In 334 BC, Alexander crossed the Hellespont into Asia. He won his first major victory at the Granicus River, liberating the Greek cities of Ionia. He then cut the Gordian Knot in Phrygia, signaling his destiny to rule Asia.
At Issus in 333 BC, Alexander directly faced King Darius III. Despite being outnumbered, Alexander's cavalry charge shattered the Persian line, forcing Darius to flee and leaving his family captured. Alexander then secured the Levant and Egypt, where he was hailed as Pharaoh and founded Alexandria.
The decisive clash came at Gaugamela in 331 BC. On a vast plain chosen by Darius, Alexander's tactical genius once again prevailed. Darius fled and was later murdered by his own satrap. Alexander burned Persepolis, symbolizing the end of the Persian Empire.
Driven by an insatiable desire for conquest, Alexander pushed into Central Asia and India. At the Hydaspes River, he defeated King Porus and his war elephants. However, his exhausted troops refused to go further. Alexander returned to Babylon, where he died in 323 BC at the age of 32, leaving his empire to 'the strongest'.
