World's history (part 8): Indian Subcontinent[edit] In northernIndia, after the fall (550 CE) of theGupta Empire, the region divided in to a complex and fluid network of smaller kingdoms, including the Rajputstates.[86]Early Muslim incursions began in the west in 711 CE, when the ArabUmayyad Empireannexed much of present-day Pakistan. Arab military advancement was largely halted at that point, but Islam still spread in India, largely due to the influence of Arab merchants along the western coast. In the 12th century, Turkic Muslims would found the Delhi Sultanate, which would control most of the northern subcontinent. At the end of the 15th century, the Muslim Deccan Sultanateswould arise from the west coast to east in the middle of the Indian Peninsula. Postclassical dynasties in Southern India included those of the Chalukyas,theRashtrakutas, the Hoysalas, theCholasand theVijayanagara Empire.Science,engineering,art,literature,astronomy, andphilosophyflourished under the patronage of these kings. East Asia[edit] After a period of relative disunity, theSui Dynastyreunified China in 581, and under the succeedingTang Dynasty(618–907) China entered a second golden age. The Tang Dynasty eventually splintered, however, and afterhalf a century of turmoiltheNorthern Song Dynasty reunified China in 982, yet pressure from nomadic empires to the north became increasingly urgent.North Chinawas lost to theJurchens in 1141, and theMongol Empire[87][88]conquered all of China in 1279, along with almost half ofEurasia's landmass. After about a century of Mongol Yuan Dynastyrule, the ethnic Chinese reasserted control with the founding of theMing Dynasty(1368). InJapan, the imperial lineage had been established by this time, and during theAsuka period(538 to 710) theYamato Provincedeveloped into a clearly centralized state. [89]Buddhismwas introduced,[90]and there was an emphasis on the adoption of elements of Chinese culture and Confucianism. TheNara periodof the 8th century marked the emergence of a strong Japanese state and is often portrayed as a golden age. During this period, the imperial government undertook great public works, including government offices, temples, roads, and irrigation systems. The Heian period(794 to 1185) saw the peak of imperial power, followed by the rise of militarized clans, and the beginning of Japanese feudalism.[91]The feudal period of Japanese history, dominated by powerful regional families (daimyō) and the military rule of warlords ( shōgun), stretched from 1185 to 1868. The emperor remained, but mostly as a figurehead, and the power of merchants was weak. PostclassicalKoreasaw the end of theThree Kingdomsera, the three kingdoms beingGoguryeo,BaekjeandSilla. Silla conquered Baekje in 660, and Goguryeo in 668, [92]marking the beginning of theNorth and South States period(남북국시대), withUnified Sillain the south and Balhae, a successor state to Goguryeo, in the north. About 900 CE, this arragement reverted to theLater Three Kingdoms, with Goguryeo (then called Hugoguryeoand eventually namedGoryeo) emerging as dominant, unifying the entire peninsula by 936.[93]The founding Goryeo dynasty ruled until 1392, succeeded by the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled for the next 500 years.