Muslim Civilizations

Muhammad the Prophet

• Born ca. 570 in Mecca

• Trading center; home of the Kaaba

• Marries Khadija

• At 40 he goes into the hills to meditate; God sends Gabriel with a call

• Khadija becomes first convert to Allah and Islam

Muhammad’s Call to Prophecy and

First Revelation; 1425 from Heart,

Afghanistan

The Hijra

• 622 Muhammad flees Mecca for Yathrib

• He’s welcomed; people convert and become the first community

• Umma unites the clans

• In 630 Muhammad returns to Mecca; destroys the Kaaba

• 632 Muhammad dies

Teachings of Islam

• Quran; Arabic

• Five Pillars;

declaration, prayer,

giving alms, fasting

and Ramadan, the

Hajj

• Mosques

• Jihad

• People of the Book

The Kaaba

Islamic Law

• Governs daily life;

determines ethical

behavior; influences

family relations

• Extends rights and

protection to women;

spiritually equal

• In reality, different

roles and rights Frieze of Mohammed,

Supreme Court

building

Building a Muslim Empire

• Early challenges;

Muhammad dies

without a successor

• Abu Bakr becomes

the first caliph

• They make war on

the Byzantines and

Persians under the

first four caliphs

Divisions Within Islam

• Shiites; believe Ali to

be Muhammad’s

successor; Imams,

divine religious

leaders descended

from Ali and Fatima

• Sunnis; no prophet

after Mohammad; any

good Muslim male

could lead; caliph Abu Bakr (second from left)

The Umayyad Caliphate

• 661-750; After Ali’s

death, the Umayyad

caliphs rule

• Capital is Damascus

• Armies on horseback

spread out to Egypt,

Spain, Africa, into

Byzantium and the

Indus River Valley

Great Mosque of Damascus

Muslim Success

• Other empires are

weakened

• Common faith united

them into a unified

state

• Orderly system of

administration

• Treat conquered

people fairly Dome of the Rock; built by

Abd al-Malik (685-705)

A New Caliphate

• Conquests slow and economic tensions increase in 700s

• Shiites and non-Arab Muslims support Abu al-Abas; founds the Abbasid dynasty

• Capital moves to Baghdad

• Last Umayyad flees to Cordoba

The Abbasid Palace in Baghdad,

built in the 13th century.

Courtesy of Saleh Iraq Home Page

http://achilles.net/~sal/

Decline of the Muslim Empire

• The Abbasids never rule Spain

• By 850 their control of their empire begins falling apart

• In the 900s the Seljuk Turks enter the Middle East

• 1216 the Mongols swarm out of Central Asia

Seljuk empire at the time

of its greatest extent

The Mongol Empire and its

successor khanates

The Golden Age

• 750-1350 Muslim

merchants create vast

trade network; Silk

Road

• Spreads products,

technologies,

knowledge, religions,

diseases, money

economies between

East Asia and Europe The Silk Road extends from

Southern Europe through Arabia,

Egypt, Persia, India, and China.

Art and Architecture

• Baghdad, Cairo,

Cordoba, Timbuktu

are centers of

learning

• Scholars translate

Greek philosophers,

Roman, Hindu,

Buddhist texts

• Advances in Math

and Medicine

Mongol and Muslim Empires

1000-1500

India’s Muslim Empires

• 550 the Gupta Empire

falls; Hindu and

Buddhist rulers

• Trade networks link

India, China, Middle

East, Southeast Asia

• Arabs conquer Indus

Valley in 711

• Late 1100s the sultan

of Ghur defeats the

Hindus

Changes in Government and

Society

• Muslim traditions of government

• Turks, Persians, Arabs migrate as office holders

• Trade between India and Muslim lands increases

• Arab scholars bring Greek and Persian learning to the area

The Qutub Minaret is the

world's tallest brick minarett at

72.5 metres.

Effects of Muslim Conquest

• Destruction of Buddhist temples weakens the religion in South Asia

• Hindus were killed or forced to convert

• The two religions faced off; eventually the sultans became more tolerant

• Hinduism accepted; rajahs

1398 Timur invaded India

The Mughals

• 1526 Mongols under Babur invade India again

• Sets up the Mughal Dynasty; 1526-1857

• Akbar, 1556-1605, greatest Mughal ruler

• High point of art and architecture under Shah Jahan

The Ottoman and Safavid Empires

• 1300s the Ottomans, Turks from central Asia migrate into Asia Minor

• In 1453 they take Constantinople; rename it Istanbul

• Under Suleiman it reached from Hungary to Arabia to the Middle East and North Africa

Ottoman Culture

• Suleiman has absolute power, strengthens government

• Rules with grand vizier and council

• Society organized into classes

• After his death the empire begins a slow decline

Selimiye mosque; Edirne

The Safavid Empire

• 1500s; Persia

• 1588-1629 Shah Abbas the Great centralizes government; revives the glory of the old Persian Empire

• After his death pressure from the Ottomans leads to their decline

The Bridge of 33 Arches