THE ISLAMIC EMPIRE

Overview of Islam Around the year 600 CE, a new monotheistic religion called Islam began Islam was founded by the Prophet Muhammad in the Arabian city of Mecca After the Hijrah to the city of Medina, Muhammad gained Muslim converts and returned to Mecca, conquering the city

Muslims believe in the Five Pillars of Islam: Faith: belief in one God, Allah, and the Prophet Muhammad Fasting: During the month of Ramadan Prayer: 5 times per day towards Mecca Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca Alms: 2.5% to charity MECCA 4 5 2 3

They became known as the “Rightly Guided Caliphs” Islam After Muhammad When Muhammad died in 632, the Muslim community elected a new leader called a caliph (successor & Muslim civil and religious ruler) The first four caliphs all knew Muhammad and promised to stay true to the Qu’ran and Muhammad’s message They became known as the “Rightly Guided Caliphs”

He used jihad to control and expand the Islamic Empire Islam After Muhammad The first caliph was Muhammad’s friend and father-in-law, Abu Bakr; his goal was to keep Muslims under his government (the “caliphate”) He used jihad to control and expand the Islamic Empire

The Rightly Guided Caliphs The empire expanded under the next caliphs

During the Rightly Guided Caliphates, the Islamic Empire expanded “Dar-al-Islam” (the areas where Islam is practiced) The caliphate never forced non-Muslims to convert, especially “People of the Book” (Jews and Christians); they allowed religious tolerance as long as taxes were paid to the Empire The caliphs used the Shari'a (laws based on the Qur’an) to govern the Empire; a theocracy: government and religious leader were inseparable (no distinction between secular and spiritual authority).

The Umayyad Empire After the death of the fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib, a civil war for control of the Empire began The clan that came to power started the Umayyad Empire However, the rise of Umayyads led to a division in Islam

The Sunni-Shi’a Split Before the Umayyads, caliphs were elected members of Muhammad’s family Shi’a Muslims rejected the rule of the Umayyads Sunni Muslims accepted the rule of the Umayyads The Shi’a believe that caliphs must come directly from Muhammad’s bloodline The Sunni believe that caliphs should follow Muhammad’s example, but do not have to be relatives

The Umayyad Empire The Umayyads expanded the Empire, which brought wealth and new Islamic converts

In 750, the Umayyad Empire was overthrown by the Abbasids Under the Abbasids, the Islamic Empire grew to its greatest extent

The Abbasids’ rule over the Islamic Empire lasted from 750 to 1258 The Abbasid Empire The Abbasids’ rule over the Islamic Empire lasted from 750 to 1258 The Abbasid caliphate built a strong government bureaucracy to rule the Empire

The Abbasid Empire Muslim merchants expanded the Empire’s wealth by trading across Africa, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea

The Abbasid Empire Wealth from trade led to a “golden age”, a time of great Muslim achievements in science, mathematics, medicine, and architecture

Warm Up What religion’s duties are stated here? State “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.” Pray five times a day Fast during the month of Ramadan Make a pilgrimage to Mecca Give to charity What religion’s duties are stated here? Who founded this religion? Where are most of this religion’s followers? lukerosa@gmail.com

ISLAMIC ACHIEVEMENTS

Islamic Achievements Muslims during the Islamic Empire developed innovations that are still used today The lands and people of the Islamic Empire were diverse, rich, and creative; Greeks, Chinese, Hindus, Arabs, Persians, Turks and others all contributed to the culture of the Islamic Empire

Islamic Achievements Muslims helped spread ideas as well as goods along their trade routes that connected Asia, Europe, and Africa

Scholars studied and preserved Greek and Roman ideas Islamic Achievements Scholars studied and preserved Greek and Roman ideas

City Building and Architecture Many large cities developed in Muslim lands that inspired new kinds of architecture

City Building and Architecture The city of Baghdad was the Abbasids’ capital and one of the most glorious cities in the world It took 100,000 workers and architects four years to build Baghdad

City Building and Architecture They built mosques (Muslim places of worship), markets, homes, and shops

City Building and Architecture Mosques usually had towers, courtyards, and prayer rooms; the designs reflected the diversity of the Empire

The common use of the Arabic language helped promote learning Study and Learning Scholars from around the world met in Baghdad to research and translate texts from Greece, Persia, India, and China The common use of the Arabic language helped promote learning

Study and Learning Ibn Sina, a Persian, became Islam’s most famous philosopher; like the Greeks, he used logic and his writings were widely translated and studied

Science and Technology Muslim scholars made great advances in astronomy, improving upon Greek ideas For example, compasses and astrolabes (a device that positions objects in the sky to figure out one’s location) could be used to find the direction to Mecca THE ASTROLABE: AN EARLY VERSION OF A GPS SYSTEM

Science and Technology Muslims restored old irrigation systems, built dams and aqueducts, and used waterwheels to help the water supply

Geography and Navigation Muslim scholars examined plants and animals in different regions and divided the world into climate zones They created extremely accurate maps that included trade routes and information about land under Muslim rule

Geography and Navigation Travelers, like Ibn Battuta, recorded information (and in Ibn’s case, wrote a book) about their journeys to the Muslim lands and beyond

Mathematics Muslims based their work in math in part on the ideas from India and Classical Greece One scholar, Al-Khwarizmi, is called the “father of algebra”, which is used to solve problems with unknown numbers

Mathematics Algebra helped make Arabic numerals popular in Europe and spread the Indian concept of zero The word “zero” comes from the Arabic word that means “something empty”

Medicine Muslims established the world’s first hospitals and based their medical knowledge on that of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece Doctors treated ailments through drugs, diet, and exercise; they also used stitches after performing surgeries

Medicine The Persian philosopher Ibn Sina was also a doctor who wrote a book about the treatment of diseases

Bookmaking and Literature Muslims learned how to make paper from the Chinese and began producing books; Baghdad had over 100 bookshops

Bookmaking and Literature Arab and Persian stories and poetry were collected in books, such as “A Thousand and One Arabian Nights” In this book, a wife tells her husband a new tale each night, including the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and Sinbad the Sailor; these stories are well known today

The Arts Muslims developed a type of art known as “arabesque”; it used ornate drawings and geometric patterns to decorate objects and books

The Arts Calligraphy, the art of beautiful handwriting, was considered to be the best art form of its day Textiles and music were two other influential art forms that Muslims developed during the time of the Islamic Empire

Fun and recreation were also part of the Islamic culture The sport of polo was borrowed from the Persians and made popular by the Muslims; teams on horseback use wooden mallets to strike a ball through a goal

Recreation Chess was invented in India and borrowed by the Persians, but this board game (which requires much thought, smarts, & skill to play well) was spread across Muslim territory and introduced to Europe

Historians refer to this era of the Abbasids’ rule over the Islamic Empire as a “golden age”

Islamic Achievements Grab your journals You will have 25 minutes to complete documents on Islamic Achievements given to you last Friday While completing think about which achievements impact your life today

Which achievement made the biggest impact? Rank achievement(documents) Why? (use document evidence)

Lateen sail: Triangle-shaped sails whose design allowed ships to sail against the wind. These sails were perfected by Arab traders Seljuk Turks: Nomadic Turks from Asia who conquered Baghdad in 1055 and allowed the caliph to remain only as a religious leader. they governed strictly, followed the failure of the splinter Buyid Dynasty to prevent the disintegration of the Abbasid dynasty. Were very staunch Sunnis.

IBN BATUTA (1304-1369) Morrocan Muslim scholar, the most widely traveled individual of his time. He wrote a detailed account of his visits to Islamic lands from China to Spain and the western Sudan. His writings gave a glimpse into the world of that time period.