Transcript Empire of the Caliphs and Decline of the Caliphate

Major Islamic Empires
Ms. Catsos
World History
Where was each picture taken?
All three were taken in
Baghdad, Iraq- the former
capital of the Abbasid
Empire
Objective
• Understand the rise and the fall of the Umayyad
and Abbasid Empires, the two major empires of
the medieval Islamic world.
• Know how these two empires spread Islam and
the lasting effects of that spread today
Essential Question
• How do empires rise and fall?
The Umayyad Empire 661- 750
• After the death of Ali,
the Umayyad family set
up a dynasty. They were
Sunnis.
• Their capital was
Damascus, in Syria.
• They spread Islam across
Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Why were the Umayyads so
successful in spreading Islam?
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Byzantine and Persian Empires were weak
Fighting methods: camel and horse cavalry
Common faith inspired army
Fair treatment of conquered people
The Umayyad Empire- Challenges
• Had to adapt from desert life to ruling large
cities and huge territories
• Arabs had more rights than non-Arabs
• Shiites still angry about murder of Ali
• When conquests stopped, money stopped
coming in, and people turned to a new leader
Abbasid Empire (750-1258)
• The new leader was Abu al-Abbas, who
captured Damascus in 750.
• He invited the Umayyads to a banquet, then
killed them all.
• The Abbas family became Shiites to gain their
support.
• The Abbasids ended Arab dominance and made
Islam a universal religion.
New Capital: Baghdad
• Moved the capital to
Baghdad (today in Iraq)
• Strong Persian influence
• Huge center of trade and
culture
• Leader during Baghdad’s
peak: Harun al-Rashid
Decline of the Abbasid Empire
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Starting in 850, Abbasid control fragmented
Spain, Egypt and other areas were ruled by separate states
Civil Wars
Invasions: Seljuks, Crusaders, and Mongols
How was its decline similar to
the decline of Ancient Rome?
Seljuk Turks
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From Central Asia
Adopted Islam
Ruled by a sultan
Took over Baghdad
Threatened Byzantines and motivated Urban II
to call the first Crusade
Crusaders
• In 1099 captured Jerusalem
• It went back in forth for hundreds of years in
bloody battle
• Crusades had more of a cultural impact in
Europe than in the Middle East
• The Crusaders did not take Muslim land
permanently, but created centuries of hostility
Continuing Influence
• After the caliphates fell, the Middle East became
very politically divided- and still is today
• Islam still linked these diverse people as a
common religion
• What other effects can you think of?