History glossary
Abbasid caliphate
the Islamic caliphal dynasty based in Baghdad until the Mongol sack of 1258.
- Category
- Dynasty
- Region
- Islamic world
- Date range
- 750-1258 in Baghdad
What it means
The Islamic caliphal dynasty founded in 750 and based for centuries in Baghdad. By the thirteenth century its direct political power had weakened, but its symbolic importance remained great until the Mongol sack of Baghdad in 1258.
Stories using this term
The Abbasid Golden Age
From revolution and Baghdad to the House of Wisdom, science, medicine, trade and the fall of the city, the Abbasid Golden Age reshaped global knowledge.
The Rise of Islam
From Muhammad's first revelations to the early caliphates, Islam grew from a Meccan message into a civilisation spanning Africa, Asia and Europe.
The Mongol Empire
From scattered steppe tribes to the largest contiguous empire in history, the Mongols reshaped Eurasia through conquest, terror, and trade.
The Crusades
From Pope Urban II's call at Clermont to the fall of Acre, the Crusades reshaped the medieval world through religious war, cross-cultural encounter, and lasting consequences for Europe and the Middle East.
The Ottoman Empire
From a small frontier principality in Anatolia, the Ottomans built a multiethnic empire across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa before reform, nationalism, and world war ended imperial rule.
