Abbasid invasion of Asia Minor
Years: 806 - 806
The Abbasid invasion of Asia Minor in 806 is the largest operation ever launched by the Abbasid Caliphate against the Byzantine Empire.
The expedition is commanded in person by the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid (reigned 786–809), who wishes to retaliate for the Byzantine successes in the Caliphate's frontier region in the previous year and impress Abbasid might upon the Byzantine emperor, Nikephoros I (r. 802–811).
The huge Abbasid army, according to Arab sources numbering more than 135,000 men, raids across Cappadocia unopposed, capturing several towns and fortresses, most notably Herakleia, and forcing Nikephoros to seek peace in exchange for tribute.
Following Harun's departure, however, Nikephoros violates the terms of the treaty and reoccupies the frontier forts he had been forced to abandon.
Harun's preoccupation with a rebellion in Khurasan, and his death three years later, prohibit a reprisal on a similar scale.
Moreover, the Abbasid civil war that begins after 809 and the Byzantine preoccupation with the Bulgars contributes to a cessation of large-scale Arab–Byzantine conflict for two decades.
