1. Byzantine and Muslim Civilizations
Chapter 10

2. Do Now: Quote Analysis
“I would rather let the crime of the guilty go unpunished than punish the innocent.”
-Justinian
1-2 sentences each:
What does this quote mean?
Do you agree with it?

3. Chapter 1: The Byzantine Empire

4. Constantinople at a Crossroads
Constantinople – the new capital of the Byzantine Empire
Christians (Byzantines) and Muslims (Arabs or Turks) often fought over Constantinople

5. In 330, Roman emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium
Renamed Constantinople
Now known as Istanbul (in Turkey)

6. Constantine and His Capital
The Roman Empire continued to rule in Constantinople from 330 until the end of the empire in 476
Christians who lived there were called Byzantines (even though the city’s name was changed from Byzantium)
Constantinople was a center of trade – it was the crossroads from Europe to Asia
It had large markets, forums (public squares), paved roads, cathedrals, and circuses (the major circus was called the Hippodrome)
Population: 500,000

7. Why all the fighting?
Constantinople was close to the land where Jesus was born and lived (Judaea) so the Christians wanted it
It was also close to the Arabian Peninsula, home of the Muslims
Constantinople Judaea Arabian Peninsula

8. Plus, Constantinople was a FANTASTIC trading port
Plus, Constantinople was a FANTASTIC trading port! If you control Constantinople, you control a lot of money and commerce (another word for trade and exchange of money).
Why was the location so perfect for trading?

9. Trading
Constantinople was built at a crossroads of sea and land trading routes
It is located on the Bosporus, which is a strait (a narrow channel) that connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara
It also connects to the Mediterranean Sea by way of the Aegean Sea
Europe and Asia meet at the Bosporus
The Byzantines grew rich by taxing the trade that went through Constantinople
Constantinople was known as the “Crossroads of Europe and Asia”

10. The Middle Ages When Rome fell, the Middle Ages began
Middle Ages – the period from the fall of the Roman Empire (476) until 1500 (when the Renaissance started)
Medieval – a term referring to anything during the Middle Ages
The Roman Empire may have fallen, but a new empire continued in Constantinople: the Byzantine Empire

11. The restored walls of Constantinople

12. The Age of Justinian Justinian – the first great Byzantine emperor
Ruled from
Justinian’s Code – An organized collection and explanation of laws that was used by the Byzantine Empire
Justinian used many ancient Roman laws to shape his law code
This code became the basis for most modern European legal systems
Byzantine culture borrowed culture from the ancient Greeks and Romans

13. Justinian also reclaimed much of the land that had been taken from the Roman Empire, including parts of North Africa, Italy, and Spain

14. The Empire’s Later Years
Byzantine Christians practiced Christianity differently than the rest of Europe
They did not follow the pope, the leader of the Catholic church
The Byzantine Christian Church used Greek, but the Roman Catholic Church used Latin in written copies of the Bible
The Byzantine Empire outlawed the use of praying to a painting or sculpture of saints or other religious figures, saying that doing so violated God’s commandments, but Pope Leo II disagreed
Because the two sides disputed about so many different issues, it led to a schism, or a split, in the Christian church, in 1054
They split into the Roman Catholic Church in the west and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the east
Despite all the fighting in the church, the Byzantine Empire became wealthier and more successful

15. The Fall of Constantinople
Christians and Muslims both lived in Constantinople, and there was constant fighting between both sides
Turks (Muslims from inland parts of Asia Minor – where the country name “Turkey” came from) took over Constantinople in and renamed it Istanbul

16. Section 2: The Beginnings of Islam

17. Do Now: On your Guided Notes sheet, write:
What do you see in this picture?
What do you think is going on?

18. The Arabian Peninsula Islam formed in Arabia
Mecca – a busy trading center in Arabia that became the center of the Muslim world
Islam started among a group of people called Bedouins who lived in Arabia
They were nomads – people who have no permanent home and move from place to place
They moved in caravans – large traveling groups

19. Muhammad
Islam was started by the Prophet Muhammad – a Bedouin nomad, in 610
According to Islam, God sent an angel to make Muhammad his messenger
God gave messages to Muhammad to share, and these teachings formed Islam
People who accepted these teachings became a Muslim
Muslims traveled to Mecca (in Saudi Arabia) to worship at the Kaa’ba (an ancient shrine, or sacred place)
Medina, north of Mecca, also became an important center for Islam

20. Muslim Belief God is called Allah, which is Arabic for “God”
Muslims pray five times a day
At certain times of the day, all Muslims stop what they are doing to pray
Muslims worship at a mosque – a Muslim house of worship

21. The Five Pillars of Islam
Five Pillars of Islam express basic Islamic belief
1. Declaration of Faith: Muslims believe that there is only one God and Muhammad is God’s messenger
2. Prayer: Muslims must pray five times each day
3. Almsgiving: Muslims must give alms, or money, to the poor
4. Fasting: Muslims must fast during daylight during the month of Ramadan
5. Pilgrimage: Muslims must make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca in their lives, if they are able

22. Quran – the holy book of Islam (like the Bible is to Christians)
Contains messages revealed by God to Muhammad
Quran teaches that men and women are equals
Gave women more rights, more protection under the law, and more opportunities for education than ever before in Arabia
Muslims also experienced a schism, based on who would lead the Muslims
Shi’ites
Smaller group, believe that the Muslim ruler should be a descendent of Muhammad
Sunnis
Larger group (85%), believe that the leader of the Muslims did not have to be a descendent of Muhammad. They believed a group of Muslims should work together to lead

23. Similarities to Christianity and Judaism
Muslims worship one god, just like Christians and Jews
Muslims believe that Allah is the same god that Christians and Jews believe in, who is referred to in the Bible (“Allah” simply means “God” in Arabic)
All three have a holy book
Muslims have the Qu’ran
Christians have the Bible (Old and New Testament)
Jews have the Tanakh (the Old Testament in the Bible)
Muslims believe in Jesus, but they believe he was an important prophet, or messenger of God, but not the son of God

24. Section 3: Muslim Civilization

25. The Spread of Islam
Islam spread to North Africa, Spain, Persia, and China
Arab merchants helped to spread Islam
Many of the Christians in Constantinople converted
Muslims tolerated other religions and allowed them to practice their faith, even after they were conquered

26. The Golden Age Golden Age of Islam: 800-1100
Arab world was very wealthy
Caliphs (a Muslim religious leader) helped develop a wealthy empire
Baghdad (in Iraq) became the Muslim center of trade
Advances in math and science
Al-Khwarizmi – a Muslim mathematician who helped invent algebra
Omar Khayyam – Muslim astronomer, mathematician, and poet
Literature
Sufis were Muslims who believed they could draw close to God through prayer, fasting, and a simple life
Sufis used poetry and writing to spread their beliefs

27. The Ottoman Empire
Muslims from Asia Minor (Turkey) called Ottomans took over Constantinople in 1453
Renamed the city Istanbul
Sultan – a Muslim political ruler
Sultan ruled over the entire empire
Ottomans allowed Christians and Jews to practice their religion

28. Video Clips on Islam

29. Reflection on Islam: The Muslim World Today

30. To conclude our unit on Islam, please write one good paragraph that includes three things that you learned during our study of Islam. How do you think that this knowledge will benefit you in the future?

32. Reflect and Write
Why do you think many of the Muslim countries are located in the Middle East (near Arabia) and North Africa? Think about where Islam originated.

33. Worldwide Population
There are 1.6 billion Muslims around the world (23-25% of the world’s population!)
Where do you think that ranks in size among world religions?
Christianity is the only religion that is bigger (about 2 billion)
Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion
From , the Muslim population grew from 200 million to 550 million
From 1970 to now, the Muslim population grew from 550 million to 1.6 BILLION!!

34. Countries with Largest Muslim Population
Indonesia – 204 million (88%)
Pakistan – 178 million (96%)
India – 177 million (14%)
Bangladesh – 148 million (90%)
Egypt – 80 million (94%)
Some countries are made up of 99% Muslims! These countries include Morocco, Afghanistan, Iran, Tunisia, and Yemen.

35. Shi’ites and Sunnis
Sunnis – they originally believed that the leader of the Muslims should be elected fairly because of their qualifications and readiness for the job
Sunnis make up about 85% of the Muslim population
Shia Muslims – they originally believed that the leaders of the Muslims should always be a direct descendant of Muhammad
Shi’ites make up 15% of the Muslim population

36. Famous Mosques The El-Mursi Abul Abbas Mosque – in Egypt
Grand Mosque of Kuwait – in Kuwait
What do you notice about the architecture of these mosques?

37. Although not all Muslims speak Arabic as their native language, most at least know some of the Qur’an in Arabic. This is “Allah” written in Arabic – as you can see, it is much different from English!
Arabic is written from right to left.

38. Islam in the USA
The state with the highest population of Muslims is California. There are 260,000 Muslims who live there.
120,000 Muslims live right here in NJ!