The Colonial Era

العصر الاستعماري

– c. 1950 CE · c. 1369 AH† †

† Hijri date derived by computation from the Gregorian/Julian date; it may differ from the transmitted date by a day or two.

The period when European powers conquered, ruled or dominated most Muslim-majority lands, and when reform and independence movements arose.

Depth

At a glance

Region
Global / Diaspora
Review
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In time

177518001825185018751900192519501975 c.
The Colonial Era · The Gunpowder Empires · The Modern Era

On screen

Summary

The period in which European powers subjected, ruled or dominated most of the countries with Muslim-majority populations, and in which reform and independence movements arose. The museum roughly bounds it from 1798 CE to about 1950 CE. These boundaries are the museum's own organising convention and are not absolute.

Overview

The museum's holdings for this era today include: polities: 2.

Polities

What this page covers

This era is still thinly covered in the museum (2 items only), so this page should not be read as a comprehensive survey of it. Its items are being added gradually from primary sources with each new batch.

Notes for researchers

The era's boundaries are the museum's own organising convention and are approximate. For the wider history of this period, see 1 2.

Connections

Explore the connections

Setting of
The Battle of Algiers· Payitaht: Abdülhamid· Lion of the Desert

People and things also explored

Abd al-Hamid II· Algiers· Istanbul· Ottoman Empire· The Battle of Algiers· Payitaht: Abdülhamid· Lion of the Desert

Time-browse this

Sources

  1. Hodgson, The Venture of Islam (1974)
  2. Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples (1991)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The Colonial Era”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/period/colonial-era/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-27.

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Related

Abd al-Hamid II

Abd al-Hamid II (r. 1293–1327/1876–1909) — ruled under a constitution hostage to his person: ministers, treaties, war and law all his alone. His pan-Islamic counterweight: the Shaykhs' Council, the Arab Tribal School for sons of chiefs, and correspondence with the Arab amirs — against British approaches to the Sharif of Mecca and the imams of Yemen and Asir.