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

DocuNotes: Barbarians - The Goths

Originally aired on 2004, History Channel’s miniseries Barbarians tells the story of the people who made their names in the Medieval Age, from Rome to Asia. And in their first episode, narrator Clancy Brown tells the story of a people who brought the demise of the imperial city of Rome – the Goths.

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?