Abbasid and Tang Armies Meet at Talas

In July 751, armies representing the Abbasid Caliphate and the Tang Empire clashed along the banks of the Talas River, near the modern frontier dividing Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The confrontation was ignited by regional friction in the Syr Darya basin. Following a dispute between the kingdoms of Fergana and Shash, the Tang military commander Gao Xianzhi intervened, sacking Shash and transporting its ruler to the imperial capital of Chang'an for execution. Seeking redress, the prince of Shash appealed for intervention from Arab forces based at Samarkand. Commanded by Ziyad ibn Salih and reinforced by Abu Muslim, Abbasid troops marched east to check Tang authority.

Accounts of troop numbers on both sides vary considerably across surviving traditions. The best modern estimates suggest that each side fielded between 30,000 and 50,000 soldiers, though some medieval accounts give much larger figures. Karluk Turks fought on the flanks of the Tang army. Tang forces engaged the Arab vanguard, which formed dense formations of shields and spears along with protective trenches until the main Abbasid force joined the engagement.