Transcript Islamic Spain 711-1492

ISLAMIC SPAIN 711-1492
IBWorld History
BRAINSTORMING ACTIVITY…

Without looking up information of utilizing your
devices, discuss the following in your groups-
1. What is your understanding of the Islam?
 2. How is Islam similar or dissimilar to
Christianity?

RELIGION AROUND THE WORLD, 2016
WHAT IS ISLAM?
Religion based on the
Qur’an (holy book)
 And the sayings of the
Prophet Muhammad
(570-632)

WHAT IS ISLAM?
According to tradition,
the angel Gabriel
appeared to him while
in meditation
 Angel Gabriel gave
him a message to
convey to the people of
Mecca (who were
polytheistic)

WHAT IS ISLAM?
Muhammad’s
message: A call to all
Arabs to worship the
one true God (the god
of Abraham)
 Allah

THE QUR’AN
Holy book of Islam
 Muhammad continued
to recite his
revelations for the
rest of his life
 Written down as the
Qur’an (means
“recitation”
 Muhammad seen as
“prophet of God”

ISLAMIC IN THE CONTEXT OF RELIGION
Shares some of the
beliefs of Judaism and
Christianity
 Revere Jesus Christ
as a prophet, but not
son of God
 Muhammad seen as
last in a line of
prophets that include
Abraham, Moses,
David (Important in
Jewish tradition)

JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM
ISLAM MEANS “SUBMISSION”
By performing acts of
faith ( pillars of Islam)
 Muslims (those who
submit to God
demonstrate
obedience to God.

5 PILLARS OF ISLAM
1. Faith -Only 1 God, Muhammad is his prophet
 2. Prayer -Must state this belief in prayer 5
times a day
 3. Must Fast during Ramadan (9th month of the
Muslim calendar)
 4. Must donate Alms to needy
 5. Must make Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once
in their lives

MUHAMMAD’S DEATH AND SUCCESSION
CRISIS
Muhammad died in
632
 Father in Law Abu
Bakr became the first
Caliph, or successor
 The Islamic
Government which
combined religious
and political
responsibilities was
called the caliphate

MUHAMMAD’S DEATH AND SUCCESSION
CRISIS
Minority group
opposed Abu Bakr
 Group believed
Muhammad’s son in
law and cousin Ali
should rule

DIVISION IN ISLAM

Shi’ites – Believed
Ali to be successor.
Only direct
descendents of
Muhammad should
rule
Sunnis – Believed in
a amore flexible
theory of succession
 Entered into a civil
war

THE UMAYYAD FAMILY…
Arranged Ali’s
assassination and
took control of the
caliphate
 They established a
ruling dynasty that
lasted until 750
 Territorial expansion
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THE MUSLIM TAKE OVER OF SPAIN
In 711, Umayyads
invaded Spain and
overthrew the
Visigothic kingdom
 By 716, Muslims had
conquered most of
Spain (with the
exception of the
Northern territories)

AL- ANDALUS
Islamic Spain was
referred to as
 al-Andalus (7111492)
 The capital:
Cordoba

RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY IN AL-ANDALUS
Christians and Jews
“People of the Book”
could practice religion
as long as they paid
special tax
 Religious diversity in
al-Andalus allowed
“convivencia” (living
together/sharing the
space)
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RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY IN AL-ANDALUS
Most Christians did
not convert to Islam
 However, many
adopted Muslim
customs and learned
Arabic
 Mozarabs
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HISPANIC-MOZARABIC RITE MASS
CELEBRATED IN THE VATICAN FOR THE 4TH
TIME IN HISTORY
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnroEPrmwt
A
Rome Reports, 2015
JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN MUSLIM SPAIN
Jewish communities
began to form in 2nd
century CE
 Jewish communities
in Iberia maintained a
continuous existence
and developed a rich
culture
 Spanish Jews are
known as “Sephardic”

JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN MUSLIM SPAIN
Era of Muslim rule
considered “Golden
Age” for Sephardic
Jews
 Contributed to
intellectual life (many
were scholars,
physicians, scientists)
 Contributed to the
economy (merchants,
business, bankers

SEPHARDIC JEWS ALSO ADOPTED ISLAMIC
CULTURAL PRACTICES

Ex: Before entering a synagogue, Jews washed
their hands and feet ( a Muslim tradition)
CHRISTIANS AND JEWS
Absorbed or adopted elements of Islamic culture
 Distinctive features of housing design, cuisine,
dress, and language (Arabic)
 “one culture, three religions”

ECONOMY AND COMMERCE IN ALANDALUS
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Continued to harvest:
wheat
Olives
grapes
Muslims brought in new
crops:
Citrus
Fig
Almond
Sugar Cane
Rice
Saffron
Updated irrigation
systems
ECONOMY AND COMMERCE IN ALANDALUS
Production of goods:
 1. metal mining
 2. metal works
industry – weapons,
fine gold jewelry, coins
 3. leather goods
 4. Textile Weaving –
wool, cloth, linen, silk
 5. Paper Industry (
introduced by
Muslims)

LARGE CITIES
Cordoba (largest)over 100,000
inhabitants
 Zaragoza, Toledo,
Seville, Granada,
Malaga, between
15,000 and 40,000
people
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CORDOBA
Islamic Spain
amongst the most
dynamic places in
Europe between the
8th -11th centuries
 Cordoba the capital of
Islamic Spain
 The focal point of alAndalus

CORDOBA AS DESCRIBED BY A 10TH
CENTURY GERMAN NUN
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“The majesty and adornment of the world ,
the wondrous capital…radiating in
affluence of all earthly blessings”
INTELLECTUAL MOVEMENTS IN CORDOBA
A center of learning
for Muslim and
Jewish scholars
 Legacy of poets,
scientists, physicians,
astronomers, and
architects
 70 libraries in the city
 The Caliph’s library
housed 400,000
volumes!
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ARCHITECTURAL CENTERPIECE OF
CORDOBA -MADINAT AS-ZAHRA
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A 400 room palace that
Abd al-Rahman III built
for his concubine Zahra
(10th century)
Adorned with marble,
semiprecious stones
Took 20 years to build!
Housed 13,000
household servants in
addition to diplomats
and courtiers
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https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=nbNUoRGFmg
THE “MODERN” CITY OF CORDOBA
Streets were paved
and illuminated at
night
 Wealthy homes had
indoor plumbing
 700 Mosques, 3,000
public baths, 5,000
silk looms, 70 libraries
 Ethnically mixed
population of more
than 100,000 people

GREAT MOSQUE OF CORDOBA
Islam prohibited the
depiction of the
human body
 So mosques were
embellished with
geometrical forms and
quotations from the
Qur’an
 https://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=7YvNMD
y_h3g
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WOMEN IN THE THREE FAITHS
Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam honored
women in certain
ways
 but were also
patriarchal (which
means women’s rights
and freedoms were
restricted)
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MUSLIM WOMEN’S ACTIVITIES WERE LEGALLY
RESTRICTED
1. Couldn’t take boat
trips with men
 2. Were forbidden to
wash clothes outside
 3. Banned from sitting
on the river shore in
the summer
 4. Generally confined
to the household
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LEGAL PRIVILEGES AND PROTECTIONS
FOR MUSLIM WOMEN IN AL- ANDALUS
1. protections against
violence and theft
 2. the right to own
and inherit property
 3. to buy and sell
goods
 4. to seek employment
and take part in
commercial
enterprise.
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(dawson, 2014)
WIVES IN AL-ANDALUS
Muslim culture
permitted men to have
up to 4 wives (symbol
of status)
 But did not permit
women to have
multiple husbands
 Practice not as
common in al-Andalus
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MARRIAGE IN MUSLIM SPAIN
Evidence that
interfaith marriage
between Muslims and
Christians occurred
and was tolerated in
Al-Andalus (although
not at all a common
practice elsewhere )
 Christian women
could gain privileges
bay marrying Islamic
men
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(dawson, 2014)
POETRY IN ISLAMIC SPAIN
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1.
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5.
6.
http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/m
oorishpoetry.asp
Individually read through the selections
Choose 1 poem to discuss as a group
* What is the poem about? Meaning? Symblism?
* Thoughts about the poem?
* Values?
* Limitations?