Amr ibn al-As(570 — 664)
Amr ibn al-As
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Amr ibn al-As (c. 573-664) was an Arab military commander and administrator, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. He led the conquest of Byzantine Egypt on behalf of the caliphate and became its first governor, founding the city of Fustat.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- c. 573: born into the Quraysh tribe in Mecca
- 640-642: conquest of Byzantine Egypt and the capture of Alexandria
- Founds the city of Fustat (the future Cairo), the first capital of Muslim Egypt, and builds the first mosque in Africa there
- Becomes governor of Egypt under Caliph Umar and, later, again under Mu'awiya
- 664: dies in Egypt
Works & Achievements
Military campaign that brought Egypt under Muslim rule and deprived Byzantium of its breadbasket.
Creation of the first Muslim city in Egypt, the seed of the future Cairo and the administrative center of the province.
The first mosque built in Egypt and on the African continent, still a major religious site in Cairo.
Administrative and fiscal organization of the new province, while maintaining great tolerance toward the Copts.
Reopening of the “Canal of the Commander of the Faithful” to ship Egyptian grain to Arabia.
As Mu'awiya's strategist, he proposed the arbitration of the pages of the Quran, which changed the course of the first civil war.
Resumption of the government of Egypt on behalf of the Umayyads until his death.
Anecdotes
In 640, Amr ibn al-As laid siege to the Byzantine fortress of Babylon (in present-day Cairo) with a small army. Rather than returning to settle in Alexandria, he founded a military camp nearby that would become the city of Fustat, the first urban core of Muslim Egypt.
Legend has it that the site of Fustat was chosen because a dove had built its nest on Amr's tent: not wanting to disturb it, he supposedly left his tent in place after the army departed, and the city grew up around it. The name “Fustat” is even said to mean “tent” or “encampment.”
Amr ibn al-As had at first been a fierce opponent of Muhammad in Mecca before converting to Islam around 629–630. Renowned for his cunning and his eloquence, he became one of the most brilliant generals of the young Muslim state.
After the assassination of Caliph Uthman, Amr supported Mu'awiya against Ali. It was he who, at the Battle of Siffin in 657, is said to have suggested the famous ruse of fixing pages of the Quran to the tips of the lances in order to demand arbitration and halt the fighting.
Having become governor of Egypt, Amr restored the Canal of the Pharaohs linking the Nile to the Red Sea to ship Egyptian grain to Arabia, thereby relieving the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in times of famine.
Primary Sources
Amr ibn al-As entered Egypt, and it is said that he founded Fustat on the spot where he had pitched his tent near the fortress of Babylon.
Umar wrote to Amr instructing him to march on Egypt, and Amr conquered it on behalf of the Muslims, becoming its governor.
Amr, the leader of the Arabs, dealt gently with Patriarch Benjamin and allowed him to return to govern the churches of Egypt.
Amr ibn al-As was counted among the most cunning and most eloquent men of the Arabs of his time.
Key Places
Birthplace of Amr ibn al-As, cradle of Islam and the commercial and religious center of Arabia.
Military camp founded by Amr in 641 near the Fortress of Babylon, the first capital of Muslim Egypt.
Byzantine stronghold on the Nile, besieged and captured by Amr during the conquest of Egypt.
Great Byzantine metropolis of Egypt whose surrender in 642 sealed the Arab conquest of the country.
Site of the 657 battle between Ali and Mu'awiya, where Amr advised the ruse of raising pages of the Quran on lances and resorting to arbitration.
Site of the decisive battle of 640 in which Amr defeated the Byzantine army in Egypt.