Gunpowder Empires: The Muslim World Expands

SSWH12a says you should be able to… Describe the geographical extent of the Ottoman Empire during the rule of Suleyman the Magnificent, the Safavid Empire during the reign of Shah Abbas I, and the Mughal Empire during the reigns of Babur and Akbar.

What does it mean to be a Muslim? Muslims are followers of Islam Islam is one of the world’s 3 main monotheistic religions (along with Christianity and Judaism) – Monotheistic: belief in one god Dominant religion in the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia Over 1.5 billion worldwide Two major divisions: Sunni and Shi’a

Important Facts About Islam God: Allah, means “god” in Arabic Holy Book: Qur’an (sometimes spelled Koran) Place of Worship: Mosque Holy Cities: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem Important People: Prophet Muhammad – Also: Abraham, Moses and Jesus

5 Pillars of Islam Shahadah: Belief in one god, Allah, and his prophet, Muhammad Salat: Daily prayers, 5 times each day Zakat: Giving to those in need based on personal wealth Sawm: Purification through fasting during the month of Ramadan Hajj: A pilgrimage to the city of Mecca

Empire Builders in the Middle East and South Asia The Ottomans The Safavids The Mughals Used new weapons like cannons and small arms to create, expand, and maintain empires

The Ottoman Empire: Turks Move into Byzantium Anatolian Turks: ghazis, warriors for Islam Formed military societies and invaded the territories of infidels, people who did not believe in Islam Osman: successful ghazi, his followers were called Ottomans Success and expansion until stopped by Timur the Lame

The Ottoman Empire: Powerful Sultans Spur Dramatic Expansion 4 powerful sultans led Ottoman Empire until : took Constantinople (renamed it Istanbul) under Mehmed the Conqueror Istanbul 1514: defeated the Safavid under Selim the Grim – Continued on to take Mecca, Medina and Cairo

The Ottoman Empire: Suleyman Suleyman the Lawgiver and Suleyman the Magnificent Continued to expand the empire into Central Europe, North Africa and Central Asia Structured social organization: law code, simplified taxes and government Tolerance of religious and cultural differences

The Ottoman Empire: The Empire Declines Slowly Pattern of gaining power and holding power The practices of the sultans led to weak leaders and the decline of the empire – Suleyman killed his most capable son and sent another into exile – Selim II inherited the throne

Mosque of Suleyman Istanbul, Turkey

Building the Safavid Empire Major influences: Persians, Ottomans, Arabs Located between the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal Empire Strong military force Leader Isma’il became a religious tyrant and controlled Persia, (now Iran) and took the ancient Persian title of shah (meaning king) Defeated by Ottomans in 1514, set present day border between Iraq and Iran

The Safavid Empire Golden Age Shah Abbas, also called Abbas the Great, helped create a Safavid culture that drew from the best of the Ottoman, Persian and Arab worlds Reforms and respect for military and civilian life Tolerance for other religions and cultures – Encouraged industry, trade and art exchanges with European nations Built a beautiful new capital at Esfahan with influences from all over Europe and Asia

Esfahan, Iran

The Safavid Empire: The Dynasty Declines Quickly Story is similar to that of the Ottomans… Shah Abbas killed or blinded his ablest sons The pampered young prince Safi led the empire into decline In 1736 Nadir Shah Asfar once again created an expanded empire but was assassinated in 1747 and the empire fell apart

The Mughal Empire: Early History Rulers came from Central Asia, descendants of Mongols History of being divided Delhi destroyed by Timur the Lame in : Babur moved south and laid the foundation for the Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire: Akbar’s Golden age Akbar, means “Greatest One” Ruled with wisdom and tolerance from “A monarch should ever be intent on conquest, otherwise his neighbors rise in arms against him.” With one neighbor, discuss what you think this means

The Mughal Empire: Akbar’s Golden Age Combination of military power and political wisdom Unified a land of at least 100 million people Ruled with tolerance, allowed religious freedom and allowed all to rise in political power Cultural blending affected language, art, education, architecture and politics

The Mughal Empire: Akbar’s Successors Jahangir: the son of Akbar left the political power in the hands of his wife, the Persian princess Nur Jahan Shah Jahan: killed all possible rivals, built the Taj Mahal after the death of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal – Taxes supported beautiful buildings but people suffered Aurangzeb ruled oppressively and lost power

The Mughal Empire: Decline and Decay Aurangzeb drained the empire’s resources People had little loyalty to him Over 2 million died in famine Gave Bombay to the British in 1661 Empire became less and less united after his death Next conquerors… Europeans