Dar al-Islam
• literally = House of Islam
• commonly refers to lands heavily influenced by
Islam or where Muslims can practice freely
• along with China, Dar al-Islam drives the
history of the Post-Classical Era
Mediterranean
Red Sea
Persian Gulf
Atlantic Ocean
Arabian Peninsula
Near East
Anatolia
Sahara
Persia
Byzantine Empire
Umayyad Empire
Abbasid Empire
Damascus
Baghdad
Spain
Cordoba
Key Terms
Arab =
originally a resident of the Arabian Peninsula, then
a speaker of Arabic
Bedouin =
nomads of the Arabian Peninsula
Islam = “submission”
monotheistic religion that grew out of Christianity
& teaching of Muhammad
Muslim = “one who submits”
person who practices Islam
Nomadic Life in the
Pre-Islamic Arab World
Bedouins
Center of Arab culture
Tribal
Filled w/ rivalry &
competition
Animistic polytheism
On periphery of
civilization
Towns & Trade
Bedouin herders trade with oasis towns
Examples
Examples
Examples
The Rise of Islam
Judaism
Abraham
David
Moses*
Christianity
Jesus*
Islam
Muhammad*
Judaism – a primer
1 god = Yahweh
Prophets: 1st= Abraham, founder= Moses
Religion of practice
Belief in covenant
Text = Torah (Old Testament of Bible)
No clear hierarchy in leadership
Christianity – a primer
1 god = Yahweh
Prophets: 1st= Abraham, founder= Jesus
Religion of faith
Strong belief in missionary work
Text = Bible - Old Testament & New
Testament (life of Jesus)
Hierarchical leadership (Pope in Rome,
Patriarch in Constantinople)
Islam – a primer
1 god = Allah
Prophets: 1st= Abraham, founder= Muhammad
Religion of faith & practice
Strong belief in missionary work
Text = Quran – believed to be exact word of god
No clear hierarchy
Islam
5 Pillars
most basic customs that support Islam
1. Profession of Faith
 There is only 1 god, Allah, and
Muhammad is his messenger
Gulzar
Zoomorphic
Tughra
Bowl w/ Foliated Calligraphy
Qur'an
Rare
illustrated
version of
the
“Life of the
Prophet”
Marble Wall in Afghanistan
Practices: 5 Pillars
2. Prayer
 Pray 5 times daily at prescribed
times (dawn, noon, afternoon,
evening, after sundown)
 Face Mecca
The Haram (Great Mosque)
Practices: 5 Pillars
3. Charity
 systematic giving of 2.5% of one's
wealth each year to benefit the poor
Great Mosque of Qairawwan
Great Mosque of al-Mutawakkil
Practices: 5 Pillars
4. Fasting
 Fast during the holy month of
Ramadan
Practices: 5 Pillars
5. Pilgrimage (Hajj)
 the journey to holy city of Mecca that
every adult Muslim must undertake at
least once
Significance of 5 Pillars on Islam
Unity, equality, common experience
Travel, trade, exchange
Building of universities & centers of
learning
Study of astronomy
Comparing Monotheistic Religions
Using World Civilization doc reader:
Compare beliefs/attitudes toward god &
practices.
1.
2.
3.
Judaism & Old Testament (pg. 11)
Christianity & New Testament (pg. 101)
Islam & Koran (pg. 114)
Crisis After Muhammad’s Death
Faced Two Main Problems:
1. Arabic tribes leave Muslim community
2. Who should succeed Muhammad
leadership?
Caliph (successor, deputy): political &
religious leader
Results:
• Dispute b/t Sunni & Shia
Sunni
Feel that devout Muslims can be caliphs
even if not related to Muhammad
Make up approximately 80% of world
Muslim population today
Supported Abu Bakr
Friend of Muhammad's; early convert to Islam
Becomes 1st caliph
Shi'a
Only accepted caliphs who were direct
descendants of Muhammad
Supported Ali
Muhammad’s cousin & son-in-law
Believe rule of first three caliphs was
illegitimate
Crisis After Muhammad’s Death
Result of dispute b/t Sunni & Shia:
• Conflict allows the sunni Umayyad clan
to rise to power
Umayyad Empire
-Arab
-Conquerors
Timeline – pt1
597 = Byzantine & Persian Wars
613 = Muhammad begins preaching
632-661 = Early Caliphs
661-750 = Umayyad Empire
Umayyad Empire stretched from
Spain to central Asia
Administrative Reforms
Caliph appointed governors to rule far-flung
provinces
Governors ruled from strong garrison towns
Spoils from victories helped finance Umayyad
government
Bureaucracy & military dominated by Muslim
Arab elite
Instituted a three-level tax system:
1) Muslim Arabs:
• approx 4% of population
• not taxed
2) Muslim converts (non-Arab):
• approx 6% of population, largest land owners
• paid land tax
3) Non-Muslims & “People of the Book”:
•
•
•
•
approx 90% of population
paid land tax
paid jizya (head tax) for security
subject to own laws & courts
The Down Fall of Umayyad in 750
Revolt?
Led by:
• Devout Muslims upset with extravagance of
Umayyad leadership
• Shias
• Muslim converts (non-Arabs)
Abbasid Caliphate
Replaced Umayyad in 750
Read primary docs to find out what Abbasid
Empire & its capital city (Bagdad) was like
Ben Tudela was Jewish & from Spain
Ibn Battuta was Muslim & from Morocco
1. What was Baghdad & Abbasid leadership like
according to these two travelers?
2. How does the authors’ backgrounds influence
their accounts?
Abbasid
-Islamic flowering
-Preservers
Umayyad
Abbasid
Mediterranean
Red Sea
Persian Gulf
Atlantic Ocean
Arabian Peninsula
Near East
Anatolia
Sahara
Persia
Byzantine Empire
Umayyad Empire
Abbasid Empire
Damascus
Baghdad
Spain
Cordoba
Timeline – pt2
750-1258 = Abbasid
777-809 = strong Abbasid Era, wars of succession
945 – Buyid Persians capture Baghdad
1055 – Seljuk Turks capture Baghdad
1096 – Crusades start
1258 – Mongols overthrow Abbasid, end Caliphate
Rise of Abbasid Party
Abbasid
(the party of Abbas, tracing descent from Muhammad’s uncle)
Revolt dethroned Umayyad & captured capital
Supported by:
• Devout Muslims who opposed extravagant Umayyad
• Persian Muslims who resented secondary status
• Shia Muslims who did not recognize Sunni caliphs
al-Abbas slaughtered Umayyad family at “Reconciliation
Banquet”
Early Abbasid Era
Built off of Umayyad precedent:
Rejected revolutionary allies (Shia) & defended Sunni
Time of:
Wealth
Learning
But, clearly different…
Islamic Conversion
Mass conversions to Islam were encouraged
throughout the empire.
Most converts were won over peacefully because
of appeal of Islamic beliefs and advantages they
enjoyed:
- didn’t have to pay head tax
- educational opportunities
- jobs as traders, administrators, judges
Abbasid Policies
Centralizing forces
More complex
bureaucracy
Created position of chief
minister, wazir
Used Persian ruling
concepts
Decentralizing forces
Strained leadership &
succession problems
Influence of external
groups
Provinces at outer
reaches broke away or
failed to forward taxes
Wealth & Prosperity
Commercial boom financed
art, literature, palaces
Thrones of gold & jewels
Harems
Elitism!
Thousand and One Nights
Read inset on pg. 145
Answer the questions at the bottom
Reason for wealth & learning…
Agrarian Expansion &
Commercial Boom
New Crops & Urban Growth
Several factors led to strong internal economy
1.
2.
3.
Location
Size of empire
Beliefs of Islam
•
•
•
Hajj
View of merchants
“People of the Book”
New Crops & Urban Growth
Fostered diffusion of crops & technologies
Sugarcane, rice, eggplants, oranges, lemons,
limes, bananas, coconuts, watermelons, cotton
Irrigation, fertilization, crop rotation
• Impact = more planting seasons, increased food
supplies, urban growth, wealthy merchant & landlord
class, slave trade
Camel, camel saddle, compass, paper, astrolabe,
triangular lateen sail, dhows
• Impact = formation of hemispheric trading zone
Hemispheric Trading Zone
Acting as merchants on Silk Roads
Acting as merchants on Trans-Sahara Routes
Acting as merchants on Indian Ocean
Impact: Interconnection b/t Africa, Europe,
South Asia, Southeast Asia, China; Improved
banking; New business forms that spread risks
Example = Africa
Wealth & Prosperity
Commercial boom fostered
urbanization
Baghdad
• New capital
• Richest city in the world
Era of Learning
Commercial boom financed
science
After Islam
Receptive to
accomplishments of
conquered civs
Translated & built on Greek
works
Religious, legal,
philosophical, scientific, &
mathematic treatises
flourish
(Empire of Faith: Baghdad city of scholars & science)
Review: Compare Caliphates
With a partner, create a poster of words & visuals
that compares & contrasts…
the Umayyad Empire OR the Abbasid Empire
with
A classical empire of your choice.
Review: Impact of Islam on World
Timeline – pt3
1291 =
Last Christian Crusader state falls
1300s =
Ottoman Turks enter Middle East & fill power vacuum
1453 =
Ottomans conquer Constantinople, establishing a new Muslim
empire in the Middle East & ending the Byzantine