This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasid_Caliphate


00:03:00 1 History
00:03:09 1.1 Abbasid Revolution (750–751)
00:06:43 1.2 Power (752–775)
00:10:12 1.3 Abbasid Golden Age (775–861)
00:14:01 1.4 Fracture to autonomous dynasties (861–945)
00:20:04 1.5 Buyid and Seljuq control (945–1118)
00:22:07 1.6 Revival of military strength (1118–1258)
00:23:20 1.7 Mongol invasion (1206–1258)
00:24:54 1.8 Abbasid Caliphate of Cairo (1261–1517)
00:26:55 2 Culture
00:27:04 2.1 Islamic Golden Age
00:28:54 2.2 Science
00:34:18 2.3 Literature
00:36:34 2.4 Philosophy
00:37:54 2.5 Architecture
00:40:22 2.6 Glass and crystal
00:41:33 2.7 Painting
00:42:51 2.8 Pottery
00:44:29 2.9 Textiles
00:45:34 2.10 Technology
00:50:04 2.11 Status of women
00:53:40 2.12 Arabization
00:54:39 3 Military
00:55:38 4 Decline of the empire
00:57:02 5 Separatist dynasties and their successors
01:00:52 6 Dynasties claiming Abbasid descent
01:05:33 7 See also



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SUMMARY
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The Abbasid Caliphate ( or Arabic: ٱلْخِلافَةُ ٱلْعَبَّاسِيَّة‎, al-Khilāfatu al-ʿAbbāsiyyah) was the third of the Islamic caliphates to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes its name. They ruled as caliphs for most of the caliphate from their capital in Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, after having overthrown the Umayyad Caliphate in the Abbasid Revolution of 750 CE (132 AH).
The Abbasid Caliphate first centred its government in Kufa, modern-day Iraq, but in 762 the caliph Al-Mansur founded the city of Baghdad, near the ancient Sasanian capital city of Ctesiphon. The Abbasid period was marked by reliance on Persian bureaucrats (notably the Barmakid family) for governing the territories as well as an increasing inclusion of non-Arab Muslims in the ummah (national community). Persianate customs were broadly adopted by the ruling elite, and they began patronage of artists and scholars. Baghdad became a centre of science, culture, philosophy and invention in what became known as the Golden Age of Islam.
Despite this initial cooperation, the Abbasids of the late 8th century had alienated both non-Arab mawali (clients) and Iranian bureaucrats. They were forced to cede authority over al-Andalus (Spain) to the Umayyads in 756, Morocco to the Idrisid dynasty in 788, Ifriqiya and Southern Italy to the Aghlabids in 800, Iran to Saffarid in 861 and Egypt to the Isma'ili-Shia caliphate of the Fatimids in 969.
The political power of the caliphs largely ended with the rise of the Iranian Buyids and the Seljuq Turks, who captured Baghdad in 945 and 1055, respectively. Although Abbasid leadership over the vast Islamic empire was gradually reduced to a ceremonial religious function, the dynasty retained control over its Mesopotamian domain. The Abbasids' period of cultural fruition ended in 1258 with the sack of Baghdad by the Mongols under Hulagu Khan. The Abbasid line of rulers, and Muslim culture in general, re-centred themselves in the Mamluk capital of Cairo in 1261. Though lacking in political power (with the brief exception of Caliph Al-Musta'in of Cairo), the dynasty continued to claim religious authority until after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517.