Five Great Islamic Empires

• Area: 2,850,000 km²

The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia.

The Safavid dynasty was founded about 1501 by Shāh Ismāil.In 1399 Safavid changed their reliegon from Sunni to Shiah.

• Population: 110-150 Million
• Area: 3.2 Million square kilimeters

Mughals were the descendants of the house of Timur.In 1526 Babur from central Asia invaded India he defeated the last sultan of Sultanate of Dehli Ibrahim Lodhi in the Battle of Panipat and Established the Mughal Empire.

The empire was extremely prosperous and rich. Under the rule of Mughals, India enjoyed much cultural and economic progress as well as religious harmony

The Mughals reached their height of power under the reign of Shah Jahan.. Shah Jahan was keenly interested in buildings and architecture, he also built the Taj Mahal for his beloved wife.

Mughal Empire was at its largest extent during the reign of Aurangzeb Alamgir.He was a deeply religious person and it is said that he wrote the whole Quran twice in his own handwriting.He waged wars against the marathas and conquered Deccan region.After his death the empire declined gradually.

Causes Of Decline:

1. The later Mughal rulers after Aurangzeb were increasingly inept, they interested drinking, music and poetry rather then administration.
2. Invasions of Nadir Shah of persia and Ahmed Shah Abdali exposed the weakness of Mughal army.
3. Mughal army was unable to compete with the highly organized and trained army of British.
4. It is often said that the long wars in Deccan during Aurangzeb's era had drained the treasury.

• Population: 50,000,000 est
• Area: 10,000,000 km²

Abbasid were the third of four Islamic Caliphates.Sometimes the Abbasid and Ummayyad caliphate are collectively referred to as the Arab Muslim empire but they were two different dynasties.The Period of Abbasids is termed as the Golden age of Islam due to advances in Sciences, Literature, Medicine and Philosophy.

• Population: 62,000,000 est.
• Area: 15,000,000 km²

The Ummayyads were the Second of the four Islamic Caliphates. The established the largest Arab Muslim State in History.In 712 a Berber General Tariq ibn Ziyad Captured Spain for the Caliphate.They continued to rule Spain for the next 300 years. Their Caliphate was overthrown by the Abbasid after their defeat at the Battle of Zab.

• Population: 35,350,000 (1856)
• Area: 5,200,000 km²

The Ottoman Empire can undoubtedly be called the greatest Muslim empire of all time because it stayed on face of earth for nearly 700 years. The empire was one of the argest and the longest ruling empire in history.During the 16th and 17th century the empire became the most powerful state of the world.

The first Ottomans were Turkish soldiers known as ghaziz. They had come to Anatolia with other turks to escape the Mongols. In late 1200 a ghazi leader named Osman had great success in fighting the Byzantines.His tribe members became known as the Ottoman.

During the 1300 the Ottomans took over large parts of Anatolia and went into Europe.The defeated the crusades at the battle of Nicopolis.The ottoman empire faced a temporary crises when Timur invaded it in 1402 and defeated Ottomans in Battle of Ankara.The empire recovered and Murad II took power and with this a period of expansion started.In 1444 Murad's army defeated the last crusades at the Battle of Varna.In 1453 Sultan Mehmed Murad's successor captured Constantinople in 1453 renamed it Istanbul and made it the capitol.Sultan Selim I(1512–1520) dramatically expanded the Empire's eastern and southern frontiers by defeating Shah Ismail of Safavid Persia, in the Battle of Caldiran. Selim I established Ottoman rule in Egypt.

The greatest Ottoman Sultan was Suleyman who ruled from 1520 to 1566.His rule was the apex of Ottoman power and he brought the empire to its height of power and prosperity.He conquered Hungary in 1526 and three years later nearly captured city of Vienna.He Conquered the mighty strongholds of Rhodes and Belgrade with the help of big Cannons.He annexed most of the Middle East in his conflict with the Safavids and large swathes of North Africa as far west as Algeria. Under his rule, the Ottoman fleet dominated the seas from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

After his death a period of slow decline begin.The Battle of vienna in 1683 marked the end of ottoman expansion in Europe.During 1683 to 1827 threats to the Ottoman Empire were presented by the traditional foe—the Austrian Empire—as well as by a new foe—the rising Russian Empire.It was a period of stagnation.During 1828 to 1908 the Empire faced challenges in defending itself against foreign invasion and occupation. The Empire ceased to enter conflicts on its own and began to forge alliances with European countries.It Ended In 1923 after the Republic of Turkey Ceded it.

Cases Of Decline:

1. Europeans advanced greatly in Sciences and technology during the renaissance and Industrial revolution while the Ottomans remained in a state of stagnation.
2. Europeans had discovered a sea route for trading with India, while previously they had to pass from the empire and pay ransom.
3. The later Ottoman sultans were weak and incompetent.Corruption was common.
4. Even after the Treaty of Severs it was the treachery of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk which finally brought an end to caliphate.