1. Islamic Conquests & Caliphates: 600-1200
Unit 2
Chapter 8

2. Ease of Accessibility
Arabia on periphery of 2 established & rival empires
Byzantium
Sassanid
Monotheism in existence
“children of Abraham”
Kaaba

3. Key Moments Birth of Muhammad 570 Beginning of revelations 610
Hijra
Muhammad’s return to Mecca 630
Death of Muhammad 632
Rightly Guided Caliphs
Arab victories (Byzantium & Persia)
Conquest of Egypt 640
Compilation of Quran 650s
Umayyad Caliphate
Conquest of Spain
Abbasid Caliphate
Battle of Talas River 750

4. Muhammad Abdullah (570-632) Mecca
Troubled by social inequalities; periods of withdrawal & meditation
Allah’s messenger to the Arabs (Quran)
“Seal of great prophets” (Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad)
monotheistic

5. Hijra
Challenged Mecca’s growing commercialism & clan structure of Arab society
Fled to Medina
622 – marks beginning of Islamic calendar
Umma – Islamic community; based on belief rather than kinship; political & religious authority

6. Consolidation Early military success 630 Mecca surrenders
By his death, Arabia Islamic state
Motives for further Conquest???

7. Motives for Conquest Profitable trade routes Agricultural regions
Religious conversion
Jihad – “struggle” – bringing righteous government to conquered peoples
HOWEVER – recognized Jews, Christians, & Zoroastrians as “people of the book” – dhimmis – protected subjects

8. Conquered Peoples Through 9th Century
Dhimmas allowed to practice own religion by paying jizya – considered substitute for military service
Indiscriminate destruction & exploitation not allowed
Reasons for conversion???

9. Conversion Growing prestige Appealing to slaves and POWs
Aided social mobility
Between , 80% of Persia converted
Also became dominant in Egypt, North Africa, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, & Turkey

10. Rightly Guided Caliphs 632-661
First 4
Companions to the Prophet
3rd & 4th assassinated – schism
Sunni – caliphs selected by community
Shia (Shiites) – caliphs from line of Muhammad

11. Umayyad Caliphate 661-750 Capital moved to Damascus (Syria)
Great expansion –
Byzantine and Persian Empires
Weakened by decades of war
Internal revolts
Non-Arab Muslims had less rights

12. Umayyad Caliphate Cont.
Introduced silver & gold coinage
Established trade network
Mediterranean
Silk Road
Sahara
Indian Ocean

13. Abbasid Caliphate 750-1258 Killed Umayyad royal family at dinner
Moved capital to Baghdad
Expansion –
North Africa
Spain
Muslim Golden Age (Non-Arab Muslims Equal)
1258 – invasion of Mongol forces; last Abbasid caliph killed