Battle of Heliopolis

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The Battle of Heliopolis, or "Ayn Shams," was a decisive battle between Arab Muslim armies and Byzantine forces for the control of Egypt.

The battle took place in mid-July 640, near the ancient city of Heliopolis, with Arab forces numbering 15,000 under the command of Amr ibn al-A'as, and the Byzantine forces numbering over 20,000 under Theodore, commander of all Byzantine forces in Egypt.

With the Byzantine army approaching, Amr split his army into three sections, with one detachment under the command of a lieutenant, Kharija, heading east to near-by hills, and another detachment to the south. Once the Byzantine forces made contact with Amr's forces and attacked them, the detachment of Kharija fell on the Byzantine rear, causing turmoil among the Byzantine ranks. As Theodore's troops attempted to flee south-ward, they were attacked by the third detachment, causing a final break-down and defeat of the forces.

Though Theodore would manage to escaped with some survivors, most of southern and central Egypt fell to Amr's forces.

The next year and a half were spent on more maneuvers, skirmishes, and sieges before the formal surrender of the capital, Alexandria, took place on Nov. 4, 641.