Which of the following areas of expertise or learning progressed under the rule of the Abbasid caliphate? Medicine Law Mathematics All of the above

Today 10/11 and 10/15 Practice Question Reading Quiz Reading Guide Lecture Exit Objective: You will be able to describe the unique aspects of the Islamic Empire and how it compares to what you have already learned

Chapter 7 The Abbasid Dynast

The Abbasids Moved the Capital from Damascus to Baghdad Created a very large Bureaucracy Headed by the Vizier

Who are the Abbasids 3rd Abbasid Caliph was al Mahdi Major love of luxury which caused a lot of corruption Failed to fix the whole succession problem Son assassinated Most Famous Abbasid Caliph was Harun al-Rashid 1000 and 1 Nights Depended on Persian advisors How does this cause problems later on Video

Life under the Abbasids A LOT of luxury Palace intrigue Simulation Caliph, Vizir, wives, girlfriends, sons, slaves

How did life for Muslim women decline as Islam developed Began women were close to being a man’s equal, but when Abbasid Era was ushered in, their influence/role went down severely Women were very inferior to men, confined to home, forced to wear veils in public places Upper Class: Wear veil and robes in public places Were confined to home Had some political influence within the home Lower Class: Farmed, woven clothing, or raised silkworms to help support their families Raised to devote their lives to running their household and serving their husband Married young (legal age of puberty was age 9)

Slaves Were purchased in non-muslim regions prized for beauty and intelligence, greater demand for slaves as empire grew Women who were slaves were often concubines confined to a wing of the house (of the Caliph/royal official) but could go to the market free of a veil Caliphs would prefer to spend more time with their intelligent concubines than poorly educated slaves.

Slow decline Buyids of Persia take Baghdad in 945 By mid-9th century CE Abbasid dynasty had begun to lose control over empire with rebellious governors and new dynasties to challenge them Buyids of Persia take Baghdad in 945 This is where the word Sultan comes in These were the true rulers and the Caliph was just a figure head Seljuk Turks defeat the Buyids in 1055 Purged the Shi’a during this time

Trade Urban Expansion linked the revived trading system Arab dhows: Sailing vessels Joint Ventures with Christians and Jews Specialized trade of luxuries for the elites Growth encouraged handcraft production Unskilled labor = slaves

What cultural achievements did the Abbasid empire make??? New techniques in investigation New technology Preserving learning of Ancient civilizations 2 discoveries in chemistry Creation of objective experiment Al-razi’s scheme of classifying all material substances into 3 categories Animal, vegetable, mineral Best hospitals in world Telescopes and anatomy advances Muslim scientists work on optics and bladder ailments Made world’s best maps Introduced into Islamic world and Europe many basic machines and techniques Paper making Silk weaving Ceramic firing

Who were the Sufi and why were they important? The Sufi’s were wandering mystics They hoped for personal union with Allah There goal was this relationship They will be responsible for some of the spread of Islam during the Abbasids Later in the Abbasids the Suffist movement will bring a lot of vitality within Islam Included both Sunni and Shi’a manifestations in its various guises Some Sufis gained reputations as great healers and miracle workers Led militant bands that tried to spread Islam to nonbelievers Used ascetism or bodily denial to find Allah Meditation, songs, drugs and ecstatic dancing was also used to find Allah

What impact did the Crusades have on the Islamic empire? The Muslims were not as affected as the Christians culturally by the crusades The Muslims received Greek learning that was recovered by the Christians Christians took over small kingdoms temporarily, but Muslims under Saladin reclaimed them Muslims developed a more negative view of the Christians Europeans borrowed ideas from the Muslims Italian merchants stayed after crusades diffusing the Arabian economic system First crusades was most successful due to elements of surprise and lack of political unity Much of the holy land was captured and divided into Christian kingdoms It will change back and forth

What influence did India have on Islam? Hindu scholars introduced Arab scholars to their numeral system Indian algebra and geometry were translated into Arabic for Islamic use Indian physicians, brought to Baghdad to run hospitals cured many Islamic officials Indian statecrafts were translated into Arabic for Islamic use The Indian game of chess traveled to the Arabic people Arabs who immigrated Indian areas, adopted Indian dress and hairstyles, and ate Indian food Arab colonies in India provided staging areas for Islam to spread to parts of Asia

How did the Muslim views on conversion change over time? Originally they didn’t want to convert people, because it would mean they had to share their Booty (Umayyads) Once the Umayyads fell and the Abbasids rose to power, conversion was encouraged Merchants traded and spread Islam to southeast Asia As the Islamic people conquered new lands, the religion was adopted

Conversion continued Muhammad wants loyal followers, unity and influence Umayyads did not focus on conversion instead they focused on getting riches Wanted more conversion for more unity. Corrupted the religion Trying to force conversion on Europe but stopped by Christian Knights Views on conversion remained consistent, while continuing to spread Islam into Africa Views on conversion weaken due to corruption/internal conflicts