Download Islamic Empires

The Rise of Islam
Terms to Know
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Muhammad (c. 571 – 632)
The Qur’an
Umayyad Dynasty, 661 – 750
Abbasid Dynasty, 750 – 1258
Arabia Before Islam
• Commercial cities
• Nomadic culture
• Polytheistic
Western Afroeurasia before the Rise of Islam
Muhammad (c. 571 – 632)
• Born into a commercial family in Mecca
• 610: visited by Gabriel; becomes prophet of
Islam
• 622, Hegira: Forced to leave Mecca for Medina
• By 627, Muhammad united Medina under Islam
with protection for other faiths, peace &
prosperity; Islam spread rapidly amongst Arabs
• 630: returned to Mecca in triumph and worked
for unification of Arabia
The Practice of Early Islam
• Five Pillars: Recitation;
Prayer; Alms; Ramadan;
Pilgrimage (Hajj)
• The Qur’an: 114 surahs
(chapters) lay out
creation, life & laws
• Sunni: recognized
authority of Caliphs
• Shi’ite: followed lineage
of Muhammad
Decorations in the Great
Mosque of Aleppo
demonstrate the
sophistication of Islamic
decorative art and architecture
Creating an Empire
• Four Rightly Guided
Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar,
Uthman, Ali – incorporated
Persia, Syria, Egypt &
North Africa into Islamic
Empire
• Ali’s assassination in 661
ended the direct line of
Muhammad’s household in
leading Islam
The Dome of the Rock, one of the
most sacred sites in Islam, was
begun in 684 after the Islamic
conquest of Jerusalem
Umayyad Dynasty, 661 – 750
• Mu'awiyah, governor of
Damascus, rebelled against
Ali and, after Ali’s
asssassination, seized control
• Umayyad Caliphs focused on
expansion in the East
(against Byzantium) and the
West (against Vandals,
Visigoths and Franks)
This example of Islamic
architecture comes from
eighth century Cordoba in
Spain
The Empire Grows & Divides
Abbasid Dynasty, 750 – 1258
• Caliphs of Baghdad, rebelled against
Umayyad caliphs, 747-750
• Islam quickly fragmented
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Umayyad dynasty re-emerges in Spain
Africa soon declared its independence
Critics complained of persecution against Shi’a
Harun al-Rashid (763-809) was a scholar, poet
and military leader who bested the Byzantines
– Al-Mu'tasim (833-842) began practice of passing
power to Turkish household slaves
The Muslim World to 1500 C.E.