The Conquest of Tripoli
فتح أطرابلس
22 AH
In al-Baladhuri on Ali ibn Abi Talha's report: Amr ibn al-As (may God be pleased with him) marched until he camped at Tripoli in year 22 — it was fought for, then he opened it by force, seizing there many loads of baziyun cloth with some of its merchants, which he sold, dividing the price among the Muslims; and he wrote to Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) 'we have reached Tripoli, and between it and Ifriqiya are nine days — if the Commander of the Faithful sees fit to give us leave to raid it, let him act', and Umar wrote back forbidding it, saying 'it is not Ifriqiya, but a schismatic, treacherous land oft betrayed' — its people paying Rome's king then betraying him often, and Andalus's king having compounded with them then betrayed them, news of which had reached Umar.
At a glance
- Era
- The Rashidun Caliphate
- Region
- Maghreb
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Overview
al-Baladhuri, on the authority of Ali ibn Abi Talha, relates that Amr ibn al-As came down at Tripoli in 22 AH, was fought, and then took it by force. He took there many loads of Byzantine cloth from merchants, sold them and divided their price among the Muslims. 1
The letter to Umar
He wrote to Umar that they had reached Tripoli, which was nine days' march from Ifriqiya, and asked his permission to raid it. Umar forbade him, and said that it was not Ifriqiya but a place of division and treachery. al-Baladhuri explains this by the fact that its people used to pay something to the king of the Byzantines and then betray him. 1
Connections
- Occurred at
- Tripoli (Libya)
- Had participant
- Amr ibn al-As· Umar ibn al-Khattab
People and things also explored
The Battle of Uhud· The Conquest of Caesarea· The Expedition of Dhat al-Salasil· The Dispatch of the Armies to Syria· Muhammad ibn Maslama's Division of Amr's Wealth· Umar's Special Stipends and Equity· The Sea Transport of Egypt's Kharaj Grain to Medina· Quraysh
Sources
- Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition), p.316
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Conquest of Tripoli”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/conquest-of-tripoli-libya/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.