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-Lily Ong

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Map of the Umayyad Empire at its Greatest 

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Map of the Umayyad Empire at its Greatest 

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-Lily Ong and Justin Kim

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-Justin Kim and Lily Ong

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-Justin Kim

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After the death of Muhammad in 632 A.D, numerous events occurred. There were four caliphs chosen to take place of Muhammad: the first one being Abu Bakr, the second one being Umar, the third one being Uthman, and the fourth one being Ali.

Caliphs were chosen because after the death of Muhammad, some of his most trusted advisers met and decided to choose a new spiritual leader, or caliph to continue to strengthen and expand the Islamic Empire.

Abu Bakr, Muhammed's father in law, the first caliph, was only caliph for two years, since he died in 634. Before his death, Abu Bakr appointed a new caliph named Umar, Muhammed's loyal friend/advisor.

Umar was considered as an energetic, spirited ruler and encouraged his armies to conquer land in which they successfully did so. In 644 on his deathbed, Umar named a council, or assembly, to choose the next caliph. The council chose Uthman, another one of Muhammed's friend/advisor,  as the next caliph. Uthman proceeded expanded the empire and conquered Persia.

There was a political division between two groups of people after the first four caliphs. The Shiites and the Sunnis. The Shiites believed that the caliphs needed to be blood relatives of Muhammad, and the Sunnis believed the first four caliphs were chosen and called them the "Rightly Guided Caliphs."
-Justin Kim

Muhammad receiving his first revelations from Allah

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muhammad receiving his revelations from god

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The Umayyad Empire ruled from 661-750 A.D. and transformed the small Muslim populace into the most dominant empire of that time. They set concrete examples and customs for the following Islamic empires. The Umayyad empire chose the city of Damascus, Syria to become their new capital, and explored the North African coast of the Mediterranean.

The Umayyad Empire was first ruled by Muawiya, the son of Muhammed's resentful component, Abu Sufyan. Many thought that Muawiya was an unlikely candidate to govern the Muslim community but with his clever mind, wise judgment and a little bit of luck, he rose to power as a great leader. Muawiya earned great respect from soldiers because of his laugh of victorious attacks against the Byzantine Empire.

Eventually, the empire lost control in A.D. 750 because the Umayyads angered many Muslims, especially in Persia. Persian Muslims felt that Arab Muslims got special consideration. They felt that Arab Muslims got the best jobs and paid fewer taxes. When these Muslims began to rebel, people all over the empire joined together and overthrew the Umayyads.
-Thy Voong and Lily Ong

Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria (capital of Umayyad Empire

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The Abbasid Empire, also called the Abbasid Caliphate, began right after the Umayyads were overthrown. The new caliph was Abu al- Abbas. He was a descendant of Muhammad's uncle. The Abbasids devoted their energy to trade, scholarship, and the arts. They built a new capital, which was named Baghdad. This empire is also known for bringing Persian influence.  The Abbasids ruled for 500 years, until their reign ended in 1258 when they were overthrown by the Seljuk Turks.
-Thy Voong

Map of Baghdad during the time of the Abbasid Empire

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The Ottoman Empire came into power in 1299, and ruled for 600 years. The empire was founded by  Osman I, a leader of the Turkish tribes in Anatolia. Osman I expanded his kingdom, uniting many of the independent states of Anatolia under one rule. He established a formal government and allowed for religious tolerance over the people that he conquered.

In 1453, Mehmet II the Conqueror led the  Ottoman Empire in capturing Constantinople, the capital of the most powerful empire of the time, the Byzantine Empire. He made Constantinople the Ottoman Empire's capital and renamed it Istanbul, signifying the end of the Byzantine Empire.

The Ottoman Empire reached its peak under Suleiman the Magnificent. He ruled from 1520 to 1566. He earned his name because he was a brilliant general who brought armies north into Europe and threatened the great European capital of Vienna.

The Ottoman Empire began to decline in the 1600's, and  finally dissolved in 1923, becoming the Republic of Turkey.
-Thy Voong

Suleiman the Great

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The Arabian Peninsula is mostly covered with deserts (split into three parts, the An Nufad, Ad Dahna, and the Rub' al Khali ). although some areas in the southwest have mountains ranges and receive colder weather compared the rest of the region. The Sarawat is the largest mountain range in the Arabian Peninsula. It is also more susceptible to rain. Plateaus are also common throughout the peninsula. The Najd, a central plateau covers a vast area of the center of the Arabian Peninsula and is a place for pastures used for grazing sheep and other livestock.  Expanses of marshy coastland and coral reefs are also common where the Red Sea is located. Coast lands and oasis are also common the Persian Gulf side of Eastern Arabian where some are used for agriculture as well as land for villages due to the easy access to water

-Lily Ong

The Najd