The Islamic prophet Muhammad is born.

Occupation of Mecca by Muhammad's Army.

Muhammad makes a final pilgrimage to Mecca with over 100,000 of his followers; he dies at Medina.

The Muslim conquest of Babylon begins.

The Muslim El Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are built by Abd el-Malik at the Temple Mount on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.

An earthquake destroys the El Aksa Mosque on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.

Pope Urban II begins the First Crusade to liberate Christian holy sites from Muslim rule.

Christian crusaders capture Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock is reconsecrated as "Temple Domini," and El Aksa is reconsecrated as "Temple Salomonis."

The Second Crusade.

Salidan captures Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock and El Aksa are restored to Islamic rule.

The Third Crusade to recover Jerusalem.

The Fourth Crusade.

The Fifth Crusade.

The Sixth Crusade.

The Seventh Crusade.

The Eighth Crusade.

Turkish Muslims establish the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia.

Timur attacks Anatolia and Egypt.

The Shi'ite Safavids under Shah Ismail establish themselves in Persia (Iran). Shiite Islam becomes the official religion of Persia. From 1501 until 1722, the Safavids rule Iran and parts of Iraq.

The Ottomans capture Egypt and Syria and establish a protectorate over the holy places in Arabia. Palestine falls under Ottoman control and remains so until 1917.

The first permanent English settlement in America is established at Jamestown, Va.

Treaty of Karlowitz - Ottomans are forced to give up many of their European territories, including Hungary, to the Hapsburgs.

The Wahhabi movement to "purify" Islam begins in Arabia.

Drawing inspiration from the Wahhabi Muslim sect, the tribe of Saud captures Riyadh and begins to spread a political and religious reform movement throughout the Arabian peninsula.

Tripoli (Libya) declares war on the United States because the Americans refuse to pay tribute to raiding Arab corsairs. Tripoli ambassador explains to U.S. President Thomas Jefferson that Muslims considered these raids their duty commanded by the Qur'an and the Hadith, by which they were bound to wage attacks on all who refused to acknowledge Muslim authority.

The first well-organized wave of Jewish immigration into Palestine takes place, consisting of individuals and small groups, mainly under the inspiration of "Hibbat Zion" (an organization of Russian Jews) and the BILU movement (an organization of mostly students from eastern Europe).