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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: (401) 863-3188
Fax: (401) 863-9423
[email protected]
'Amr ibn al-'As (573-664) was the Arab military commander responsible for the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 640. Under the caliph Abu Bakr, he invaded Palestine and played a key role in the conquering of this region. Later, he was sent to Egypt by the caliph Umar and defeated a large number of Byzantine forces at Heliopolis. He was the founder of Fustat, which became the capital of Egypt, and the 'Amr ibn al-'As mosque, which was the first mosque built in Africa. As governor of Egypt, he treated the natives fairly and did not force them to convert to Islam.
-Marissa
Posted at Dec 06/2010 02:50PM:
ian: Keep in mind his role in maintenance of a separation of the Arab Muslims from the Egyptian populace. He is also a good example of the merging tensions between the caliphate in Medina and provincial administrators/governors.