[dufekin]

The caliphate is the religious and temporal authority headed by a caliph, a successor to Muhammad the Prophet. Caliphs generally can trace their ancestry back to the Prophet. Remember that Muslims traditionally regard women as somehow less than fully human, so all caliphs are male. There are no caliphates presently, although one might suggest that the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan does descend from the Prophet.

In the early days of Islam, the caliphate divided, but it generally passed through Spain, Cairo, and Baghdad. The Mongol and Turkish invasions ultimately destroyed the splintering caliphate.

[oceanperch]

Thank You for explaining that.