Timeline of the Umayyad, Abbasid, Abbasid-Seljuk Empires (the three dynasties)

Capital is moved to Damascus

Jan 1, 661

After the assassination of Ali, a group called the Umayyads came to power and chose Mu’awiya as the fifth caliph. Mu’awiya moved his capital to Damascus in 661 and began to reform the new empire’s administration. Mu’awiya modeled his government’s organization on that of the Byzantine Empire. Mu’awiya further changed traditional Muslim governance by identifying his son, Yazid, as his successor, instead of leaving that decision up to the respected elders of the community.

Picture of Capital is moved to Damascus

Jan 2, 661

Massacre at Karbala

Jan 1, 680

Hussein, as the prophet Mohammed’s grandson, represented a symbolic link to the prophet and the fourth caliph, whom Mu’awiya had overthrown. As Hussein traveled with his family and entourage toward the Iraqi city of Kufa, Yazid’s troops stopped the travelers and demanded that Hussein take an oath of loyalty to Yazid and the Umayyad Dynasty. When Hussein refused to submit, Yazid’s general ordered his soldiers to attack, slaughtering women and children as well as Hussein.

Picture of Massacre at Karbala

Jan 2, 680

Dome of the Rock is completed

Jan 1, 691

During his reign, Abd Al-Malik -- Yazid's son, set up several reforms and executed them perfectly. One of these reforms is the construction of the Dome of the Rock. The Dome of the Rock, with its distinctive golden dome and beautiful calligraphy, was constructed in Jerusalem by 691.

Picture of Dome of the Rock is Completed

Jan 2, 691

Reforms by Yazid's son, Abd Al-Malik the unified the empire

Jan 1, 696

Abd al-Malik spread his grandfather’s administrative reforms across North Africa and Persia, made Arabic the common language, constructed mosques in all new lands, and perhaps most importantly, unified the coinage of the empire in 696. These coins featured the texts from the Qu'ran instead of the ruler's image. By standardizing financial weights and measures, Abd al-Malik ensured that trade would flow smoothly across his vast lands.

Picture of Reforms by Yazid's son, Abd Al-Malik the unified the empire

Jan 2, 696

Umayyad Expansion and the Battle of Tours

Jan 1, 732

Abd al-Malik’s heirs completed the expansion of the Umayyad dynasty, extending its borders from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Indus River in the east a distance of nearly 6,000 miles. The Umayyad expansion into Europe was stopped in the west by Charles Martel and his Frankish forces at the Battle of Tours in 732, which the Muslims lost.

Picture of Umayyad Expansion and the Battle of Tours

Jan 2, 732

Umayyad vs. Abbasid

Jan 1, 750

Umayyad dominance in the east was challenged by a rising faction, the Abbasids, who joined others opposing the empire’s secular emphasis. The Abbasids brought down the Umayyads in 750 and sought to kill as many Umayyad family members as possible to avoid its later resurgence. One famous Umayyad who escaped was Abd al Rahman. He fled westward, finally making it to his family’s distant territory in Spain, where he established a western Umayyad dynasty that lasted another three hundred years.

Picture of Umayyad vs. Abbasid

Jan 2, 750

Paper from the Chinese

Jan 1, 751

Abbasid expansion to the east also brought them in conflict with the Chinese at the Battle of Talas in 751. The Muslim army was victorious, and through Chinese captives, learned about paper, which would replace papyrus and parchment, making Abbasid intellectual achievements easier to spread.

Picture of Paper from the Chinese

Jan 2, 751

Capital is moved to Baghdad

Jan 1, 762

The Umayyads had been based in Syria and were influenced by its Byzantine architecture and administration. In contrast, the Abbasids moved the capital to Baghdad in 762 and, although the leaders were Arab, administrators and cultural influence were primarily Persian. This eastward shift allowed some independent dynasties to form in the west, such as the Spanish Umayyad and later the Egyptian Fatimids.

Picture of Capital is moved to Baghdad

Jan 2, 762

Muslim Golden Age

Jan 1, 800

The 9th and 10th centuries under Abbasid rule were a golden age of Muslim achievement. In the recently built capital of Baghdad, the caliphs founded centers of study, including the Beyt al-
Hikma, or House of Wisdom. Most historians attribute this to Al-Ma’mun, who reigned from 813-833, but some give credit to earlier caliphs. By the mid-800s, brilliant Muslim scholars—many Persian, but also Arab, Indian and Egyptian—shared their knowledge and writings in Baghdad.

Picture of Muslim Golden Age

Jan 2, 800

Death of Al-Khwarizmi (one of the greatest Muslim scholars)

Jan 1, 850

Al Khwarizmi adapted Hindu numerals and developed the numbering system we use today. He is considered the father of algebra. His works were translated into Latin in the 12th century and formed the basis of western mathematics. Scholars translated ancient Persian, Hindu and Greek texts into Arabic and then spread that knowledge across the vast Muslim lands, as far west as Spain, where they were translated into Latin. These texts helped Europeans became acquainted with the Greek thinkers.

Picture of Death of Al-Khwarizmi (one of the greatest Muslim scholars)

Jan 2, 850

The "Shahnameh" is published

Jan 1, 1010

The Shahnameh is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between 977 and 1010 and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,000 couplets the Shahnameh is the world's longest epic poem written by a single poet. It tells mainly the mythical and to some extent the historical past of the Persian Empire from the creation of the world until the Islamic conquest of Persia in the 7th century.

Picture of The "Shahnameh" is published

Jan 2, 1010

Ibn Sina's "Canon of Medicine" is published

Jan 1, 1025

The "Canon of Medicine" is an encyclopedia of medicine in five books compiled by the Persian philosopher Ibn Sina. It presents an overview of the contemporary medical knowledge. The Canon of Medicine remained a medical authority for centuries. It set the standards for medicine in Medieval Europe and the Islamic world and was used as a standard medical textbook through the 18th century in Europe. It is still used in Unani medicine, a form of traditional medicine practiced in India.

Picture of Ibn Sina's "Canon of Medicine" is published

Jan 2, 1025

Beginning of the Abbasid-Seljuk empire

Jan 1, 1055

The Abbasid dynasty depended on regional governors for military control and the collection of taxes. By the 11th century, this decentralized system proved too weak to defend against nomadic tribesmen from the east. In 1055, Seljuq Turkmen who had gradually moved into Abbasid territory, took control of Baghdad. Their leader, Tugrul Bey, forced the Abbasid caliph to name him sultan. From that point, the empire was ruled in name by the Abbasids, but in practice by the Seljuq.

Picture of Beginning of the Abbasid-Seljuk empire

Jan 2, 1055

The Crusades

Jan 1, 1096

The Seljuks expanded westward. These challenges to Christian rule led the pope to call the first crusade in 1096. Christian knights seized and held Jerusalem until 1187, when the city was retaken by the great Muslim general, Saladin. Europeans maintained a presence in the region until the Crusades ended in 1204 and in spite of the conflict, trade flourished between east and west. It was partly through these exchanges that the learning of Muslim scholars in the Middle East was shared with Europe.

Picture of the Crusades

Jan 2, 1096

Picture of "1001 Nights" is compiled

Jan 1, 1100

"1001 Nights" is compiled

Jan 1, 1100

"1001 Nights" is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. Some editions contain only a few hundred nights, while others include 1,001 or more. The bulk of the text is in prose, although verse is occasionally used for songs and riddles and to express heightened emotion. Most of the poems are single couplets or quatrains, although some are longer.

Decline of the Abbasi-Seljuq Empire

Jan 1, 1258

Unfortunately, the creativity that had flowed from Baghdad for four centuries came to a crashing halt in 1258, when the Mongol invasion reached Mesopotamia. The conquerors destroyed the city of Baghdad, burning its palaces and its houses of learning. Although the Mongols would eventually convert to Islam and foster their own cultural achievements, the Golden Age of the Abbasid-Seljuq dynasty had come to a close.

Picture of Decline of the Abbasi-Seljuq Empire

Jan 2, 1258