Abbasid Caliphate

Category
Caliphate
Capitals
Baghdad
Begin
750
End
1258
Region
Middle East
Reference
Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"Persianate customs were broadly adopted . . . and they began patronage of artists and scholars. Baghdad became a centre of science, culture, philosophy and invention in what became known as the Golden Age of Islam." Invasions of Baghdad by Iranian Buyids (945) and Seljuq Turks (1055) ended the power of the caliphs. "Due to the First Fitna which led to the sectarian division of Sunni vs. Shia Islam, the succession of Muhammad is disputed within Islam. The only two caliphs recognized in both Sunni and mainstream Shia Islam are Ali ibn Abi Talib and Hasan ibn Ali, considered the fourth and fifth or the first two, respectively." [Wikipedia] "While Charlemagne in his halting and stultified Latin was being crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800, the Abbasid caliphs were already well into the monumental translation project that brought the Greek philosophical and scientific tradition into Arabic. Continuous traffic between Cordoba and Baghdad meant that the Andalusians were soon enough reading the same things and eagerly keeping up with the latest innovations, fashions, and products, and, eventually, capable of sending their own back in return." [Menocal: Ornament of the World, p. 82]

This period is linked to the following events

Event Name
Category
Date
Umayyad dynasty overthrown after Abbasids kill 80 members of family
Religion
750
Arabs make Islam the dominant religion of central Asia after the Battle of Talas
War
751
Caliph al-Mansur chooses Bagdad as new Abbasid capital
Religion
762
Harun al-Rashid begins golden age of Islamic culture inspiring "1001 Nights"
Religion
786
Al-Rashid sends Charlemagne decree protecting pilgrims to holy sites in Jerusalem
Religion
807
Al-Khwarizmi publishes book on algebra
Mathematics
820
Muslims invade Byzantine Sicily--finally conquered in 965
War
827
Caliph al-Mamun founds astronomical observatory in Baghdad
Science
828
Anarchy of Samarra
Religion
861
African (Zanj) slaves revolt against Abbasid caliph and set up their own capital
War
868
"Disappearance of Al-Mahdi, the Hidden Imam of Twelver Shi'ites"
Religion
874
Buyids capture Baghdad
War
945
Caliph al-Hakim orders the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Religion
1009
Islam penetrates Indonesia
War
1150
Hulegu leads Mongols to destroy Baghdad, vast library, and last Abbasid caliph
War
1258

This period is linked to the following movies

Movie title
Genre
Released
Islam: Empire of Faith
Documentary
2000
The Physician
Historical
2013