Islamic History Podcast

In this episode of the Islamic History Podcast, we explore the Umayyad Caliphate’s growing instability during 121–122 AH. From failed Byzantine campaigns to major rebellions in Iraq and North Africa, the empire's reliance on Syrian troops reaches a breaking point.

Despite fleeting military victories, internal cracks deepen in the Umayyad Caliphate as unjust taxes, tribal rivalries, and the rise of the Mawali set the stage for the empire’s inevitable downfall.

Bonus episode about the history of the Caliphate.

In this episode, we explore the fragile balance of power during the later years of the Umayyad Caliphate under Caliph Hisham ibn Abdul Malik. Between 112–114 AH (731–733 CE), the empire faced crushing defeats on nearly every frontier. Yet Hisham refused to abandon his policy of ceaseless expansion. Temporary truces bought the Caliphate breathing room, but soon the armies were back in motion—sometimes roaring, sometimes limping—toward new campaigns.

From 115–120 AH, the Umayyads managed a partial comeback. Victories against the Turgesh in Central Asia, renewed advances in Sindh, and territorial gains in France seemed to restore momentum. But these successes often proved hollow. Each campaign drained the Caliphate’s coffers and manpower, leaving little capacity to improve life for its citizens.

Meanwhile, internal cracks widened. The Mawali, non-Arab converts to Islam, increasingly protested an unjust tax system. Tribal rivalries were deliberately stoked by Hisham to maintain control, while provincial governors hoarded wealth, tortured predecessors, and entrenched corruption.

Rather than strengthening the empire, these policies steadily weakened it. Every battlefield gain came at the cost of domestic stability. As the pressure mounted, the Umayyads were unknowingly laying the groundwork for their own downfall—making it easier for another movement to rise and challenge their rule.

Join us as we examine this turbulent period of fleeting victories, deepening unrest, and the first signs of the empire’s unraveling.

In this episode of the Umayyad Caliphate, we continue our exploration of Caliph Hisham ibn Abdul Malik’s reign as the Umayyad Caliphate faces mounting crises across its vast empire.

The year is 110 AH (728 CE), and the empire’s edges are on fire.

In the Caucasus, Maslamah ibn Abdul Malik leads a grueling campaign against the Khazar Khaganate through the treacherous Darial Pass. Despite claiming victory, his retreat is chaotic, marked by ambushes, torrential rain, and widespread exhaustion. Meanwhile, cracks appear in the empire’s eastern front. In Khurasan, a well-intentioned tax policy by Governor Ashras unleashes a wave of conversions among non-Arab Muslims—but when the policy is reversed, these new converts revolt. Their rebellion draws in the powerful Turgesh Khaganate, sparking a devastating loss for the Umayyads at the Battle of Baykand and the bloody Siege of Karmajah.

We also examine the collapse of Muslim authority in India, the chaotic military campaigns in Anatolia led by Hisham’s sons, and the shocking fall of Ardabil to the Khazars—a disaster that results in the death of a Muslim governor and the capture of tens of thousands of civilians.

As we move through these events, we see a common theme: a once-dominant caliphate now overstretched, undermanned, and increasingly reactive. The Muslim armies are no longer conquering; they’re fighting to survive. Strategic missteps, overreliance on loyalist Syrian troops, and a refusal to adapt military policy are setting the stage for further instability.

This episode paints a grim but necessary portrait of an empire entering a period of sustained decline. From Armenia to Transoxiana, we witness the human cost of imperial overreach—and the resilience of those left to defend a collapsing frontier.