Islamic Political History: A Basic Timeline

Front 1

The first three centuries of Islam

Back 1

The unified caliphates

Front 2

610

Back 2

Muhammad begins receiving quranic revelations

Front 3

622

Back 3

Muhammad's flight from Mecca to Medina (the year from which the Islamic calendar begins)

Front 4

632

Back 4

Death of Muhammad; completion of process of unifying Arabian peninsula

Front 5

632-661

Back 5

Four “rightly guided” caliphs: Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, and ‘Ali

Front 6

661-750

Back 6

Umayyad caliphate (capital: Damascus )

Front 7

750-1258

Back 7

Abbasid caliphate (capital: Baghdad , founded 762)

Front 8

632-CA. 825

Back 8

Muslim armies conquer parts of Roman and Byzantine empires, and all of Sasanian empire. Islamic world by ca. 825 spans the Mediterranean (including Spain , Sicily , and Southern Italy) and western and central Asia

Front 9

10th-13th centuries

Back 9

breakup of the unified caliphate

Front 10

909

Back 10

Fatimid (Shiite) dynast declares self caliph in north Africa, challenging Abbasid authority

Front 11

929

Back 11

Spanish Umayyad prince declares self caliph, challenging Abbasid authority

Front 12

945

Back 12

Buyids(Iranian princely dynasty) rule Baghdad , rendering Abbasid caliphs puppets

Front 13

969

Back 13

Fatimids conquer Egypt and Syria , removing one of the wealthiest provinces from the Abbasid domain

Front 14

969-1171

Back 14

Fatimid dynasty rules Egypt and Syria from Cairo (founded 973)

Front 15

1055

Back 15

Saljuq sultans begin conquering parts of Iraq and Syria

Front 16

The first three centuries of Islam

Back 16

The unified caliphates

Front 17

610

Back 17

Muhammad begins receiving quranic revelations

Front 18

622

Back 18

Muhammad's flight from Mecca to Medina (the year from which the Islamic calendar begins)

Front 19

632

Back 19

Death of Muhammad; completion of process of unifying Arabian peninsula

Front 20

632-661

Back 20

Four “rightly guided” caliphs: Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, and ‘Ali

Front 21

661-750

Back 21

Umayyad caliphate (capital: Damascus )

Front 22

750-1258

Back 22

Abbasid caliphate (capital: Baghdad , founded 762)

Front 23

632-CA. 825

Back 23

Muslim armies conquer parts of Roman and Byzantine empires, and all of Sasanian empire. Islamic world by ca. 825 spans the Mediterranean (including Spain , Sicily , and Southern Italy) and western and central Asia

Front 24

10th-13th centuries

Back 24

breakup of the unified caliphate

Front 25

909

Back 25

Fatimid (Shiite) dynast declares self caliph in north Africa, challenging Abbasid authority

Front 26

929

Back 26

Spanish Umayyad prince declares self caliph, challenging Abbasid authority

Front 27

945

Back 27

Buyids(Iranian princely dynasty) rule Baghdad , rendering Abbasid caliphs puppets

Front 28

969

Back 28

Fatimids conquer Egypt and Syria , removing one of the wealthiest provinces from the Abbasid domain

Front 29

969-1171

Back 29

Fatimid dynasty rules Egypt and Syria from Cairo (founded 973)

Front 30

1055

Back 30

Saljuq sultans begin conquering parts of Iraq and Syria

Front 31

1099-1187

Back 31

Crusaders rule Jerusalem and other areas of Palestine and Syria

Front 32

1171-1250

Back 32

Ayyubid dynasty rules Egypt and Syria from Cairo ; first Ayyubid caliph, Saladin, reconquers Jerusalem from Crusaders in 1187

Front 33

1250-1517

Back 33

Mamluks rule Egypt and Syria from Cairo

Front 34

1256-1388

Back 34

Il-Khans rule Persia , Iraq , and eastern and central Anatolia