The Islamic World: History Timeline & Key Events
36 key events in the history of The Islamic World, from 622 CE to 2023 CE, with places and context on an interactive map.
Open the interactive map622 CE · Hijra of Prophet Muhammad
Prophet Muhammad migrates from Mecca to Medina, establishing the first Muslim community and marking the start of the Islamic calendar. (Medina) View on map
626 CE · Birth of Imam Husayn
Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah and Imam Ali, is born in Medina. He will become the third Shia Imam and the central figure of the Karbala tragedy that defines Shia Islam. (Medina, Arabia) View on map
632 CE · Event of Ghadir Khumm
At Ghadir Khumm, Prophet Muhammad delivers his final major sermon, declaring Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor with the words 'Whoever I am his master, Ali is his master.' This event is the foundational moment of Shia Islam. (Ghadir Khumm, near al-Juhfah) View on map
636 CE · Arab Conquest of the Levant
Arab Muslim forces defeat the Byzantine army at the Battle of Yarmouk, gaining control of Syria and the Levant. (Yarmouk River) View on map
656 CE · Imam Ali Becomes Fourth Caliph
Ali ibn Abi Talib, cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad, becomes the fourth caliph. For Shia Muslims, he is the first rightful Imam. His caliphate, based in Kufa, is marked by civil wars but also by ideals of justice that profoundly influence Islamic political thought. (Kufa, Iraq) View on map
661 CE · Umayyad Caliphate Established in Damascus
Muawiya I establishes the Umayyad Caliphate with its capital in Damascus, creating the largest empire the world had seen. (Damascus) View on map
661 CE · Martyrdom of Imam Ali
Imam Ali is struck with a poisoned sword while praying at the Great Mosque of Kufa by the Kharijite Ibn Muljam, and dies two days later. His tomb in Najaf becomes one of the holiest shrines in Shia Islam. (Kufa, Iraq) View on map
680 CE · Battle of Karbala — Martyrdom of Imam Husayn
Imam Husayn, grandson of Prophet Muhammad, along with 72 companions, is massacred by the Umayyad army at Karbala. This becomes the defining tragedy of Shia Islam, symbolizing the struggle of justice against tyranny. Its annual commemoration (Ashura) shapes Iranian culture to this day. (Karbala, Iraq) View on map
691 CE · Dome of the Rock Completed
The Dome of the Rock is completed in Jerusalem by Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik, one of the oldest Islamic architectural masterpieces. (Jerusalem) View on map
695 CE · Imam Sajjad and the Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya
Imam Ali ibn Husayn (Zayn al-Abidin), the fourth Shia Imam and sole adult survivor of Karbala, composes the Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya — a collection of supplications considered the 'Psalms of the Ahl al-Bayt' and one of the greatest works of Islamic spiritual literature. (Medina, Arabia) View on map
745 CE · Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq — Founder of Shia Jurisprudence
The sixth Shia Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq, establishes the Ja'fari school of Islamic jurisprudence that remains the basis of Shia law today. A renowned scholar of his era, he was a contemporary of Abu Hanifa and Malik ibn Anas (founders of the Hanafi and Maliki Sunni schools), and according to several historical traditions they attended some of his lectures — making him one of the most influential figures in Islamic intellectual history. (Medina, Arabia) View on map
756 CE · Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba
Abd al-Rahman I, a survivor of the Abbasid massacre of the Umayyad family, flees to Iberia and establishes the Emirate of Córdoba. This marks the beginning of nearly eight centuries of Muslim rule in parts of Spain, creating one of medieval Europe's most sophisticated civilizations. (Córdoba, Spain) View on map
818 CE · Imam Reza — The Eighth Imam in Iran
Imam Ali al-Rida (Reza), the eighth Shia Imam, is invited to Merv by Caliph al-Ma'mun and named heir to the Abbasid caliphate. He dies (Shia believe poisoned) in Tus, and his shrine in Mashhad becomes the holiest site in Iran and the largest mosque in the world by area. (Mashhad (Tus), Iran) View on map
869 CE · Birth of Muhammad al-Mahdi — The Twelfth Imam
Muhammad al-Mahdi, the twelfth and final Imam of Twelver Shia Islam, is born in Samarra to Imam Hasan al-Askari. According to Shia belief, he went into occultation to return at the end of times as the promised Mahdi to fill the earth with justice. (Samarra, Iraq) View on map
874 CE · Occultation of the Twelfth Imam (Mahdi)
Muhammad al-Mahdi, the twelfth and final Shia Imam, enters occultation (ghayba) at age five in Samarra. Shia theology holds he remains alive and will return as the Mahdi to establish justice on earth. This doctrine shapes Shia political thought for over a millennium. (Samarra, Iraq) View on map
909 CE · Fatimid Caliphate Founded
The Fatimid Caliphate, the only major Shia caliphate in history, is established in North Africa by Ismaili Shia missionaries. It later conquers Egypt and founds Cairo (al-Qahira), establishing Al-Azhar — the world's oldest continuously operating university. (Kairouan, Tunisia) View on map
929 CE · Golden Age of Córdoba
Abd al-Rahman III declares the Caliphate of Córdoba, inaugurating its golden age. With a population rivaling Constantinople, Córdoba becomes Europe's most advanced city — boasting paved streets, running water, public libraries with hundreds of thousands of volumes, and a culture where Muslims, Christians, and Jews collaborate in scholarship. (Córdoba, Spain) View on map
945 CE · Buyid Dynasty — First Shia Rulers of Iran
The Buyid (Daylami) dynasty, originating from Gilan in northern Iran, captures Baghdad and establishes Shia rule over Iran and Iraq while keeping the Abbasid caliph as a figurehead. They promote Shia rituals including Ashura commemorations and become major patrons of Persian culture. (Baghdad, Iraq) View on map
1021 CE · Ibn al-Haytham: Father of Optics
Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) writes his Book of Optics, pioneering the scientific method and revolutionizing the understanding of light and vision. (Cairo / Basra) View on map
1025 CE · Ibn Sina (Avicenna) Writes the Canon of Medicine
Ibn Sina writes The Canon of Medicine, the most influential medical encyclopedia, used as a standard text in Europe and the Islamic world for centuries. (Hamadan / Bukhara) View on map
1090 CE · Alamut — The Ismaili Assassin Fortress
Hassan-i Sabbah captures the mountain fortress of Alamut in the Alborz mountains, establishing the Nizari Ismaili state. For nearly 200 years, this Shia sect maintains independence through a network of castles and targeted assassinations, giving English the word 'assassin.' (Alamut, Iran) View on map
1130 CE · Shah Cheragh Shrine Established
The shrine of Ahmad ibn Musa (Shah Cheragh), brother of Imam Reza, is built in Shiraz. He had fled to Iran during Abbasid persecution of the Ahl al-Bayt. The dazzling mirror-work shrine becomes one of Iran's most important Shia pilgrimage sites. (Shiraz, Iran) View on map
1169 CE · Averroes (Ibn Rushd): The Commentator
Abu al-Walid Ibn Rushd of Córdoba writes his monumental commentaries on Aristotle, earning the title 'The Commentator' in medieval Europe. His insistence that philosophy and religion need not conflict — and that reason has autonomous authority — profoundly influences Thomas Aquinas and the birth of European Scholasticism. (Córdoba, Spain) View on map
1187 CE · Saladin Retakes Jerusalem
Saladin recaptures Jerusalem from the Crusaders after the Battle of Hattin, reuniting Muslim control over the holy city. (Jerusalem) View on map
1190 CE · Maimonides: Guide for the Perplexed
Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides), born in Córdoba and later based in Cairo, writes the 'Guide for the Perplexed' in Arabic — a masterwork reconciling Jewish theology with Aristotelian philosophy. A product of the Arabic-speaking intellectual world, his work exemplifies how Islamic civilization nurtured non-Muslim scholarship. (Córdoba / Cairo) View on map
1310 CE · Oljeitu Converts to Shia Islam
Ilkhanid ruler Oljeitu (Muhammad Khodabandeh) converts to Twelver Shia Islam, making it the state religion of Iran for the first time. He builds the magnificent tomb of Soltaniyeh — the largest brick dome ever constructed — as a potential resting place for the remains of Imam Ali and Imam Husayn. (Soltaniyeh, Iran) View on map
1916 CE · The Arab Revolt
Sharif Hussein of Mecca launches the Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule, with British promises of an independent Arab state and gold. T.E. Lawrence ('Lawrence of Arabia') serves as British liaison, rallying Arab tribal forces in a guerrilla campaign across the Hejaz and the Levant. The revolt captures Aqaba (1917), Damascus, and helps end Ottoman rule in the Arab world — but delivers not independence, but British and French mandates instead. (Hejaz / Levant) View on map
1932 CE · Creation of Saudi Arabia
Abdulaziz ibn Saud unifies the Hejaz and Nejd into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, allying the House of Saud with Wahhabi clerics. The discovery of vast oil reserves in 1938 transforms this desert kingdom into a global power, making the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam — historically a marginal sect — into an internationally funded movement that reshapes Islamic discourse worldwide. (Riyadh) View on map
1936 CE · Palestinian Arab Revolt (1936–1939)
Palestinians launch the largest sustained uprising against British rule and Jewish immigration in Mandatory Palestine. The revolt begins with a general strike lasting six months — the longest in modern Arab history — then escalates into armed guerrilla warfare. Britain responds with collective punishment, mass arrests, and demolishing entire villages. The brutal suppression devastates Palestinian leadership and military capacity precisely when it will be needed most. (Mandatory Palestine) View on map
1948 CE · The Nakba — Palestinian Displacement
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, approximately 700,000 Palestinians flee or are expelled from their homes, an event Palestinians call 'al-Nakba' (the Catastrophe). Villages are destroyed, communities scattered across neighboring Arab countries, and a refugee population is created that now numbers over 5 million. The Nakba becomes central to Palestinian identity and an unresolved wound in the region. (Palestine) View on map
1973 CE · Yom Kippur War
Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack on Israel on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, initially achieving stunning success. Though Israel eventually prevails with massive US military aid, the war shatters the myth of Israeli invincibility. It leads directly to the 1973 OPEC oil embargo — the first time Arab states weaponize oil — sending shockwaves through the global economy. (Sinai / Golan) View on map
1983 CE · US Barracks Bombing in Beirut
A truck bomb destroys the US Marine barracks at Beirut International Airport, killing 241 American servicemen — the deadliest attack on US Marines since Iwo Jima. A simultaneous attack kills 58 French paratroopers. The bombings, attributed to Hezbollah with Iranian backing, lead to the withdrawal of Western peacekeeping forces from Lebanon and demonstrate the potency of asymmetric warfare against superpowers. (Beirut, Lebanon) View on map
2011 CE · Arab Spring Uprisings
A Tunisian fruit vendor's self-immolation sparks a wave of popular uprisings across the Arab world. Regimes fall in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen; civil wars erupt in Syria and Libya; protests shake Bahrain, Jordan, and Morocco. The Arab Spring demonstrates the depth of frustration with authoritarian rule — but in most countries, the result is not democracy but chaos, counter-revolution, or deeper repression. (Tunisia / Egypt / Libya / Syria) View on map
2011 CE · Syrian Civil War
Peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad's regime escalate into a devastating multi-sided civil war involving the Syrian government (backed by Russia and Iran), rebel groups, Kurdish forces, ISIS, and Western and Gulf state proxies. Over 500,000 die, half the population is displaced, ancient cities like Aleppo are reduced to rubble, and millions of refugees stream into Europe — triggering political backlash that reshapes Western politics. (Syria) View on map
2014 CE · Rise of ISIS / Islamic State
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declares a 'caliphate' spanning eastern Syria and western Iraq, as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) seizes Mosul, Raqqa, and vast territories. Born from the wreckage of the US invasion of Iraq, ISIS combines apocalyptic ideology with savvy media warfare, attracting tens of thousands of foreign fighters. An international coalition including the US, Iran, Kurdish forces, and Russia gradually destroys the territorial caliphate by 2019. (Mosul, Iraq / Raqqa, Syria) View on map
2023 CE · October 7 Attack and Gaza War
Hamas launches a devastating surprise attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages. Israel responds with a massive military campaign in Gaza that kills tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaces the vast majority of Gaza's population. The conflict shatters the status quo, divides world opinion, and demonstrates that the unresolved Palestinian question — born from the mandates and partitions of a century earlier — remains the region's most volatile fault line. (Gaza / Israel) View on map