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Middle East Kingdoms

Arabic States

 

 

 

Islamic Empire
AD 622 - 1258

THE HIJRAH (ISLAMIC HISTORICAL) ERA

622 - 632

Muhammed

Begins on 16 July 622.

RIGHTLY GUIDED CALIPHS

632 - 634

Abu Bakr

Assumes the title Khalifah, "successor" to the Prophet.

634 - 644

Umar ibn al-Khattab

636 - 652

Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius is defeated, and Palestine and Phoenicia are conquered in 636 and 637 respectively. Mesopotamia is conquered from the Persians in 637, and the Persians are defeated in 642. Jerusalem falls in 638. Former Seleucid and Roman Syria and Egypt are taken in 640. The Georgian kingdom of Iberia is taken in 645, and Persia is overrun by 651. An attempted invasion of the Kingdom of Dongola is repulsed in 652.

644 - 656

Uthman

Of the Umayyad Clan.

656 - 661

Ali ibn abi Talib

Son-in-law/cousin of Muhammed.

655 - 661

Ali is the second historical follower of Islam. Some Muslims see him as one of several possible leaders while others believe him to be divine. The Sunni/Shia split in Islam is created and for two decades around  these The Great Sunni / Shia Divideyears there are civil wars in Arabia.

UMAYYAD CALIPHATE
AD 661 - 750

Capital: Damascus.

661 - 680

Mu'awiya I

Assumed caliphate upon the death of Ali.

674 - 677

The capital moves to Damascus. An Arab aristocratic government is established there. The empire also besieges Constantinople.

680 - 683

Yazid I

683 - 684

Mu'awiya II

684 - 685

Marwan I

682

Byzantine territory in Morocco falls to the Islamic Empire.

685 - 705

Abd al Malik

698

The Byzantine North African territories in Algeria and Tunisia fall to the Islamic Empire. The Dome of the Rock is built in Jerusalem.

705 - 715

al Walid I

705

Armenia falls to the Islamic Empire.

711

Visigothic Spain falls, signalling the end of the Visigoths. The Arabs build the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus.

715 - 717

Sulayman

717 - 718

The siege of Constantinople takes place.

717 - 720

Umar II

720 - 724

Yazid II

724 - 743

Hisham

Grandfather of the first Omayyid Amir of Spain.

c.740

?Khirbat al-Mafjar

743 - 744

al Walid II

744

Yazid III

744

Ibrahim

744 - 750

Marwan II

751

The Battle of Talas. The T'ang Dynasty Chinese is defeated, but no further advance into Central Asia is made. The Omayyads are overthrown and massacred (except in Spain, where they continue to rule independent of the rest of the Islamic Empire) in the Abbasid revolution. This signals the end of the Arab Empire. The equality of all Moslems is established.

ABBASID CALIPHATE
AD 750 - 1258

Capital: Baghdad.

750 - 754

Abdullah as Saffah (Abu al-Abbas)

754 - 775

Abdullah al Mansur (Abu Jafar al-Mansur)

775 - 785

Muhammad al Mahdi

785 - 786

Musa al Hadi

786 - 809

Harun al Rashid

788

The Idrasids flee from the caliph and take control of Morocco.

800

The Aghlabid Amirs of Tunisia & Algeria assume autonomous rule.

809 - 813

Muhammad al Amin

813 - 833

Abdullah al Ma'mun

821

The Tahirid Emirs of Khurasan are granted a degree of autonomy. At around the same time the island of Cyprus is taken from the Byzantine Empire.

833 - 842

Muhammad al Mu'tasim

Moved to Samarra with Turkish guard.

842 - 847

Harun al Watiq

847 - 861

Ja'far al Mutawakkil

Assassinated by Turkish guard.

861 - 862

Muhammad al Muntasir

862 - 866

Ahmad al Musta'in

866 - 869

Muhammad al Mutazz

867

The Saffarid Emirs oust the Tahirids in Khurasan.

869 - 870

Muhammad al Muhtadi

870 - 892

Ahmad al Mutamid

Returned to Baghdad.

873

The Shia line of divinely-ordained supreme religious rulers, who are all related by blood to the Prophet, dies out.

892 - 902

Ahmad al Mutadid

902 - 908

Ali Muktafi

908

Jafar al Muqtadir

908 - 929

Jafar al Muqtadir

929

Muhammad al Qahir

929 - 932

Jafar al Muqtadir

932 - 934

Muhammad al Qahir

934 - 940

Ahmad ar Radi

Loss of authority.

940 - 944

Ibrahim al Muttaqi

944 - 946

Adbullah al Mustakfi

(d.949)

945

The caliphate, including Persia, falls under the Shi'ite Buwayid emirs of Iraq.

946 - 974

al Fadl al Muti

965 - 969

Cyprus is lost to the Byzantine Empire in 965, and Antioch in Syria in 969.

974 - 991

AdulKarim atTa'I

991 - 1031

Ahmad al Qadir

1031 - 1075

Abdullah al Qa'im

1055

The caliph is under Persian Seljuq control after the Buwayid amirs are defeated. He grants title of Sultan to the Seljuq ruler.

1075 - 1094

Abdullah al Muqtadi

1094 - 1118

Ahmad al Mustazhir

1098 - 1099

The First Crusade conquers Jerusalem, and large swathes of Middle Eastern territories.

1118 - 1135

al Fadl al Mustarshid

1135 - 1136

al Mansur ar Rashid

1136 - 1160

Muhammad al Muqtafi

1160 - 1170

Yusuf al Mustanjid

1170 - 1180

al Hasan al Mustadi

1180 - 1225

Ahmad an Nasir

1194

The Caliphate gains independence from the Seljuqs.

1225 - 1226

Muhammad az Zahir

1226 - 1242

al Mansur al Mustansir

1242 - 1258

Abdullah al Musta'sim

Killed by Il-Khan Mongol Khan Hulagu.

1258

The death of Abdullah al Musta'sim signals the end of the Abbasid Caliphate. The Mamelukes set up the Abbasid puppet caliphate in Egypt which continues until the Ottoman conquest. Control of the Islamic Empire eventually falls to the Ottoman Turks, who govern from Asia Minor.