HUMA 1845 Lecture Notes - Lecture 50: Kairouan, Kufa, Fustat
Document Summary
The first wave of conquest outside the arabian peninsula began in 639, when muslim armies advanced to egypt"s eastern frontier. After defeating the byzantine army in 640, egypt was conquered by the arab-muslim army, led by amr ibn al- as. Egypt had long been under byzantine rule, and it provided agricultural produce for the byzantine capital of constantinople. Arab-muslim armies launched one set of offensives against the. Byzantine-controlled territories of palestine and syria, home to many. These incursions elicited defensive reactions from the byzantine authorities in syria, against whom several battles were fought. Eventually, the byzantine emperor heraclius sent a large army from. Anatolia to secure syria against the threatening arab-muslim armies, but to no avail; his force was decimated at a battle along the yarmuk valley (east of the sea of galilee) in 636. From syria, the arab-muslim armies advanced into northern. Mesopotamia, armenia, and against the byzantine frontier in southern.