- Civil war in 750 ousted Umayyads and raised them to caliphate
- Found support in coalition of Shi’ites and non-Arabs excluded from Umayyad
- With new regime, Islamic center shifted from Damascus to Baghdad
- Administration grew more and more centralized in Baghdad
- Caliph Harun al-Rashid presided over flourishing empire from 786-809
- Had exotic imports from India and China such as tigers, panthers and silk
- Abbasid dynasty began to decline after caliph Harun’s death
- Dynamic growth in outlying provinces paralleled gradual loss