Islamic caliphates timeline
This chart puts 7 Islamic caliphates on one timeline in order, from Rashidun Caliphate (632 to 661 CE) to Sokoto Caliphate (1804 to 1903 CE). On these dates, Abbasid Caliphate lasted longest, about 508 years.
See it on the interactive chart
- Rashidun Caliphate632 to 661 CE
- Umayyad Caliphate661 to 750 CE
- Abbasid Caliphate750 to 1258 CE
- Fatimid Caliphate909 to 1171 CE
- Caliphate of Cordoba929 to 1031 CE
- Almohad Caliphate1121 to 1269 CE
- Sokoto Caliphate1804 to 1903 CE
- Arabic
- Berber
- Niger-Congo
In order
Rashidun Caliphate
The first four caliphs conquered the Sasanian Empire and Byzantine Syria and Egypt in two decades. Uthman's murder in 656 set off a civil war between Ali and Mu'awiya, who founded the Umayyad Caliphate in 661.
Umayyad Caliphate
First hereditary caliphate, ruling from Damascus over lands from Spain to Sindh. It built the Dome of the Rock and made Arabic the language of government before the Abbasids overthrew it in 750.
Abbasid Caliphate
Caliphs who founded Baghdad in 762 and made it a centre of learning with the House of Wisdom. After 945 real power passed to Buyid and Seljuk sultans, and the Mongols killed the last caliph of Baghdad in 1258.
Fatimid Caliphate
Ismaili Shia caliphate founded in Ifriqiya in 909 that conquered Egypt in 969, founding Cairo and al-Azhar. At its height it ruled from Sicily to the Hejaz. Saladin abolished it in 1171.
Caliphate of Cordoba
Abd al-Rahman III proclaimed himself caliph in 929 and built the palace city of Madinat al-Zahra. Cordoba, probably over 100,000 people, was Europe's largest city alongside Constantinople before civil war broke the state into taifas.
Almohad Caliphate
Masmuda Berber movement of Ibn Tumart that at its height controlled much of the Maghreb and al-Andalus, where Averroes worked at its court. Defeat at Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 began its collapse.
Sokoto Caliphate
Islamic state founded by the Fula scholar Usman dan Fodio, which united the Hausa cities under some thirty emirates. One of the largest African states of its age, it fell to British forces in 1903.
Major events
- Battles of Yarmouk and Qadisiyyah. Arab armies crush the Byzantines at the Yarmouk River and then the Sasanians at Qadisiyyah, opening Syria and Iraq to Islamic rule.
- Battle of Karbala. Umayyad troops kill Husayn, grandson of Muhammad, with most of his family and companions at Karbala. His death helped turn the pro-Alid party into a distinct religious sect, Shia Islam.
- Founding of Baghdad. Caliph al-Mansur builds his round city on the Tigris. Within a century Baghdad is one of the largest cities in the world and home to the House of Wisdom.
- Fatimids found Cairo. The Fatimid general Jawhar conquers Egypt and lays out a new fortified city, al-Qahira, northeast of Fustat. The al-Azhar Mosque is commissioned soon after.
- Banu Hilal migration. Arab Bedouin tribes sent west by the Fatimids sweep into Ifriqiya, forcing the Zirids to abandon Kairouan in 1057 and speeding the Arabization of the Maghreb.
- Mongols sack Baghdad. Hulagu's army storms Baghdad, kills the caliph al-Musta'sim and many thousands of residents, ending the Abbasid caliphate in Iraq.
- Usman dan Fodio's jihad. The Fula scholar Usman dan Fodio declares a holy war against the Hausa king of Gobir, founding the Sokoto Caliphate within a few years.
Questions
What is the order of Islamic caliphates?
By start date: Rashidun Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate, Caliphate of Cordoba, Almohad Caliphate and Sokoto Caliphate.
Which of the Islamic caliphates lasted longest?
On this timeline, Abbasid Caliphate, at about 508 years (750 to 1258 CE).
How many Islamic caliphates were there?
This timeline shows 7. Other lists count differently, depending on how they treat rival states and periods of division.
Which came first?
Rashidun Caliphate, 632 to 661 CE, is the earliest on this timeline.
Where do these dates come from?
Each row's dates were checked against the sources listed on that row's own page, mostly English Wikipedia articles, which cite the underlying scholarship. Dates that are uncertain are marked c.