Chapter 9

 Arabia Role of nomadic Bedouins Location along important trade routes  Rise of Mecca Between Sassanid and Byzantine Empires

 Life of Muhammad (570 CE to 632 CE) Revelations began in 610 and continued for 22 years Quran (Koran) Traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Arabs Pillars of Islam

 Spread mainly through military conquest and trade and missionary activity Universal message Tolerance for other beliefs Economic incentive Legitimized role of merchants

 Allah all-powerful, good, just and merciful  Advocated social justice  Spiritual equality for all  Expressed concern for the poor  The understanding of jihad (greater and lesser)

 Umayyad Caliphate ( ) Hereditary monarchy Centered in Damascus, spread to Syria, Egypt, Persia, Byzantine SW Asia, N Africa, Spain Culturally tolerant as long as obeyed rules, paid taxes, didn’t revolt Arabic common language

 Abbasid Caliphate ( ) Centered in Baghdad, 2 nd largest city in world House of Wisdom 830  Sought Greek and Persian texts and translated into Arabic Turks capture Baghdad in 1055, then Mongols in 1258 Decline  Slaves (Mamluks) served in army and weaken Abbasid rule  Too large to rule

 Inferior and subordinate Men could have up to 4 wives “men have authority over women…” Veiling and seclusion becomes commonplace Separation of the sexes “honor killing”  Improving the life of women Forbids female infanticide Control over own property Rights of inheritance (half that of men though) Increased opportunities  Sufism  Female mullahs in Shia Literacy and education

 Muslim v. Muslim 656 CE Shia: leadership of Islamic world should be relatives of Muhammad Sunni: caliphs should be selected  Sufism 9 th -10 th centuries (p. 425) New understanding of Islamic faith that renounced material world, meditated, and used music and dance to seek a direct and personal experience with the Divine Challenged establishment teachings and religious authority of the ulama – creating discord which orthodox believed was heresy

 Afghan Turks Raids into India, looting cities and destroying Hindu temples  Delhi Sultanate ( ) Series of Islamic ruling dynasties Absorbed into Mughal Empire in 1526 Disillusioned Buddhists and lower-caste Hindus Appeal of Sufi mystics Sikhism

 Seljuk Turks challenge Byzantine rule  Ottoman Empire weakened Byzantine institutions until conquered Constantinople in 1453 Renamed it Istanbul Convert Hagia Sophia into mosque

 West Africa kings still divine and women still prominent  Muslim merchants and scholars  Urban centers  Little penetration into rural areas and popular culture  Mansa Musa

 Djenne mosque in Timbuktu  Sun-baked earth bricks and sand and earth based mortar, coated with a plaster  Decorate with bundles of sticks to serve as scaffolding

 Arab and Berber invasion – early 8 th c.  Cordoba’s golden age  Increased intolerance in 10 th -11 th centuries  Christian reconquest and expulsion Ferdinand and Isabella 1492  Importance of Muslim impact on Islamic learning in Christian Europe

 Political Impact Rise of West African Kingdoms and East African city-states  Economic Impact Vast trading network Merchants and urban elites  Achievements Technological exchange Islamic “Green Revolution” Mathematics and Medicine

 Cultural Impact Images forbidden so large use of geometric shapes and calligraphy in art and architecture Literature  The Arabian Nights (Sinbad, Aladdin), Travels by Ibn Battuta Education  Universities set up in Cordoba, Toledo and Granada  House of Wisdom Dar-al-Islam  Examples of syncretism Role of women in West Africa and Anatolia Sikhism blending Islam and Hinduism West African kings stayed divine Spanish Christians veiled women, didn’t eat pork…

 First dynasty of Islamic Empire ( ) that led through Arab military aristocracy and had their capital in Damascus, Syria  Non-Arab Muslim treatment, and luxurious and impious lifestyle led to their decline

 New religious tradition that developed in 16 th c. India  Blended elements of Islam and Hinduism, such as the idea of one God with karma and rebirth