Conquest of Tripoli and Barqa (22 AH)

Name: Conquest of Tripoli and Barqa (22 AH)
Start: 0642

فتح طرابلس الغرب وبرقة

642 CE · 22 AH

Amr ibn al-'As took Barqa on a 13,000-dinar jizya — its people stipulating the sale of such children as they wished against their tax — then sat a month before Tripoli. A hunting party of the Banu Mudlij, hugging the shore, found a gap where the wall never reached the sea, slipped in and raised the takbir; the Romans thought the city stormed and fled to their ships, and Amr's army walked in. Then Sabra was surprised at dawn and Lawata of the Berbers had their terms ¹.

Depth

At a glance

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In time

The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate

Summary

Amr ibn al-As (may God be pleased with him) marched from Egypt to Barqa and made peace with its people for a tribute of thirteen thousand dinars; they stipulated that they could sell whichever of their children they wished in payment of the tribute. He then besieged Tripoli for a month without success, until a man of the Banu Mudlij went out hunting with seven companions. To escape the heat they took the route along the sea, and found a passage between the sea and the town where the wall did not run continuous. They entered and shouted takbir. The Byzantines thought the town had been taken and fled to their ships, and Amr entered with his army; the Byzantines escaped only with what they could carry lightly. ¹

Connections

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Occurred at: Tripoli (Libya)
Had participant: Amr ibn al-As

People and things also explored

the Alexandria rising and its recovery (25 AH)· Ali spares Amr ibn al-As after he was exposed· Amr's Dismissal and Ibn Abi Sarh's Sole Charge of Egypt· The Battle of Dathin· The Battle of Uhud· The Conquest of Alexandria· The Conquest of Caesarea· The Conquest of Damascus

Sources

al-Kamil fi'l-Tarikh of Ibn al-Athir , p. 408-409

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Conquest of Tripoli and Barqa (22 AH)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/conquest-of-tripoli-west/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-21.

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the Alexandria rising and its recovery (25 AH)

Alexandria broke its treaty: Constantinople shipped a large army under the eunuch Manuel, and the Romans inside the city joined them — though the Muqawqis kept his pact. 'Amr ibn al-'As marched, routed them, followed them into the streets and killed a great multitude including Manuel; he restored to the villagers who had not rebelled their confiscated property upon proof, and demolished Alexandria's walls, leaving her wall-less.