Amr ibn al-As al-Sahmi (Arabic: عمرو بن العاص‎, romanized: ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ al-Sahmī; c. 573 - 664) was the Arab commander who led the Muslim conquest of Egypt and served as its governor in 640-646 and 658-664. The son of a wealthy Qurayshite, Amr embraced Islam in c. 629 and was assigned important roles in the nascent Muslim community by the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The first caliph Abu Bakr (r. 632-634) appointed Amr as a commander of the conquest of Syria. He conquered most of Palestine, to which he was appointed governor, and led the Arabs to decisive victories over the Byzantines at the battles of Ajnadayn and Yarmouk in 634 and 636