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Important Dynasties and Empires of the World

Abbasid Dynasty | Important Dynasties and Empires of the World

Abbasid Dynasty was the second of the two great dynasties of the Muslim Empire of the Caliphate. It overthrew the Umayyad caliphate in AD 750 and reigned as the `Abbasid caliphate until destroyed by the Mongol invasion in 1258. The name is derived from that of the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, al-`Abbas (died c. 653), of the Hashimite clan of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca. From c. 718, members of his family worked to gain control of the empire, and won much support, especially from Shi’i Arabs and Persians in Khorasan. Open revolt in 747, under the leadership of Abu Muslim, led to the defeat of Marwan II, the last Umayyad caliph, at the Battle of the Great Zab River (750) in Mesopotamia and to the proclamation of the first `Abbasid caliph, Abu al-`Abbas as-Saffah. In 1055 the ‘Abbasids were overpowered by the Seljuks who took what temporal power may have been left to the caliph but respected his position as religious leader, restoring the authority of the caliphate, especially during the reigns of al-Mustarshid (1118-35), al-Muqtafi, and an-Nasir. Soon after, in 1258, the dynasty fell during a Mongol siege of Baghdad.