Arab conquest of Egypt

Overview

Forces of the Rashidun Caliphate led by Amr ibn al-As conquered Byzantine Egypt between 639 and 642 AD. The conquest ended the Roman period in Egypt, which had begun in 30 BC and lasted for approximately seven centuries, and more broadly concluded the Greco-Roman period of Egyptian history, which had endured for nearly a millennium.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Rashidun Caliphate's conquest of Byzantine Egypt, carried out by forces under Amr ibn al-As between 639 and 642, represented one of the most consequential territorial transfers of the Arab–Byzantine wars. The campaign ended Roman rule over Egypt, a dominion that had persisted since 30 BC — a span of roughly seven centuries — and more broadly brought to a close the Greco-Roman period of Egyptian history, which had endured for close to a millennium. The loss of Egypt struck at a core Byzantine province: economically productive, strategically positioned, and deeply embedded in the administrative and ecclesiastical structures of the empire. For the Rashidun Caliphate, the acquisition extended Arab power across North Africa and delivered resources and population that would underpin further expansion westward along the Mediterranean littoral.

Commanders (18)