Al-Kiryawn

الكريون

Al-Kiryawn, a place below Alexandria where Amr ibn al-As (may God be pleased with him) met the Roman and Copt hosts mustered to strike him at al-Fustat — routing them in a great slaughter; and there he told the Muslims 'go forth with God's blessing — whoever plants his spear in a house, it is his and his sons'', so a house stood shared between two and three souls as ribat-day lodgings, neither sold nor inherited.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Rashidun Caliphate
Region
Egypt & Nile
Review
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Overview

al-Kiryawn: a place before Alexandria. There Amr ibn al-As met the armies of the Byzantines and the Copts, who had gathered to attack him at Fustat; he defeated them and killed a great number of them. 1

There Amr said to the Muslims: "Go forth in God's blessing; whoever plants a spear in a house, the house is his and his father's family's." So the house between two or three persons was a dwelling for the days of their garrison duty, not to be sold or inherited. See the conquest of Alexandria.

According to al-Maqrizi

Al-Maqrizi says, quoting Ibn Abd al-Hakam, that the canal that brought water into Alexandria was led from the village of Kasa, opposite al-Kiryawn 2.

He says that the fighting at al-Kiryawn went on for some ten days, and that Abdallah ibn Amr commanded the vanguard 3.

He says that when the Muslims left al-Kiryawn, the houses where their spears had been planted were occupied by the Byzantines, who held their repair 4.

Connections

Explore the connections

Site of
The Conquest of Alexandria

People and things also explored

Abdullah ibn Hudhafa al-Sahmi· The Muqawqis· Amr ibn al-As· Heraclius· Kharija ibn Hudhafa al-Adawi· Mu'awiya ibn Khudayj al-Kindi· Alexandria· The Conquest of Alexandria

Sources

  1. Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition)
  2. Al-Maqrizi, al-Mawaiz wa-l-i'tibar bi-dhikr al-khitat wa-l-athar (al-Khitat al-Maqriziyya), ed. Muhammad Zaynhum and Madiha al-Sharqawi (Cairo: Maktabat Madbuli, 1998) , p.246
  3. Al-Maqrizi, al-Mawaiz wa-l-i'tibar bi-dhikr al-khitat wa-l-athar (al-Khitat al-Maqriziyya), ed. Muhammad Zaynhum and Madiha al-Sharqawi (Cairo: Maktabat Madbuli, 1998) , p.499
  4. Al-Maqrizi, al-Mawaiz wa-l-i'tibar bi-dhikr al-khitat wa-l-athar (al-Khitat al-Maqriziyya), ed. Muhammad Zaynhum and Madiha al-Sharqawi (Cairo: Maktabat Madbuli, 1998) , p.509
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Al-Kiryawn”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/place/al-kiryawn/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-24.

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Related

Abdullah ibn Hudhafa al-Sahmi

Of Banu Sahm; he emigrated to Abyssinia. Ibn Ishaq describes him as the Messenger of God's envoy to the Chosroes.