 Following the schism (split) between Sunni’s and Shiites, the following dynasties were formed, creating a Golden Age of Islam.

 Arab tribal group who ruled the Islamic world from Damascus, Syria  Allowed the Islamic faith to be spread rapidly

 Allow conquered people to practice their own religion so long as they paid a poll tax, ◦ otherwise known as a non- believer tax ◦ Some Christians and Jews even held positions in government

 Replaced the Umayyads in 750 AD ◦ Few Umayyads escaped their wrath, moved to Spain  Moved capital to Baghdad  Built a wealthy empire known for its advances  Led area into the Golden Age of Muslim culture

 While Europe was lost in the Dark Ages, Islam dominated and flourished in all aspects of society.

 Development of calligraphy- ◦ Beautiful writing and patterns to decorate buildings and art

 Used byzantine knowledge to design domes and arches  Painted people and animals in non-religious art

 Developed advances in algebra and geometry

 Astronomy ◦ Accurately recalculated the circumference of the earth ◦ Studied eclipses

 Medicine ◦ Required doctors to pass difficult tests ◦ Set up hospitals with emergency rooms  Studied diseases and wrote medical books

 Established an international trading network, connecting the Middle East, Europe, West Africa, India, China and Southeast Asia

 Considered the Quran (Koran) the most important piece of Arabic Literature  Created great work philosophy, poetry, and fictional tales ◦ Ex.) Aladdin, Thousand and One Nights

 Established universities and libraries in Cairo, Egypt; Baghdad, Iraq; Cordoba, Spain; and Timbuktu, West Africa  House of Wisdom  Scholars worked at preserving, translating, and advancing Greco- Roman, Egyptian, and Indian knowledge

 Crusades (1100 AD AD)  Demonstrated the superiority of Muslim technology and the impact of Islamic culture on the Middle East in their defeat of the Christians  Long term impact: renewed trade and cultural contracts with Europeans. This propelled Europe into the Renaissance.

 Around 1200 AD the Abbasid Dynasty began to decline  Ethnic differences ◦ Muslim groups did not get along with Arabs, Persians, or the Turks  Crusades weakened rule  Attacks by the Mongols ◦ Captured the city of Baghdad