Conflicts & Resolutions · Battle

Battle of the Masts

654 or 655 · 7th century · Part of the Arab–Byzantine wars

The Battle of the Masts was a naval battle fought in 654 or 655 off the coast of Lycia in south-western Anatolia, in which the young Arab fleet built up under Muawiya as governor of Syria, led by Abd Allah ibn Sa'd, defeated a Byzantine fleet commanded by Emperor Constans II in person. The first great naval victory of the Muslims, it ended unchallenged Byzantine dominance of the eastern Mediterranean.

Battle of the Masts
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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Umayyad CaliphateMilitary

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Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Battle of the Masts. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/battle-of-the-masts
MLA
“Battle of the Masts.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/battle-of-the-masts. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Battle of the Masts.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/battle-of-the-masts.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Battle of the Masts’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/battle-of-the-masts (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻