|
The 9th and 10th centuries saw the break-up of the Muslim dominions into independent states or groupings, such as the Tahirids and Samanids in Persia and Fatimids in Egypt. Mahmud I (999 - 1030 AD) based in Ghazna in modern-day Afghanistan, carved out an empire in central Asia and made repeated raids into the India sub-continent. By 1186 AD this empire had been overrun by the Ghorids who completed the conquest of northern India.
In 1038 AD, Tugril Beg, leader of the Seljuks, a group of Turkish soldiers in the service of the Ghaznavids, seized the province of Khwarazm. His influence spread west towards Baghdad. This was continued by his nephew, Alp Arslan, who reached Asia Minor, Armenia and Georgia, defeating the Byzantines at the battle of Manzikert in 1071 AD. It was a Turk, Yusuf bin Ayyub, who in 1174 AD began the Ayyubid dynasty, calling himself al-Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din. Known by history as Saladin, he fought Richard I during the Third Crusade, re-taking Jerusalem in 1187. In 1206 AD, a new threat appeared, the Mongols, with their leader Ghengis Khan. They exploded out of the central Asian steppes, their feared horsemen ranging across China, southern Russia, the Abbasid Caliphate and even as far as Hungary. The influence of the Mongols was short-lived, but they managed to destroy the greatness of the Muslim civilisation. In 1453, Mehmed II, the Ottoman Sultan, captured Constantinople, finally putting an end to the Roman Empire. |
Islam Bibliography | List of rulers and dynasties |
Click on image for more details and history