Transcript Arabia and Persia

Arabia and Persia
• Persian Empire embraced Islam after
1,000 years of history (Persia – Iran)
• In 539 BC the Persian King conquered the
area including Mesopotamia and freed the
Jews to return to Palestine.
• Muhammad was born in Mecca where
Islam was founded
• Muhammad’s revelations created the
Koran
Persia (1000BC-642 AD)
• Zoroastrianism was the first religion
– View human morality
– View world regarding struggle with good and
evil
• Persians built up military power for survival
• 550 BC Cyrus the Great established
Persian Empire
– Did not loot or destroy lands
– Merciful and respectful of customs
Rise of Islam (570-1258 AD)
• Arabic Tradition
– Descendents of Abraham
– Hebrew ancestry
• Arabs
– Farmers and traders
• Muhammad
– Born in Mecca, Arabia
– Visited by Angel Gabriel
– Preached Islam
– Sought refuge with a Christian King
– Launched successful military campaigns
against non-Islamic followers
Rise of Islam cont.
• By 613, most of Arabia followed Islam
• By 640, most of Persia followed Islam
• From 762-1258, the dynasty ruled from
Baghdad
• By 1200, independent Muslim states
began to break the dynasty apart
Persian Rebirth (819-1502 AD)
• Persian Dynasty gains power in the 9th
century
• Bukhara rivals Baghdad as the center of
learning
• In 945, Persians took over Baghdad
• Arabic as a language of Islamic ritual
• Persian language and culture flourished
• The Turkish captured Baghdad in 1055
• Persian followers moved the capital to
Isfahan but remained under Turkish rule
until 1502
Classes
• Nomads
– Wanderers of the desert
– Warriors
– Made up core of Islamic armies
• Ruling Class
– Religious Leaders became puppet rulers
– Military Dictators and Aristocrats
• Lower Class
– Lives improved under Islam
– Higher taxes based on religion, conversion, and
nonbelievers
• Merchants and Traders
– Wealthy
– Travelers
Classes cont.
• Learned Class
– Scholars, scientists, writers, and artists
– Valued members of society
– House of Wisdom
• Academy and library
• Baghdad
• Scholars of various cultures and beliefs
• Islamic Mystics (dervishes)
– Those seeking a close relationship with Allah
– Some lived similar to European monks
– Some were beggars and lived on charity
• Women
– Islam granted them rights concerning marriage,
family, and property
– Equal in the eyes of Allah
– Time lead to forced secluded lives
Modern Influence
• Banking
– Money handlers established banks in Islamic Empire
– Established letter of credit
• Mail
– Messenger system
– Established in the ancient Persian Empire
• Surgery
– Islamic physicians lead the way in eye surgery
– Developed use of anesthetics during surgery
• Math
– Arabic efforts influenced number system (Arabic
numbers)
– Number system devised in India
– Arabic mathematician laid out principles of Algebra
– Latin pronunciation of mathematicians name creates
the word algorithm (al-Khwarizmi)