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Historical map · 900

Map of the Middle East in 900

In 900, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 21 states, empires and other polities in the Middle East. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Allegiance of Ziyadid dynasty to Abbasid Caliphate, the Abbasid Caliphate and the Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty. The Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 5.1 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 900. Zoom in, move the year slider to watch the borders change, or ask the history guide a question and it draws the answer on the map.

OPEN 900 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 900

States and empires in the Middle East in 900

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Allegiance of Ziyadid dynasty to Abbasid Caliphate Wikipedia2.7 million km²2.9 million km²866–1138
Abbasid Caliphate Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²750–1259
Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty Wikipedia1.3 million km²5.1 million km²886–999
Tulunids Wikipedia898,000 km²974,000 km²875–910
Byzantine Empire Wikipedia554,000 km²634,000 km²633–1474
Makuria Wikipedia213,000 km²213,000 km²347–1518
Oghuz Turks Wikipedia145,000 km²449,000 km²666–1055
First Bulgarian Empire Wikipedia134,000 km²315,000 km²682–1017
Alodia Wikipedia124,000 km²124,000 km²347–1506
Bagratid Armenia Wikipedia98,000 km²98,000 km²886–1045
Kingdom of Axum Wikipedia97,000 km²97,000 km²50 BC–AD 946
Khazaria Wikipedia90,000 km²748,000 km²630–979
Georgia Wikipedia86,000 km²87,000 km²567–2024
Qarmatians Wikipedia65,000 km²65,000 km²899–1071
Sajid Dynasty Wikipedia58,000 km²58,000 km²898–935
Shirvan Wikipedia42,000 km²42,000 km²825–1539
Zaydi Alid dynasties Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²866–935
Kingdom of the Iberians Wikipedia25,000 km²25,000 km²814–999
Cyprus Condominium11,000 km²11,000 km²692–959
Emirate of Crete Wikipedia5,500 km²5,500 km²830–960
Principality of Hungary Wikipedia650 km²172,000 km²900–999

"In the data" gives the first and last year the dataset draws the state under this identity; states often existed earlier or later in another form.

What changed since 800

New on the map: Allegiance of Ziyadid dynasty to Abbasid Caliphate, Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty, Tulunids, Bagratid Armenia, Qarmatians, Sajid Dynasty, Shirvan, Zaydi Alid dynasties, Kingdom of the Iberians, Emirate of Crete, Principality of Hungary.

What comes next: 1000

Appear by 1000: Fatimid Caliphate, Ghaznavid Empire, Hamdanid Emirates, Seljuk Dynasty, Kingdom of Vaspurakan, Zagwe dynasty, Kara-Khanids.

Gone by 1000: Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty, Tulunids, Kingdom of Axum, Khazaria, Sajid Dynasty, Zaydi Alid dynasties, Kingdom of the Iberians, Cyprus Condominium, Emirate of Crete, Principality of Hungary.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the Middle East in 900?

The map data draws 21 states and other polities in the Middle East in 900. The largest by land were the Allegiance of Ziyadid dynasty to Abbasid Caliphate, the Abbasid Caliphate, the Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty, Tulunids and the Byzantine Empire.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 900?

Of the states on this map, the Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty held the most land in total: about 5.1 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the Middle East in 900 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 900, zoom into any region, move through the years, and ask the history guide questions: it answers in plain words and draws places, armies and borders on the map.

About these borders

The borders come from Cliopatria (v0.2.1, Seshat Global History Databank, CC BY 4.0), the dataset behind our interactive map, with our audited name and border corrections. It records each state's territory year by year from 3400 BC to 2024. Borders before modern surveys are reconstructions: the data draws a state where it held control, and frontier zones, nomadic realms and loose overlordships are approximate. Areas are measured on an equal-area projection. Read how we make our maps.

Middle East in other years

Other regions in 900