Early days of Arabia AIM: Understand the life in the days of Pre-Islamic Arabia

Words we will be using... 1.Bedouins – 2.Nomads – 3.Caravans – 4.Altars – 5.Idols – 6.Worship – 7.Ka’ba – 8.Quraysh – 1.People who travel around all the time and had no fixed home. 2.Praying and respect. 3.Place to go and pray. 4.People who formed a tribe and were in charge of the town of Mecca. 5.The most important religious building in all of Arabia. 6.A group of camels that carried all of the peoples goods. 7.Like a statue that people would pray to. 8.People who lived in the deserts.

Arabia in the time of Muhammad* Click to continue AIM: Understand the life in the days of Pre-Islamic Arabia

Countryside People Work Houses Religion Kings & Rulers Lets find out what Arabia was like

Countryside Arabia was a very poor area. It was mostly desert and scrub. There was not much vegetation. Only some places like Makkah (Mecca) and other big towns had water supplies and had vegetation. Click here to return

People Some people were Bedouins who were nomads, constantly moving their sheep, camels and tents from place to place in search of water and food for themselves and their animals. Other people lived in towns that were built up around oasis. Click here to return

Houses The Arabs who were nomads lived in tents. Those living in towns had mud houses. As the nomads moved their animals around from market to market they would take everything with them. Click here to return

Travel and Work Many Arabs made a living from tending sheep. Others used camels in groups, called caravans, to carry goods from town to town to sell. Click here to return

Religion There was no single religion in Arabia. Most Arabs worshipped several gods and spirits that they believed lived in rocks and trees. A very small number of them believed in one God (such as the Arab Christians and Arab Jews). Click here to return

Kings & Rulers The Arabs were split in to many tribes. These tribes often had long lasting feuds with each other. There was no single king who ruled them all. Each tribe or area had it’s own leader. Click here to return

The Ka’ba The Ka’ba was the most important building in Arabia. It was used as a temple for worship. The Ka’ba had over 360 altars, statues and other religious objects or idols which all the Arabs worshipped. People would travel hundreds and hundreds of miles to visit and worship at the Ka’ba. It was a very holy place for pilgrims. Click here to see a full size picture Click to return

A young Muhammad* Muhammad was born in 570 in Mecca. Muhammad was an orphan by the age of 6 and was taken into care by his Grandfather and Uncle. Although he was from the tribe of the Quraysh (the most important, influential and richest tribe in Makkah) He was quite poor. He worked on the caravans from a very early age. He disliked life in Makkah. Click here to find out why

Where Muhammad grew up Muhammad grew up in one of the busies towns in Arabia. The city was called Makkah (Mecca). Makkah was a trading town on the caravan routes. Mecca was the most important town in Arabia because it contained the Ka’ba. Because it was so holy, people were not allowed to bring their weapons inside Makkah. There was always peace in Makkah. Any feuds or arguments between tribes had to be left outside Makkah. Muhammad belonged to an important tribe called the Quraysh. Click here to find out about the Koraish

The Quraysh They charged a fee to all the traders and worshippers who came to Makkah for trading or to worship their god/goddess. They ran and owned the city of Makkah. They were one of the most influential and powerful tribes in Arabia. There were well known for their hospitality, kindness and truthfulness. Click to return

Why Muhammad* disliked life in Mecca There was too much fighting and greed among the tribes. Women, children and the poor were treated badly and not given any sort of rights. There was too much drunkenness and gambling. The killing of new born baby girls was common too. Click to return

Now find out about Muhammad * A young Muhammad Where he grew up The Ka’ba Click here Click here to continue with the powerpoint 1. Click here to watch the clip Now click here to watch the next clip

Key words Bedouins – People who lived in the deserts. Nomads – People who travel around all the time and had no fixed home. Caravans – A group of camels that carried all of the peoples goods. Altars – Place to go and pray. Idols – Like a statue that people would pray to. Worship – Praying and respect. Ka’ba – The most important religious building in all of Arabia. Quraysh – People who formed a tribe and were in charge of the town of Mecca.

Last task Use the information we have talked about today and fill in the rest of the worksheet.