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Muhammad Ibn Abdullah was born in 570 -
Mecca, the birthplace of Muhammad, was a large city with a population of more than 10000 population -
Muhammad often went to meditate in a cave on Mount Hira.Here, according to the Koran, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and announced that he was the new prophet chosen by Allah -
Muhammad died, most of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam. They also conquered the Berber tribes in North Africa, took over most of the Iberian Peninsula -
The first four caliphs, who ruled between 632 and 661, were chosen from Muhammad´s family members. However, this created a divide between the Muslims:
-The Shia belived the caliph should be a direct descendent of Muhammad.
-The Sunnis stressed the importance of the sunnah (traditional Muslim Laws) and thought he should be chosen from the most devout believers. -
The Umayyad dynasty from syria seized power (661-750) and made Damascus the capital.They led a great expansion, conquering the Iberian Peninsula and other regions. -
They also conquered the Berber tribes in North Africa, took over most of the Iberian Peninsula -
The Muslims were beaten in the Battle of Poiters and forced to retreat south of the Pyrenees. -
In 750, the caliphs in Damascus were overthrown by the Abbasids of Baghdad.The las member of the Umayyad family, Prince Abd al Rahman, fled to Al-Andalus in 756 -
In the early 10 century, the Emirate of Córdoba faced numerous problems:internal rebellions,attacks by the Christian kingdoms -
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froom 1008, the Caliphate began to break up.The aristocracy, senior civil servants and the army fought for power.By power 1031, Al-Andalus was divided into more than 25 independent kingdoms called taifas -
The only territory that survived the Christian advance of the 13 century was the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada.Granada was one of the most important cultural and commercial centres in Europe