The Caliphate refers to the form of government which represented the political unity of the Muslim world. From the time of Muhammad, the caliphate was held by the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the Umayyads, the Abbasids, the Fatimids, and finally the Ottomans. The Caliphate was finally abolished by Kemal Ataturk, first President of the Turkish Republic.
A number of groups and political parties seek its restoration, and to re-establish Dar al Islam.