North+Africa

__** Northern Africa and the Islamic Empire **__

In 641, Arab forces advanced into Egypt, seized the delta of the Nile River. This took Egypt away from Byzantine rule. Islam quickly took as it would exemptation to the heavy taxes that the Byzantines had set up. In 690, the Arabs would gain control of Carthage which was under control of the Byzantine Empire. The capture of Carthage continue the expansion west of Northern Africa. The Berbers which were the people in the area, did resist but through Arab perserverence, they capture the area from the Strait of Gibraltar all the way to Egypt. Byzantine rule was ended by the Arabs, who invaded Morocco in 682 in the course of their drive to expand the power of Islam. Berber troops were used extensively by the Arabs in their conquest of Spain, which began in 711. No previous conqueror had tried to assimilate the Berbers, but Arabs were able to. This would open up trade along the Mediterranean Sea. Urbanization occured through out Northern Africa as the Islamic faith unified the peoples that were mostly divided.

