Chapter Three

The Islamic Conquest of Egypt and Relations with Sudan

The Muslims conquered Egypt in the year 20 AH / 641 AD during the reign of the second Rashidun Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him). Islam and Muslims soon spread throughout this land, reaching the furthest extent of the Aswan region to the south. The rapid success that Islam achieved in the hearts of the Egyptians is attributed to the welcome these people received from the locals, who detested the Byzantine rule. Their cousins, who were nearly Arab due to ancient Arab migrations, liberated them.

From here, the conquest of Egypt witnessed the influx of many Arab tribes that had a profound impact on the Nile Valley. This is because in the year 21 AH / 642 AD, Amr ibn al-As sent Uqba ibn Nafi al-Fihri to the land of Nubia at the head of an army of Muslims. Northern Sudan was known in the Middle Ages as Nubia. The facilitation of this campaign, led by Uqba ibn Nafi ibn al-Fihri, southward was to invade the land of northern Sudan (Nubia) and conquer it in the name of Islam, and to secure the southern borders of Egypt.

From here, before we proceed to discuss the factors that contributed to the migration of Arabs to Sudan, it is appropriate to present the conditions and state of the lands south of Aswan, which we metaphorically call Northern Sudan. The completion of the sixth century AD witnessed the penetration of Christianity among the inhabitants of the kingdoms of Nubia and Alwa, whose capital was Soba, and among a few of the Beja who inhabited the peripheries. When the Islamic conquests began...