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AMRAVATI, or AMARAVATI

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Originally appearing in Volume V01, Page 895 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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AMRAVATI, or AMARAVATI , a ruined See also:city of See also:India in the Guntur See also:district of the See also:Madras See also:presidency, on the See also:south See also:bank of the See also:Kistna See also:river, 62 m. from its mouth. The See also:town is of See also:great See also:interest for the See also:antiquary as one of the See also:chief centres of the Buddhist See also:kingdom of Vengi, and for its stupa (sepulchral See also:monument). Amravati has been identified with Hsuan Tsang's To-na-kie-tse-kia and with the Rahmi of Arab geographers. Subsequent to the disappearance of See also:Buddhism- from this region the town became a centre of the Sivaite faith. When Hsuan Tsang visited Amravati in A.D. 639 it had already been deserted for a See also:century, but he speaks in glowing terms of its magnificence and beauty. Very careful and See also:artistic representations of the stupa with its daghoba and interesting See also:rail, pillars and sculptures will be found in See also:Fergusson's See also:Tree and See also:Serpent See also:Worship, and in his See also:History of See also:Indian See also:Architecture (1876). Its elaborate carvings illustrate the See also:life of See also:Buddha. Some are preserved in the See also:British Museum; others in the museum at Madras. An See also:account by Dr See also:James See also:Burgess was published in 1877 as one of the volumes of the Archaeological Survey of See also:Southern India. `AMR-See also:IBN-EL-See also:ASS, or 'AMR (strictly 'AMR B. 'As), one of the most famous of the first See also:race of the Saracen leaders, was of the tribe of Koreish (Qureish).

In his youth he was an antagonist of See also:

Mahomet. His zeal prompted him to undertake an See also:embassy to the See also:king of See also:Ethiopia, in See also:order to stimulate him against the converts whom he had taken under his See also:protection, but he returned a convert to the See also:Mahommedan faith and joined the fugitive See also:prophet at See also:Medina. When See also:Abu Bekr resolved to invade See also:Syria, he en-trusted 'Amr with a high command. `Amr soon perceived that his troops were not sufficient for a serious See also:battle. Reinforced by Khalid b. al-Walid, whom Abu Bekr sent in all haste from See also:Irak to Syria, he defeated the imperial troops, commanded by See also:Theodorus, the See also:brother of See also:Heraclius, not far from Ramleh in See also:Palestine, on the 31st of See also:July 634. When See also:Omar became See also:caliph he made Khalid chief See also:commander of the Syrian armies, 'Amr remaining in Palestine to See also:complete the submission of that See also:province. It is not certain that 'Amr assisted Khalid in the See also:siege of See also:Damascus, but very probable that he took See also:part in the decisive battle of Yarmuk, 20th of See also:August 636. After this battle he laid siege to See also:Jerusalem, in which enterprise he was seconded a See also:year later by Abu Obeida, then chief commander. After the surrender of Jerusalem 'Amr began the siege of Caesarea, which, however, was brought to a successful end in See also:September or See also:October 64o by Moawiya, 'Amr having obtained Omar's See also:sanction for an expedition against See also:Egypt. Towards the end of 639 he led an See also:army of 4000 See also:Arabs into that See also:country. During his See also:march a messenger from Omar arrived with a See also:letter containing directions to return if he should have received it in Syria, but if in Egypt to advance, in which See also:case all needful assistance would be instantly sent to him. The contents of the letter were not made known to his See also:officers until he was assured that the army was on See also:Egyptian See also:soil, so that the expedition might be continued under the sanction of Omar's orders.

Having taken Farama (See also:

Pelusium), he advanced to Misr, See also:north of the See also:ancient See also:Memphis, and besieged it and the strong fortress of See also:Babylon for seven months. Although numerous reinforcements arrived, he would have found it_ very difficult to See also:storm the See also:place previous to the inundation of the See also:Nile but for treachery within the citadel; the Greeks who remained there were eithermade prisoners or put to the See also:sword. On the same spot 'Amr built a city named Fostat (" the encampment "), the ruins of which are known by the name of Old See also:Cairo. The See also:mosque which he erected and called by his own name is described in See also:Asiatic See also:Journal (189o), p. 759. 'Amr pursued the Greeks to See also:Alexandria, but finding that it was impossible to take the place by storm, he contented himself with blockading it with the greater part of his army, and reducing the See also:Delta to submission with the See also:rest. At the end of twelve months Alexandria sued for See also:peace, and a treaty was signed on the 8th of See also:November 641. To 'Amr acting on Omar's command has been attributed the burning of the famous Alexandrian library. (See See also:LIBRARIES and ALEXANDRIA.) Not only is this See also:act of barbarism inconsistent with the characters of Omar and his See also:general, but the earliest authority for the See also:story is Abulfaragius (Barhebraeus), a See also:Christian writer; who lived six centuries later. After the See also:conquest of Egypt 'Amr carried his conquests eastward along the North See also:African See also:coast as far as See also:Barca and even Tripolis. His See also:administration of Egypt was moderate and statesmanlike, and under his See also:rule the produce of the Nile Valley was a See also:constant source of See also:supply to the cities of See also:Arabia. He even reopened a See also:canal at least 8o m. See also:long from the Nile to the Red See also:Sea with the See also:object of renewing communication by sea.

Removed from his See also:

office by See also:Othman in 647, who replaced him by Ibn abi Sarh, he sided with Moawiya in the contest for the See also:caliphate, and was largely responsible for the deposition of See also:Ali (q.v.) and the See also:establishment of the Omayyad See also:dynasty. (See CALIPHATE, See also:section B.) In 658 he reconquered Egypt in Moawiya's interest, and governed it till his See also:death on the 6th of See also:January 664. In a pathetic speech to his See also:children on his deathbed, he bitterly lamented his youthful offence in opposing the prophet, although Mahomet had forgiven him and had frequently affirmed that " there was no Mussulman more sincere and steadfast in the faith than 'Amr." See also:Sir W. See also:Muir, The Caliphate (See also:London, 1891); E. See also:Gibbon's Decline and Fall; M. J. de See also:Goeje, Memoire sur in conquete de la Syrie (See also:Leiden, 1900) ; See also:Butler, Arab Conquest of Egypt (See also:Oxford, 1902) ; See also:art. EGYPT, History, Mahommedan See also:Period. 'AMR IBN KULTHUM, Arabian poet, author of one of the Mo'allakat. Little or nothing is known of his life See also:save that he was a member of the tribe of Taghlib and that he is said to have died of excessive See also:wine-drinking. Some stories of him are told in the See also:Book of Songs (see ABULFARAJ), vol. ix. pp. 181-185.

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