Polities
The Abbasid Caliphate
uh-BASS-id
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The Abbasid Caliphate was founded in 750 when the Abbasid dynasty overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate and moved the seat of Islamic rule from Damascus to a newly built capital, Baghdad. Under Abbasid rule Baghdad became a center of science, culture, arts and invention, a period remembered as the Golden Age of Islam, drawing scholars who preserved and expanded Greek, Persian and Indian learning. Abbasid political authority declined steadily from the tenth century as regional dynasties broke away, and the caliphate's classical period ended in 1258 when Mongol forces under Hulagu Khan sacked Baghdad and executed the caliph.
Facts
Government TypeCaliphate (hereditary Islamic monarchy) 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
In Era
Why this is disputed. The Abbasid Caliphate's classical and Golden Age centuries fall within the conventional post-classical and medieval period, though its own internal periodization (rise, Golden Age, decline) does not map neatly onto European medieval boundaries.
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1. Wikipedia: Abbasid Caliphate
WikipediaLead sectionQuote, Lead section
uh-BASS-id (ASCII respelling)
1. Wikipedia: Abbasid Caliphate
1. Wikipedia: Abbasid Caliphate
WikipediaMongol invasion and end sectionQuote, Mongol invasion and end section
This revival ended in 1258 with the sack of Baghdad by the Mongols under Hulagu Khan and the execution of Caliph al-Musta'sim, which marked the effective end of the Abbasid Caliphate.
Wikipedia: Hulagu Khan
WikipediaRelated To: Hulagu Khan, Lead section, fall of the Abbasid dynastyQuote, Related To: Hulagu Khan, Lead section, fall of the Abbasid dynasty
Under Hulegu's leadership, the Mongols sacked and destroyed Baghdad, ending the Islamic Golden Age and the Abbasid dynasty.
Wikipedia: Siege of Baghdad (1258)
WikipediaRelated To: Siege of Baghdad (1258), Lead section (edge: related-to Abbasid Caliphate)Quote, Related To: Siege of Baghdad (1258), Lead section (edge: related-to Abbasid Caliphate)
A large army commanded by Hulegu, a prince of the Mongol Empire, attacked the historic capital of the Abbasid Caliphate after a series of provocations from its ruler, caliph al-Musta'sim.
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