Caliphate
Muslim-ruled medieval state
A caliphate is an Islamic state governed by a caliph—a political and religious leader considered the successor to the Prophet Muhammad.
Historically, caliphates ruled vast territories across the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond, with the Ottoman caliphate lasting until 1924.
The term gained renewed attention when ISIS declared a caliphate in 2014: The group sought to establish a caliphate across Syria and Iraq.
Worldwide Islamic faith community
- ShariaMuslim religious legal code
- QuranIslam's central scripture
- SunnahIslamic model of conduct
- HadithProphetic tradition collection
Fiqh · Sunni · Shia · Islamic law · successor · Muhammad · religious authority · spiritual leadership
Member of Turkish dynasty
- BaghdadIraqi seat of government
- DamascusSyrian seat of government
- Al-AndalusMedieval Islamic Spain
- MughalIndian Islamic imperial dynasty
succession · dynasty · golden age · House of Wisdom · expansion · decline · dissolution · restoration
Iraqi seat of government
- DamascusSyrian seat of government
- MedinaSacred Arabian burial site
- MeccaIslam's most sacred city
- CairoEgyptian capital city
Constantinople · Jerusalem · Al-Andalus · Levant · Maghreb · Mesopotamia · Iberia · expansion
Muslim royal title
- ImamateState ruled by imam
- EmirateNamed Arab principality
- successionFollowing in order
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
legitimacy · leadership · administration · jurisdiction · theocracy · regime · authority · rule
Levantine jihadist organization
- revivalReturn after decline
- proclamationFormal public announcement
- abolitionFormal discontinuation of practice
- AtatürkTurkey's founding leader
restoration · symbolism · ideology · legitimacy · propaganda · recruitment · territorial claim
Ummah
Worldwide Islamic faith community
Hadith · Fiqh · Sunni · Shia · Islamic law · successor · Muhammad · religious authority · spiritual leadership · jurisprudence
Ottoman
Member of Turkish dynasty
- BaghdadIraqi seat of government
- DamascusSyrian seat of government
- Al-AndalusMedieval Islamic Spain
Mughal · succession · dynasty · golden age · House of Wisdom · expansion · decline · dissolution · restoration
Baghdad
Iraqi seat of government
Cairo · Constantinople · Jerusalem · Al-Andalus · Levant · Maghreb · Mesopotamia · Iberia · expansion · conquest
Sultan
Muslim royal title
- ImamateState ruled by imam
- EmirateNamed Arab principality
- successionFollowing in order
sovereignty · legitimacy · leadership · administration · jurisdiction · theocracy · regime · authority · rule · statecraft
ISIS
Levantine jihadist organization
- revivalReturn after decline
- proclamationFormal public announcement
- abolitionFormal discontinuation of practice
Atatürk · restoration · symbolism · ideology · legitimacy · propaganda · recruitment · territorial claim
- Islamic EmpiresAbbasids, Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire, Mughals, Safavid Empire
- CordobaGreat Mosque, Alcazar, Umayyad dynasty, Al-Andalus, Seneca
- Nordic TVOccupied, Ragnarok, Norsemen, Nobel, Bordertown
- Al-AndalusAl-Andalus, Granada, Alhambra, Umayyad dynasty, Seville
- Spanish HistoryReconquista, Spanish Inquisition, Spanish Empire, conquistadors, Catholic Monarchs
- BaghdadGreen Zone, Tigris River, Tahrir Square, Dora, Convention Center
Caliphatesecular state
Government separate from religion
secularism · constitutional republic · French Republic · separation of church and state · civil government
Caliphatenation-state
Sovereign political territory
nation-states · Westphalian system · national sovereignty · Balkanization · ethnic nationalism
Caliphateliberal democracy
Rights-based elected governance
democracy · representative democracy · parliamentary democracy · constitutional democracy · republic
- Umayyad CaliphateEarly Islamic dynastic empire
- Sokoto CaliphateFulani-led Islamic state, Nigeria
- Fatimid CaliphateShia dynasty ruling medieval Egypt
- Rashidun CaliphateFirst major Islamic successor state