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After the rise of Islam, and the consolidation of Arabia, Arab armies ultimately defeated the Byzantines and Sassanid Persians, absorbing the Persian empire outright. The Persians had a strong influence on later cultural developments in what would become the Muslim world, noticeably so in art and architecture.

If the Arabs didn't manage to overrun Sassanid Persia, what changes might there be in the development of Arab culture, or that of Islamic influence in general?

The change required to make this happen probably lies in the brutal and ruinous war between the Byzantines and Sassanids that preceded their defeats by the Arab armies. Trying to avoid excessive butterflies, let's let the Sassainids incur fewer casualties as the war with Constantinople turns against them. The Byzantines advance siege by siege while an intact Sassanid army can pick at them where it so chooses. Both Empires would begin to discuss peace, when the Arabs explode out of the Arabian peninnsula.

The Persians manage to defeat initial Arab incursions into Mesopotemia, while the Byzantines start losing the Levant and Egypt partly because of the local populations' theological differences and political disloyalty.

Ultimately the Sassanids lose Mesopotamia, but hold the mountain passes, while the Byzantines lose what they did OTL, more or less. At least a temporary peace breaks out for everyone to catch their breath, but the Caliphate never is able to conquer and hold Persia proper. (I don't know what wacky things this means for the Turks)

Lacking the strong Persian influences of OTL, what does this Caliphate and developing Arabian culture look like? Relatively speaking, Levant and Egyptian influences may be stronger; but they did exist OTL also.

Thoughts?
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