Century overview
The world in the 7th century
601 – 700. 134 events across 8 regions. Below, the century’s most significant events by region — what each part of the world was doing during the same stretch of time.
West Asia
Showing 6 of 44 events from this century
- Muhammad's First Revelation
In 610, Muhammad is commonly believed to have experienced his first revelation while secluding himself at the Cave of Hira during a retreat to Jabal al-Nour near Mecca. According to Islam, the angel Gabriel revealed the beginnings of the Quran, starting his prophetic mission.
- Battle of Badr
In 624, near Badr in western Arabia, Muhammad and his companions defeated the Quraysh, whose forces were led by Amr ibn Hisham (Abu Jahl). The battle is regarded as a turning point in Muhammad’s struggle with Meccan opponents and is referenced in the Qur’an.
- Conquest of Mecca
In late 629 or early 630, Muhammad led the Muslim forces to capture Mecca, which was under Quraysh control, ending the conflict between the Muslims and the Quraysh tribe.
- Construction of the Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock was constructed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in the late 7th century. Commissioned by Caliph Abd al-Malik, it is the oldest surviving work of Islamic architecture and the earliest archaeologically-attested religious structure built by a Muslim ruler. Its interior features inscriptions with Quranic verses, marking a significant achievement in early Islamic art and architecture.
- Founding of the Quba Mosque
In the first year of the Islamic calendar (622 CE), the Prophet Muhammad laid the foundation and oversaw the construction of the Quba Mosque during his migration to Medina. Regarded as the first mosque in the world, it was built about 3 km south of Medina's city center. The structure was repeatedly modified over centuries and completely rebuilt in the 1980s.
- Founding of the Great Mosque of Sana'a
The Great Mosque of Sana'a, suggested to have been founded around 633, is one of the oldest mosques in the world. It was likely built using spolia from the pre-Islamic Ghumdan Palace and the site of a former Axumite Christian church. The largest and most notable mosque in the Old City of Sana'a, its early history is partially inferred from renovations under Caliph al-Walid I in the early 8th century.
East Asia
Showing 6 of 40 events from this century
- Founding of the Tibetan Empire
In the early 7th century, a unified Tibetan political entity emerged on the Tibetan Plateau, marking the formation of the Tibetan Empire, with Songtsen Gampo as a key figure.
- Founding of the Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty was founded by Li Yuan in 618, replacing the Sui dynasty. It became a major unified dynasty in Chinese history, with its capital at Chang'an.
- Battle of Baekgang
In 663, a naval battle was fought at the mouth of the Geum River between the allied forces of Tang China and Silla against those of Yamato Japan and Baekje restorationists. The Tang-Silla alliance won decisively, leading to the withdrawal of Yamato from Korean affairs and the end of the Baekje restoration movement. This battle significantly reshaped East Asia: Baekje fell, and Japan shifted its focus away from the Korean peninsula.
- The Potala Palace as the Winter Palace of the Dalai Lamas
The Potala Palace is located on Marpo Ri hill in Lhasa. Originally built by Songtsen Gampo of the Tibetan Empire, it was rebuilt in the 17th century as the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas, serving as the political and religious center of Tibet. The complex features distinct Tibetan architecture and houses numerous cultural relics and artworks. In 1994, it was inscribed as part of the 'Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa' UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Formation of the Xianxian Mosque
The Xianxian Mosque is located in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, and is a nationally protected historical site in China. Covering 2,200 square meters, it houses the tombs of Muslims from China and abroad, including early missionaries to China, and is regarded by some Muslims as a 'minor holy site'. The cemetery was damaged during the Cultural Revolution and later restored, and was listed in the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units in 2013.
- Fuzhou Mosque founded
Fuzhou Mosque was first built in 628 CE (second year of the Tang Zhenguan era), making it the earliest mosque in Fuzhou and one of Fujian's four major surviving historic mosques. Its foundation marks the introduction of Islam to the Fuzhou area, reflecting Tang dynasty openness to foreign religions and cultural exchange through maritime trade.
Europe
Showing 6 of 20 events from this century
- Siege of Constantinople (626)
In 626, the Sassanid Persians, Avars, and Slavic allies besieged Constantinople. The Byzantine defenders achieved a decisive victory, saving the empire from collapse. This success, together with Emperor Heraclius’s subsequent campaigns, enabled the Byzantines to regain lost territories and bring the Roman–Persian Wars to a favourable end.
- Reconstruction of the Church of Saint Demetrius in Thessaloniki
The church is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki, originally built in the 4th century and reconstructed in the 7th century. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 as part of the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki.
- Founding of Tre Fontane Abbey
Tre Fontane Abbey, a Roman Catholic abbey in southern Rome, was founded around the 7th century. Initially administered by Greek monks, it later passed to Cluniac Benedictines and then to Cistercians; it is now a Trappist monastery. The abbey is known for raising lambs whose wool is used to weave pallia for new metropolitan archbishops.
- Early Christian Establishment at Canterbury Cathedral Site
The site of Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest Christian sites in England, with a Christian presence dating to around the 7th century. The cathedral later became the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, serving as the mother church of the Anglican Communion, and is part of a World Heritage Site.
- Founding of Fleury Abbey
Around the 7th century, the Benedictine monastery of Fleury was founded in Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, France. It later became one of the most venerated Benedictine monasteries in Western Europe, holding the relics of St. Benedict.
- Samo's rebellion
Around 626, the Frankish merchant Samo led a rebellion of Slavic tribes against Avar rule, laying the groundwork for the later establishment of Samo's realm (623–658).
North Africa
Showing 6 of 11 events from this century
- Founding of Al-Zaytunah Mosque
Al-Zaytunah Mosque, the oldest mosque in Tunis, was founded in the late 7th or early 8th century. The mosque later housed one of the earliest universities in Islamic history, Al-Zaytunah University, which deeply influenced Islamic scholarship in North Africa.
- Founding of Fustat
In the mid-7th century, following the Muslim conquest of Egypt, the general ʿAmr ibn ul-ʿĀṣ founded Fustat on the east bank of the Nile as the first capital of Egypt under Muslim rule. The Mosque of ʿAmr, the first mosque in Egypt and Africa, was built there, symbolizing the region's new Islamic era.
- Establishment of the Heraclian Dynasty
In 608, the Exarch of Africa, Heraclius the Elder, and his son, Heraclius the Younger, revolted against Byzantine Emperor Phocas. By October 610, Heraclius the Younger had seized Constantinople, executed Phocas, and was proclaimed emperor, founding the Heraclian dynasty and ending years of internal strife in the Byzantine Empire.
- Battle of Heliopolis
In 640, Arab forces defeated the Byzantine army at Heliopolis (Ayn Shams), a decisive battle that ended Byzantine rule over Egypt and opened the way for the Muslim conquest of North Africa.
- Muslim conquest of the Maghreb
The Arab Empire began the conquest of the Maghreb in 647, and by 698 Carthage fell, ending Byzantine presence. By 709 the conquest of Algeria and Morocco was completed, and mass Islamization of Berbers was initiated, setting the stage for the 711 conquest of Iberia.
- Second Battle of Dongola
In 652, Arab forces besieged Dongola in the Christian Nubian kingdom of Makuria. The battle halted Muslim expansion into Nubia, leading to a historic peace and trade between the Muslim world and a Christian nation. Makuria subsequently grew into a regional power dominating Nubia for over five centuries.
South Asia
Showing 6 of 8 events from this century
- Foundation of the Kapaleeshwarar Temple
The Kapaleeshwarar Temple, dedicated to the god Shiva, was built around the 7th century in Mylapore, Chennai, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. An example of South Indian architecture, it is one of the seven major Shiva temples in India. Its construction established an important Hindu pilgrimage site.
- Founding of Srivijaya
In the mid-7th century, Srivijaya was founded in the area of present-day Palembang on Sumatra, replacing the earlier kingdom of Kantoli. It quickly rose as a powerful maritime trading city-state, becoming the first polity to dominate much of western maritime Southeast Asia and promoting the expansion of Buddhism. The earliest local record is the Kedukan Bukit inscription of 683, written in Sanskrit.
- Carving of the Descent of the Ganges relief
Around the 7th century, the Pallava dynasty carved a giant open-air rock relief known as the 'Descent of the Ganges' (also called 'Arjuna's Penance') at Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, India. Measuring about 13 by 30 meters, it depicts the legend of the sacred Ganges descending from heaven and is a masterpiece of Indian rock-cut sculpture, later designated a World Heritage Site.
- Siege of Herat
In 652, Arab forces under Ahnaf ibn Qais laid siege to Herat, a major city of eastern Sassanid Persia. As part of the Islamic conquest of Persia, the fall of Herat facilitated Arab expansion into Khorasan and the collapse of the Sassanian Empire.
- Construction of the Lost Mosque
The Lost Mosque (Jame' As-Sahaba) in present-day Lalmonirhat, Bangladesh, is claimed by a local inscription to have been built in 688 or 689 CE, but this lacks archaeological verification. Its origins are debated, with no formal excavation conducted. Informal carbon dating yielded inconclusive results; due to insufficient organic material and potential contamination, the dating remains unreliable, but preliminary analysis indicated the tested material may originate from the early 18th century, contradicting the 7th-century claim and casting doubt on the foundation date.
- Carving of the Pancha Rathas
The Pancha Rathas, a set of monolithic rock-cut Hindu temples, were carved around the 7th century at Mahabalipuram in southern India. They form part of a monument complex later inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Central Asian steppe
Showing 5 of 5 events from this century
- Emergence of Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria emerged around the 7th century AD in the area of the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers. A multi-ethnic state led by the Bulgars, its strategic location allowed it to play a significant role in trade. It existed until the 13th century, when its capital Bolgar was destroyed by the Golden Horde.
- Founding of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate
The Eastern Turkic Khaganate was established in 583 following the split of the First Turkic Khaganate, emerging as the eastern polity. It was consolidated after wars in the early 7th century and was eventually defeated and absorbed by the Tang dynasty in 630.
- Kyrgyz Khaganate's Supremacy over the Mongolian Plateau
Around the mid-9th century, after defeating the Uyghur Khaganate, the Kyrgyz Khaganate briefly became the dominant power on the Mongolian Plateau and the Eurasian Steppe, until the mid-10th century.
- Tang campaigns against the Western Turks
A series of military campaigns conducted by the Tang dynasty against the Western Turkic Khaganate in the 7th century. The conflicts began with Tang interventions in the rivalry between the Eastern and Western Turks to weaken both. Under Emperor Taizong, campaigns were dispatched in the Western Regions against Gaochang in 640, Karasahr in 644 and 648, and Kucha in 648.
- Muslim conquest of Transoxiana
In the 7th and 8th centuries, Arab armies of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates conquered Transoxiana in Central Asia. The region lies between the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers, covering parts of modern Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Central & South America
Showing 4 of 4 events from this century
- Founding of Dos Pilas
In AD 629, the Maya city of Dos Pilas was founded by an offshoot of the Tikal dynasty to control trade routes in the Petexbatún region, especially along the Pasión River. Located in present-day Petén, Guatemala, the city exhibited predatory behavior from its inception and later became one of the twin capitals of the Petexbatun Kingdom.
- Construction of Tikal Temple I
In the Maya city-state of Tikal, in the Petén region of Guatemala, a stepped pyramid temple was constructed in the 8th century AD. Built of limestone, it served as the tomb of ruler Ah Cacao and is known as the Temple of the Great Jaguar after the lintel depicting a king on a jaguar throne. It is a major remnant of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization.
- Emergence of the Sican culture
Around the 7th century, the Sican culture emerged on the north coast of Peru. Developing after the Moche culture, it gradually formed its ceremonial and trade activities centered on Batán Grande, initiating a prosperous cultural phase before the Inca.
- Second Tikal–Calakmul War
The Second Tikal–Calakmul War, fought from 648 to 695, was the second in a series of conflicts between Tikal and Calakmul, two of the most prosperous Maya cities in the Petén region during the Classic period. The war reflected the rivalry between major Maya city-states, and both cities were later abandoned amid the broader decline of Maya civilization.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Showing 2 of 2 events from this century
- First Migration to Abyssinia
Around 615, facing persecution by the Quraysh tribe, some early followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad migrated from Mecca to the Kingdom of Aksum to seek refuge. Located in present-day northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Christian kingdom's ruler, the Najashi, granted them refuge, refusing to hand them over to the Meccan pursuers and allowing them religious freedom.
- Founding of the Grand Mosque of Hamar Weyne in Mogadishu
The Grand Mosque of Hamar Weyne was founded in the historic Hamar Weyne district of Mogadishu. It is considered one of the oldest mosques in the city.
Years in the 7th century
3 years in this century have enough records for a page of their own.