The Islamic WorldThe Islamic World
I. Sassanid EmpireI. Sassanid EmpireA. Sassanid kingdom in Iran
1. Arab herders Arab herders to east & Byzantine Empire Byzantine Empire west
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 camel saddle aided Arab traders
B. Religion & EmpireB. Religion & Empire1. Sassanid Empire: ZoroastrianismZoroastrianism
Byzantine Empire: Eastern Orthodox 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
3. RELIGION replaced citizenship & ethnicity as the paramount factor in people’s identity
II. The Origins of IslamII. The Origins of Islam
A. The Arabian Peninsula before Muhammad:A. The Arabian Peninsula before Muhammad:
1. Nomadic caravan traders (BedouinsBedouins) brought Arabs into contact with Byzantine & Sassanid empires
2. The nomads were polytheists
3. Mecca was a caravan city in Arabia
- Mecca also attracted nomads to worship idols in a shrine called the Ka’abaKa’aba
B.B. Muhammad in MeccaMuhammad in Mecca1. The prophet MuhammadMuhammad was born in MeccaMecca (about
570), grew up as an orphan, & became involved in the caravan trade; married older, wealthier KhadijaKhadija
-in 610 the Prophet had revelations after meditating in a cave for days from Allah Allah (god)
2. The message of Muhammad’s revelations:
-there is one god, Allah -submit to Allah’s will
III. The Rise & Fall of the III. The Rise & Fall of the Caliphate (632–1258)Caliphate (632–1258)
A.A. The Formation of the The Formation of the UmmaUmma
1. Muhammad & his followers fled from Mecca to Medina in 622 (the hijrahhijrah)
ummaumma: single community of Muslim believers
2. The umma became the core of the Islamic state
3. Muhammad’s father-in-law Abu Bakr became successor (the caliphcaliph) of Muhammad
- he standardized Islamic religion & the Islamic state- he oversaw writing of holy book the Qur’anQur’an
In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful.
4. Disagreements over caliphs after the 3rd caliph, UthmanUthman
- civil war was fought between supporters of Uthman (the UmmayaUmmaya) & those who supported Ali Ali (Muhammad’s son-
in-law)
- Umayyad Caliphate Umayyad Caliphate established in 661 (capital: DamascusDamascus)
5. 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
The CaliphateThe CaliphateLooking at Sunni Islam: the Caliphate
1. Abu Bakr (10-12 AH = 632-634 CE)2. Umar (12-23 AH = 634-644 CE)3. Uthman (23-35 AH = 644-656 CE)4. Ali (35-40 AH = 656-661 CE)
Sunni and Shi’ite Islam divide…for Sunnis:
The Umayyad Caliphate (Damascus)The Abbasid Caliphate (Baghdad)The Ottoman Caliphate (Istanbul)
B.B. The Islamic Conquests, 634–711The Islamic Conquests, 634–711
1. 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
C. Umayyad & Abbasid Caliphates, 661–850C. Umayyad & Abbasid Caliphates, 661–850
1. 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 (“MoorsMoors” remained in Spain)
2. AbbasAbbas family took over & established Abbasid Caliphate (capital: BaghdadBaghdad)
-held caliphate until 1258
The “Golden Age” of IslamThe “Golden Age” of Islam
3. Literature and learning: translation of Greek texts, secular Arab poetry, math & science
pump
chemistry &
perfumery
astronomy
eye anatomy
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights
D.D. Political Fragmentation, 850–1050Political Fragmentation, 850–1050
1. Abbasid power declined at end of 9th cen….causes?
-vast territory-difficulty of transportation & communications-dissatisfaction of non-Muslim provinces
2. In Baghdad, caliphs relied on Turkish slave troops known as MamluksMamluks
- Mamluks took control of the caliphate
3. In Spain: Umayyads held power over a society in which Islamic, Roman, German, & Jewish cultures combined
E. Decline, 1050–1258E. Decline, 1050–12581. In C. Asia & Middle East: nomadic Seljuk Turks Seljuk Turks took power
-established Suljuk SultanateSuljuk Sultanate (took Anatolia from Byzantines in 1071 at Manzikert)
2. Crusades: Muslims united under Sultan SaladinSaladin to drive Christians out of Middle East
- Mongol invasions of 13th cen.