Rise of the Khazar Khaganate
A Turkic power by the Caspian holds the Arabs back for centuries
After the Western Turkic Khaganate broke up, around 650 the Khazars built their own state on the Caspian steppe and in the North Caucasus. Khazaria held the Arabs back in the Caucasus, took tribute from its neighbours, including the East Slavs, and its ruling elite later adopted Judaism.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 7th century
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Europe
- 626 Siege of Constantinople (626) — 24 years earlier
Middle East
- 630 Conquest of Mecca — 20 years earlier
- 636 Battle of the Yarmuk — 14 years earlier
- c. 636–651 Battle of al-Qadisiyyah and the Arab conquest of Persia — 14 years earlier
- 661 Assassination of Ali — 11 years later
Africa
- 652 The Baqt treaty with Nubia — 2 years later
Asia
- 628 Brahmagupta and the rules of zero — 22 years earlier
- 629–645 Xuanzang's journey to the West — 21 years earlier
Alive at the time
- Ali ibn Abi Talib (aged 50)
- Pakal the Great (aged 47)
- Wu Zetian (aged 26)
- Xuanzang (aged 48)