History of Warfare Summary 21 - Arab-Eastern Roman Wars Part 4: The Fall of Egypt and the Shifting Mediterranean

Egypt was a crucial region supplying grain and taxes to the Eastern Roman Empire, and also a strategic hub connecting the eastern Mediterranean. However, when Arab forces advanced into Egypt in 639, the empire's southern defenses rapidly crumbled. Under the command of Amr ibn al-As, the Arab army pushed along the Nile River, and by 641, Alexandria, a major city in Egypt, fell. Although the Eastern Romans temporarily recaptured Alexandria in 645, they lost it again due to the Arab counterattack. The conquest of Egypt provided the Arab forces with immense revenue and food, and also laid the groundwork for their subsequent expansion into North Africa. The Eastern Roman Empire could no longer sustain its economic and military strength in the eastern Mediterranean through Egypt. The focus of the war shifted not only to land borders but also to the sea, and both sides began a new competition for the ports and islands of the eastern Mediterranean. The loss of Egypt was a significant turning point, marking the rise of Arab power from a regional force to a major player in the Mediterranean world.