Ch. 6 Rise and Spread of Islam Web Quest
Caliph Ali
This site is a study of the life of the "Fourth Noble Caliph," Ali ibn Abi Talib. Much of early Islamic history can be associated with the
life of the Caliph Ali, who was also the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law.
http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/history/caliphs.htm
http://islam.about.com/od/history/a/Rightly-Guided-Caliphs.htm
http://islam.about.com/od/history/p/alibinabutalib.htm
Questions for exploration:
Who were the "four righteous Caliphs?"
What happened to Ali's two sons, Hasan and Husayn? (pg. 138 in the textbook)
How did the Kharijites, Ali's most ardent supporters, come to oppose him?
What is an imam?
Arabic Calligraphy, Tile and Pottery
This site offers an introduction to significant forms of early Islamic art.
http://newmedia.cityu.edu.hk/04middleeast/PDF/Culture1.pdf
Questions for exploration:
What are the basic characteristics of early Arab Muslim calligraphy?
What are the most common inscriptions?
What is a luster painting?
Jerusalem under Muslim rule
This site takes a look at life in Jerusalem during the early years of Muslim rule.
http://islam.about.com/od/jerusalem/a/quds.htm
http://www1.american.edu/ted/hpages/jeruselum/muslim.htm
Questions for exploration:
What did Muslims call Jerusalem?
Why is the city holy to Muslims?
What Christian practice disgusted Caliph Umar when he first entered the city?
What Christian practice about Jewish residency in the city did Umar abolish?
An Arab Diplomat in Byzantium
This site, a document selected from the Internet’s Medieval Sourcebook, is an account by an Arab Ambassador in Constantinople in
the late 10th century.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/byz-arabambas.asp
Questions for exploration:
How do the discussions recorded here touch on the problems posed by translated documents?
Why does the Arab envoy regard the Byzantine position as somewhat ridiculous?
Do the Byzantines seem interested in a fair settlement?
How does the status of the Byzantine prince in exile in Baghdad seem to the Arab negotiator to be proof of the Abbasid Empire's
superior moral and practical approach to politics?