The ruler of the caliphate is the protector and patron

The Caliph is the ruler of the caliphate and patron, the defender of the Muslims. The status of the Caliph has been repeatedly reviewed throughout history, and the wars and strife that have been waged for the title have often led to a split not only of the caliphate, but of the entire Muslim community.

Ruler of the Arab Caliphate

A huge Muslim state, which went down in history under the name of the Arab Caliphate, began with a small religious community formed around the preacher Muhammad.

In the first thirty years after the death of the prophet, the newly created state was ruled by the heirs of Muhammad - the four righteous caliphs. The rulers managed to expand the territory of the state, which at the same time began to occupy the territory from Algeria to the Central Asian river of the Amu Darya and from the North Caucasus coast of the Caspian Sea to the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

Meaning of title

From Arabic, the word caliph is translated as a deputy or deputy, but it is more correct to translate it as a primate, because it means that the rulers of the caliphate replace Muhammad, who ascended, according to Muslims, to the sky alive, leaving many problems in his inheritance.

Immediately after the death of the prophet, most Arabs refused to confess the Muslim faith. Only three cities remained faithful to their newly adopted religion: Mecca, Medina and Al-Ta'if. This state of affairs allowed the first elected caliph to begin an active conquest activity, which led to the creation of a great state.

For several decades, the title went to elected leaders who, however, could not abandon it. At the same time, the killing of a community leader was viewed as a religious crime.

The Umayyad Dynasty

The assassination of Ali ibn Abu Talib, the last righteous Caliph, was the beginning of the first dynasty of the caliphate, which in the historical literature received the name of the Umayyad dynasty.

The first ruler of the Umayyad caliphate was Muavia the First, who ruled for nineteen years and significantly expanded his possessions. It was he who significantly changed the procedure for awarding the title, which after his death became hereditary.

However, the next ruler of the caliphate - the son of Mu'awiya - could not keep the situation in the state under control, and as a result, the country began to slowly disintegrate. First, the bordered remote territories fell away. However, already under the third Caliph Abd al-Malika, a new expansion of the possessions of Islamic leaders begins.

The last representatives of the Umayyad dynasty fought once for several fronts, made regular raids on the territory of European rulers. However, the conquests in Europe came against the serious resistance of the Byzantine emperor and the king of francs Carl Martell.

The capital of the caliphate

The capital, founded by the rulers of the Abbasid dynasty, was called Baghdad. It was a new city built on the banks of the Tigris River. In Arabic, the name means "God's gift."

The order for the construction of the new city was given by Caliph Abu al-Mansour, who wanted to move the capital closer to the geographical center and to the lands where his supporters lived.

This was a far-reaching decision - for centuries, Baghdad became the capital not only of the Abbasid caliphate, but of the entire Arab world. The city actively developed handicrafts and trade with other countries, including as far as India.

And although after the fall of the Abbasid empire, the city lost its former importance as a political center, it still continued to play an important role in the cultural life of the entire Islamic civilization, remaining the center of scholarship and Muslim theology. At the beginning of the thirteenth century, thirty libraries operated in the city, in which texts were written written both in the capital and in other major scientific centers throughout the Middle East. The very nature of the power of the Caliph also determines what the goals were set by the rulers of the Arab Caliphate, who were constantly striving to expand the area of spreading Islam, to convert all new people to their religion. In addition, the caliphs carried out religious orders.

Loss of power

In the tenth century, the political power of the caliphs begins to fade, they control all smaller territories, and independent states were created on the outlying suburbs. While in their own state the rulers of the caliphate became dependent on the guard, created as far back as the ninth century and formed from Turkic mercenaries.

Over time, the rulers of the caliphate lost control over Persia, Syria and Egypt, lands in the north of Mesopotamia. However, despite the loss of power, military and economic influence, the Baghdad caliphs continued to enjoy the deserved religious authority for a long time.

But the Caliphs did not want to just put up with the loss of power and the privileges that it gives. Feeling the early fall, the rulers began to strengthen their power and chose for this extremely cruel methods, which resulted in massive persecution of dissenters. The support of the new policy of the caliphate was the orthodox Islamic clergy. However, new measures failed to delay the decline of the state.