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Definition: Abbasids from Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

A dynasty of caliphs who ruled the Muslim Empire from 750 until destroyed by the Mongol invasion in 1258, and who claimed descent from al-Abbas (d.653), uncle of the Prophet mohammed. Haroun al-Raschid (b.765; r.786–808) was one of their number.


Abbasids

From Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa
The Abbasid caliphate was the third of the Islamic caliphates, and it lasted from 750 until 1258, making it the longest of the caliphates and one that presided over great advances in science and technology until it was destroyed by the Mongols. Its capital was Baghdad, and at its height in the 9th century, it dominated most of the Middle East and large parts of north Africa. The name Abbasid comes from Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566-662), the youngest of the uncles of the Prophet Muhammad. His supporters contrasted themselves with their rivals, the Umayyads, whom they succeeded. Their success came after seven years—from 743 until 750—of internal power struggles among the Umayyad leadership, various regional revolts, and some religious bickering, ending with Abu'l Abbas becoming the first Abbasid caliph in 750. Initially, the caliphate was essentially sectarian in its approach to many matters, but gradually, with moves against heresies, these approaches were slowly eroded. The first…
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Full text Article Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258)

From Encyclopedia of World Trade: From Ancient Times to the Present Full text Article A-Z Entries
An Islamic empire centered in Baghdad that represented a high point of commerce, political order, and culture in Islamic history. At its height in the late eighth century C.E. , the Abbasid caliphate claimed political authority over an area stretching from the Nile to the Oxus River (or Amu Darya, …
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Full text Article Abbasid

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(Әbă'sĭd, ă'bӘsĭd) or Abbaside (–sīd, –sĭd), Arab family descended from Abbas , the uncle of Muhammad. The Abbasids held the caliphate from 749 to 1258, but they were recognized neither in Spain nor (after 787) W of Egypt. Under the Umayyad caliphs the Abbasids lived quietly until they became…
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Full text Article Abbasids

From Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World
© CENGAGE LEARNING/GALE
Abbasids
The early Arab/Islamic empire fell to Abbasid control with the overthrow and decimation of the Umayyad house in 132/750. The “Abbasid revolution” followed an extended period of clandestine organization centered in Iraq and the eastern province of Khurasan. Modern scholarship has devoted considerable…
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Also known as: Abbasid caliphate The Abbasids defeated the Umayyads to claim the caliphate and leadership of the Muslim world in 750. The Abbasids based their legitimacy as rulers on their descent from the prophet Muhammad's extended family, not as with some Shi'i directly through the line of Ali…
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Full text Article Abbasid dynasty

From Encyclopedia of World Religions: Encyclopedia of Islam
Also known as: Abbasid caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258) was a long-lived Sunni dynasty that ruled the Islamicate empire for five centuries and set the standard for Muslim rulers who came later. It took power in a tremendous revolution in 750 that ended the Umayyad Caliphate in Damascus. It…
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Full text Article Abbasid Caliphate

From Encyclopedia of Empire
Genealogical relationship between...
8th–13th centuries imperial history Islam religious history trade and commerce western Asia After wresting power from the Umayyads, the Abbasid Caliphate reigned over a territory that extended from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the borders with China in the east. Heavily centralized at the…
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Full text Article Abbasid Dynasty

From Chambers Dictionary of World History
A dynasty of caliphs, which replaced that of the Umayyads in 749, establishing itself in Baghdad until its sack by the Mongols in 1258. Early ʿAbbasid power reached its peak under Harun al-Rashid (786/809). The ʿAbbasids traced their descent from the family of the Prophet Muhammad's uncle, ʿAbbas, …
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Full text Article Abbasids

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
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Full text Article Abbasid

From Philip's Encyclopedia
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Full text Article Abbasid

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
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