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The Umayyad Dynasty was the first of many Islamic dynasties to claim the title of Caliphate. The Umayyad Dynasty amassed a colossal empire and spread Islam all the way to Spain.
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The Abbasid Dynasty overthrows the Umayyad Dynasty, bringing an end to the Umayyads in the Middle East and Africa.
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The Umayyad Dynasty is overthrown by the Abbasids.
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Abd al-Rahman, an Umayyad, escapes the Abbasid invasion and establishes a flourishing kingdom in Spain.
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The Abbasids construct the city of Baghdad, designating it the dynasty's capital city and shifting the center of the Islamic world away from Damascus to Baghdad. Baghdad became a thriving cultural center for Islam and the rest of the world.
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The Fatimids, claiming that they descended from Muhammad's daughter, Fatimah, establish a Shiite dynasty that rivals the Sunni Abbasids.
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The Seljuq Dynasty was the first major appearance of Turks in the Muslim world. They ruled territory bordering both China and the Byzantine Empire.
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The First Crusade targeted Jerusalem and had a major impact on the Seljuqs, through whose territory the Crusaders had to pass.
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The Ayyubid Dynasty is established by Saladin, a Kurdish general. Much of Saladin's army was made up of slave soldiers, or the Mumluks, who would eventually seize power after Saladin's death.
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The Fatimids are defeated by Saladin, who establishes the Ayyubid Dynasty.
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The Mamluks, or slave soldiers, rise up against the Ayyubids after Saladin's death and assassinate his successor.
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After overthrowing the Ayyubids, the Mamluks establish their own dynasty which endures for centuries before being absorbed by the Ottoman Empire.
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The Mamluks overthrow their Ayyubid rulers.
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The Abbasid Dynasty is dissolved after the Mongols invade and conquer Baghdad.
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The Mongols sack Baghdad, bringing an end to the Seljuq Dynasty and the Abbasid Caliphate.
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The Seljuqs, who assisted the Abbasids in preserving the Abbasid Caliphate, are also dissolved along with the Abbasids after the Mongols sack Baghdad.
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Mamluks defeat Mongols in battle and halt Mongol conquest.
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The Ottoman Dynasty is established, deriving its name from its founder, Osman I.
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The Ottoman Empire invades and eventually take control of Anatolia, establishing an empire.
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The Ottoman Empire invades the Balkans, expanding their empire.
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The most notable conquest of the Ottomans is the conquest of Constantinople which subsequently brings an end to the Byzantine Empire.
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The Mamluk Dynasty is absorbed by the Ottoman Empire.
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The Ottomans conquer Egypt, absorbing local dynasties including the Mamluks.
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The Ottomans sided with the Central Powers in WWI. After the defeat of the Central Powers at the hands of the allies, the Ottoman Empire was dissolved and the Caliphate brought to an end.