Siege of Aleppo (994–995)

The Siege of Aleppo (994–995) was a military conflict between the Byzantine Empire, under the domesticus scholarum (commander-in-chief) Bardas Phokas the Younger, and the Hamdanid emirate of Aleppo, led by its emir Sa'd al-Dawla. The siege was precipitated by Byzantine expansionist ambitions in northern Syria and the Hamdanids' diminished power following internal strife and external pressures.

In 994, Phokas launched a major campaign into Hamdanid territory, aiming to capture Aleppo, a strategically important city and regional capital. The Byzantine army, which included Georgian and Armenian contingents, laid siege to the city. Sa'd al-Dawla, unable to effectively counter the Byzantines on his own, appealed for aid to the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt.

The Fatimid Caliph al-Aziz Billah responded to the call and dispatched an army under the command of the Turkish general Manjutakin. Manjutakin’s forces arrived in Syria in 995 and marched north towards Aleppo, relieving the city from the Byzantine siege.

Upon learning of the approaching Fatimid army, Bardas Phokas lifted the siege and withdrew his forces from the area. The Byzantine retreat allowed Manjutakin to secure Aleppo and reassert Fatimid influence in northern Syria. While the Byzantine siege failed to capture Aleppo, it highlighted the ongoing struggle for dominance in the region between the Byzantine Empire and the various Muslim powers. This event was a significant moment in the long history of Byzantine-Arab warfare.