The Abbasid Caliphate - Essay Example

The Abbasid Caliphate holds its place in an important phase of Islamic history. They came to ascension at a time when the Umayyads had vacated the seat of administration. It was the third out of the total of four Caliphates that Muslim history has seen. The founder of this dynasty was Abbas Ibn Abd Al- Muttalib. It came to power in the middle of the 8th century A.D. (762 A.D.). Their capital city of administrative functioning was Baghdad (Joseph, 2011, 452). They ruled for good four centuries afterward and their demise and decline came about towards the middle of the 13th century. They gradually grew weak in power and the final blow came about at the hands of the Mongol rulers, Hulaku Khan was the most prominent of them.

The Abbasid Dynasty drew its lineage through the daughter of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H). Through the course of four centuries, they established their rule and authority in areas that are in modern-day known as Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and in the Asian continent Baghdad to Palestine and parts of Sub Continent. The Fatmid Caliphate was an extension of the incumbent Caliphate and they ruled for over a century in between.

Their era is considered the Golden Era of Muslim rule. Based on the number of inventions and discoveries made in this era, it was termed the golden age. Art, architecture, literature, chemistry, and astrology found existence and starting point from this era. The rulers of this era were great admirers of art and architecture.