First Battle of Dongola The First Battle of Dongola was a meeting engagement or encounter between early Arab - Muslim forces of the Rashidun Caliphate and the Nubian - Christian forces of the Kingdom of Makuria in 642 . The battle , which resulted in a Makurian victory , temporarily halted Arab incursions into Nubia and set the tone for an atmosphere of hostility between the two cultures until the culmination of the Second Battle of Dongola in 652 . Background . In the 6th century the area that had once been under the domination of the Kingdom of Kush converted to Christianity . It included the kingdoms of Alodia , Makuria and Nobatia , which rested on Egypt ' s southern border . Over a century later , the religion of Islam united the nomadic Arab tribes into an expanding military and political force by 632 . In 640 , the military leader ' Amr ibn al - ' As conquered Egypt from the Byzantine Empire . To consolidate Muslim control over Egypt , it was inevitable to secure its western and southern borders . Amr accordingly sent expeditions to Byzantine North Africa and Makuria ' s Nubia . Battle . In 642 , ' Amr ibn al - ' As sent a column of 20 , 000 horsemen under his cousin Uqba ibn Nafi against Makurra . They managed to get as far as Dongola , the capital of Makurra . However , in a rare turn of events , the Arab forces were beaten back . According to historian Al - Baladhuri , the Muslims found that the Nubians fought strongly and met them with showers of arrows . The majority of the Arab forces returned with wounded and blinded eyes . It was thus that the Nubians were called ' the pupil smiters ' . Al - Baladhuri also states , quoting from one of his sources that went to Nubia twice during the rule of ` Umar ibn al - Khattab . " One day they came out against us and formed a line ; we wanted to use swords , but we were not able to , and they shot at us and put out eyes to the number of one hundred and fifty . " The Nubian victory at Dongola was one of the Rashidun Caliphate ' s rare defeats during the mid - 7th century . With their archers ' deadly accuracy plus their own experienced cavalry forces , Makuria was able to shake the Amr ' s confidence enough for him to withdraw his forces from Nubia . Arab Withdrawal from Nubia . Arab sources claim that the expedition into Nubia was not a Muslim defeat while at the same time acknowledging it was not a success . The expedition into Nubia , as well as the more successful expedition into Byzantine North Africa , were undertaken by ' Amr ibn al - ' As on his own accord . He believed that they would be easy victories and would inform the caliph after the conquests . The Arab sources also make it clear there were no pitched battles in Nubia . Yet , they do mention an encounter whereupon Uqba ibn Nafi and his forces happened upon a concentration of Nubians that promptly gave battle before the Muslims could attack . In the ensuing engagement , he claims 250 Muslims lost their eyes . Arab sources lend more credit to Nubian guerrilla tactics than a single decisive engagement . They claim that the Nubians would call out to their Muslim adversaries from afar where they would like their arrow wound . The Muslims would jokingly respond , and the arrow would strike them there invariably . This statement , along with a claim that Nubian horsemen were superior to Muslim cavalry in hit - and - run tactics , was used to support their position that the Nubians were besting them in skirmishes and not all - out battles . Regardless of the situation , Uqba ibn Nafi was unable to succeed with his expedition and wrote back to his cousin that he could not win against such tactics and that Nubia was a very poor land with no treasure worth fighting for . Uqba may not have been exaggerating , since Nubia is surrounded by formidable deserts . Upon receiving this news , Amr bin al - As asked his cousin to withdraw , which he did . Aftermath . Al - Baladhuri states ' Amr decided to withdraw his forces for two principal reasons . One reason is that there was little treasure to be had . The second being that the Nubian military proved considerable . Thus , it was thought better to make peace . However ; he was unwilling to stop campaigning elsewhere , and peace between Muslim Egypt and Christian Makurra only really materialized upon the succession of Abdullah Ibn Sa ' ad in 645 . This peace would last until the Second Battle of Dongola , whose outcome would result in one of the longest peace treaties in recorded history .