622–1258 CE · Middle East · Science
Muslim-ruled societies connected trade and scholarship from Iberia to Central Asia; scholars advanced mathematics, astronomy, medicine and philosophy.
Atlas dossier · Medieval WorldFree device narration · synchronized English captions · transcript available
Why it matters
The sack of Baghdad in 1258 is a political milestone. It is not a defensible universal end date for scientific or cultural activity across Muslim-ruled societies. Translation, experimentation and artistic work developed in different centres under changing patrons, while Abbasid political authority had fragmented long before 1258.
The Met: The Art of the Abbasid Period ↗Silent pan-and-zoom motion derivative of the Islamic expansion and Golden Age reconstruction; not archival footage.
Primary Atlas editorial reconstruction for Islamic expansion and Golden Age.
World History in Pictures · Public site artwork. This record does not grant third-party republication rights.
How Atlas classifies this artwork →
Supporting Atlas reconstruction within the same Islamic expansion and Golden Age editorial package; not an independent archival record.
World History in Pictures · Same editorial artwork package
How Atlas classifies this artwork →
Context crop from the same Islamic expansion and Golden Age reconstruction; not an independent historical record.
World History in Pictures · Same editorial artwork package
How Atlas classifies this artwork →Interpretation note
This dossier distinguishes the event’s basic chronology from later arguments about meaning, responsibility and legacy. When comparing religious, national, Indigenous or scholarly interpretations, consult the primary and institutional sources above alongside peer-reviewed historical work.
Elsewhere in the world
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c. 650–early 1900s CE · regional survey · AfricaTrans-Saharan trade and enslavementCaravan routes exchanged gold, salt, textiles, books and other goods between North and West Africa; enslaved Africans were also transported northward through Saharan networks over many centuries.
c. 700–early 1900s CE · regional survey · AfricaIndian Ocean and East African slave tradesInterconnected Red Sea and Indian Ocean systems moved commodities and enslaved people among East Africa, Arabia, Persia, India and island societies; Zanzibar became a major nineteenth-century hub.