The Abbasid Caliphate
750–1258 CE · 132 AH–656 AHThe Abbasids took power in 132 AH (750 CE) and founded Baghdad in 762 as their capital — the "City of Peace". For centuries it was one of the largest and most learned cities on earth.
Under caliphs such as Harun al-Rashid and al-Maʾmun, scholars in Baghdad translated Greek, Persian and Indian works and made original advances in mathematics, astronomy, medicine and philosophy — the "Golden Age". The great schools of fiqh and the major hadith collections also took shape in this era.
Abbasid political power later weakened as regional dynasties arose. In 656 AH (1258 CE) the Mongols sacked Baghdad and killed the caliph; a line of Abbasid caliphs continued symbolically in Cairo under the Mamluks until 1517.
Capital: Baghdad · Samarra
- 762: Baghdad founded by al-Mansur.
- 786–809: reign of Harun al-Rashid.
- c. 830: al-Maʾmun supports the House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikmah).
- 1187: Salah al-Din (under nominal Abbasid authority) recovers Jerusalem.
- 1258: the Mongols sack Baghdad.
- Abu Jaʿfar al-Mansur
- Harun al-Rashid
- al-Maʾmun
- Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
- al-Khwarizmi
- Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi
Abbasid scholarship preserved and advanced the sciences that later reached Europe; the paper, numerals and institutions of learning of this age shaped the world.
Prepared from standard sources; pending scholar review.