1. The Islamic World

2. I. Sassanid Empire Sassanid kingdom in Iran
1. Arab herders to east & Byzantine Empire west

4. 2. relations with Byzantines alternated between war & trading
3. times of peace: Byzantine cities & Arab nomads guided trade caravans
4. invention of the camel saddle aided Arab traders

5. B. Religion & Empire Sassanid Empire: Zoroastrianism
Byzantine Empire: Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Eastern Orthodox: believes the Pope is not head of Christian Church, but rather patriarchs
- Byzantine use of Greek language
- both intolerant of other religions
RELIGION replaced citizenship & ethnicity as the paramount factor in people’s identity

6. A. The Arabian Peninsula before Muhammad:
II. The Origins of Islam
A. The Arabian Peninsula before Muhammad:
Nomadic caravan traders (Bedouins) brought Arabs into contact with Byzantine & Sassanid empires
The nomads were polytheists
Mecca was a caravan city in Arabia
- Mecca also attracted nomads to worship idols in a shrine
called the Ka’aba

8. B. Muhammad in Mecca
1. The prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca (about 570), grew up as an orphan, & became involved in the caravan trade; married older, wealthier Khadija
-in 610 the Prophet had revelations after meditating in a cave for days from Allah (god)
The message of Muhammad’s revelations:
-there is one god, Allah
-submit to Allah’s will

11. III. The Rise & Fall of the Caliphate (632–1258)

12. A. The Formation of the Umma
Muhammad & his followers fled from Mecca to Medina in 622 (the hijrah)
umma: single community of Muslim believers
2. The umma became the core of the Islamic state
Muhammad’s father-in-law Abu Bakr became successor (the caliph) of Muhammad
- he standardized Islamic religion & the Islamic state
- he oversaw writing of holy book the Qur’an

13. In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful.

14. Disagreements over caliphs after the 3rd caliph, Uthman
- civil war was fought between supporters of Uthman (the
Ummaya) & those who supported Ali (Muhammad’s son-
in-law)
- Umayyad Caliphate established in 661 (capital: Damascus)
Internal political conflict led to rival branches:
- Shi’ites supported Ali’s claim to caliphate
- Sunnis supported Umayyad Caliphate
- 80% of Muslims today are Sunni

15. The Caliphate Looking at Sunni Islam: the Caliphate
1. Abu Bakr (10-12 AH = CE)
2. Umar (12-23 AH = CE)
3. Uthman (23-35 AH = CE)
4. Ali (35-40 AH = CE)
Sunni and Shi’ite Islam divide…for Sunnis:
The Umayyad Caliphate (Damascus)
The Abbasid Caliphate (Baghdad)
The Ottoman Caliphate (Istanbul)

16. B. The Islamic Conquests, 634–711
conquests outside Arabia began in 7th c.
-Arabs took Syria, Egypt, and Sasanid Empire
-8th c.: Tunisia, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, and Sindh (Pakistan)
2. causes of rapid expansion?
3. Arab forces: regular, paid armies kept in military camps

18. C. Umayyad & Abbasid Caliphates, 661–850
Umayyads ruled an Arab empire, NOT a Muslim empire
- Mu’awiya moves capital to Damascus
- ruled through established Sassanid and Byzantine gov’t
- introduced Muslim bureaucrats & Arabic language
- overthrown in 750 (“Moors” remained in Spain)
2. Abbas family took over & established Abbasid Caliphate (capital: Baghdad)
-held caliphate until 1258

19. The “Golden Age” of Islam
3. Literature and learning: translation of Greek texts, secular Arab poetry, math & science
pump
chemistry & perfumery
astronomy
eye anatomy

20. The Book of One Thousand and One Nights

21. D. Political Fragmentation, 850–1050
Abbasid power declined at end of 9th cen….causes?
-vast territory
-difficulty of transportation & communications
-dissatisfaction of non-Muslim provinces
In Baghdad, caliphs relied on Turkish slave troops known as Mamluks
- Mamluks took control of the caliphate
In Spain: Umayyads held power over a society in which Islamic, Roman, German, & Jewish cultures combined

22. E. Decline, 1050–1258
1. In C. Asia & Middle East: nomadic Seljuk Turks took power
-established Suljuk Sultanate (took Anatolia from Byzantines in 1071 at Manzikert)
Crusades: Muslims united under Sultan Saladin to drive Christians out of Middle East
- Mongol invasions of 13th cen.