# Second Arab siege of Constantinople (July/August 717 – 15 August 718)

URL: https://allhistories.com/syria/timeline/717-second-arab-siege-of-constantinople
Location: Constantinople
Themes: Byzantine-Arab wars, Syrian army

The Arab army under Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, made up mostly of Syrian and Jazira troops, reached Constantinople in the summer of 717. The siege lifted on 15 August 718 after about thirteen months. Theophanes mentions 1,800 ships, a figure treated with caution, and says only five ships returned to Syria. Byzantine Emperor Leo III had taken the throne by deceiving the Arabs, who had backed a rival. A harsh winter brought famine and disease, Greek fire destroyed much of the fleet, Egyptian Christian crews defected, and Bulgars attacked the besiegers. Claims of 300,000 or 150,000 Arab deaths are generally regarded as exaggerated. The Arabs abandoned the goal of conquering Constantinople and the frontier settled along the Taurus. The defeat strained the caliphate's finances and army, and the Syrian war machine never again attempted such a campaign. Historians such as J. B. Bury count the siege among the decisive battles of world history. At this point in the timeline (717 CE), the Umayyad Caliphate, with its capital Damascus, was under Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik (February 715 CE – September 717 CE). The main location of this event lies outside present-day Syria.

## Why it matters
The failed siege ended Arab hopes of conquering Constantinople and fixed a stable frontier between the caliphate and Byzantium.

Ruler at the Time: [Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik](https://allhistories.com/syria/rulers/sulayman-ibn-abd-al-malik)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Second Arab siege of Constantinople](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Arab_siege_of_Constantinople)
- [Wikipedia — Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulayman_ibn_Abd_al-Malik)