The Battle of Marj Ardabil (730)

In the 7th and 8th centuries the Khazar Khaganate and the Arab Caliphate fought for about a hundred years over the Caucasus passes. In 730 the Khazars came south through Derbent in great strength and entered Azerbaijan, led by a commander named Barjik.

The Arab general al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah marched out to meet them. A local guide advised him to retreat to Mount Sabalan and defend himself, but al-Jarrah chose to fight on the plain of Ardabil. The battle began in December and lasted three days. On the third day al-Jarrah was killed, and only a small part of the Arab army escaped.

Marj Ardabil was one of the Caliphate's worst defeats in the Caucasus. The Khazars took Ardabil and raided as far south as Mosul. The Caliphate later sent new armies, and in 737 Marwan ibn Muhammad marched as far as the Volga, but neither side ever fully defeated the other.