Islamic history quiz
Test your knowledge of Islamic history
Review every question and answer
Question 1: In which year did the Hijra, the migration of the Prophet ﷺ from Makkah to Madinah, take place?
622 CE
The Hijra took place in 622 CE and marks year one of the Islamic calendar. It was a turning point that established the first Muslim community in Madinah.
Question 2: Which dynasty ruled the caliphate immediately after the four rightly guided caliphs?
The Umayyads
The Umayyad dynasty took power in 661 CE and ruled the caliphate from Damascus until the Abbasids overthrew them in 750 CE.
Question 3: Which city became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and a major center of learning?
Baghdad
Baghdad was founded by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur and became a leading center of scholarship, trade, and translation for centuries.
Question 4: What was the House of Wisdom in Baghdad primarily known for?
Translation and scholarship
The House of Wisdom, Bayt al-Hikma, was a major center where scholars translated and advanced works in philosophy, medicine, mathematics, and astronomy.
Question 5: Which Muslim dynasty ruled much of the Iberian Peninsula, known as Al-Andalus, for centuries?
The Umayyads of Cordoba
After the Abbasids took the caliphate, a surviving Umayyad prince established a separate rule in Cordoba, and Muslim presence in the Iberian Peninsula lasted for centuries.
Question 6: Which Muslim leader is best known for reclaiming Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187?
Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi
Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, known in the West as Saladin, led the forces that retook Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187, a defining moment of the period.
Question 7: Which empire, centered in Anatolia, eventually controlled large parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Europe for centuries?
The Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire grew from a small principality in Anatolia into one of the longest-lasting and most expansive Muslim empires in history.
Question 8: In what year did Constantinople fall to Ottoman forces under Mehmed II?
1453 CE
Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire and becoming the new Ottoman capital, later known as Istanbul.
Question 9: Which Muslim empire ruled much of the Indian subcontinent and built the Taj Mahal?
The Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire ruled large parts of the Indian subcontinent for centuries. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his wife.
Question 10: Which city did the Fatimid dynasty found, which grew into one of the great cities of the Muslim world?
Cairo
The Fatimid dynasty founded Cairo in the 10th century as their capital, and the city became a major center of trade and Islamic scholarship.
Question 11: In 1258 CE, which major Islamic capital fell to the invading Mongol forces, ending the Abbasid Caliphate's central authority?
Baghdad
The Mongol siege of Baghdad in 1258 CE devastated the city and effectively ended the Abbasid Caliphate as a central political power.
Question 12: Which of these is NOT one of the major medieval Muslim empires or dynasties?
The Carolingians
The Carolingians were a medieval European Christian dynasty, most notably associated with Charlemagne, and were not a Muslim empire.
About the Islamic History Quiz
From the earliest caliphates to the great centers of learning in Baghdad, Cordoba, and Cairo, Islamic history spans continents and centuries. This islamic history quiz is built for those who already know the basics and want a real challenge on the empires, scholars, and cities that shaped Muslim civilization.
These 12 questions and answers cover established historical facts, not disputed rulings or sectarian debates. Test yourself, then pass it on to the history buffs in your life.