Islam in Egypt

Map of Egypt

• During the rule of Caliph El

Khatab, general Amr Ibn Elaas

led a military mission to Egypt

in 640 AD.

• Amr wanted to make use of the

location, economic resources

and military power of Egypt.

• Amr described Egyptian

soldiers as “Khair Agnad

Elard”, meaning the best

soldiers on earth. .

Islamic Leaders & Empires

• Amr entered Alexandria on

December 22, 640 when the

city surrendered after a siege

of thirty days.

• Goods and people were

restricted from entering or

leaving during that time.

Islamic Leaders & Empires

• The army camped on the banks

of the Nile, near modern day Old

Cairo.

• The soldiers built temporary huts

which were soon changed into

solid, permanent habitations.

• Amr was determined to make his

new capital “Al Fustsat”. Al Fustat

means “the tent” (it is now located

in Old Cairo).

Amr Ibn Elaas/ Al Fustat

• Egypt was entirely divided into

provinces, all of which had their own

governor and administrators taken from

the Coptic Egyptians.

• Improvements in the internal

administration took place.

• Amr created permanent and regular

courts composed of honorable,

independent, and enlightened men.

Ibn Elaas- Administration

• Diwans were established, members

were chosen from the élite of the

population.

• Diwans were government registrar

offices to document everything

related to the country, including

finance, Army and the work of the

administrators.

• Arab Muslims did not interfere with

trade activities;

Ibn Elaas- Administration

Ibn Elaas Contributions

• Trade grew. Fustat was

transformed into a major

center for Arab trade.

Alexandria was looked upon

as a world trade center.

• Amr Ibn Elaas re-dug Trajan

Canal, a canal dug at the time

of Trajan, the Roman Emperor.

It was located in-front of

Babylon fortress in Old Cairo

• Ibn Elaas had a Nilo-meter

built in Aswan which provided

security and ease for

agriculture.

• Amr built a magnificent

mosque in old Cairo. It was the

first mosque built in Egypt and

Africa. It still exists today in

the Old Cairo area.

• Ibn Elaas signed a treaty of

submission with the Copts,

which stated that there will be

a fixed personal tax only.

• Egypt acknowledged the Umayyad

authority, Umayyads ruled the Caliphate

from Damascus.

• Abd el-Aziz Ibn Marwan, was the first

to run the affairs of Egypt under the

Ummayad Caliphate.

• Twenty-two Walis ruled Egypt under

the umbrella of the Umayyad.

• Abdel Aziz Ibn Marwan (the father of

Omar Ibn Abdel Aziz) had the longest

term as a ruler of Egypt, as he remained

in his post for about twenty years.

• Umayyads stopped using Al Fustat as a

capital for Egypt.

• They built a new capital and called it Al

Kataea.

The Ummayad Dynasty 661- 750

• The administrator was given the title of the Amir or Wali.

• The Umayyad era is considered a time of political and administrative

stability in Egypt.

• The Amir lived in Dar El Emer, a palace next to the main mosques.

• They continued to use Diwans.

• Arabic was the formal language used.

• Marwan Ibn Mohamed organized the army into Units and Battalions.

• The Umayyads introduced the concept of post – men, or postal workers.

• Those were created to ensure the fast transfer of news to Al Kataea,

capital of Egypt and Damascus, capital of Umayyads.

Umayyad Administration

Umayyad Dynasty Contributions

• The Umayyad also showed great

interest in irrigation projects and the

restoration of Nilo meters to measure

the depth of the Nile water

Like: (the Aswan meter that was built by

Amr Ibn El-Ass)

(the Al Rawda meter that was built by

Osama Ibn Zaid Al Tanukhi)

• They also

introduced

additions and

reconstructions

on the Amr Ibn

Elaas mosque.

• A lot of churches were also built during

this dynasty. Among those churches are

the Mari Gergis Church and St Mark’s

Church in Alexandria.

• Helwan district was

also built during

this era.

Islam in Egypt

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