Caliphate basically means, a state of entire Muslim nation, which is recognized by the Islam. It doesn’t mean only for Muslim, but also non-Muslims can also have citizenship of the Caliphate. It is the symbol of spiritual, political, economical and military unity.
There was many other empire claimed to be the Caliphate, but this three empire was well recognized by the entire Muslim nation, though they didn’t control over entire Muslim nation all along.
1. What is the Caliphate?
Caliphate basically means, a state of entire Muslim
nation, which is recognized by the Islam. It doesn’t
mean only for Muslim, but also non-Muslims can
also have citizenship of the Caliphate. It is the
symbol of spiritual, political, economical and
military unity.
There was many other empire claimed to be the
Caliphate, but this three empire was well
recognized by the entire Muslim nation, though
they didn’t control over entire Muslim nation all
along.
2. The Umayyad Caliphate
This caliphate started when the
grandson of the Prophet, Hassan Ibn
Abi Talib (661), handed over his
position of caliph to the brother-in-law
of the Prophet, Muawiyyah Ibn Abi
Sufian (661-80) of Umayyad clan in
661 AC, and its remain until 750 AC,
when they were over thrown from
power by the Abbasid. The third Caliph
of the Muslims, the son-in-law of the
Prophet, Uthman Ibn Affan (644-56)
3. Expansion of the Umayyad
The Umayyads ruled until 750 CE providing the
next 14 caliphs
Once the Umayyads had control they began to
conquer new lands
The empire spanned parts of three continents:
Africa, Asia, and Europe in less than 100 yrs.
Its Caliphate covered 15 million km2 (5.79 million
square miles)
62 million people, almost 30% of the world's
population at that time, making it the fifth largest
empire in history in both area and proportion of the
world's population
4. Expansion of the Umayyad
By 710 they controlled North Africa from
the Nile to the Iberian Peninsula
By 711 they moved North across the
Mediterranean Sea and into the Iberian
Peninsula or al-Andalus of Europe, modern
day’s Spain & Protugal in the west
In the year 712, they conquered both the
Sindh and the Punjab regions along the
Indus river, modern day’s Pakistan in the
east
6. Umayyad Government
In order to control the vast territory the Umayyad
patterened their government on the bureaucracy used
in the lands they won from the Byzantine Empire
The bureaucracy allowed the Umayyad to control the
entire empire from the capital, Damascus
The caliphs appointed Emirs, or governors, to rule the
outlying provinces
Allowed their people to bring their problems to them
and consulted advisers about their policies
Had a postal service
Developed Arab
coinage called the
Dinar (gold) or
Diraham (silver)
7. Decline of Umayyad
By 750 the combined forces under the
Abbasid took the Caliphate from them in
Damascus
Only Spain was controlled by the Umayyad
as an Emirate till 750-929
The Umayyad again claimed a Caliphate in
Spain in 929, that known Caliphate of
Cordoba
After the fall of Caliphate of Cordoba in
1031, Spain ruled by many independent
rulers
By 1492 the Muslims were completely
8. The Abbasid Caliphate
Abbasids relocated capital of caliphate
from Damascus to Baghdad
Move to Baghdad beginning of end of Arab
domination of Muslim world
Abbasids adopted Persian style of
government
Caliph hidden behind screen in throne
room, could not be seen, Rulers cut off
from people
10. They only included western Africa and Anatolia
under the Muslim rule
After 850 Abbasid Caliphate became weak and
many Dynasty emerged within the Caliphate
The Fatimid Dynasty based on Egypt took whole
North Africa and claimed to be the Caliphate in
909
The Umayyad in Spain also claimed a Caliphate in
929, but it didn’t expend out of Spain
Also in Eastern part of Caliphate, Seljuk Dynasty
Timeline of the Abbasid
11. Caliphate became a shadow Caliphate and
the role of Caliph was just in name
Power was in the hand of governor, and
groups of military leaders
1055, Turkish Seljuks rose to power, took
control of Baghdad and supported by
Abbasid caliph
1099, Jerusalem invaded by the European
Crusaders
Timeline of the Abbasid
12. Salah Deen Ayubi a governor of Abbasid
Caliphate retook Egypt in 1171 from Fatimid
Salah Deen Ayubi reconquered Jerusalem
from Crusaders in 1187
1258, Mongols destroyed Baghdad, killed
Abbasid caliph
Mamluks army from Egypt defeated Mongols
in 1260 in the Battle of Ain Jalut in the south-
eastern Galilee, in the Jezreel Valley, (Israel-
Palestain)
Timeline of the Abbasid
13. Decline of the Abbasid
Mamluks restored the Caliphate, but didn’t
claim
They elected a caliph from the Abbasid
and kept him to them in their capital Cairo
Until 1517, the Abbasid caliphs were in
Cairo under Mamluks
Then the Ottoman took the Caliph from
the Mamluks to their capital and later
claimed to be the Caliphate
14. The Ottoman Caliphate
In 1299 Ottoman Empire started in
Anatolia
It replaced the Byzantine Empire (former
Eastern Roman Empire) as the major
power in the Eastern Mediterranean
It claimed the Caliphate, when Sultan
Selim I (1517-20) captured the Abbasid
Caliph from the Mamluk in 1517
15. Ottoman Expansion
In 1352 the Ottoman sultans able to cross
over into Europe
1453, the Ottoman conquered
Constantinople (Istanbul) under Sultan
Muhammad al-Fatih from the Byzantine
empire, thus ending the Roman Empire
1517, Ottomans had control of Egypt &
extended control to most of North African
coast
17. Timeline of the Ottoman
Peak of power during rule of Suleiman
(1520-66) (“The Magnificent”)
The Ottoman Empire under the banner of
Caliphate continued till 19th century
At 18th century they started losing ground
to the Europeans in north and west
France and British Empire invaded the
North Africa and Russian Empire invaded
Crimea and some part of Bolkan (Eastern
18. At world war I, the Ottoman allied with the
German
The Emir of Makka & Madina under the
Ottoman Caliphate secretly allied with the
Great Britain
1917, British army took Jerusalem and
other teritory was invaded by the allied
forces
1922, the Ottoman Caliphate was officially
Decline of the Ottoman
