The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire / Table of Contents with links in the HTML file to the two Project Gutenberg editions (12 volumes) · Chapter 234
Muslim Conquest of the Middle East
Following Muhammad's death, Arab armies rapidly conquered Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and Persia, overthrowing the Sassanid Empire and stripping the Byzantine Empire of its richest provinces.
Outcome
The Islamic Caliphate emerged as a new world power; Christianity lost its eastern heartlands, and the Mediterranean world was permanently divided between Christian and Muslim spheres.