The History of the World Podcast, written and presented by Chris Hasler. Volume 4, The Medieval World

Episode 3 The Abbasid Caliphate Oh, you know, you know.

Now, now. oh, oh, So then let's summarize our journey through the rise of Islam so far.

In the year 610 a merchant from Mecca, called Muhammad, received a divine revelation from the archangel Gabriel. This prompted him to preach the word of Allah, but the plutocratic Meccans were not well receiving

of Islam and Mohammed fled to Medina.

A journey traditionally referred to as the Hejura.

Muhammad was able to gather a religious and political following in Medina, with which he was able to return to Mecca and take control

of the city turning the pagan shrine called the Karba into an Islamic shrine.

After Mohammed's lifetime, these new Muslim Arab followers of Islam

would be ruled by successors or caliphs to Muhammad and the influence of Islam expanded and this would be the

beginning of the Rashidun calipate. Some Arabs still had to be convinced either through missions or force

that they should follow Islam and pledge their allegiance to the Caliphate and the first caliph and the first caliph called Abu Bakkar was successful in uniting the Arabs

before turning his attention northwards towards the Byzantine and the Persians.

Abu Bakker's successor Umar

conquered Byzantine Syria and went on to occupy the highly important cities of Damascus and Jerusalem,

as well as the important Persian city of Tessifon.

Omar would also put much work into the infrastructure of the rapidly expanding caliphate,

reforming ethnic social structure, military recruitment policy and caliphate taxation.

The Rashidun Caliphate was religiously tolerant

but particularly rewarded followers of Islam.

All Mars reforms enabled the caliphate to crush the Persians in battle,

which was the beginning of the end of the Sasanian Empire,

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