THE CONQUEST OF PALESTINE by the Sasanian Persians in 614 and their subsequent occupation up to 628 proved to be the first major blow that the Christians of that region were to suffer, a blow from which they never fully recovered. This chapter first examines the nature of the invasion in 614, in particular the extent of destruction in Jerusalem and elsewhere, and how much damage the Sasanian troops, their Jewish allies, and bedouin caused. An examination of the subsequent years of the Sasanian occupation then follows, focusing on the rebuilding that the Christians carried out.

The Sasanian Invasion

The Sasanian army appeared in the area in the spring of 614 after conquering Syria in the previous years and taking Damascus in 613. The Sasanians first defeated Byzantine forces in a battle in the Hawran between Der’a and Busra and took prisoners and booty. Several Safaitic inscriptions might record this battle, although they might refer to the Parthian invasion of 40 BC or the revolt of Queen Zenobia of Palmyra in AD 270-72. This battle may also be the one to which the Qur’ān refers in Sūrat al-Rūm (30), vs. 2-3: “The Greeks have been defeated in a neighboring land”, as discussed by many Qur’ānic commentators and historians.

The victory of the Sasanians opened the way for their advance south. Their line of march to Jerusalem can be established on the basis of the literary sources. The account of the capture of Jerusalem refers only to the Sasanians passing through Caesarea, Arsuf, and Lod on their way, but they probably traveled first along the main road from Damascus via Tiberias and Sepphoris. After their capture of Jerusalem the Sasanian army returned to Damascus via Jericho,although whether their route took them north up the Jordan Valley or east onto the Jordanian plateau and then north up along the Via Nova or by some other route is undocumented.

The places along the army’s route seem not to have suffered much harm. In Galilee, the Sasanians passed through territory where the Jewish inhabitants, embittered against Byzantine rule, were concentrated. As a consequence they met little opposition from the local population in the north of Palestine. Indeed, many Jews are reported to have actively joined the Sasanian forces, as will be seen later.