Fatima al-Fihri founds the al-Qarawiyyin mosque in Fez, which grew into a major centre of learning in the Islamic world.
The Shia Fatimid Caliphate takes Egypt and builds Cairo as its new capital, along with the al-Azhar mosque.
Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad cross the Strait of Gibraltar, defeat the Visigothic kingdom and take most of the Iberian Peninsula.
Ibn al-Haytham composes the Book of Optics, explaining vision as light entering the eye and emphasising experimental method.
Rashidun forces under Amr ibn al-As take Egypt from the Byzantines and found the city of Fustat.
The first recorded pandemic of bubonic plague sweeps the Mediterranean, devastating the Byzantine Empire and killing vast numbers.
Mamluk slave-soldiers overthrow the Ayyubids and seize power in Egypt, ruling Egypt and Syria for over two and a half centuries.