Among the world religions, the youngest is Islam, whose birth dates back to the 7th century and is associated with the name of the prophet Muhammad, who professed monotheism. Under his influence, a community of co-religionists was formed in Hajiz, on the territory of Western Arabia. Further Muslim conquests of the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Iran and several other states led to the emergence of the Arab caliphate - a powerful Asian state. It included a number of conquered lands.
Caliphate: what is it?
The word "caliphate" in translation from Arabic has two meanings. This is the name of that huge state created after the death of Muhammad by his followers, and the title of supreme ruler, under whose authority the countries of the caliphate were. The period of existence of this state formation, marked by a high level of development of science and culture, went down in history as the Golden Age of Islam. It is conventionally considered to be its borders of 632–1258.
After the death of the prophet Muhammad, the history of the caliphate has three main periods. The first of them, which began in 632, was due to the creation of the Righteous Caliphate, led by four Caliphs in turn, whose righteousness gave the name to the state they governed. The years of their reign are marked by a number of major conquests, such as the capture of the Arabian Peninsula, the Caucasus, the Levant and a large part of North Africa.
Religious disputes and territorial conquests
The emergence of the caliphate is closely connected with the debate that began after the death of the Prophet Muhammad about his successor. As a result of numerous debates, Abu Bakr al-Saddik, a close friend of the founder of Islam, became the supreme ruler and religious leader. He began his reign with a war against apostates who departed from the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad immediately after his death and became followers of the false prophet Musailima. Their forty thousandth army was defeated at the Battle of Arkaba.
The subsequent righteous caliphs continued the conquest and expansion of their territories. The last of them - Ali ibn Abu Talib - was the victim of rebellious apostates from the main line of Islam - the Kharijites. This put an end to the election of the supreme rulers, since by force having seized power and becoming a caliph, Muaviy I at the end of his life appointed his son as a successor, and thus a hereditary monarchy, the so-called Umayyad caliphate, was established in the state. What it is?
The new, second form of the caliphate
This period in the history of the Arab world owes its name to the Umayyad dynasty, a native of which was Muawiya I. His son, who inherited supreme power from his father, pushed the borders of the caliphate even more, gaining high-profile military victories in Afghanistan, North India and the Caucasus. His troops captured even part of Spain and France.
Only the Byzantine emperor Leo Isaurus and the Bulgarian Khan Tervel could stop his victorious offensive and put a limit to territorial expansion. Europe, however, owes its salvation from the Arab conquerors primarily to the outstanding VIII century commander Karl Martel. The army of Franks led by him defeated hordes of invaders in the famous battle of Poitiers.
Restructuring the consciousness of warriors in a peaceful manner
The beginning of the period associated with the Umayyad Caliphate is characterized by the fact that the position of the Arabs themselves in the territories they occupied was unenviable: life was reminiscent of the situation in a military camp in a state of constant combat readiness. The reason for this was the extremely religious zeal of one of the rulers of those years, Umar I. Thanks to him, Islam acquired the features of a militant church.
The emergence of the Arab caliphate gave rise to a large social group of professional warriors - people whose only occupation was participation in aggressive campaigns. So that their consciousness would not be reconstructed in a peaceful manner, they were forbidden to take possession of land plots and become settled. By the end of the dynasty’s reign, the picture had changed a lot. The ban was lifted, and, having become landowners, many of yesterday’s Islam warriors preferred the lives of peaceful landowners.
Caliphate of the Abbasid Dynasty
It is fair to say that if during the years of the Righteous Caliphate, for all its rulers, political power gave way to religious influence, now it has taken a dominant position. In its political greatness and cultural prosperity, the Abbasid Caliphate deservedly gained the greatest fame in the history of the East.
What is this - most Muslims today know. Memories of him hitherto strengthen their spirit. The Abbasids are a dynasty of rulers, giving their people a galaxy of brilliant statesmen. Among them were generals, and financiers, and true connoisseurs and patrons of art.
Caliph - patron of poets and scholars
It is believed that the Arab caliphate under Harun ar Rashid - one of the most prominent representatives of the ruling dynasty - has reached its highest point. This statesman went down in history as the patron of scientists, poets and writers. However, devoting himself to the spiritual development of his state, the caliph turned out to be a poor administrator and a completely worthless commander. By the way, it was his image that was immortalized in the collection of oriental tales “A Thousand and One Nights” that survived the century.
The "Golden Age of Arab Culture" is the epithet that the Caliphate-led Harun ar Rashid deserved the most. What it is, you can fully understand only by familiarizing yourself with the stratification of the Old Persian, Indian, Assyrian, Babylonian and partly Greek cultures, which contributed to the development of scientific thought during the reign of this enlightener of the East. He managed to unite all the best that was created by the creative mind of the ancient world, making the Arabic language the basic basis for this. That is why the expression “Arabian culture”, “Arabian art” and so on came into our everyday life.
Trade development
In the vast and at the same time streamlined state, which was the Abbasid caliphate, the demand for products of neighboring states increased significantly. This was the result of an increase in the general standard of living of the population. Peaceful relations with neighbors at that time allowed developing exchange trade with them. Gradually, the circle of economic contacts expanded, and even countries located at a considerable distance began to enter into it. All this gave an impetus to the further development of crafts, art and navigation.
Caliphate Decay
In the second half of the 9th century, after the death of Harun ar Rashid, the processes that led to its disintegration were identified in the caliphate’s political life. Back in 833, the ruler in power Mutasim formed the Praetorian Turkic Guard. Over the years, it has become such a powerful political force that the ruling caliphs became dependent on it and practically lost the right to make independent decisions.
The growth of national identity among Caliphate-dominated Persians belongs to the same period, which served as the reason for their separatist sentiments, which later became the reason for the split of Iran. The general collapse of the caliphate was accelerated by the separation of Egypt and Syria from it in the west. The weakening of centralized power made it possible to claim independence and a number of other previously controlled territories.
Increased religious pressure
Caliphs, who lost their former power, tried to enlist the support of the Orthodox clergy and take advantage of its influence on the masses. The rulers, starting with Al-Mutawakkil (847), made their struggle with all manifestations of freethinking their main political line.
In a state weakened by the undermining of the authority of power, an active religious persecution of philosophy and all branches of science, including mathematics, began. The country steadily plunged into the abyss of obscurantism. The Arab caliphate and its collapse were a clear example of how beneficial the influence of science and free thought on the development of the state, and how destructive their pursuit.
The end of the era of Arab caliphates
In the X century, the influence of the Turkic commanders and emirs of Mesopotamia increased so much that the previously powerful caliphs of the Abbasid dynasty turned into small Baghdad princes, the only consolation of which were the titles remaining from earlier times. It got to the point that the Shiite Buid dynasty that had risen in Western Persia, having gathered enough troops, captured Baghdad and in fact reigned in it for a hundred years, while the representatives of the Abbasids remained the nominal rulers. There could be no greater humiliation for their pride.
In 1036, a very difficult period began for the whole of Asia - the Seljuk Turks began an unprecedented campaign of those times, which led to the destruction of Muslim civilization in many countries. In 1055, they drove out the Buids who ruled there from Baghdad and established their rule. But their power came to an end when, at the beginning of the 13th century, the entire territory of the once powerful Arab caliphate was captured by countless hordes of Genghis Khan. The Mongols finally destroyed everything that was achieved by Eastern culture over the previous centuries. The Arab caliphate and its collapse from now on became only pages of history.