page_title: Uqba ibn Nafi
hierarchical_section_title: Uqba ibn Nafi
caption_attribution_description: English: fondateur de la dynastie nord africaine arabe des fihrides
context_page_description: ʿUqba ibn Nāfiʿ was an Arab general serving the Rashidun Caliphate since the Reign of Umar and later on the Umayyad Caliphate during the reigns of Muawiyah I and Yazid I, leading the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, including present-day Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco.
  ʻUqbah was the nephew of Amr ibn al-As. He is often surnamed al-Fihri in reference to the Banu Fihri, a clan connected to the Quraysh. His descendants would be known as the ʿUqbids or Fihrids. ʻUqbah is the founder of the cultural city of Kairouan in Tunisia.
  ʻUqbah accompanied al-ʻAs in his initial capture of cities in North Africa starting with Barca, then proceeding to Tripolitania in 644. In 670 now the emir or commander, ʻUqbah led an Arab army to North Africa, crossing the Egyptian deserts, and setting up military posts at regular intervals along his route. In a region of what is now Tunisia, he established the town now called Kairouan about 99 miles south of present-day Tunis, which he used as a base for further operations.
  According to one legend, one of ʻUqbah's soldiers stumbled across a golden goblet buried in the sands.
context_section_description: ʿUqba ibn Nāfiʿ (Arabic: عقبة بن نافع‎, also referred to as Oqba ibn Nafi, Uqba bin Nafe, Uqba ibn al Nafia, or Akbah; 622–683) was an Arab general serving the Rashidun Caliphate since the Reign of Umar and later on the Umayyad Caliphate during the reigns of Muawiyah I and Yazid I, leading the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, including present-day Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco.
  ʻUqbah was the nephew of Amr ibn al-As. He is often surnamed al-Fihri in reference to the Banu Fihri, a clan connected to the Quraysh. His descendants would be known as the ʿUqbids or Fihrids. ʻUqbah is the founder of the cultural city of Kairouan in Tunisia.
  ʻUqbah accompanied al-ʻAs in his initial capture of cities in North Africa starting with Barca, then proceeding to Tripolitania in 644. In 670 now the emir or commander, ʻUqbah led an Arab army to North Africa, crossing the Egyptian deserts, and setting up military posts at regular intervals along his route. In a region of what is now Tunisia, he established the town now called Kairouan (meaning "camp" or "caravanserai" in Persian) about 99 miles south of present-day Tunis, which he used as a base for further operations.
  According to one legend, one of ʻUqbah's soldiers stumbled across a golden goblet buried in the sands. It was recognized as one that had disappeared from Mecca some years before, and when it was dug out of the sand a spring appeared, with waters said to come from the same source as those of the sacred Zamzam Well in Mecca. This story led to Kairouan becoming a place of pilgrimage and then a holy city ("the Mecca of the Maghreb") and the most important city in North Africa.
  In 683 ʻUqbah was ambushed and killed by the Berber Christian king Kusaila after winning the Battle of Vescera. He died beside his hated rival, Abu al-Muhajir Dinar. His armies evacuated Kairouan and withdrew to Barca, though it was recaptured in 688. Al-Watiya Air Base in Libya is also known as "Okba ibn Nafa Air Base" after him.
caption: A statue of Uqba ibn Nafi in Algeria
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