Abbasid Caliphate

Abbasid Caliphate was the third successor to the Islamic Prophet Mohammed. A caliph was the chief Muslim civil and religious leader. Caliphate just means the reign of a caliph and the area they ruled over. The Abbasid’s descended from Mohammed’s uncle and they took power in 750 AD. They ruled all of West Asia and North Africa and parts of Italy as well. They moved their capital to Baghdad, and by the 800’s the city had almost half a million people and a great mix of cultures. There were Arabs, Jews, Greeks, Persians and there were also many religions. Besides the Islamic religion, there were Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians.
Due to this mix of cultures, Baghdad became a center for the arts and sciences. The size of the caliphate made it so that they shared borders with many empires. This allowed scholars from Baghdad to collect and translate works from other empires. As a result, during this period artists, scholars, and scientists flourished. Leading to the period being called the Islamic Golden Age. The Abbasid Caliphate’s reign is also when “Thousand and One Nights” was compiled.

Source:

https://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/HIST101-9.3.1-AbbasidDynasty-FINAL.pdf