1. The Spread of Islam

2. The Arab Empire and its Successors
Section 2
The Arab Empire and its Successors

3. Muhammad died in 632
and named no successor
His followers developed
an election system for choosing the next leader
of Islam
This leader would not be a “prophet” as was Muhammad, but a “Caliph” which means “deputy” or “successor” in Arabic

4. Creation of An Arab Empire
After Muhammad’s death, difficult to maintain unity
The friend and father-in-law of Muhammad, Abu Bakr was chosen to be the first caliph
Abu Bakr helped unify the Muslim world and expand beyond Arabia

5. Arab Rule
The Arabs were now united and expanded their territory instead of fighting each other.
They defeated the Byzantine army in 636 taking the province of Syria. By 642 they took Egypt and by 650 they controlled the Persian Empire

6. After Abu Bakr died there was conflict over who would be the next Caliph
The next two Caliphs were both assassinated
-Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali
was then appointed
Caliph, but was also
assassinated

7. Non-Arabs were not treated equally to Arabs, but Christians and Jews (“People of the Book”) were not forced to convert
Non-Arabs couldn't:
build new churches or temples
evangelize within the empire
Many welcomed Islam and converted because of its belief that all were equal in the eyes of Allah

8. Conquered Peoples:
Voluntarily converted and served in the army (Males) or
Did not convert, paid taxes and were exempt from military service
Qu’ran forbids forced conversion to Islam

9. The Era of the Right Guided Caliphs
Many Bedouins renounced Islam
They faced the sword and were conquered
Islam expanded rapidly along trade routes from Mecca and Medina
First, Islam expanded across the Arabian Peninsula, then later spread across:
Fertile Crescent
Iran (Persia)
Central Asia including, parts of the Byzantine Empire

10. Why did Islam Spread?
Arabic language helped traders trade goods and ideas, especially Islam
The Byzantine Empire and Persia had been
fighting each other for years
both were weakened, allowing Muslim warriors to conquer much of these lands

11. The Umayyad Empire

12. The Umayyads 661-750 CE Moved the capital to Damascus
Established a dynasty
Expanded into North Africa and Spain
The Umayyad Great Mosque, Damascus
Were halted in 732 at the Battle of Tours by Frankish King Charles Martel

13. The Umayyad Dynasty
Beginning of 8th century, Islam expanded across northern Africa
converted the Berbers (a pastoral people along the Mediterranean coast)
By 710 combined Berber and Arab forces crossed the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain and had taken most of the country by 725
In 732, however, the Muslim advance into Europe was halted at the Battle of Tours.

14. Umayyad Architecture
Dome of the Rock

15. Moorish Architecture in Córdoba, the capital of Spain in 717
Córdoba Mosque, Spain

18. A Split in Islam
Many non-Arab Muslims resented the favoritism of the Umayyad Empire toward Arabs
The large empire was difficult to rule efficiently; financial problems

19. The Revolt of Hussein
The grandson of Muhammad, Hussein, led a revolt against the Umayyad Empire in 680.
His solders defected; was killed by Umayyad forces
This struggle led to a split within the faith of Islam between Sunni and Shi’a (Shiite) Muslims

20. Islam Divides Muslims fought Muslims over the third caliph’s successor
Shi’as
Sunnis
Ali, Muhammad’s
son-in-law, was elected
and then killed in 661 CE
Mu’awiya, from the Umayyad clan, then became caliph
Sunnis – Believe
Muhammad’s followers should elect the next caliph
Islam divided into two branches
Shi’as: believe that
Muhammad’s relatives
should lead Islam

21. Sunni vs. Shi’a (Shiite)
Sunni Muslims:
supported the Umayyad Dynasty
believed the Caliph does not need to be a direct descendant of Muhammad
Shi’a Muslims:
supported Hussein
believed that the Caliph should be a direct descendant of Muhammad through his son-in-law Ali and his grandson

22. The Abbasid Dynasty

23. The Abbasid Dynasty
Descendent of Muhammad’s uncle, overthrew the Umayyad Dynasty in 750 and established the Abbasid Dynasty
The dynasty lasted until 1258 A.D.

24. The Abbasid Caliphate 750 – 1258 CE
Capital was moved
to Baghdad
Jerusalem was
conquered by Muslims who later fought Crusaders for control
Became the Golden Age or the Empire of Islam
Courtyard of the Abbasid Palace in Baghdad

25. Abbasid Rule The Abbasids moved the capital of their empire to Baghdad
This increased Persian influence; changed Abbasid culture
Dynasty favored judges, merchants, government officials
This dynasty did not favor Arab rule and the empire became more culturally diverse

26. Abbasid Era Economic prosperity
Baghdad= major trade center in emerging global trade
New technologies and advancements included:
Astrolabe
paper from China
use of Arabic numbers
medical advancements
algebra

27. Harun al-Rashid
The greatest of the caliphs of the dynasty
known for his charity and was a great supporter of culture and the arts
His son continued the tradition and supported the study of astronomy and began to translate classical Greek works into Arabic

28. Trade Baghdad became a major crossroads for trade
This made the city very wealthy
also helped spread products and knowledge from the Middle East to parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe

29. Decline and Division Reasons for decline:
imperial succession
financial corruption
Caliphs began to recruit from non-Arab groups for government administration, e.g. Turks, Persians
These groups came to dominate the political situation

30. Morocco became independent
Rulers of provinces began to break away and establish independent kingdoms
Spain- independent caliphate at Cordoba established in 750 by Umayyad rulers who fled the Abbasid Dynasty
Morocco became independent
The Fatimid dynasty established Egypt with the capital at Cairo in 973

31. The Abbasids’ control weakened; by the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks controlled Baghdad
The Mongols invaded and destroyed Baghdad in 1258

32. Seljuk Turks and the Crusades
Fatimid Dynasty in Egypt became more powerful and became the new center of the Muslim world
One group which came to power in this region were the Seljuk Turks
The Turks played a large role in the military
many rose through the ranks to gain a lot of political power

33. The Turks = originally a nomadic people who converted to Islam
were great soldiers in the Abbasid caliphate
As the Abbasids weakened, Turks moved into Iran and Armenia
They eventually took over many Abbasid territories

34. The Sultan
The Turks were ruled by a Sultan, meaning “holder of power.”
Turks captured Baghdad and were the military and political leaders of the state
In the later part of the 11th century, Turks kept putting pressure on the Byzantine Empire
In 1071 they defeated the Byzantine army at Manzikert and gained control of Asia Minor (Anatolian Peninsula)
In desperation, the Byzantine Empire turned to the West for help. This led to a series of wars known as The Crusades.

35. The Crusades
Byzantine Emperor Alexius I sent a letter to the Pope (Urban II) asking for help against the Turks
This led to a series of wars in 1096 known as The Crusades
At first the Crusaders were successful and took the city of Jerusalem
In 1187 the Muslim leader Saladin retook the city, leaving the Christians with only a small collection of land holdings in the Middle East
The Crusades had a lasting impact-breeding centuries of mistrust between the Muslim world and the Christian world

36. The Mongol Threat
The Mongols were a pastoral, horse-riding people who swept out of the Gobi in the early 13th century to seize control over much of the known world
Were not Muslims and found it difficult to adapt to city life
Spread destruction across Asia into Muslim territory
The invasion began with Genghis Khan and was continued under the leadership Kublia Khan and Hulegu
Seized Mesopotamia, Persia, and Mesopotamia, destroying the city of Baghdad in 1258
The Mongols made it as far as the Red Sea, but were unable to take Egypt
Over time the Mongol rulers converted to Islam and rebuilt the Muslim world

37. Sources:
Pictures 7.