The Caliph is the ruler of the caliphate and patron, protector of Muslims. The status of the caliph has been repeatedly reviewed throughout history, and the wars and feuds that waged for the possession of this title often led to a split not only of the caliphate, but of the entire Muslim community.
Ruler of the Arab Caliphate
The huge Muslim state, which went down in history under the name of the Arab Caliphate, began with a small religious community, which was formed around the preacher Mohammed.
In the first thirty years after the death of the prophet, the newly created state was ruled by the heirs of Muhammad - 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 course of the Central Asian river Amu Darya and from the North Caucasus coast of the Caspian Sea to the southern outskirts of the Arabian Peninsula.
Title value
From the Arabic language, the word Caliph is translated as governor or deputy, but it is still more correct to translate it as primate, because it means that the rulers of the caliphate replace Muhammad, who, according to Muslims, ascended to heaven alive, leaving a lot of problems as an inheritance.
Immediately after the death of the prophet, most of the inhabitants of Arabia refused to practice the Muslim faith. Only three cities remained faithful to their recently adopted religion: Mecca, Medina and At-Taif. This state of affairs allowed the first elected Caliph to begin active conquest, which led to the creation of a great state.
For several decades, the title went to elected leaders who, however, could not refuse it. At the same time, the murder of a community leader was considered a religious crime.
Umayyad Dynasty
The assassination of Ali ibn Abu Talib, the last righteous caliph, was the beginning of the first dynasty of the caliphate, which received the name of the Umayyad dynasty in historical literature.
The first ruler of the Umayyad caliphate was Muawiya the First, who ruled for nineteen years and significantly expanded his possessions. It was he who significantly changed the procedure for endowing the title, which after his death became inherited.
However, the next ruler of the caliphate - the son of Muawii - could not keep the situation in the state under control, and as a result, the country began to slowly disintegrate. First, border remote territories fell away. However, already under the third caliph, Abd al-Malik, a new expansion of the possessions of Islamic leaders begins.
The last representatives of the Umayyad dynasty fought on several fronts at once, made regular raids on the territory of European rulers. However, the conquests in Europe came up against the serious resistance of the Byzantine emperor and King of the Franks Karl Martell.
The capital of the caliphate
Founded by the rulers of the Abbasid dynasty, the capital was called Baghdad. It was a new city built on the banks of the Tigris River. Translated from Arabic, the name means "God's gift."
The order to build a new city was given by the caliph Abu al-Mansur, who wanted to move the capital closer to the geographical center and to the lands in which his supporters lived.
This was a decision that had far-reaching consequences - for many centuries Baghdad became the capital of not only the Abbasid Caliphate, but also the entire Arab world. The city actively developed crafts and trade with other countries, including those as distant 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 functioned in the city, in which texts were written written both in the capital and in other large scientific centers throughout the Middle East. The very nature of the caliph’s power also determines what goals were set by the rulers of the Arab caliphate, who constantly sought to expand the range of Islam, convert new people to their religion. In addition, the caliphs issued religious orders.
Loss of power
In the tenth century, the political power of the caliphs begins to fade, they control ever smaller territories, and independent states were created on the fallen outskirts. at the same time, in their own state, the rulers of the caliphate became dependent on the guard, created in the ninth century and formed from Turkic mercenaries.
Over time, the rulers of the caliphate lost control of 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 well-deserved religious authority for a long time.
But the caliphs did not want to put up so easily with the loss of power and privileges that it gives. Sensing an imminent fall, the rulers set about strengthening their power and chose extremely cruel methods for this, as a result of which mass persecutions of dissidents began. The pillar of the new caliphate policy was the Orthodox Islamic clergy. However, new measures could not delay the decline of the state.