Conquest of Ctesiphon (al-Mada'in)

The Conquest of Ctesiphon (al-Mada'in, 'the Cities') in 16 AH was the most symbolic victory of the early Islamic conquests — the fall of the capital of the Sassanid Persian Empire. After the decisive Battle of al-Qadisiyyah, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas advanced toward the Persian capital, a complex of seven cities on the Tigris. Emperor Yazdegerd III fled northward with the imperial treasury. The Muslims crossed the Tigris River on horseback — a miraculous crossing according to Islamic tradition — and entered the city without significant resistance. In the throne room of Khosrow (the White Palace), Sa'd offered the prayer of thanks to Allah. The vast imperial treasury was distributed as spoils of war. The conquest marked the effective end of the Sassanid Empire as a political entity, though resistance continued in Iran for another decade.