Battle of Anzen The Battle of Anzen or Dazimon was fought on 22 July 838 at Anzen or Dazimon ( now Dazman , Turkey ) between the Byzantine Empire and the forces of the Abbasid Caliphate . The Abbasids had launched a huge expedition with two separate armies in retaliation for the Byzantine emperor Theophilos ' s successes the previous year , and aimed to sack Amorion , one of the Byzantium ' s largest cities . Theophilos with his army confronted the smaller army , under General Afshin , at Dazimon . The numerically superior Byzantine army was initially successful , but when Theophilos resolved to lead an attack in person , his absence from his usual post caused panic among the Byzantine troops , who feared that he had been killed . Coupled with a fierce counterattack by Afshin ' s Turkish horse - archers , the Byzantine army broke and fled . Theophilos and his guard were besieged for a while in a hill , before making good their escape . The defeat opened the way for the brutal sack of Amorion a few weeks later , one of the most serious blows Byzantium suffered in the centuries - long Arab – Byzantine Wars . Background . In 829 , as the young Theophilos ( reigned 829 – 842 ) ascended the Byzantine throne , the Byzantine – Arab Wars had gone on and off for almost two centuries . An ambitious man and a convinced iconoclast , Theophilos sought to bolster his regime and support his religious policies by military success against the Abbasid Caliphate , the Empire ' s major antagonist . Throughout the 830s , Theophilos launched a series of moderately successful campaigns against the Caliphate , allowing him to portray himself in the traditional Roman way as a victorious emperor . In 837 , Theophilos himself led a major campaign to the region of the upper Euphrates , sacking the cities of Arsamosata and Sozopetra – which some sources claim as Abbasid Caliph al - Mu ' tasim ( reigned 833 – 842 ) own birthplace – and forcing Melitene to pay tribute and deliver hostages in return for being spared . In response , al - Mu ' tasim decided to launch a major punitive expedition against Byzantium , aiming to capture the two major Byzantine cities of central Anatolia , Ancyra and Amorion . The latter was probably the largest city in Anatolia at the time , as well as the birthplace of the reigning Amorian dynasty and consequently of particular symbolic importance ; according to the chronicles , al - Mu ' tasim ' s soldiers painted the word " Amorion " on their shields and banners . A vast army was gathered at Tarsus ( 80 , 000 men according to Treadgold ) , which was then divided into two main forces . The northern force , under the commander Afshin , would invade the Armeniac theme from the region of Melitene , joining up with the forces of the city ' s emir , Omar al - Aqta . The southern , main force , under the Caliph himself , would pass the Cilician Gates into Cappadocia and head to Ancyra . After the city was taken , the Arab armies would join and march to Amorion . Afshin ' s force included , according to Skylitzes , the entire Arab army of Armenia , and numbered 20 , 000 ( Haldon ) to 30 , 000 men ( Treadgold ) , among whom were some 10 , 000 Turkish horse - archers . On the Byzantine side , Theophilos was early on aware of the Caliph ' s intentions , and set out from Constantinople in early June . His army included the men from the Anatolian and possibly also the European themes , the elite " tagma ta " regiments , as well as a contingent of Persian and Kurdish Khurramites . Under their leader Nasr ( converted to Christianity and baptized as Theophobos ) , these people had fled religious persecution in the Caliphate , deserted to the Empire in the previous years , and formed the so - called " Persian " tourma " " . Camping at Dorylaion , the Emperor divided his forces , sending a strong corps to reinforce the garrison of Amorion , while he himself set out with the remainder ( circa 25 , 000 according to Haldon and 40 , 000 according to Treadgold ) to interpose himself between the Cilician Gates and Ancyra . Battle . In mid - June , Afshin crossed the Anti - Taurus Mountains and encamped at the fort of Dazimon ( , modern Dazman ) , between Amaseia and Tokate , a strategically important location which served as a concentration point ( " aplekton " ) for the Byzantines too . A few days later , on 19 June , the vanguard of the main Abbasid army also invaded Byzantine territory , followed two days after by the Caliph with the main body . Theophilos was informed of these movements in mid - July . Afshin ' s force was smaller , but also threatened to cut off his supply lines . Consequently , the Emperor left a small covering force against the Caliph ' s army and marched east to confront Afshin . On 21 July , the imperial army came into view of the Arab force , and encamped on a hill in the plain of Dazimonitis south of the fort of Dazimon , named Anzen ( Greek : ) . Although Theophilos ' s principal commanders , Theophobos and the Domestic of the Schools Manuel , both advised for a surprise night attack , the Emperor sided with the opinion of the other officers and resolved to wait and launch his attack on the next day . The Byzantine army attacked at dawn , and initially made good progress : they drove back one wing of the opposite army , inflicting 3 , 000 casualties on the Arabs . Near noon , Theophilos resolved to reinforce the other wing , and detached 2 , 000 Byzantines and the Kurdish contingent to do so , abandoning his post and passing behind his own army ' s lines . At this point , however , Afshin launched his Turkish horse - archers in a ferocious counter - attack which stymied the Byzantine advance and allowed the Arab forces to regroup . The Byzantine troops then noticed the emperor ' s absence , and , thinking he had been killed , began to waver . This soon turned into a disorderly retreat ; some men fled as far as Constantinople , bringing with them the rumour that the Emperor had been killed . Some units , however , were apparently able to retreat in good order and assemble at a place called Chiliokomon . Theophilos found himself isolated with his " tagmata " and the Kurds on the hill of Anzen . The Arabs proceeded to surround the hill , but the Byzantines were saved by a sudden rain , which loosened the strings of the Turkish bows , rendering them useless . Afshin then sent for catapults to be brought up to batter the Byzantine position . At the same time , Theophilos ' s officers , afraid of treachery by the Kurdish troops , persuaded him to withdraw . Breaking through the Arab lines and suffering many wounds in the process ( the sources variously credit Manuel , who was severely wounded and possibly died soon after , and Theophobos for saving the Emperor ) , Theophilos and his small escort managed to reach safety at Chiliokomon , where he gradually re - assembled the remnants of his army . Aftermath . In the aftermath of this defeat , and with rumours circulating in Constantinople of his death , Theophilos ' s position was precarious . He abandoned the campaign and withdrew to Dorylaion , whence he soon departed for the imperial capital . Ancyra itself was left abandoned , and plundered by the Arab army on 27 July . Then the united Abbasid army marched unopposed to Amorion , which fell after a siege of two weeks . Out of its entire population of some 70 , 000 , only about half survived the brutal sack , to be sold as slaves . The fall of the city was one of the heaviest blows Byzantium suffered in the entire 9th century , both in material and symbolic terms . Luckily for the Empire , news of a rebellion in the Caliphate forced al - Mu ' tasim to withdraw soon after . At the same time , Theophilos had to deal with a revolt by Theophobos and his Kurds . When rumours of Theophilos ' s death reached the capital , the name of Theophobos , who was related to the Emperor by marriage and apparently an iconodule , was put forward by some as the new emperor . On returning to the city , Theophilos recalled his general , but the latter , fearful of being punished , fled with his loyal Kurds to Sinope , where he was proclaimed emperor . In the event , however , Theophobos was persuaded to surrender peacefully in the next year , while the " Persian " corps was disbanded and its men dispersed throughout the themes . Tragic though they were for the Byzantines at the time , the defeat at Anzen and the subsequent sack of Amorion were militarily of no long - term importance to the Empire , since the Abbasids failed to follow up on their success . They did , however , play a crucial role in discrediting iconoclasm , which had always relied on military success to maintain its validity . Shortly after Theophilos ' s sudden death in 842 , the veneration of icons was restored as part of the Triumph of Orthodoxy throughout the Empire . The Battle of Anzen is also notable for illustrating the difficulties faced by the Byzantine military of the time against horse - archers , a remarkable change from the army of the 6th – 7th centuries , when such skills formed a core part of Byzantine tactical doctrine . It is also remarkable for being the first confrontation of the middle Byzantine army with the Turkic nomads from Central Asia , whose descendants would emerge as Byzantium ' s major antagonists from the mid - 11th century on .