Siege of Babylon Fortress

E196030

The Siege of Babylon Fortress was a pivotal early 7th-century engagement in which Rashidun forces captured the Byzantine stronghold near modern Cairo, opening the way for the Muslim conquest and Islamization of Egypt.

All labels observed (2)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf military engagement
siege
associatedWith Umar ibn al-Khattab
surface form: Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab
belligerentSide Babylon Fortress
surface form: Byzantine garrison of Babylon Fortress

Rashidun forces of Medina
surface form: Rashidun Caliphate forces
category 7th-century conflicts in Egypt
Sieges involving the Byzantine Empire
Sieges involving the Rashidun Caliphate
combatant Byzantine Empire
Rashidun Caliphate
commander Amr ibn al-As
Cyrus of Alexandria
Theodore (Byzantine general)
conflictIn Muslim conquest of Egypt
consequence facilitated Arab settlement in Egypt
negotiated terms between Amr ibn al-As and Cyrus of Alexandria
reduction of Byzantine political control in Egypt
date 640
640–641
defensiveStructure Roman-Byzantine fortress walls
era 7th century
followedBy Siege of Alexandria (641–642)
surface form: Capture of Alexandria (641)
geopoliticalImpact shifted control of Egypt from Byzantine Empire to Rashidun Caliphate
historicalPeriod Early Islamic expansion
historicalRegion Byzantine Egypt
languageOfPrimarySources Arabic
Coptic
Greek
locatedOn east bank of the Nile
militaryTactics blockade of fortress
siege warfare
nearbySettlement Fustat
surface form: Fustat (early Muslim capital of Egypt)
opponent Byzantine imperial forces
outcome Byzantine withdrawal from central Egypt
surrender of the Babylon Fortress garrison
partOf Arab–Byzantine wars
surface form: Rashidun–Byzantine Wars
place Babylon Fortress
Egypt
near modern Cairo
precededBy Battle of Heliopolis (640)
relatedTo Babylon-in-Egypt
Fustat
religiousContext conflict between Muslim Arabs and Christian Byzantine authorities
result Rashidun victory
strategicSignificance led to the Islamization of Egypt over subsequent centuries
opened the way for the Muslim conquest of Egypt
secured Muslim control over central Egypt

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Muslim conquest of Egypt notableBattle Siege of Babylon Fortress
Battle of Heliopolis (640) precededBy Siege of Babylon Fortress
this entity surface form: Siege of Babylon Fortress (640)