Who were the Aghlabids?

An Islamic dynasty that ruled the province of Ifriqiyah from 800 to 909, the Aghlabids oversaw the creation of a center of culture, religion, and commerce in the region.

Who were the Buyids?

As the power of the Abbasid Caliphs wavered, ambitious generals and officials rose to power in their localities and set out to create their own dominions and empires. One such clan – the Buyids - embodied the divide during the period and the illustrated the political impotency of the Abbasid Caliphs.

What was the House of Wisdom?

In an age of explosive productivity in the sciences and literature, one institution stood in the forefront of this era –the Bayt al-Hikma or the House of Wisdom.

Scholars at an Abbasid Library in Baghdad
by Yahya al-Wasiti

Founders: Who were Caliphs as-Saffah and al-Mansur?

In 749, in the city of Kufa, the Islamic world founded another Caliphate – the Abbasids. And the foundation and security of this new Caliphate rested in its first 2 Caliphs, both considered founders of the new dynasty – Caliph As-Saffah and Caliph al-Mansur.

Proclamation of as-Saffah as Caliph in Kufa

Who were the Mamluks?

In 1798, the armies of Napoleon Bonaparte clashed with the remnants of the once powerful and glorious Mamluks of Egypt. The Mamluks rose from slavery to strong rulers and maintained power for centuries. But who are the Mamluks?

Who was Harun al-Rashid?

Ruled as the 5th Abbasid Caliph (r. 785 – 809), Harun al-Rashid ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi (763/766 – 809) presided over an explosive era of great achievements for the Islamic civilization, but his reign also began the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate.

A Brief History of the Abbasid Caliphate

The Abbasid Caliphate (750 - 1258) stood was a great Islamic Empire that dominated two continents. Founded through revolution, it presided over a golden age until it declined due to intrigue, war, and weakness that led to its centuries of powerless existence until its downfall in the hands of the Mongols.

The Abbasid Revolution

In 746, in the marginalized regions of modern day Iran, the region called Khorasan erupted in revolt against the weakened Umayyad Caliphate. A revolt that grew to a revolutions and installed a new dynasty that presided over the most glistening age for Islam – the Abbasid Caliphate.

Who were the Mawali?

Islam promised a community (Umma in Arabic) united and equal regardless of race. But the Umayyad Caliphate granted anything but that. Its desire to unite the Caliphate under Arabic culture led to the creation of a whole new class of Muslims that do not share Arabic blood. They became known as the Mawali.

Who were the Kharijites or Khawarij?

The First Fitna of 656 to 661 forever divided Islam. The Sunnis and Shias emerged at the end of the conflict along with a smaller and obscured sect of Islam called the Kharijites – those who walk out.

A Brief History of the Umayyad Caliphate

In the middle of the 7th century, Islam saw division within its community brought by political and religious rivalry. In 661, a new Caliphate emerged and advanced its realms becoming the fastest growing empire in the next 50 years. This was the Umayyad Caliphate.

What happened in the First Fitna?

In 656, the young religion of Islam faced a crisis, its Caliph murdered and pass issues regarding succession of the Prophet Mohammed reemerged fueling the civil war called the First Fitna

What is a Caliphate?

In 2014, a term returned from the past and used to inspire fear and hatred. The Islamic State of Syria and Levant declared itself a Caliphate making many ask the question – What is a caliphate?

Founders: Who was Muawiya I?

In the 7th century, a new religion emerged in the inhospitable deserts of Arabia – Islam. Alongside with Islam, a new empire also emerged. Born from internal struggle, the Umayyad Caliphate became stronger and more organized than before. Credit to this reemergence mostly went to its founder – Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan.

Conquest of Tariq ibn Ziyad

In the southern tip of Spain stands a giant monolith that became known as the European side of the Pillars of Hercules where the Mediterranean Sea met the Atlantic. This monolith, the Rock of Gibraltar, bears a legacy of Muslim Spain. In fact, it bears the name of the man who started the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula – Tariq ibn Ziyad.

The Sultanate of Delhi: The Tughluq Dynasty

The Tughluq Dynasty rose in the ashes of the House of Khalji. Under their supervision, the Delhi Sultanate reached its apex, but also saw its decline in order and power.

The Sultanate of Delhi: The Khalji Dynasty

Before the Mughal Empire boasted its sub-continental Empire, the Sultanate of Delhi existed and ruled most of India becoming a powerhouse in a divided India. The Mamluk Dynasty established and secured the Sultanate’s existence, but the House of Khalji worked to keep it and to expand its dominion over the rest of India.

The Sultanate of Delhi: The Mamluk Dynasty

Before the Mughal Empire came to be, the Sultanate of Delhi stood as the most powerful state in all of Northern India. A Sultanate founded by Afghan warlords, it dominated its neighbors, defended itself against Mongols, and ruled by Sultan with each having a different personality. Explore this Sultanate that endured for centuries until the conquest of Babur came.