The Battle of Meshan was fought in 634 AD when the Arab Rashidun general Shurahbil ibn Hasana captured the Sassanid port city of Meshan in Azoristan (southern Iraq) during the Muslim conquest of Persia.
Shurahbil's 1,680-strong army was sent from its base of al-Hira to fight against the Persians in Mesopotamia, but, before he could advance on the Persian capital of Ctesiphon, he was first forced to secure his southern flank. He marched to the seaport of Meshan, facing a Sassanid garrison of 465 troops, including a ship carrying skirmishers. He had his mounted skirmishers ride to the shore to intercept the Persian marines, killing all but five of them with showers of javelins and forcing the leaderless ship to retreat. He then divided his army into three corps and assaulted the town from three sides, overwhelming the defenders and capturing the city. Meshan was secured with just 212 losses for the Arabs, and Shurahbil went on to repair the damaged buildings and build a mosque to begin the conversion of Azoristan to Islam. In addition, he renamed the port city to "al-Ubulla", and it would be known as such until its disappearance in the 13th century.
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