SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The work deals with the Arab conquests from the first invasions of foreign territory up to the death of 'Uthman. The subject-matter comprises the reduction, pacification and occupation of the conquered areas, data being drawn from the major Arabic sources, from some Persian local histories, and from two Christian historians. A computer was used to assist in processing the information, the resulting documents being used in sorting, presenting and analysing the data. The work consists of the following sections: Introduction. II. List of Primary sources, Secondary works and Isnads. III. Appraisal of the Sources. IV. Reports and Commentaries by Regions. For each region the reports on Terminations of Hostilities are presented systematically in categories, each report with full references. This list is followed by a Commentary, giving first a brief survey of the conquest, and then a discussion and evaluation of the reports. V. Analysis of the Reports and Conclusion. The reports are considered as a whole, and are analysed by quantitative and qualitative methods. In the Conclusion the results of the work are summarized and a brief assessment is made of the effect of the Terminations of Hostilities upon the outcome of the conquests.