The Georgian historiography insists its main purpose was to finally break the stiff Georgian resistance against Arab rule,[1] however, the western historians such as Cyril Toumanoff,[2] and Ronald Suny,[3] view it as a general campaign directed at both the Byzantine Empire, who exerted dominion over Western Georgia, and the Khazars, whose repeated raids affected not only Iberia (Eastern Georgia) and the whole Caucasus, but had in 730 reached Arab lands all the way to Mosul.

  1. ^ Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, pg. 199, Tb., 1984
  2. ^ Toumanoff, Cyril, "Iberia between Chosroid and Bagratid Rule", in Studies in Christian Caucasian History, Georgetown, 1963, p. 405. Accessible online at "Iberia between Chosroid and Bagratid Rule by Cyril Toumanoff. Eastern Asia Minor, Georgia, Georgian History, Armenia, Armenian History". Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  3. ^ Suny, Ronald Grigor (1994), The Making of the Georgian Nation: 2nd edition, p. 28. Indiana University Press, ISBN 0253209153