diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 2e18ae527..f4686c82c 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 - (Feature) JobScheduler Coverage
 - (Feature) JobScheduler Volumes, Probes, Lifecycle and Ports integration
 - (Feature) Merge ArangoDB Usage Metrics
+- (Bugfix) Check Connection to the ArangoDB before creating Backup
 
 ## [1.2.38](https://github.com/arangodb/kube-arangodb/tree/1.2.38) (2024-02-22)
 - (Feature) Extract GRPC Server
diff --git a/pkg/handlers/backup/arango_client.go b/pkg/handlers/backup/arango_client.go
index a99bee6ed..177e4ae9d 100644
--- a/pkg/handlers/backup/arango_client.go
+++ b/pkg/handlers/backup/arango_client.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 //
 // DISCLAIMER
 //
-// Copyright 2016-2023 ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
+// Copyright 2016-2024 ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -75,5 +75,7 @@ type ArangoBackupClient interface {
 	Exists(driver.BackupID) (bool, error)
 	Delete(driver.BackupID) error
 
+	HealthCheck() error
+
 	List() (map[driver.BackupID]driver.BackupMeta, error)
 }
diff --git a/pkg/handlers/backup/arango_client_impl.go b/pkg/handlers/backup/arango_client_impl.go
index c4bfe2d59..0792e547c 100644
--- a/pkg/handlers/backup/arango_client_impl.go
+++ b/pkg/handlers/backup/arango_client_impl.go
@@ -292,3 +292,11 @@ func (ac *arangoClientBackupImpl) Abort(jobID driver.BackupTransferJobID) error
 
 	return ac.driver.Backup().Abort(ctx, jobID)
 }
+
+func (ac *arangoClientBackupImpl) HealthCheck() error {
+	ctx, cancel := globals.GetGlobalTimeouts().BackupArangoClientTimeout().WithTimeout(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+
+	_, err := ac.driver.Version(ctx)
+	return err
+}
diff --git a/pkg/handlers/backup/arango_client_mock_test.go b/pkg/handlers/backup/arango_client_mock_test.go
index 8ada1a85e..69388c047 100644
--- a/pkg/handlers/backup/arango_client_mock_test.go
+++ b/pkg/handlers/backup/arango_client_mock_test.go
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func newMockArangoClientBackup(errors mockErrorsArangoClientBackup) *mockArangoC
 }
 
 type mockErrorsArangoClientBackup struct {
-	createError, listError, getError, uploadError, downloadError, progressError, existsError, deleteError, abortError error
+	createError, listError, getError, uploadError, downloadError, progressError, existsError, deleteError, abortError, healthCheckError error
 }
 
 type mockArangoClientBackupState struct {
@@ -245,6 +245,10 @@ func (m *mockArangoClientBackup) CreateAsync(jobID string) (ArangoBackupCreateRe
 	return ArangoBackupCreateResponse{}, async.NewErrorAsyncJobInProgress(jobID)
 }
 
+func (m *mockArangoClientBackup) HealthCheck() error {
+	return m.state.errors.healthCheckError
+}
+
 func (m *mockArangoClientBackup) getIDs() []string {
 	ret := make([]string, 0, len(m.state.backups))
 
diff --git a/pkg/handlers/backup/state_create.go b/pkg/handlers/backup/state_create.go
index 9c11288aa..78b4debfa 100644
--- a/pkg/handlers/backup/state_create.go
+++ b/pkg/handlers/backup/state_create.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 //
 // DISCLAIMER
 //
-// Copyright 2016-2023 ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
+// Copyright 2016-2024 ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -39,6 +39,15 @@ func stateCreateHandler(h *handler, backup *backupApi.ArangoBackup) (*backupApi.
 		return nil, newTemporaryError(err)
 	}
 
+	if err := client.HealthCheck(); err != nil {
+		return wrapUpdateStatus(backup,
+			updateStatusState(backupApi.ArangoBackupStateCreateError, "Create failed on HealthCheck with error: %s", err.Error()),
+			cleanStatusJob(),
+			updateStatusAvailable(false),
+			addBackOff(backup.Spec),
+		)
+	}
+
 	if features.AsyncBackupCreation().Enabled() {
 		return asyncBackup(client, backup)
 	} else {
diff --git a/pkg/handlers/backup/state_create_test.go b/pkg/handlers/backup/state_create_test.go
index b9fa893ce..f3538dbff 100644
--- a/pkg/handlers/backup/state_create_test.go
+++ b/pkg/handlers/backup/state_create_test.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 //
 // DISCLAIMER
 //
-// Copyright 2016-2023 ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
+// Copyright 2016-2024 ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -153,6 +153,30 @@ func Test_State_Create_Upload(t *testing.T) {
 	compareBackupMeta(t, backupMeta, newObj)
 }
 
+func Test_State_Create_CreateError_Health(t *testing.T) {
+	*features.AsyncBackupCreation().EnabledPointer() = false
+
+	// Arrange
+	handler, _ := newErrorsFakeHandler(mockErrorsArangoClientBackup{
+		healthCheckError: newFatalErrorf("error"),
+	})
+
+	obj, deployment := newObjectSet(t, backupApi.ArangoBackupStateCreate)
+
+	// Act
+	createArangoDeployment(t, handler, deployment)
+	createArangoBackup(t, handler, obj)
+
+	require.NoError(t, handler.Handle(context.Background(), tests.NewItem(t, operation.Update, obj)))
+
+	// Assert
+	newObj := refreshArangoBackup(t, handler, obj)
+	require.Equal(t, newObj.Status.State, backupApi.ArangoBackupStateCreateError)
+	require.Equal(t, newObj.Status.Message, "Create failed on HealthCheck with error: error")
+	require.Nil(t, newObj.Status.Backup)
+	require.False(t, newObj.Status.Available)
+}
+
 func Test_State_Create_CreateError(t *testing.T) {
 	*features.AsyncBackupCreation().EnabledPointer() = false