Abbasids

The Abbasids were a dynasty of caliphs who founded the Abbasid Caliphate, ruling a large Islamic empire from the 8th to the 13th centuries. They claimed descent from Abbas, an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, and overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate in 750 CE. The revolution drew support from non-Arab Muslims and Persian bureaucrats, and it shifted political power toward the eastern provinces. The capital was moved from Damascus to Baghdad, founded in the 8th century to serve as a center of administration and culture.

Under Abbasid rule, the caliphate reached a high point in cultural and scientific achievement, often described as a golden age. Baghdad housed institutions such as the House of Wisdom, where scholars translated and expanded upon works from various cultures. The empire’s administration relied on a centralized bureaucracy with viziers, tax offices, and a network of garrison cities. The early Abbasids fostered a cosmopolitan culture that integrated Persian, Arab, Turkic, and other influences, contributing to advances in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, literature, and philosophy. Samarra served as a secondary capital for a period.

From the 10th century onward, central authority weakened as autonomous dynasties and military factions gained power, including the Buyids and later the Seljuks. The Abbasids continued in name, but real political control diminished until Baghdad was sacked by the Mongols in 1258, marking the end of the Abbasid Caliphate in its traditional form. A cadet Abbasid line persisted in Cairo under the Mamluks from 1260 to 1517 as religious heads rather than sovereign rulers. The Abbasids left a lasting legacy in Islamic culture, science, law, and administration.