Transcript Islamic Civilization The World of Islam

Islamic
Civilization
The World of Islam
Umayyad Dynasty
• In 717, Muslims attacked Constantinople, but their
navy was defeated by Byzantines
• Internal struggles led to revolts
• Most important revolt was led by Hussein, 2nd son of
Ali/ Most of his followers defected and he fought
10,000 soldiers with 72….All died
• The struggles caused Islam to split into two groups,
the Shiite & Sunni
• Split continues today….Most Muslims are Sunnis,
but much of Iraq & Iran consider themselves Shiites
Umayyad
Mosque
In Spain
Samanid
Mosque
In Bukhara
Fatimid Mosque in Cairo
Abbasid Dynasty
• In 750, Abu al-Abbas overthrew the Umayyad
dynasty & founded Abbasid which lasted until 1258
• In 762, Abbasid built new capital of Baghdad on the
Tigris river/ location took advantage of river &
caravan traffic
• Harun al-Rashid led dynasty through golden age/
known for charity and patronage
• Son = al Ma’mun was a great patron of learning
• Baghdad became center of a huge trade empire
Abbasid Dynasty Falls
• Abbasid experienced problems; fighting
over succession of caliph
• Vast wealth led to financial corruption
• Shortage of qualified Arabs to fill
government positions allowed non-Arabs to
become a dominant force in the military &
bureaucracy which led disintegration
• Rulers of provinces began to break away
• Spain, Morocco, Egypt = independent with
own caliphate
Islamic Society
• Muslims live their lives in accordance with Allah’s
teachings revealed in the Quran
• Islam claims that all people are equal in the eyes of
Allah/ was not always the case in the Arab empire =
well defined upper class of ruling families &
wealthy merchants
• Slaves were not considered equal/Muslims could not
be slaves/ Slaves came from south Africa or Asia,
mostly captives of war/treated pretty well, many
were set free
• Women were not treated equal, Quran does not tell
men to do so
Islamic Civilization
• Arab empire was generally prosperous
• Based on extensive trade by ship & camel
• Camel caravans went to Morocco in far west to
countries beyond Caspian Sea
• Trade began to prosper during Abassid dynasty
• Large magnificent cities began to
prosper……..Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus, Cordoba
• Islamic cities had their own physical appearance
• Palace & mosques = most impressive buildings
• Fountains, public baths, bazaars
Islamic Society
• Men dominated Arab empire
• Every woman had a male guardian/ Women were
secluded at home & kept from social contacts with
men outside their families
• Parents arranged marriages for children/ Muslim
men could have up to 4 wives\had to pay dowry
• Women covered much of their bodies while in
public
• These customs are more connected with Arab
practice than to the teachings of the Quran
Islamic Achievements
• Medicine = developed medicine as a field of study/
Ibn Sina wrote medical encyclopedia, Canon of
Medicine, it showed how diseases could spread
• History = Ibn Khaldun proposed cyclical history,
cause & effect, wrote Muqaddimah- Intro to History
• Literature = Quran was main book/ Omar Khayyam
wrote Rubaiyat/ Arabian Nights (1001 Nights)
collection of folktales & fables that were first told
orally & then written down over many years
• Art/Architecture = blends together Arabic, Turkish,
& Persian traditions
Islamic Achievements
• Art is expressed in Mosques/ decorations =
arabesques- geometric patterns of Arabic letters,
plants, & abstract figures
• No representation of Muhammad in any art/ prophet
warned against imitating God by creating pictures
• Great Mosque of Samarra is the largest Mosque ever
built = present day Iraq, covers 10 acres
• Mosque in Cordoba, Spain = 514 columns make
building into a forest of trees\
• Palaces reflected the glory of Islam
• Alhambra in Granada, Spain is finest Islamic palace
Islamic Achievements
• Al-Ma’mun’s House of Wisdom = Baghdad, Arab
scholars translated Greek works by Plato, Aristotle,
etc./ Mathematics texts were included
• Ibn-Rushd = scholar, wrote commentaries on
Aristotle’s works
• Math = created algebra & passed on India’s
numbering system known as “Arabic” in Europe
• Science = perfected astrolabe-used by sailors to
determine location by looking at position of planets
& stars/ observatory in Baghdad where scientists
studied and named many stars
The year is 1095 ad….
Religion is the center of
everyone's life
And two worlds are about
to collide
one of the worlds longest and
bloodiest battles is about to
begin…
Mohammad
islam on one side…
Christianity on the
oTher…
The Mission:
Capture the city of Jerusalem
Muslim
Shrine =
“Dome of
the Rock”
Christian
Shrine =
Holy
Sepulcher
Church
Jewish
Shrine =
“Wailing
Wall”
Christian Shrine = Church of the Holy
Sepulcher (down the street)
But more than land is on
The line…
Warriors on both sides are fighting
for Salvation and their god…
And they show that on their Weapons….
"This is the noble sword of the house of
Muhammad the prophet and the lord Allah."
Seljuk Turks & Crusades
• Fatimid dynasty became center of Islamic
civilization = important because it was located on
Nile river = Cairo
• Created a strong army by non-native soldiers =
Seljuk Turks
• Seljuk Turks = nomadic people from central Asia,
converted to Islam
• Took over much of Abbasid empire & captured
Baghdad; held political and military power
• Turks took over Anatolian plateau, Byzantine
empire turned west for help
Crusades
• Byzantine emperor Alexius I asked Christian states
of Europe for help against Turks
• Europeans agreed and a series of Crusades began in
1096
• Crusaders put Muslims on defensive first
• 1169, Saladin took control of Egypt & ended
Fatimid dynasty, took offensive @ Christians
• 1187, Saladin’s army destroyed the Christian forces
in the kingdom of Jerusalem
• Main effect of Crusades = centuries of mistrust
between Muslims & Christians