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Jan 1, 632
Muhammad's death
Muhammad died in 632 A.D. He died as a result of being poisoned following his attack upon and conquest of the Jewish settlement of Khaibar. About 2 month before his attack on Khaibar Muhammad failed in an attempt to go to Mecca. -
Jan 28, 661
Ali is assassinated
Ali was attacked by the Khawarij Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam. Ali ordered his sons not to attack the Kharijites, instead stipulating that if he survived -
Jan 1, 750
Umayyad dynasty ends and Abbassid dynasty begins
Although the Umayyad family originally came from the city of Mecca, their capital was Damascus. At its greaatest extent, it covered more than five million square miles making it one of the largest empires the world had yet seen. -
Jan 1, 1099
Crusades capture Jerusalem
In the spring of 1097, a host of over 100,000 crusaders joined forces on the eastern side of the Bosphorus. The combined army then fought its way along the coast of the Mediterranean reaching the gates of Jerusalem in June of 1099. -
Oct 2, 1187
Saladin captures Jerusalem
Saladin had captured almost every Crusader city. Jerusalem capitulated to his forces on October 2, 1187, after a siege. When the siege had started, Saladin was unwilling to promise terms of quarter to the Frankish inhabitants of Jerusalem until Balian of Ibelin threatened to kill every Muslim hostage, estimated at 5000 -
Jan 1, 1520
Suleiman the Magnificent becomes the ruler of the Ottoman Empire
Suleiman became a prominent monarch of 16th century Europe, presiding over the apex of the Ottoman Empire's military, political and economic power. -
Jan 1, 1543
Abbasid dynasty ends
The dynasty finally ended with Al-Mutawakkil III, who was taken away as a prisoner, by Selim I, to Constantinople where he had a ceremonial role until his death in 1543. -
Abbas gains control of the Safavid Empire
He consolidated the Safavid power strongly in Khorasan. He rebuilt and developed the shrine of Ali ar-Reza (Imam Reza) at Mashhad, the eighth Shi'a Imam, as a pilgrim, which was damaged by the Uzbeks. -
The Taj Mahal
The construction began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. -
Muhammad flees Mecca to Medina
Muhammad’s wife died, as did his uncle, leader of the Hashim clan. The new clan leadership withdrew protection of Muhammad. He moved to Medina after converts offered protection there. All converted Meccans followed him to Medina.
