What came next
Abu Bakr was chosen as the first caliph at Saqifah. His first year went to the Ridda wars, which brought the tribes that had broken away back under Madinah.
An atlas of Muslim history
Fourteen centuries of Muslim history, one map at a time.
From the Prophet's Madinah in 632 to the wars of 2026. Move through eleven turning points, zoom in, compare frontiers across centuries, and tap any battle to see who fought, who won and why it mattered.
Show
Did you know
Muslim armies defeated both superpowers of the 7th century, Byzantium and Persia, within about six years (636 to 642).
Dynasties
Who ruled, and for how long
Every bar is drawn to the same scale, from 600 to today. Select a dynasty to see it on the map. The green line marks the year the map is showing. See the full dynasty table.
Rashidun Caliphate632 to 661
Umayyad Caliphate661 to 750
Abbasid Caliphate, Baghdad750 to 1258
Abbasid Caliphate, Cairo1261 to 1517
Muslim al-Andalus711 to 1492
Fatimid Caliphate909 to 1171
Ghaznavid Sultanate977 to 1186
Seljuk Empire1037 to 1194
Ayyubid Sultanate1171 to 1260
Mamluk Sultanate1250 to 1517
Delhi Sultanate1206 to 1526
Ottoman Empire1299 to 1922
Safavid Iran1501 to 1736
Mughal Empire1526 to 1857
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia1932 to today
Map year: 632
70080090010001100120013001400150016001700180019002000
Explore
More ways into the story
Battle explorer
111 battles on one map, filterable by period and type, each with sides, commanders and why it mattered.
Open →Rulers and their fates
Every caliph, sultan and emperor of six dynasties. How many died naturally, and how many were killed or deposed.
Open →People
50 caliphs, commanders, sultans and scholars, each with a short life and the battles they fought.
Open →Empires compared
Thirteen Muslim states by size and lifespan, measured against Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or the United States.
Open →Who held Jerusalem
Every change of rule over the Old City and Al-Aqsa since 637, with the stories behind them.
Open →Seven chapters
The full story in plain English, from Saqifah to the wars of 2026, with maps and battle lists.
Open →Glossary
38 words you will meet in Islamic history, from amir and fitna to Janissary and waqf.
Open →Test yourself
Twelve questions drawn from a bank of 24, with an explanation after every answer.
Open →
The book, 75% off
Read the whole story in Urdu
Khilafat aur Jangen puts this history in one Urdu PDF: 64 pages, 14 maps, family trees, charts and timelines from 632 to 2026.
$1.50$6.0075% off
Read the history
Seven chapters, from Madinah to Gaza
Each chapter pairs the story with its own maps, rulers and battles.
- 1632 to 661
The Rightly Guided Caliphs
Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali: from Madinah to Persia, Syria and Egypt in 29 years.
3 min read · 23 battles - 2661 to 750
The Umayyads
Damascus, Karbala, and the conquests from Spain to Sindh.
2 min read · 9 battles - 3750 to 1517
The Abbasids, the Crusades and the Mongols
Baghdad's golden age, Salahuddin, and the fall of Baghdad in 1258.
2 min read · 19 battles - 4711 to 1857
Al-Andalus and the Subcontinent
From Tariq ibn Ziyad to Granada, and from Muhammad bin Qasim to the Mughals.
2 min read · 18 battles - 51299 to 1924
The Ottomans
36 sultans, Constantinople, Vienna, and the last caliphate.
2 min read · 24 battles - 6637 to today
Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem
Everyone who took the city, and everyone who tried.
2 min read · 10 battles - 71924 to today
The Modern Muslim World
Saudi Arabia and America, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Gaza.
3 min read · 18 battles