Middle Ages
Rise of Srivijaya (682): Sumatra's Maritime Buddhist Empire
Srivijaya became the leading trading power and Buddhist centre of maritime Southeast Asia for more than three centuries.
Region
Asia
Middle Ages
Wu Zetian: China's Only Reigning Empress (690-705)
Wu ruled as emperor of her own Zhou dynasty for 15 years until a palace coup in 705 restored the Tang; she remains the only woman to reign in China in her own name.
Middle Ages
Balhae (698): Dae Jo-yeong's Kingdom in Manchuria and Korea
Dae Jo-yeong founded a kingdom, first called Jin and from 713 Balhae, that ruled Manchuria and northern Korea for over two centuries.
Middle Ages
Shore Temple and Mahabalipuram: Masterpieces of Pallava Art
The Pallavas created one of the earliest groups of stone temples in southern India, setting patterns for later Dravidian temple architecture.
Middle Ages
Heijo-kyo (710): Nara Becomes Japan's Imperial Capital
Heijo-kyo served as the seat of the Japanese court for most of the years 710-784, giving its name to the Nara period.
Middle Ages
Arab Conquest of Sindh (712): Muhammad bin Qasim and Raja Dahir
Sindh and Multan became a province of the Umayyad Caliphate, the first lasting Muslim rule in South Asia.
Middle Ages
Leshan Giant Buddha: Carving the World's Largest Stone Buddha
After about ninety years of work, a 71-metre seated Maitreya Buddha was completed in 803; it remains the largest premodern stone statue in the world.
Middle Ages
Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258): The Golden Age of Baghdad
The Abbasids ruled the central Islamic world from Baghdad, presided over a flowering of science and culture, and lost real power long before the Mongols ended the caliphate in Baghdad in 1258.
Middle Ages
Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto: Silla Buddhist Art (751)
Two linked Buddhist monuments were built that became the finest surviving works of Unified Silla art and, in 1995, a joint UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Middle Ages
Battle of Talas (751): Abbasid Caliphate Against Tang China
Abbasid victory after the Karluk Turks deserted the Tang side; the battle ended Tang expansion westward but did not by itself decide control of Central Asia.
Middle Ages
Todai-ji and the Great Buddha of Nara: Dedication in 752
The Great Buddha was dedicated, making Todai-ji the head of Japan's state Buddhist temple network and a lasting symbol of the Nara period.
Middle Ages
Jianzhen's Voyage to Japan (753): The Blind Monk's Mission
Jianzhen reached Japan on his sixth attempt, established the first regular ordination platform at Todai-ji and founded Toshodai-ji in Nara.