1. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
The Islamic Conquests,
1. Arab Conquests
By the time Abu Bakr died, the Muslim state controlled all of Arabia
Under the next 2 caliphs they took:
Syria (636)
Egypt ( )
Parts of Persia ( )
By 750 they controlled from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indus River
(2x the width of the USA!!)

3. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258

4. Warm Up:
What was the extent of the Islamic Empire as of 750 C.E.?

5. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
Why were Arab armies so successful?
Their enemies were weak
- The Persian and Byzantine Empires had fought a series of wars against each other
- Weakening both

6. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
Nomadic Heritage
- Many of the Arab fighters were nomads
- they were used to fighting battles in the desert and travelling a long way from home.

7. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
Motivation
Muslim fighters who died fighting a Jihad or holy war believed they would go to heaven when they died
Religion served as a unifying factor for the Arab armies

8. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
3. Conquered Territory
The caliph Umar prohibited Arabs from assuming ownership of conquered lands
In order to serve in the army, and receive pay, soldiers needed to live in military camps
Kept the armies together, ready for action
Preserved life in the countryside
A small number of Arabs ruled of a vastly larger non-Arab population
No evidence of forced conversions or missionary activity

9. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
B. The Umayyad and Early Abbasid Caliphate
Umayyad Rule
Capital in Damascus
Adopted administrative structure of Byzantines and Sasanid predecessors
Majority population was non-Muslim
Army almost entirely Muslim Arabs

10. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
2. Fall of the Umayyad Caliphate
Converts to Islam resented not achieving equal status to Arabs
Some Muslims looked down on the wealth and bad behavior of the caliphs
Shi’ites launched rebellions, attacking the legitimacy of Umayyad caliphs.
Rebellions overthrew the Umayyads in 750;
one branch of the family, however, remained in power in Spain.

11. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
3. The Abbasid Caliphate
Shi’ites helped overthrow the Umayyad caliphs
Revolt was coordinated by the family of Abbas, one of Muhammad’s uncles
Established the Abbasid Caliphate
Capital in Baghdad

12. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
4. Literature and learning
“golden age”
the translation of Greek texts and secular Arab poetry, thrived under the Abbasids.
Baghdad was a center of Abbasid culture
the rate of conversion of non-Muslim subjects to Islam in the ninth century increased.

13. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
C. Political Fragmentation
Decline
caliphs found it impossible to maintain control over their vast territory.
- difficulty of transportation and communications
Resentment of rule of Baghdad by local leaders

14. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
2. Mamluks
the caliphs had come to rely on Turkish slave troops known as Mamluks
In the late ninth century, when they were not paid properly, the Mamluks took control of the caliphate

15. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
3. Fragmentation
in 945, the caliphate fell under the control of the Iranian Shi’ite Buyids.
As the Abbasid Caliphate declined, various provincial regimes rose to power.
- the Samanids in Central Asia and the Fatimids in Egypt.

16. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
4. al-Andalus
Islamic, Roman, German, and Jewish cultures combined to form a unique Islamic civilization in Spain.
Muslim Spain:
urbanization,
the introduction of citrus crops,
a diverse irrigated agricultural sector,
and a growth of Muslim and Jewish intellectual activity.
Religious tolerance

17. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
D. Assault from Within and Without,
Seljuk Turks
took advantage of the decline of the Abbasids
established the Suljuk Sultanate.
The Seljuks ruled a territory stretching from Afghanistan to Baghdad
took Anatolia from the Byzantines in 1071.
- Battle of Manzikert

18. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
2. Turkish Rule
Pastoral Turks had little interest in urban life
Cities shrank
Irrigation systems were not maintained
Tax revenue fell
Baghdad fell to ruins
Mesopotamia would never again regain its geographic importance

19. II. The Rise and Fall of the Caliphate 632-1258
3. Invasions
Crusades began in 1099
Defeated by Kurdish leader, Saladin who unified Egypt and Syria
Mamluk’s overthrow decedents of Saladin in 1250
Mongol invasions
Destroyed the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad in 1258
Mamluk’s from Egypt defeated the Mongols in 1260
Mamluk Sultans ruled Egypt until 1517