istoryworld
Events relating to asia
The classic form of Arabic poetry, predating Islam, evolves as the qasidah
The walls of caves at Ajanta are profusely decorated with Buddhist murals
Prince Shotoku Taishi, an enthusiastic patron of Buddhism, builds the Horyuji temple and pagoda at Nara
The Grand Canal is constructed in China, joining a network of existing waterways to link the Yangtze and Yellow rivers
Muhammad begins preaching in Mecca the message of Allah, dictated to him by the archangel Gabriel
Jerusalem falls to the Persian emperor Khosrau II after a siege of a month, and it is said that 60,000 Christians are massacred
When the Persians sack Jerusalem, they carry off to Ctesiphon Christianity's most sacred relic - the True Cross
A high official of the Sui empire seizes power and establishes one of China's greatest dynasties, the T'ang
Muhammad departs from Mecca and settles in Medina, in the event known as the Hegira
The year of the Hegira (Muhammad's move from Mecca to Medina) becomes Anno Hegirae or AH1, the first year in Muslim chronology
The Byzantine emperor Heraclius recovers the True Cross from Ctesiphon
Mecca becomes the holy city of Islam and soon all Arabia accepts the new religion
The death of Muhammad at Medina is followed by the election of the first caliph, Abu Bakr, a father-in-law of the prophet
Omar, another father-in-law of Muhammad, is elected as the second Muslim caliph (the word means 'sucessor to the Messenger of God')
Within two years of the death of Muhammad, the Arabs surge north into the Syrian desert
The Arabs defeat a Persian army at Kadisiya and then sack the city of Ctesiphon, effectively bringing to an end the Sassanian dynasty
The Arab capture of Jerusalem brings Palestine and Syria under Muslim control
After the assassination of Omar, Othman is elected as the third Muslim caliph
A document makes the first known reference to windmills, in use in Persia
At Dunhuang, an oasis on the Silk Road, as many as 500 caves are decorated with Buddhist murals
Under the caliph Othman, the revelations made to Muhammad are collected in their definitive form as the Qur'an
Jews and Christians, sharing with Muslims the status of 'people of the book', are promised religious tolerance in the Qur'an
Thonmi Sambhota, a student of Sanskrit, devises a way of writing Tibetan and produces treatises on Tibetan grammar
Songtsen Gampo builds temples in Lhasa for his two Buddhist wives, thus introducing the religion to Tibet
Othman is assassinated, and Ali wins power as the fourth Muslim caliph - defeating Muhammad's widow Aisha at the 'battle of the camel' near Basra
