istoryworld
Events relating to religion
At Dunhuang, an oasis on the Silk Road, as many as 500 caves are decorated with Buddhist murals
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
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
Husayn, the son of Ali, dies at Karbala in a battle against rival Muslims and becomes the most holy of Shi'ite martyrs
The Dome of the Rock is completed as a Muslim shrine on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem
Willibrord, recently arrived from England to convert the Frisians, is consecrated archbishop of a new see in Utrecht
The Lindisfarne Gospels are written and illuminated by Celtic monks on the Scottish island of Lindisfarne
Shortage of manpower in the Muslim armies causes a change of policy, with non-Arabs now allowed to convert to Islam
Turkish tribes, northern neighbours of the Muslims in central Asia, begin to adopt Islam as their religion
Muslim Arabs cross from north Africa into Spain and drive the Visigoths from Toledo
Muslims, arriving from Persia through Baluchistan, occupy the region of Sind in western India
The emperor Leo III launches the iconoclastic controversy, sending soldiers to smash the great image of Christ over the gateway to his palace
The Muslim advance into France is halted when Charles Martel defeats the Arabs between Poitiers and Tours
Boniface, working as a missionary among pagan Germans, makes his headquarters at Mainz
Karaism, relying on scripture rather than rabbinical commentary, develops among the Jewish community in Babylon
T'ang potters make vigorous and brightly coloured figures, of horses, camels or human attendants, to accompany the dead in the grave
Sufism develops as a mystical strain within Islam
