What am I?
Camels- “ships” of
the desert; made
trade in the Middle
East possible
What does each camel tell you about the
environment that they live in? What can you infer
about each climate?
Early Inhabitants: People called
Bedouins
• Bedouins- tribes of nomadic herders
– Traveled desert with no permanent home
– Raised sheep, camels, and goats
– Guides for trade caravans
• Caravans- helped keep traders safe
• Bedouins were/are Arabs
– Lived on Arabian Peninsula
– Spoke Arabic
• Knew way through desert & location of oases:
• Guides for surviving trade in the desert!
Trade
• Cities Mecca
and Medina
– trading centers
– located at
crossroads of
trade
- traded elephant
tusks, perfume,
spices, cloth and gold
Early Religion: Before Islam
• Before Islam, most Arabs were polytheistic
• Kaaba- Sacred shrine in Mecca
• Muslims believe it was built by Abraham and
Ishmael
– Important prophets to Jews and
Christians
• Many Arab gods
worshipped there
(before Islam)
-worshipped idols or
False gods
Kabba- ancient stone building
located at the Grand Mosque
in Mecca
• Black Stone
– Eastern corner of
Kabba
– From time of Adam
and Eve
– Pilgrims touch and
kiss the stone as they
circle the Kabba
TRADITION OF ARABS
• Made a pilgrimage (religious journey)
once a year to Mecca
• Worshipped at the Kaaba
• Trade goods– A lot of trade went on
– Mecca was a rich city
– This pilgrimage brought mucho money into
the city
WHO WAS
MUHAMMAD?
• Prophet of Islam
• Prophet- someone who others believe has
talked to God
– Born in Mecca in 572 became an orphan
– Job: led trade caravans across the desert to
Palestine and Syria
– Married a wealthy widow – Khadija
• Angel Gabriel told him that he was a prophet
of God
• Arabic for God= Allah
• Muhammad decided to spread the word of
Islam
The Hijra: 622 C.E.
• Merchants and traders of Arab tribes
rejected the idea of one God
– Did not want idols of the Kaaba destroyed
– Wanted to kill him- thought Islam would ruin
trade
• Hijra – migration of Muhammad and
followers from Mecca to Medina, also known
as “Night Flight”
• Medina meaning “city of the prophet”
• 622- start of the Muslim calendar
RETURN TO MECCA
• 630 C.E. – Muhammad returned to Mecca and
recaptured the city with an army
• Dedicated the Black Stone & Kaaba to God
(Allah)
• Banned many Arab idols (false gods)
• Mecca became Islamic religious center and
stayed a powerful center of trade
Similarities
• Muslims are strict monotheists
•
They believe in same the JudeoChristian God, which they call
Allah.
•
Muslims believe that the Torah
and the Bible, like the Qur’an,
is the word of God.
Peoples of the Book
Mosque- Muslim house of worship
Remember,
the Turks
turned Hagia
Sophia into
a mosque
MINARETS
Some typical
features of
mosques are
domes and
minarets
DOME
Quran or Koran
Quran
–
–
–
–
Holy book of Islam
Contains messages God
gave to Muhammad
Similar to the Bible
(Christian holy book)
and the Torah (Jewish
holy book)
“People of the Book”
The Five Pillars of Islam
Declaration Declare there is only 1 God Allah &
of Faith
Muhammad is his messenger
Prayer
5 times per day; facing Mecca
Almsgiving
Must give alms; money that goes
to the needy
Fasting
Fast during daylight hours during
month of Ramadan
Pilgrimage
or hajj
Must travel to Mecca at least once
in life if able
The Hajj- 2015
• Over 2 million
participants
– Mina where the
ritual called
“stoning of the
devil” takes place
– 2 miles from Mecca
– 717 people died,
900 injured due to
a stampede
The Schism
G. A Split Among Muslims
1. After Muhammad’s death…
2. Shiites- smaller group argued leader
should be, direct descendant of
Muhammad
3. Sunni- larger group, argued any true
Muslim could become leader and a group
of scholars should interpret the Koran
Think about it….how is this like the schism
we studied in Christianity?
Role of Women
• Quran taught men and
women are spiritually
equal
• Were given more rights
by Quran
- right to inherit
property
- right to education
- right to divorce
The Taliban
imposed strict
laws limiting
what women
in Afghanistan
were allowed
to do.
`
Many New Converts
• Islam spreads two ways:
1. Arab Merchants trading
in parts of Asia and
North Africa
2.Arab armies conquered
neighboring regions
Battle of Tours
• In Present-Day France
- This stopped the Muslim
advance into Christian
Europe
Reasons for Success
• Weakness of the Roman, Byzantine, and
Persian Empire
• United Arab community- made them
stronger
Under Muslim Rule
• Muslims Tolerated other Faiths
a. allowed Jews and Christians to
practice their own religion
b. Jews and Christians could pursue
their own business affairs
- Non-Muslims
a. Fewer rights- could not own a
weapon or fight in military
b. Paid special tax to help government
The Age of Caliphs- The Golden
Age
• Caliph- a Muslim ruler, considered
Muhammed’s successor
• Wealth
– Came from lands it controlled
– Trade
Harun ar-Rashid: A Powerful Caliph
1. wealthy leader
2. supported arts such as writing, music, dancers
Achievements of the Golden Age
• Math and Science
– Contributions to algebra (comes from
Arabic word al-jabr)
– Ibn Sina- organized medical knowledge of
Greeks and Arabs into the Canon of
Medicine
• Literature
– Poetry was important in Islamic world
– Sufis: mystics who believed that they
could draw close to God through prayer,
fasting and a simple life
• Helped spread Islam to Central Asia, India, and
Africa