Amr ibn al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam al-Asadi (; d. 685 CE) was an Arab military commander of the Umayyad Caliphate. He is known for serving as head of MedinaâÂÂs and leading an Umayyad expedition against his brother Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr during the Second Fitna, where he was captured and killed.
Amr was the son of al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam and Umm Khalid Ama bint Khalid, a member of the Umayyad clan who had returned from the Migration to Abyssinia in 628. He belonged to the Banu Asad branch of the Quraysh. His siblings included Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr, Urwa ibn al-Zubayr, Hamza, Ja'far, Al-Mundhir, Khalid, and Ramla bint al-Zubayr. His paternal aunt was Aisha, wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was named in honor of Amr ibn Sa'id ibn al-As, who died at the Battle of Yarmouk.
During the early reign of Yazid I, Amr refused to pledge allegiance to the caliph. In 60 AH (680 CE), the Umayyad governor of Medina, Amr ibn Sa'id al-Ashdaq, appointed him head of the cityâÂÂs (security forces). His mandate included enforcing Umayyad authority and suppressing supporters of his brother Abd Allah, who had refused to recognize Yazid.
Amr reportedly punished Quraysh and Ansar suspected of supporting Abd Allah with lashes, reinforcing his position as the central Umayyad enforcer in Medina.
With Umayyad authorization, Amr led an expedition of approximately 2,000 men from Medina to Mecca to suppress his brotherâÂÂs rebellion. His forces encountered resistance from Zubayrid loyalists, including two opposing contingents led by Mus'ab ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Zubayr and Abd Allah ibn Safwan. Amr's troops were defeated and his commander, Unays ibn Amr al-Aslami, was killed.
Amr himself was wounded and captured. When brought before Abd Allah and asked about his bloodied condition, he reportedly replied in verse:
Sources differ on the circumstances of his death. Al-Baladhuri reports that he died while in custody during Abd AllahâÂÂs rule, whereas Julius Wellhausen states that he was captured following an ambush near Mecca and subsequently killed.