The Abbasids came to power after defeating the first great Muslim dynasty, the Umayyads, at the Battle of Zab in AD 750/AH 132. Attracted by the fertility of the lands around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the strategic value of the region, the Abbasids founded a capital at Baghdad (in modern Iraq).

The Abbasids were great patrons of arts and sciences and during their reign, important technological and artistic advances were made. Influences from earlier cultures were absorbed, and magnificent architectural projects were conceived. Notable amongst these is Samarra, one of the largest cities of the time, which briefly replaced Baghdad as the Abbasid capital in 832. This era is regarded as the golden age of Islamic civilisation.

By the 9th century, the empire began to break up into smaller states. North Africa, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula were all ruled by different dynasties, but still pledged allegiances to the Abbasids as spiritual leaders of the Islamic empire.