1
The Umayyad Caliphate was founded by:
Correct answer: C. Hazrat Amir Muawiya (RA)
Hazrat Amir Muawiya (RA) established the Umayyad Caliphate in 661 CE (41 AH).
easy
Islamic History after the Rightly Guided Caliphs MCQs
Solved MCQs on Islamic history after the Rightly Guided Caliphs: the Umayyads, Abbasids, Muslim Spain, Fatimids, Ottomans and the Mongol sack of Baghdad.
20 MCQsUpdated 27 October 2026
Follow Islamic history after the Rightly Guided Caliphs: the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates and their capitals, the fall of Baghdad, Muslim Spain and the Fatimids, Salahuddin Ayyubi and centres of learning such as the House of Wisdom.
Questions usually ask for founders, capitals and dates. Learn the dynasties in order, each with its capital and one achievement, to answer these confidently.
- 2
The capital of the Umayyad Caliphate was:
Correct answer: D. Damascus
The Umayyads ruled from Damascus, in Syria.
easy - 3
Which Umayyad caliph is famous for his justice and piety and is sometimes called the fifth Rightly Guided Caliph?
Correct answer: D. Umar bin Abdul Aziz
Umar bin Abdul Aziz ruled briefly (717–720 CE) but is remembered for reforms and fairness.
medium - 4
The Abbasid Caliphate made which city its capital?
Correct answer: B. Baghdad
Caliph al-Mansur founded Baghdad in 762 CE as the new Abbasid capital.
easy - 5
The first Abbasid caliph was:
Correct answer: B. Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah
Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah overthrew the Umayyads in 750 CE. Al-Mansur, his successor, founded Baghdad.
medium - 6
Harun al-Rashid, famous from "The Thousand and One Nights", was a caliph of which dynasty?
Correct answer: B. Abbasid
Harun al-Rashid ruled the Abbasid Caliphate from Baghdad (786–809 CE) during its golden age.
easy - 7
Baghdad was sacked by the Mongols, ending the Abbasid Caliphate there, in:
Correct answer: C. 1258
Mongol forces under Hulagu Khan destroyed Baghdad in 1258, a major turning point in Islamic history.
medium - 8
The Mongol leader who destroyed Baghdad in 1258 was:
Correct answer: B. Hulagu Khan
Hulagu Khan was a grandson of Genghis Khan. Two years later the Mamluks defeated the Mongols at Ain Jalut.
medium - 9
The Muslim conquest of Spain began in 711 CE under the commander:
Correct answer: A. Tariq bin Ziyad
Tariq bin Ziyad crossed from North Africa. The Rock of Gibraltar (Jabal-ut-Tariq) is named after him.
easy - 10
The name "Gibraltar" comes from the Arabic "Jabal-ut-Tariq", which means:
Correct answer: B. Mountain of Tariq
It honours Tariq bin Ziyad, who landed there in 711 CE.
easy - 11
After the Abbasids took power, an Umayyad prince founded an independent emirate in Spain with its capital at:
Correct answer: C. Cordoba
Abdur Rahman I founded the Umayyad Emirate of Cordoba in 756 CE. The Great Mosque of Cordoba was begun under him.
medium - 12
Granada, the last Muslim kingdom in Spain, fell in:
Correct answer: C. 1492
Granada surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella in January 1492, ending nearly eight centuries of Muslim rule in Spain.
medium - 13
The Fatimid dynasty founded which city in 969 CE?
Correct answer: A. Cairo
The Fatimids founded Cairo (al-Qahira) and soon after established the Al-Azhar mosque.
medium - 14
Al-Azhar, one of the oldest continuously operating universities in the world, is located in:
Correct answer: C. Cairo
Founded by the Fatimids in the 10th century, Al-Azhar is a leading centre of Sunni learning today.
easy - 15
Salahuddin Ayyubi recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders in:
Correct answer: B. 1187
After his victory at Hattin, Salahuddin took Jerusalem in October 1187, treating its inhabitants with notable mercy.
medium - 16
The Ottoman Empire takes its name from its founder:
Correct answer: D. Osman I
Osman I founded the dynasty in north-western Anatolia around 1299.
easy - 17
Which Ottoman sultan is known as "the Magnificent" and "Kanuni" (the Lawgiver)?
Correct answer: C. Suleiman I
Suleiman I (1520–1566) expanded the empire to its peak and reformed its legal system.
medium - 18
The Safavid dynasty, which made Shia Islam the state religion of Iran, was founded by:
Correct answer: C. Shah Ismail I
Shah Ismail I founded the Safavid state in 1501. Shah Abbas I later made Isfahan its magnificent capital.
medium - 19
The Seljuk Turks' victory at Manzikert (1071) was won under which Sultan?
Correct answer: A. Alp Arslan
Sultan Alp Arslan defeated the Byzantine emperor Romanos IV, opening Anatolia to Turkish settlement.
hard - 20
The Nizamiyya madrasas, famous medieval schools of higher learning, were founded by the Seljuk vizier:
Correct answer: D. Nizam-ul-Mulk
Nizam-ul-Mulk founded the Nizamiyya in Baghdad and other cities in the 11th century. Imam Ghazali taught there.
hard