Arabian Conquests of Early Egypt
Armies Marched Up and Down the Nile River Looking for Invasion Areas
Mar 10, 2009
Egypt is among the cradles of development in the states of the Middle East. It is estimated that the early forms of man such as Homo habilis, Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis migrated between Africa and Europe through Egypt as evidenced by fossil remains. The ancient Egypt is also reputed for its discoveries in medicine, architecture, art, literature and astronomy. The famous pyramids that were built by the Pharaohs are also a unique aspect of Egypt. The pyramids are among the monumental features that mark Egypt as a region that remained stable as a separate entity in the eras of the Arab and Mameluke conquest as well as during the period of invasion by Ottoman.
Naming of Egypt
The ancient Egypt was named by Herodotus, a Greek historian, as a gift that was given to the people by river Nile. The river was famous for its waters that were used for irrigation in the upper region of Egypt. The country was initially divided into two regions- the lower kingdom north of Nile, and the southern region towards Sudan. Indeed Egypt a gift from the Nile because it flourished on the silt provided by the rivers waters and rarely received significant amounts of rainfall.
Arab Armies
Egypt was invaded by Arab armies in 639 AD in an assault that was led by the second caliph of the Arabs known as Umar. Until then Egypt had been a province under the Byzantine Empire. This empire was ruled by a governor who resided in Alexandria, which was its capital city. During that time, the inhabitants of Egypt were the Monophysite Christians, also referred to as Copts, and another group called Melkite Christian Byzantines. The Copts differed with the Melkite Christians because the Melkite Christians regarded monophysitical groups as heretical and therefore treated them callously. In addition, the Byzantine were opposed by the leaders of neighboring Sassanian Empire. This empire together with other groups was of the opinion that the Byzantines were imposing heavy taxes on Egyptians. Perhaps it is this division that facilitated a quick surrender by Egyptians to the Arab invasion.
Most Egyptians believed that an Arab rule would be fairer that the Byzantine rule and that they would have to pay lower taxes. The Arabs gave Egyptians options to choose between converting their religion to Islam or retaining their status as Christians and paying an additional poll tax. The Egyptians chose the latter but the Byzantines later repudiated the treaty signed between the Arabs Egypt. This caused a further split and the two parties, but the Coptic leader joined the Arabs in favor of the treaty. According to Sayyid-Marsot, this later led to a gradual process of Islamization and Arabization that later led to the formation a large Arab empire in Egypt
References
Sayyid-Marsot A. L. (2007). A History of Egypt: From the Arab Conquest to the Present Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Shaw, I. (2003).The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Rawlinson G. (1881). History of Ancient Egypt. New York: Longmans, Green and Co,
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