Arab Conquest of North Africa

Timeline

1. 647Sbeitla · TunisiaAbdullah ibn Sa'd led Arab forces west from Egypt, defeating the troops of the Byzantine governor Gregory at Sbeitla. The victory opened the road to Carthage and the interior, and Byzantine defenses in North Africa began to collapse.
2. 670–683Kairouan · TunisiaUqba ibn Nafi founded the city of Kairouan in the Tunisian interior as a military and religious base for the conquest of the Maghreb, and led expeditions south of the Atlas Mountains. His campaigns reached as far as the Atlantic coast, laying the foundation for Arab expansion in northwestern Africa.
3. 683–693Atlas Mountains · MaghrebBerber leaders such as Queen Dihya (al-Kahina) organized stubborn resistance, and the Arab conquest repeatedly faltered. The Umayyad authorities adjusted their strategy, seeking Berber allegiance through marriages, alliances, and grants, while dispatching Hassan ibn al-Nu'man to reorganize the expeditionary forces.
4. 697–698Carthage · TunisiaHassan ibn al-Nu'man finally captured Carthage, the last Byzantine stronghold in North Africa, after the Byzantine fleet failed in its relief attempt. With the conquest complete, the Umayyad regime centered on Kairouan integrated the coasts of Tunisia and Algeria, and North Africa became the frontier of westward Islamic expansion.