Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, medieval

Battle of Heliopolis

Battle of Heliopolis was a battle fought on 6 July AD 640 at Heliopolis, in what is now Egypt. It was part of the Arab conquest of Egypt, which ran from AD 639 to AD 642. The recorded result: Rashidun victory.

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Conquests of Prophet Muhammad and the Rashidun Caliphate, 630-641.
Conquests of Prophet Muhammad and the Rashidun Caliphate, 630-641.. Javierfv1212, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought6 July AD 640
WhereHeliopolis, Egypt30.129N, 31.289E
OutcomeRashidun victory
BelligerentsRashidun CaliphateagainstByzantine Empire
Casualties and lossesFewandHeavy
Part ofArab conquest of EgyptAD 639 to AD 642

Where it sits in the Arab conquest of Egypt

Siege of Pelusium, AD 639Siege of Memphis, AD 639Siege of Bilbeis, AD 640Siege of Babylon Fortress, AD 640Battle of Heliopolis, AD 640Battle of Sebennytos, AD 641Siege of Alexandria, AD 641Battle of Nikiou, AD 646AD 639AD 646Battle of Heliopolis, AD 640
8 placed engagements of the Arab conquest of Egypt in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date6 July AD 640
PlaceHeliopolis, Egypt
30.129N, 31.289E
KindBattle, medieval
StrengthMuslim sources: ~4,000 initially; ~8,000 after reinforcements; 15,500 in a later al-Kindī traditionUnknown; described as a large force by Muslim sources; modern estimates ~20,000
Casualties and lossesFewHeavy
Commanders
Battle of HeliopolisBattle of HeliopolisBattle of HeliopolisBattle of GhamraSiege of CairoCapture of CairoBattle of the PyramidsBattle of HeliopolisBattle of GhamraBattle of the PyramidsAlexandriaBur SaidSuezEl FaiyumIsmaïliaEl MansuraDamanhûrBeni Suef100 km30.129N, 31.289E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 640

Battle of Heliopolis is one of 179 engagements of the 7th century in the atlas and one of 110 in present-day Egypt.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2237576, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Heliopolis, revision 1384925990, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.