Battle field of the Battle of Gaugamela or Arbela
The Battle of Gaugamela took place on a wide flat plain near Kalakchi in northern Iraq where Alexander the Great faced the Persian forces led by Darius III. The open grassland with low hills and few structures gives visitors a sense of how thousands of soldiers once fought across this unobstructed terrain.
The battle took place in 331 BC as Alexander's forces defeated the much larger Persian army of King Darius III. This victory marked the beginning of the Persian Empire's collapse and opened the path for Alexander's expansion across the region.
Local stories about King Darius and Alexander the Great are passed down among people in the region. These tales connect residents to the ancient past and keep the significance of this place alive in community memory.
The site is accessible by foot across open terrain but has no visitor facilities or modern amenities nearby. Prepare for simple conditions with little shade, and expect weather changes that can bring sudden storms to the open plain.
The name Gaugamela comes from a nearby hill shaped like a camel's hump, which the Persians called Gaugamela. Before the battle, soldiers from different lands reported strange signs in the sky such as meteors and darkness, which made their army uneasy about the coming fight.
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