Ancient  Arab  Civilization
  • Home
  • Historical Information
    • Introduction
    • Map and Important Cities
    • Timeline and Caliphs
    • Religion
    • Economy
    • Advancements
  • My Works
    • Other Works
    • Pop Culture
    • Games/Fun
    • Reflection
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Bibliography

Timeline


1500? BC: The first kaaba shrine is founded in Mecca 
853BC: First reference to Arabs in an Assyrian inscription 
106 AD: Rome destroys the Nabatean kingdom of Petra (Jordan) 
271 AD: Rome destroys the kingdom of Palmyra (Syria) 
275 AD: the Lakhmids of Hira (on the Euphrates) are vassals of the Sassanids 
300: "qasida" poems 

350: the Aramaic-speaking Nabataeans (Jordan) develop the Arabic script 
450: Qusayy, husband of the daughter of the king of Mecca, unifies the Quraysh tribe and founds a city around the shrine of Mecca 
460: Persian king Firuz persecutes Jews, who emigrate to Arabia 
500: southern Arabia is ruled by a Jewish kingdom 
500: northern Arabia is ruled by the Kinda 
500: the Arabs of Najran (southern Arabia) convert to Christianity 
504: Mundhir III becomes king of the Lakhmids of Hira 
512: First recorded inscription in Arabic 
522: the Jewish Himyarite king of Yemen persecutes the Christians, which ask the Ethiopians for help 
523: the Himyarites defeat the Ethiopians and massacre the Christians of Najran 
525: the Jewish king Dhu Nuwas of Yemen dies and Yemen becomes an Ethiopian (Christian) colony 
528: Harith ibn 'Amr (Arethas) king of Kinda dies 
547: Abyssinian general Abreha proclaims himself king of southern Arabia 
554: Mundhir III is defeated by the Byzantine phylarch Ghassanid Harith IV ibn Jabala 
570: Christian Ethiopia tries to capture Mecca but is defeated by the Arabs 

570: Prophet Muhammad is born
575: The Sassanians expel the Ethiopians and Yemen becomes a Sassanid province under Chrosroes II 
595: At the age of 25 Muhammad (Mohammed) marries his wealthy employer, the 40-year-old Khadija 
602: the Lakhmid dynasty of Hira ends 
608: the Kaaba is erected in Mecca, a granite cube to enclose a black meteorite stone, a shrine to numerous Arabian tribal gods 
610: Muhammad (Mohammed) of the Quraysh family preaches a new religion, Islam, in Mecca, which is at the time a model of religious tolerance (all gods are allowed) 
615: Muslims travel to Ethiopia 
622: Mohammed and his followers ("Muslims") migrate ("heijra") to Yathrib, which is renamed Medina 
624: Mohammed (in his fifties) marries Aisha, a six-year old child, one of his many wives 
627: Mohammed kills 700 Jews of the tribe of Qurayza 
628: Yemen converts to Islam 
629: Mohammed wins the battle of Khaybar and beheads all the Jews 
630: The warriors of Mohammed conquer Mecca and establish the first religious dictatorship in the world, banning all other gods 
632: The Muslim army conquers the Arabian peninsula 
632: Mohammed delivers his last sermon on Mount Arafat 
632: Mohammed dies having created a kingdom in the central Arabian peninsula 
632: The Shiites, or Partisans of Ali, claim that Ali should succeed Mohammed based on blood relation, but the council of the elderly (Sunnites) choses instead Abu Bakr 
632: Abu Bakr, one of Mohammed's followers and the first Muslim caliph ("prophet's successor"), quells upheavals throughout Arabia and declares war on the Roman (Byzantine) and Persian (Sassanid) empires 
633: Abu Bakr conquers southern Mesopotamia 
634: Abu Bakr defeats Byzantium in Palestine 
634: Abu Bakr is succeeded by Umar ibn Abn Khattab 
636: The Arabs defeat the Byzantine army at Yarmuk and capture Jerusalem 
637: The Arabs win the battle of Qadisiya, capture Seleucia-Ctesiphon and the Sassanid empire ends 
639: the Arabs conquer Syria (mainly Nestorian) from Byzantium 
642: the Arabs conquer Egypt (mainly monophysite) from Byzantium, destroy the library of Alexandria and found the first mosque in Africa, Amr Ebn El Aas Mosque (the site of future Cairo) 
642: Oldest extant manuscript in Arabic (with disambiguation dots) 
644: Umar is murdered and is succeeded by Uthman ibn Affan, a Quraysh 
647: the Arabs expand in nothern Africa 
649: the Arabs attack Byzantium on the sea and conquer Cyprus 
650: the Arabs conquer the whole of Persia 
650: Youstol Dispage Fromscaruffi dies 
655: the text of the Quran/Koran is finalized 
656: Uthman is murdered and is succeeded by Ali (cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed), the first "imam" of Shiah (and only one to become also caliph), who moves the capital from Medina to Kufa 
661: Ali is murdered and is succeeded as caliph by Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, first of the Umayyads and first caliph not to be an early follower of Mohammed, and by Hasan as imam 
661: Mu'awiya moves the capital to Damascus (in Syria rather than Arabia) and creates an army of paid mercenaries 
662: Ziyad ibn Abihi is appointed governor of Iraq (Basra) and the former Sassanid provinces 
664: the Arabs conquer Afghanistan 
669: Hasan dies and Hussein becomes imam 
670: the Arabs led by Uqba ibn Nafi fight the Berbers in northern Africa 
670: the Arabs found Qayrawan in Tunisia 
674: the Arabs attack Byzantium 
679: the Arabs are defeated from Byzantium 
680: Mu'awiya dies and the shiite pretendent to the Caliphate, Husayn/Hussein, Ali's son and Mohammed's grandson, is assassinated by sunnite troops of Mu'awiya's son Yazid in Karbala 
685: Abd Malik becomes caliph and introduces administrative reforms (Arabic language as the official language, coins with Islamic verses) 
691: the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is the oldest evidence of the Quran 
692: Hajjaj ibn Yusuf captures Mecca and ends the anti-caliphate of Abdallah ibn Zubayr (shiite) 
695: the Arabs build the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (with the first inscription from the Koran) 
696: Arabic becomes the official language of the Islamic world 
697: the Arabs force the Persians to abandon the Pahlavi alphabet in favor of the Arabic script 
698: the Arabs recapture Carthage and found Tunis 
700: Hasan Basri preaches virtue, mortification, prayer, purity of heart to attain knowledge of God 
705: caliph Walid I 
708: Arabs led by Musa ibn-Nusayr conquer Tangiers (Morocco) and subdue the Berbers 
709: Qutayba ibn Muslim invades Central Asia (Merv, Bukhara, Samarkand) 
TM, ®, Copyright © 2005 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved. 
709: the Al Aqsa mosque is built in Jerusalem 
710: a mosque is built in Damascus 
711: Tariq ibn Ziyad conquers southern Spain from the Visigoths of king Roderic (with help from the Jews) and Cordoba becomes the residence of the Arab governor 
712: a Berber army under Tariq ibn Ziyad conquers southern Spain from the Visigoths and Cordoba becomes the residence of the Arab governor 
712: the first mosque is built in Bukhara, which will become the second holiest city in Islam after Mecca 
715: calip Sulayman besieges Byzantium 
715: a mosque is built in Aleppo 
712: the Arabs, led by Kutayba ben Muslim, conquer Transoxania and convert the Turks to Islam 
715: Qutayba dies and Muslim expansion in Central Asia comes to an end 
717: The Arabs lay siege to Byzantium 
718: Byzantium repels the Arab invasion 
720: the Arabs capture Narbonne 
720: the Zayids do not recognize the imam Baqir and cause a split within the shiites 
725: the Arabs capture Carcassonne 
728: caliph Hisham attacks the Franks at Tours and Poitiers 
732: the Muslim invasion of Europe is stopped by the Franks at the battle of Tours 
737: the Arabs capture Provence 
740: the Shias of Yemen split from the main Shia tradition claiming that Zayd was the rightful fifth imam instead of Muhammad al Baqir 
749: Abu 'l-'Abbas Saffah, whose army is led by the Persian general Abu Muslim Khorasani, replaces the Umayyad dynasty with the Abbasid dynasty 
751: the Arabs defeat the Chinese at the battle of the Talas River, which de facto closes the Silk Road 
751: the Arabs acquire the knowledge of paper from the Chinese (first paper mill in the Islamic world founded in Samarkand) 
752: the Franks under Pippin expel the Arabs from Provence 
756: The last surviving member of the Umayyad dynasty flees to Spain, Hisham's grandson, establishing himself as Cabd al-Rahman I of Spain, which becomes a separate emirate 
750: the Ibadis believe that that the most worthy person should be imam and found an imamate in Oman 
759: the Muslim army is expelled from France 
760: the Islails do not recognize the seventh imam Musa Kazim and cause another split within the shiites 
712: The ascetic Abd Rustam founds a theocratic kingdom in central Algeria with capital in Tihert/ Tahert 
744: Salih ibn Tarif proclaims himself a prophet, writes a religious book in Berber language, and founds a Berber kingdom in central Morocco for the Barghwata people 
762: the Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur moves the capital from Damascus to Baghdad, built near the old Sassanid capital, Ctesiphon 
775: Al-Mansur dies 
777: Ibadis form an imamate in western Algeria with capital in Tahart 
778: Charlemagne attacks the Muslims and invades northeastern Spain but is defeated 
785: the Great Mosque at Cordoba 
786: Harun Rashid becomes the fifth Abbasid caliph, a protector of scientists and scholars 
786: Idris, a descendants of Ali and Fatima, founds the Idrisid dynasty in Morocco with capital in Volubilis 
790: Idris, a descendant of Ali, conquers Morocco and founds the Idrisid dynasty 
793: Sibawayh formalizes the Arabic language 
793: caliph Haroun-el-Raschid establishes paper factory in Baghdad 
796: The Ibadi imams seize control of Oman 
800: Arab merchants travel to China 
800: Shafi preaches that God's will is manifested both by the Koran and by the "sunna" (the practice of Mohammed embodied in "hadiths") 
800: The Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid appoints Ibrahim I ibn al-Aghlab as governor of Ifriqiya (Tunisia and western Libya) and Kairouan/ Al Qairawan becomes the leading African center for Sunni Islam 
801: Charlemagne's son Louis captures Barcelona from the Arabs, creating the Spanish March along the Pyrenees (Aragonia and Catalonia) 
808: Idris II founds Fez in Morocco 
809: Harun Rashid dies, after expanding the caliphate from Gibraltar to the Indu river 
813: Al-Mamun defeats his brother in a civil war and becomes caliph 
819: the Samanids in Khurasan (Transoxania) become virtually independent 
822: Abd al Rahman II becomes the Arab emir of Spain and begins construction of the Alcazar of Sevilla 
825: caliph Al-Mamun sponsors translations of Greek classics into Arabic, and founds the first madrasa (a "house of wisdom" in Baghdad) 
825: the Arab mathematician Al Khwarizmi of Baghdad writes a book on "Hindu numerals" that spreads the use of "Arabic" numerals 
827: an Arab tribe, the Saracens, invade Sicily 
830: Ahmad ibn Hanbal: strict obedience to the Koran and the Hadith 
833: Sultan al-Mutasim creates a regiment of Turkish slaves 
840: the sufist Muhasibi preaches the path to truth 
840: Islamic philosophy is founded by Kindi 
840: Sibovayh, a Persian scholar, codifies the Arabic grammar and writes the first Arabic dictionary 
846: the Uighurs state collapses and the Karakhanid state is founded in Transoxania 
849: caliph al-Mutawakkil deposes the patriarch of the Eastern Christian Church and persecutes Christians 
850: Eulogious leads a Christian revolt against the Umyyads in Spain 
878: the Muslims conquer all of Sicily 
930: the philosopher Farabi reconciles the philosopher's logic and religion as a symbolic system to express truth to non-philosophers 
850: Hunayn ibn Ishaq translates Greek classics 
850: the Persian mathematician Khwarazmi founds Algebra and invents the Arabix numerals 
870: Bukhari collects and classifies the "hadiths" 
867: the Saffarids (shiite) in eastern Persia become virtually independent with capital in Zaranj (Afghanistan) 
868: Ahmad ibn Tulun proclaims Egypt independent and founds the Tulunid dynasty 
873: the Samanids (sunni), with capital in Bukhara, rule over Transoxania 
874: the twelfth imam disappears 
877: Ahmad ibn Tulun, govemor of Egypt, invades Syria 
878: the Arabs capture Sicily and make Palermo their capital 
879: the Safarid ruler Yaqub Leys revolts against the Arabs and unifies most of Persia 
880: the Abbasid dynasty is replaced in Egypt by a Turkic dynasty 
890: the Abbasids suppress the imamate of Oman 
899: the Samanids defeat the Saffarids and expand their empire to Persia but adopt the Persian language 
900: the sufist Junayd preaches the ecstasy of enlightment 
909: the Ibadi imamate of Tahart (Algeria) dissolves 
910: Ubaydullah, a descendant of Ali and Fatima (Mohammed's daughter) and an imam, conquers Tunisia and founds the Fatimid dynasty 
912: the Umayyad ruler of Spain, Abd Rahman III, assumes the title of caliph, declaring Spain independent 
921: The Fatimid preacher Ubayd Allah leads the Kitama/Kutama Berbers creates a kingdom in Tunisia with capital in Mahdiya 
922: the sufist Hallaj is executed in Baghdad for heresy ("I am the truth") 
942: the Samanids expands in Central Asia (Bukhara, Samarkand, Herat) and move their capital to Bukhara, which becomes one of the cultural centers of the Muslim world 
945: the Buyids (shiite) descend from the Caspian Sea, and invade Persia 
949: Adud Dawla of the Buyid dynasty adopts the Persian imperial title shah 
950: Pahlavi, the language of Persia, is reformed according to the Arabic script 
955: the Karakhanid state converts to Islam 
961: Al-Hakam II al Mustansir becomes caliph of Spain and fosters scientific and philosophical studies 
968: Byzantium conquers northern Syria 
969: the Fatimids (shiites) conquer Egypt and establish the Fatimid caliphate (shiite) 
972: a fire kills 17 thousand people in Baghdad 
972: The Fatimid move to Egypt and leave Tunisia and northern Algeria to governor Buluggin ibn Ziri of the Zirid dynasty 
973: The Fatimids move their capital to the newly-founded city of Cairo (Qahira) 
976: Hisham II al Muayyad becomes caliph of Spain and orders the destruction of books of astronomy and logic because heretic 
977: the Buyid shah Adud Dawla conquers Baghdad and seizes effective control of the caliphate from the Abbasids 
977: Sebaktigin, king of the Ghaznavid kingdom, invades northern India and Central Asia 
978: The Fatimids conquer Damascus 
996: Al-Hakim becomes caliph of Fatimid Egypt 
999: the Ghaznavids of Afghanistan defeat the Samanids of Persia in Khurasan and the Qarakhanids seize Bukhara 
1000: Timbuktu is founded in Africa by Muslim traders 
1014: The Berber governor Hammad ibn Buluggin declares independence from the Zirids and founds a kingdom in northern Algeria 
1016: Pisa and Genoa defeat the Arabs in the Tyrrhenian Sea 
1017: Hamza ibn 'Ali ibn Ahmad founds the Unitarian (also called Druze) sect 
1018: Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim protects the Druze sects and executes the heretic Ad-Darazi 
1020: the philosopher Ibn Sina Avicenna writes the Canon of Medicine 
1021: Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim dies 
1030: Mahmud Ghazni dies and the Ghaznavid empire declines 
1031: The Umayyad caliphate of Spain collapses and Muslim Spain splits into the Taifa kingdoms (including Sevilla, Toledo, Saragossa, Granada but also city-states ruled by Arab, Berber and even Slavic soldiers) 

Caliphs



ARABIA: 
632-34 Abu Bakr 
634-44 Umar ibn al-Khattab 
644-56 Uthman ibn Affan 
656-61 Ali ibn Abi Talib 
661-80 Muawiya I 
680-82 Yazid I 
683 Mu'awiya II 
684-85 Marwan I 
685-705 Abd al-Malik 
705-15 Walid I 
715-17 Sulaiman 
717-20 Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz 
720-24 Yazid II 
724-43 Hisham 
743-44 Walid II 
744 Yazid III 
744 Ibrahim 
744-50 Marwan II 
750-54 Abu al Abbas al-Saffah 
754-75 Al-Mansur 
775-85 Al-Mahdi 
785-86 Al-Hadi 
786-809 Harun Al-Rashid 
809-13 Al-Amin 
813-33 Al-Mamun 
833-42 Al-Mu'tasim 
842-47 Al-Wathiq 
847-61 Al-Mutawakkil 
861-62 Al-Muntasir 
862-66 Al-Musta'in 
866-69 Al-Mu'tazz 
869-70 Al-Muqtadi 
870-92 Al-Mu'tamid 
892-902 Al-Mu'tadid 
902-8 Al-Muqtafi 
908-32 Al-Muqtadir 
932-34 Al-Qahir 
934-40 Al-Radi 
940-44 Al-Muttaqi 
944-46 Al-Mustaqfi 
946-74 Al-Muti 
974-91 Al-Ta'i 
991-1031 Al-Qadir 
1031-75 Al-Qa'im 
1075-94 Al-Muqtadi 
1094-1118 Al-Mustazhir 
1118-35 Al-Mustarshid 
1135-36 Al-Rashid 
1136-60 Al-Muqtafi 
1160-70 Al-Mustanjid 
1170-80 Al-Mustadi 
1180-1225 Al-Nasir 
1225-26 Al-Zahir 
1226-42 Al-Mustansir 
1242-56 Al-Musta'sim
CORDOBA: 
756-88 Abd ar-Rahman I 
788-96 Hisham I 
796-822 Al-Hakam I 
822-52 Abd ar-Rahman II 
852-86 Muhammad I 
886-88 Al Mundhir 
888-912 Abdallah 
912-61 Abd ar-Rahman III 
961-76 Al-Hakam II al Mustansir 
976-1009 Hisham II al Muayyad 
1009-10 Muhammad II al-Mahdi 
1009-10 Sulaiman al-Mustain 
1010-13 Hisham II 
1013-16 Sulaiman 
1016-18 Ali ben Hammud 
1018 Abd ar-Rahman IV 
1018-21 Al-Qasim 
1021-22 Yahya 
1022-23 Al-Qasim 
1023-24 Abd ar-Rahman V 
1024-25 Muhammad III 
1025-27 Yahya 
1027-31 Hisham III
EGYPT: 
909-34 Al-Mahdi 
934-45 Al-Qaim 
945-52 Al-Mansur 
952-75 Al-Muizz 
975-96 Al-Aziz 
996-1021 Al-Hakim 
1021-36 Az-Zahir 
1036-94 Al-Mustansir 
1094-1101 Al-Mustadi 
1101-30 Al-Amir 
1130-49 Al-Hafiz 
1149-54 Az-Zafir 
1154-60 Al-Faiz 
1160-71 Al-Adid
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.