Egypt, Syria and the Levant
Thirteen centuries of the lands between the Nile and the Euphrates: the surrender of Jerusalem to Umar, Umayyad Damascus and the monuments of the Haram al-Sharif, Fatimid Cairo, the Crusades and Saladin's recovery of Jerusalem, the Mamluk sultanate that turned back the Mongols, and the scholars of Damascus and Cairo who wrote in its madrasas.
Start LearningBegins with Conquest of Jerusalem: The Peaceful Liberation of the Holy City
Learning Sequence
Articles are ordered so each builds on the one before. You can also read them in any order that suits you.
- Conquest of Jerusalem: The Peaceful Liberation of the Holy CityeventRashidun CaliphateThe conquest of Jerusalem in 638 CE by Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab marked the peaceful Islamic liberation of the holy city, establishing principles of religious tolerance β¦
- Umar's Entry into JerusalemeventRashidun CaliphateThe historic and humble entry of Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab into Jerusalem in 638 CE, demonstrating Islamic values of humility, justice, and religious tolerance through hβ¦
- Battle of Yarmouk: The Decisive Victory that Opened the LevanteventRashidun CaliphateThe Battle of Yarmouk (636 CE) was the decisive military engagement that secured Muslim conquest of the Levant, where Khalid ibn al-Walid's tactical genius led to a crushβ¦
- Jerusalem (Al-Quds)placeRashidun CaliphateThe third holiest city in Islam, known as Al-Quds (The Holy). Site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, and the destination of Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey (Isβ¦
- The Dome of the RockbuildingUmayyad CaliphateComprehensive history of the Dome of the Rock, one of Islam's most iconic monuments and the oldest surviving Islamic building, built in Jerusalem in 691 CE
- Al-Aqsa Mosque: The Farthest SanctuarybuildingUmayyad CaliphateAl-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam, central to the Night Journey (Isra and Miraj) of Prophet Muhammad, and a symbol of Islamic heritage and Paβ¦
- Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik: Builder of an EmpirepersonUmayyad CaliphateAl-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik (c. 668-715 CE) was the Umayyad caliph under whose reign the Islamic empire reached its greatest territorial extent β with simultaneous conquestβ¦
- Egypt: From Pharaonic Civilization to Modern Islamic StateplaceRashidun CaliphateEgypt's transformation from Pharaonic civilization through Islamic conquest to become a center of Islamic learning and modern Arab leadership, with Al-Azhar's enduring reβ¦
- Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171 CE)dynastyMedieval Islamic WorldA major Shia Islamic caliphate (909-1171 CE) that ruled North Africa, Egypt, and parts of the Middle East. Founded by the Ismaili Shia dynasty claiming descent from Fatimβ¦
- Sitt al-Mulk: The Powerful Regent of the Fatimid CaliphatepersonMedieval Islamic WorldSitt al-Mulk (970-1023 CE) was a Fatimid princess who served as regent and de facto ruler of the Fatimid Caliphate, known for her political acumen, administrative skills,β¦
- The CrusadeseventMedieval Islamic WorldThe Crusades were a series of religious wars launched from Western Europe between 1095 and 1291 CE to capture Jerusalem and the Holy Land. They reshaped medieval Christiaβ¦
- Nur al-Din Zengi: The Unifier of Muslim SyriapersonMedieval Islamic WorldNur al-Din Zengi (1118-1174) united Muslim Syria under a single authority, made the recovery of Jerusalem a stated public purpose, and built the network of madrasas and iβ¦
- Saladin (Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi) - Liberator of JerusalempersonMedieval Islamic WorldSalah al-Din (Saladin, 1137-1193 CE) was the Kurdish Muslim commander who founded the Ayyubid dynasty and united Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia. He recaptured Jerusalem frβ¦
- Battle of Hattin - Saladin's Decisive VictoryeventMedieval Islamic WorldThe decisive battle of July 4, 1187 CE, where Saladin's forces crushed the Crusader armies near Hattin in Palestine. This pivotal victory led to the recapture of Jerusaleβ¦
- Ayyubid Dynasty - Saladin's Legacy and the Unification of the Muslim EastdynastyMedieval Islamic WorldThe Ayyubid Dynasty (1171-1260 CE) was founded by Saladin and ruled Egypt, Syria, and Yemen. The Ayyubids recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders, promoted Sunni Islam, aβ¦
- Shajarat al-Durr: The Slave Who Became Sultan of EgyptpersonMedieval Islamic WorldShajarat al-Durr (died 1257 CE) rose from slavery to become Sultan of Egypt during the establishment of the Mamluk state. Her leadership during the Seventh Crusade helpedβ¦
- Mamluk Sultanate - The Slave Soldiers Who Became KingsdynastyMedieval Islamic WorldThe Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517 CE) was a powerful military state that ruled Egypt and Syria for nearly three centuries. Founded by former slave soldiers, the Mamluks defβ¦
- Sayf al-Din Qutuz: The Sultan Who Stopped the MongolspersonMedieval Islamic WorldSayf al-Din Qutuz (c. 1221-1260) was the third Mamluk sultan of Egypt, reigning under a year. He executed Hulegu's envoys, marched into Syria, and defeated the Mongol armβ¦
- Battle of Ain Jalut: Turning Back the Mongol TideeventMedieval Islamic WorldThe 1260 CE battle where the Mamluk Sultanate defeated the Mongol Empire in the Jezreel Valley, marking the first major Mongol defeat and halting their westward expansionβ¦
- Baybars - The Lion of Egypt and Scourge of the CrusaderspersonMedieval Islamic WorldBaybars I (c. 1223-1277 CE) was the fourth Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria, one of Islamic history's most formidable military commanders. Rising from slavery to become sβ¦
- Ibn TaymiyyahpersonMedieval Islamic WorldTaqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah (1263β1328 CE) was a Hanbali jurist and theologian in Mamluk Damascus and Cairo. He critiqued speculative theology and practices such as tβ¦
- Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya: Jurist, Moralist and Student of Ibn TaymiyyapersonMedieval Islamic WorldIbn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (1292-1350) was the foremost student of Ibn Taymiyya and a Hanbali jurist of Damascus. His works on legal theory, prophetic guidance and the spiritβ¦
- Al-Nawawi: Jurist of the Shafi'i School and Compiler of Riyad al-SalihinpersonMedieval Islamic WorldAl-Nawawi (1233-1277) was a Shafi'i jurist and hadith scholar of Damascus who died at forty-four having written some of the most widely used books in Sunni Islam, includiβ¦
- Ibn Kathir: Exegete and Historian of Mamluk DamascuspersonMedieval Islamic WorldIbn Kathir (c. 1300-1373) was a Shafi'i scholar of Mamluk Damascus whose commentary on the Quran and universal history became two of the most widely read works in Sunni Iβ¦
- Al-SuyutipersonMedieval Islamic WorldJalal al-Din al-Suyuti (1445-1505 CE) was an Egyptian scholar of the late Mamluk period and the most prolific author in Islamic literature. His Al-Itqan remains the standβ¦
- Selim I: The Conquest of the Arab LandspersonOttoman EmpireSelim I (1470-1520) ruled for eight years and doubled the Ottoman Empire, defeating the Safavids at Chaldiran in 1514 and conquering the Mamluk Sultanate of Syria, Egypt β¦
- Muhammad Ali Pasha - Founder of Modern EgyptpersonModern EraMuhammad Ali Pasha (1769-1849 CE) transformed Egypt into a regional power through military, economic, and administrative reforms. Founder of modern Egypt, he established β¦
- Jordan: Crossroads of Islamic CivilizationplaceRashidun CaliphateA corridor between the Levant, Arabia and the Fertile Crescent, and so a route for trade, pilgrimage and armies throughout Islamic history. The Battle of Yarmouk was fougβ¦
- Amin al-Husseini: Grand Mufti of JerusalempersonModern EraMohammed Amin al-Husseini (born c. 1895-97, died 1974) was appointed grand mufti of Jerusalem and president of the Supreme Muslim Council in 1921. This article treats hisβ¦
- Yasser Arafat: Chairman of the Palestine Liberation OrganizationpersonModern EraYasser Arafat (1929-2004) co-founded Fatah in the late 1950s, chaired the Palestine Liberation Organization from 1969 until his death, and was president of the Palestiniaβ¦