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The Earth and
Its Peoples
3rd edition
Chapter 9
The Sasanid Empire
and the Rise of Islam,
200-1200
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Dome of the Rock
Dome of the Rock
The first important Islamic shrine to be built was the celebrated Dome of the Rock, begun in
691 in Jerusalem by the caliph Abd al-Malik on the spot where faithful Muslims believe that
Muhammad began his Night-Journey as he ascended to heaven. Both the octagonal shape of the
centralized plan and the lavishly ornamented interior demonstrate the influence of Byzantine
architecture. The shrine is capped by a gilded dome. (Sonia Halliday Photographs)
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Great Mosque at Cordoba, 786
Great Mosque at Cordoba, 786
When the Abbasids attempted to massacre 800 family members of the Umayyad dynasty at a dinner of peace,
a few of them escaped, fled to Spain, and established Cordoba as their capital. The Great Mosque of
Cordoba, begun in 786, contains all of the usual features of a mosque, but it is best known for its interior
double set of horseshoe-shaped arches, one above the other, which are mounted on the capitals of granite and
marble columns. (Christopher Rennie/Robert Harding Picture Library)
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Islamic world map, 10th c
Islamic world map, 10th c
Oriented with the south at the top, this copy of a tenth-century original Islamic world
map was probably made in the fourteenth century. (Courtesy, Suleymaniye Library)
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Ivory casket of harvesting dates
Ivory casket of harvesting dates
This relief from an ivory casket, given to
a Cordoban prince, reflects the
importance of fruit cultivation in the
Muslim-inspired agricultural expansion
in southern Europe in the ninth and tenth
centuries. It was made in 970 C.E. for
Ziyad ibn Aflah, Prefect of Police.
(Louvre/R.M.N./Art Resource, NY)
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Mariner's compass
Mariner's compass
A mariner's compass determines direction at sea. Arab traders brought this Chinese
south-pointing compass to the West, probably in the twelfth century. (Ontario
Science Center, Toronto)
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Mosque at Samarra, 835
Mosque at Samarra, 835
A unique spiral minaret 171 feet high is the most imposing remnant of the imperial city of Samarra, which
was located on the east bank of the Tigris River 65 miles north of Baghdad. Begun in 835, this spacious
Abbasid capital was a model of urban planning. It was abandoned in 892 when the caliph returned to
Baghdad after the outbreak of severe friction between the people of Baghdad and Turkic military forces that
the caliphs had quartered in Samarra. (Cresswell Photographic Archive, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, neg
C270)
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Quran page from woodblock, 8th c
Quran page from woodblock, 8th c
Printing from woodblocks--such as this
Quran page--and from tin plates was
practiced in Islamic lands between
approximately 800 and 1400. Most of
the prints were narrow amulets designed
to be rolled and worn around the neck in
a cylindrical case. Less valued than
handwritten amulets, many of the prints
were made by Banu Sasan conmen. It is
not known why blockprinting had so
little effect on society in general and
eventually disappeared. (Cambridge
University Library)
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Sasanid plate of Shapur II, 300s
Sasanid plate of Shapur II, 300s
Hunting scenes enjoyed great popularity in the art of the Sasanid kingdom of Persia. The image of King
Shapur II (r. 309-379), depicting the ruler with a full beard and elaborately styled hair while hunting lions on
horseback, seems reminiscent of ancient Assyrian art. Carried across the Central Asian Silk Road and
exchanged for Chinese silk, this gilded silver plate came into the possession of a Tang Dynasty official.
Chinese desire for things Persian mirrored Western passion for Chinese silk. (Courtesy of the Middle Eastern
Cultural Center in Japan)
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Tomb of the Samanids in Bukhara
Tomb of the Samanids in Bukhara
This early-tenth-century tomb of the Samanids in Bukhara has the basic layout of a Zoroastrian fire temple: a
dome on top of a cube. However, geometric ornamentation in baked brick marks it as an early masterpiece of
Islamic architecture. The Samanid family achieved independence as rulers of northeastern Iran and western
Central Asia in the tenth century. (Art Resource, NY)
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Women playing chess, 13th c
Women playing chess, 13th c
Chess was a popular pastime in Muslim Spain. As shown in this thirteenth-century miniature, women in their
quarters, without men present, wore whatever clothes and jewels they liked. Notice the henna decorating the
hands of the woman in the middle. The woman on the left, probably a slave, is playing an oud. (Institut
Amatller d'Art Hispanic (c) Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid)
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Map: Early Expansion of Muslim Rule
Early Expansion of Muslim Rule
The territory brought under Muslim rule during the Arab conquests of the first Islamic century was vast. However, the
expansion of Islam as the religion of the majority of the population was much slower. In most areas outside the Arabian
peninsula, the only region where Arabic was then spoken, conversion was uncommon during the first century but accelerated
during the second. (Copyright (c) Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.)
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Map: The Islamic World, ca. 900
The Islamic World, ca. 900
The rapid expansion of Islam in a relatively short span of time testifies to the Arabs' superior fighting skills, religious zeal,
and economic ambition, as well as to their enemies' weakness. Plague, famine, and political troubles in Sasanid Persia
contributed to Muslim victory there. (Copyright (c) Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.)
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Map: Major Trade Routes of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries
Major Trade Routes of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries
Muslim merchants carried on extensive trade in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, southern Europe, Africa, and the Indian Ocean
long before the arrival (in the last area) of Europeans. (Copyright (c) Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.)
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Map: Rise and Fall of the Abbasid Caliphate
Rise and Fall of the Abbasid Caliphate
Though Abbasid rulers occupied the caliphal seat in Iraq from 750 to 1258, when Mongol armies destroyed Baghdad, real
political power waned sharply and steadily after 850. Nevertheless, the idea of the caliphate remained central to Sunni
Muslim political theory. The rival caliphates of the Fatimids (909-1171) and Spanish Umayyads (929-976) were
comparatively short-lived. (Copyright (c) Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.)
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.