Arab Conquest of Egypt

Timeline

1. 639–640Eastern Egyptian frontier · EgyptCaliph Umar authorized Amr ibn al-As to lead roughly four thousand troops westward from Palestine into Egypt. The Arab army crossed the Sinai Peninsula, captured border fortresses such as Pelusium, and entered the eastern Nile Delta.
2. 640Heliopolis · EgyptThe Byzantine governor Cyrus led his forces against the Arab army at Heliopolis (near modern Cairo). After a decisive victory, the Arabs captured the ancient capital Memphis and gained control of the core of the Nile Delta.
3. 641Alexandria · EgyptThe Arab army besieged Alexandria, the jewel of the Mediterranean; after a long siege the garrison surrendered. Cyrus and Amr signed a treaty, and Byzantine power withdrew from Egypt. Amr then established a new administrative center at Fustat.
4. 641–642Egypt · EgyptBy 642 the Arab regime had completed the military occupation and administrative integration of all Egypt, retaining the Byzantine tax system while introducing Islamic governance. Egypt's grain output and strategic position made it one of the Umayyad Caliphate's most important provinces.