Ruler
ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAs
Commander of the Arab conquest of Egypt
c. 573 – 664 CE
Approximate dates; sources differ on his birth year.
Biography
An Arab commander of Quraysh who led the army that entered Egypt in 639 CE. He took the fortress of Babylon, then received Alexandria by treaty, founded the city of Fustat and became governor of Egypt.
Key facts
Certainty: Established
ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAs founded Fustat beside the fortress of Babylon, and it became Egypt’s new capital.
- Hugh Kennedy (2007) “The Great Arab Conquests” Weidenfeld & Nicolson
- Carl F. Petry (ed.) (1998) “The Cambridge History of Egypt, Volume 1: Islamic Egypt, 640–1517” Cambridge University Press