Monthly Archives: November 2021

Abbasid Revolution: End of the Umayyads, 750

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Ruth

A coalition of pious Muslims who wanted reform of the sinful Umayyads, Arabs who had been left out of the Umayyad aristocracy, and converts who had been left out of even the perks Arabs got finally came together in a … Continue reading →

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The Abbasid Family

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Ruth

If you recall, Muhammad had a number of uncles. Abu Talib raised him, then when Muhammad was married, he and another uncle, Abbas, each took one of Abu Talib’s younger sons to foster. Abbas’s wife became a believer very early, … Continue reading →

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Walid II and the Qusayr Amra Murals, 744

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Ruth

Walid II was the Caliph for only a year, but he had been a powerful prince for years before this, so he’s credited with some of the most sumptuous building in Syria. Walid was a party animal, though he also … Continue reading →

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Zayd’s Uprising, 740

Posted on November 20, 2021 by Ruth

I mentioned in the entry on Caliph al-Walid that he ordered a scholar descended from Ali to be poisoned, as his father had been also. This man, the fourth Shi’ite Imam, was known as al-Sajjad. He had many sons, but … Continue reading →

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732: the Battle of Tours (or Poitiers)

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Ruth

In 730, the Land of the Franks appeared to be wide open for conquest. Al-Andalus was securely Muslim, apart from the tiny northern mountain kingdoms. In 721, Arab and Berber invaders had entered modern France in the south—then the Duchy … Continue reading →

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Abd al-Malik’s Four Sons and one Nephew, 715-43

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Ruth

Caliph al-Walid I was the son of Abd al-Malik, son of Marwan I, one of the generation that knew Muhammad but worked to found the Umayyad dynasty. He died in 715. In Arab tradition, rule is taken not by a … Continue reading →

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