{"slug": "raqqa", "label": "Raqqa", "wikipedia": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raqqa", "wikidata": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q283368", "qid": "Q283368", "description": "city in Syria", "entries": 10, "years": 10, "span": [296, 2017], "span_label": ["296 CE", "2017 CE"], "topics": [{"title": "Conflict & Security", "count": 6}, {"title": "Religion & Belief", "count": 2}, {"title": "Disasters & Accidents", "count": 1}, {"title": "Geopolitics & Diplomacy", "count": 1}], "also_known_as": [], "related": [{"slug": "syria", "label": "Syria", "shared": 5}, {"slug": "euphrates", "label": "Euphrates", "shared": 3}, {"slug": "aleppo", "label": "Aleppo", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "islamic-state", "label": "Islamic State", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "bilad-al-sham", "label": "Bilad al-Sham", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "byzantine-empire", "label": "Byzantine Empire", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "justinian-i", "label": "Justinian I", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "belisarius", "label": "Belisarius", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "persians", "label": "Persians", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "christians", "label": "Christians", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "ali", "label": "Ali", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "mu-awiya-i", "label": "Mu'awiya I", "shared": 1}], "items": [{"year": 296, "year_label": "296 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "The Persian king Narseh invades Roman-held Upper Mesopotamia and Arsacid western Armenia, the latter territory being under the leadership of the pro-Roman king Tiridates III. With only a small army, Caesar Galerius fights three holding actions against Narseh's army in Mesopotamia. Somewhere in the open plains between Carrhae and Callinicum, Galerius' army suffers a defeat against the Persian army, which is both more numerous and contains superior numbers of high-quality cavalry. Nevertheless, Galerius succeeds in blunting the Persian offensive.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1267076673#Roman_Empire", "title": "296", "revid": 1267076673, "section": "Events › By place › Roman Empire"}}, {"year": 388, "year_label": "388 CE", "section": "Religion & Belief", "date": null, "text": "A group of Christians storms the synagogue of the city Callinicum (Syria), at the Euphrates.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1321355496#Religion", "title": "388", "revid": 1321355496, "section": "Events › By topic › Religion"}}, {"year": 531, "year_label": "531 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": "April 19", "text": "April 19 – Battle of Callinicum: A Byzantine army (20,000 men), commanded by Belisarius, is defeated by the Persians at Raqqa (northern Syria). Emperor Justinian I negotiates an end to the hostilities, and Belisarius is hailed as a hero.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1351343342#Byzantine_Empire", "title": "531", "revid": 1351343342, "section": "Events › By place › Byzantine Empire"}}, {"year": 657, "year_label": "657 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": "July 26", "text": "July 26 - July 28 – Battle of Siffin: Muslim forces under Ali ibn Abi-Talib fight an inconclusive battle against Mu'awiya I, on the banks of the Euphrates, near Raqqa (Syria).", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1340804374#Arab_Empire", "title": "657", "revid": 1340804374, "section": "Events › By place › Arab Empire"}}, {"year": 772, "year_label": "772 CE", "section": "Religion & Belief", "date": null, "text": "Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur completes construction of the garrison city of al-Rāfiqah adjacent to Raqqa.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1359487792#Asia", "title": "772", "revid": 1359487792, "section": "Events › By place › Asia"}}, {"year": 806, "year_label": "806 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Arab–Byzantine wars: Caliph Harun al-Rashid leads a huge military expedition, assembling men from Syria, Palestine, Persia, and Egypt. The invasion army (reportedly 135,000 men) departs from Raqqa, residence of Harun, and enters Cappadocia through the Cilician Gates, sacking several Byzantine fortresses and cities. Heraclea is captured after a month-long siege (August/September). The city is plundered and razed; its inhabitants are enslaved and deported to the Abbasid Caliphate.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1292643508#Abbasid_Caliphate", "title": "806", "revid": 1292643508, "section": "Events › By place › Abbasid Caliphate"}}, {"year": 945, "year_label": "945 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Summer – Sayf al-Dawla is defeated by Muslim forces under Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid near Qinnasrin. He is forced to abandon his Syrian domains and flees to Raqqa. In October the two men come to an agreement, which recognizes Hamdanid rule over northern Syria, founding the Emirate of Aleppo.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1365595392#Arabian_Empire", "title": "945", "revid": 1365595392, "section": "Events › By place › Arabian Empire"}}, {"year": 1300, "year_label": "1300 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": "December 30", "text": "December 30 (17 Rabi II 700 AH) – Mahmud Ghazan, ruler of the Mongol Empire's Ikhanate area in the Middle East, crosses the Euphrates River at Qala'at Jabar (modern-day Raqqa in Syria) to invade Syria. Residents of Damascus, Aleppo and other areas of Syria, fearing a repeat of the massacre a few months earlier, flee toward Gaza. Ghazan turns back less than five weeks later because of unusually cold weather (including heavy snow and rain) that kills almost all of his cavalry's 12,000 horses.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1363832742#October_–_December", "title": "1300", "revid": 1363832742, "section": "October – December"}}, {"year": 2014, "year_label": "2014 CE", "section": "Disasters & Accidents", "date": "December 24", "text": "December 24 - A Royal Jordanian Air Force warplane crashes, and its pilot is captured by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants near the city of Raqqa in northern Syria.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1250558963#December", "title": "2014 in Jordan", "revid": 1250558963, "section": "Events › December"}}, {"year": 2017, "year_label": "2017 CE", "section": "Geopolitics & Diplomacy", "date": "October 17", "text": "October 17 – Syrian Civil War: Raqqa is declared fully liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1371948773#October", "title": "2017", "revid": 1371948773, "section": "Events › October"}}]}