sourced story
640-642 CEReputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

Amr ibn al-As Conquers Byzantine Egypt

A victory at Heliopolis opens the Nile valley to Rashidun rule

On the timeline · around 640-642 CE · The Rashidun Caliphs and the First FitnaPre-Islamic Arabia and the Life of MuhammadThe Rashidun Caliphs and the First FitnaAmr ibn al-As Conquers Byzantine Egypt625 CE630 CE635 CE640 CE645 CE650 CE655 CE

Quick facts

Location
Egypt, Nile valley
Rashidun commander
Amr ibn al-As
Key battle
Heliopolis, 640 CE
Naval follow-up
Battle of the Masts, 655 CE

What happened

The Rashidun commander Amr ibn al-As, who had helped lead the earlier Syrian campaign, persuaded a reluctant Caliph Umar to authorize an invasion of Byzantine Egypt, arguing that leaving it in Byzantine hands would threaten Muslim territory to the north. Reinforced by Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Amr defeated an imperial army at Heliopolis in 640 CE, and within two years most of Egypt had fallen to the Rashidun forces. Caliph Uthman, Umar's successor, allowed regional governors including Amr more autonomy to expand their territory, and in 646 CE Rashidun and local Egyptian forces beat back a major Byzantine attempt to retake Alexandria.

Why it matters

The conquest of Egypt gave the Rashidun Caliphate its wealthiest province and, combined with the new Rashidun fleet built from Syrian shipyards, allowed Muslim forces to contest Byzantine naval power in the Mediterranean, taking Cyprus by 649 CE and defeating the Byzantine fleet at the Battle of the Masts in 655 CE.

How we know

The campaign is described in the World History Encyclopedia's account of the early conquests, including the persuasion of Umar, the victory at Heliopolis, and the subsequent naval campaigns under Uthman.

Sources

See something wrong? . Corrections with a source get fixed fastest.

Part of a timelineThe Rise of Islam30 events · From a trading town in the Arabian desert to a caliphate stretching from Iberia to Central Asia in under a centuryView all →