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Jan 1, 622
Muhammad's Journey
In 622, Muhammad journeyed to the city of Yathrib (Medina) with his most devoted supporters because the people in his city were not supportive of his beliefs. This date became the first day on the official Islamic calendar. -
Jan 1, 630
Muhammad's visit to the Ka'aba
In 630, Muhammad's significant visit to the Ka'aba in Medina resulted in the declaration of the Ka'aba as a sacred shrine of Islam and the destruction of idols of the traditional faith. -
Jan 1, 632
Muhammad's Death
Muhammad died in 632. -
Jan 1, 632
Muhammad's Successor Chosen After His Death
Muhammad had left no clear successor, so his closest followers chose a man named Abu Bakr was chosen to rule. After their unification under one successor, the Arabs began to expand the empire because their energies were focused on expansion. -
Period: Jan 1, 636 to Jan 1, 650
The Arabs' Conquest of the Byzantine and Sassanian Empires
Once the Arabs became unified under a successor, they began to rapidly expand. Their energies were more focused on expansion than the finding a successor. -
Jan 1, 661
The Rise of the Umayyads
Mu'awiya's replaced Ali, one of first caliphs after Muhammad's death, in office after he was assassinated. Mu'awiya made the caliphate hereditary, and this, in turn, began the Umayyad dynasty that lasted almost a century. The capital was located at Damascus. -
Jan 1, 750
The End of Umayyad Rule
The second son of Ali, Hussein, began to question the validity of the Umayyads and encouraged the Shi'ites, Umayyad supporters, to rise against their rule. As a result, discord developed between Shi'ite and Sunni (orthodox) Muslims. In 750, Abu al-Abbas led a revolt that succeeded in overthrowing the Umayyads and jestablishing the Abbasid dynasty. -
Period: Jan 1, 750 to Jan 1, 1258
The Abbasid Dynasty
The Abbasid Dynasty was established as a result of the overthrow of the Umayyads. The Abbasid dynasty saw political, economical, and cultural change to the Islamic realm. Harun "the Upright", whose rule was described as the golden age of the Abbasid caliphate, had a son, al-Ma'mun, established an astronomical observatory and an institution for the translations of Greek works. With their conquests, the Arabs had created a massive commercial market at Baghdad. -
Jan 1, 762
New Capital City Established
Baghdad was established to take advantage of the river traffic and caravan route. This move to the east allowed the Persians' cultural influence to come into their culture. -
Work Cited
Muhammad's Death
Mu'awiya
Abu Bakr
Muhammad's Journey
Duiker, William J., and Jackson J. Spielvogel. The Essential World History. 6th ed. Vol. 1 to 1800. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. -
