istoryworld
All Events
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
The unopposed capture of Alexandria by the Arabs completes the Muslim conquest of Egypt
The Coptic Christians of Egypt become isolated after the Muslim conquest
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
In the Frankish kingdoms the 'mayors of the palace' steadily become more powerful than their nominal masters, the Merovingian kings
The Book of Durrow, one of the earliest of the great Celtic manuscripts, is written and illuminated in Ireland
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
The Vikings develop the fast and narrow longships with which they raid across the North Sea
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
Ali is assassinated and Mu'awiya becomes the fifth Muslim caliph, establishing the Umayyad dynasty
The emergence of the Shi'a party creates a major schism within Islam
The king of Northumbria summons a synod at Whitby to hear the arguments of Roman and Celtic Christians, then opts for Rome
The Arabs establish a garrison town at Kairouan, as a base for the conquest of northwest Africa
With the entire middle east under their control, the Arabs make Damascus the capital of the Umayyad caliphate
A Muslim fleet attacking Constantinople is deterred by the first known use of the Byzantine secret recipe for 'Greek fire'
Husayn, the son of Ali, dies at Karbala in a battle against rival Muslims and becomes the most holy of Shi'ite martyrs
With a victory at Tertry, Pepin II wins effective control over all three Frankish kingdoms
The Dome of the Rock is completed as a Muslim shrine on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem
