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Mid East Interactive Atlas :: Rise of Islam Content
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RISE OF ISLAM
RISE OF ISLAM ............................................................................................................................ 1
THE BIRTH OF ISLAM ........................................................................................................ 1
Prophet Muhammad ................................................................................................................ 1
Jihad ........................................................................................................................................ 1
Civil War................................................................................................................................. 2
Umayyad Caliphate ................................................................................................................. 2
HEIGHT OF ISLAM .............................................................................................................. 2
Abbasids & Umayyads ........................................................................................................... 2
Scientific Discovery ................................................................................................................ 3
Turkish Migrations.................................................................................................................. 3
Break up of Caliphate ............................................................................................................. 4
THE CHRISTIAN CRUSADES............................................................................................. 4
The Seljuk Turks ..................................................................................................................... 4
Christian Crusades .................................................................................................................. 5
Ayyubids ................................................................................................................................. 5
Mamluks & Mongols .............................................................................................................. 6
THE BIRTH OF ISLAM
Until the birth of Muhammad, Arabian peninsula was made up of many small, nomadic tribes
that lived and worked independently of each other. Muhammad convinced the nomadic peoples
that god wanted them to unite and work together under a new religion: Islam. In less than 100
years, the entire Middle East was united under the Muslim faith.
Prophet Muhammad
More: Born in Mecca in 570, he has a vision of the angel Gabriel in a cave on Mt.Hira and
begins his religious teachings and converting Arabs to the Muslim faith. By the time of his death,
virtually all Arab tribes are united and at peace.
Blurb pointing to Mecca:
In 610, Muhammad had his first vision. He was able to get people to follow his beliefs
and consider him a prophet of God, in the tradition of Abraham and Jesus.
In 622, he and a group of followers flee to Medina to escape religious persecution.
Blurb pointing to Medina:
By 630, Muhammad has enough support to raise an army and take the city of Mecca,
declaring it the religious center of Islam. At his death in 632, half of the Arabian
Peninsula recognizes Allah as the one true God, with Muhammad as his prophet.
Jihad
More: Meaning "Holy War," a jihad is a war against non-Muslim peoples. During Muhammad's
time, many wars were fought on the Arabian Peninsula with Jews, Christians, and Pagans to
establish the peninsula as Muslim.
Part 2 (separate box)
After Muhammad's death, his successors would fight the Christian Byzantines and the
Zoroastrian Sassanians to spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula.
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Blurb pointing to Jerusalem:
Only 81 years after Muhammad's first vision in a cave outside Mecca, the Dome on the
Rock shrine is built in Jerusalem in 691 to honor the site where Muhammad ascended to
heaven to meet God in his last vision. It happens to be the same site of the oldest Jewish
temple.
Civil War
More: After the death of Muhammad, his followers continued to unite Arabs under Islam and
conquer new territory. After the fourth Caliph, muslims would be divided into the Sunni and
Shiite sects.
Blurb pointing to Medina:
Sunni Order: Abu Bakr, Muhammad's Father-in-law was the first Caliph, or successor
to the prophet. He ruled from Medina. Umar and Uthman are the next two Caliphs. They
represent the Sunni order that believes in following the traditions established by the first
Rightly Guided Caliphs, each of whom was a disciple of Muhammad.
Blurb pointing to Kufa:
Shi'ite (Party of Ali): Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law was the
fourth Caliph and ruled from Kufa, Iraq. Many believed Ali was the only true successor
to Muhammad because they were blood relatives. Shiite Muslims believe only relatives
of Muhammad have the right to be Caliph. Though Muhammad did not have any sons,
his lineage was continued by his cousins Abd Allah ibn Abbas and Ali ibn Abi Talib. Ali
married his daughter Fatima and they had two sons, Hasan and Husayn, whose
descendants are numerous today.
Umayyad Caliphate
More: The Umayyad were Sunnis and descended from the Caliph Umar. The Umayyad family
killed the Caliph Ali and took over the Muslim empire from 661 to 750 AD. Under the
Umayyads, Muslims conquered the Sassanids and claimed most of the Byzantine Empire. Many
Shiite Muslims were unhappy under Umayyad rule because they did not feel that the Caliphs
were true to Islam.
Blurb pointing to Damascus:
The Umayyads moved the seat of the Caliphate from Medina to Damascus.
Blurb pointing to Karbala:
In 680 Husan, the second son of cAli ibn Abi Talib, as well as his family and followers
are killed in a battle against Umayyad forces at Karbala; the remembrance of this event
and Husan's martyrdom strengthen the Shiite cause.
HEIGHT OF ISLAM
The Islamic Empire became one of the most advanced civilizations of its time. During its height,
there was a separation of church and state with religious leaders and not the Caliph heading the
faith. Also, great advances were made in the arts and sciences. Eventually, however, the empire
became too big to be ruled by one Caliph and local leaders became very powerful.
Abbasids & Umayyads
Abbasid more: The Abbasids where shi'ite muslims that claimed descendancy from Abbas, the
uncle of Muhammad. The Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads to gain control of the empire in
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750 AD. Under the Abbassids non-Arab Muslims from conquered regions were given a much
larger role in the running of the Empire.
Blurb pointing to Baghdad:
The Abbasids considered the Umayyads corrupt and not true to Islam. The last
Ummayyad Caliph, Merwan was hunted down and killed in Egypt. One Abbasid general
held a banquet and 80 Umayyad officials were invited. They were all killed except for
one, Abd al Rahman, who was able to escape to Spain where he began a new Umayyad
government. The Abbassids moved the seat of the Caliph from Demascus to Baghdad.
Umayyad more: In 756, Abd-al-Rahman was proclaimed the emir of Cordova, Spain. He united
the Umayyad forces in Spain and made the ancient Roman city of Cordova his new capital.
Cordova would become a cultural center with one of the largest cities in Europe with a
population of 200,000.
Blurb pointing to Cordova:
The Sunni Umayyads retreat to Spain to avoid persecution from the Shi'ite Abbasids.
Scientific Discovery
More: The Caliphs during this period were great patrons of the arts and sciences and would pay
Muslims to study religious law, poetry, astronomy, mathematics and more.
KEEP THE BAGHDAD BLURB? I THINK IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO POINT OUT
THAT BAGHDAD WAS ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED CITIES OF THE TIME. I
THINK GIVING HARUN AL-RASHID CREDIT FOR ESTABLISHING FREE HEALTH
CARE IS ALSO IMPORTANT. OTHERWISE, THE IDEA OF HIGHLIGHTING MEDICINE,
ASTRONOMY, MATH, ETC. AND MAKING THEM SEPARATE ROLLOVERS SEEMS
LIKE THE WAY TO GO.
Blurb pointing to Baghdad:
Baghdad was the intellectual capital of the world during this time. Harun al-Rashid was
the most prosperous Caliph of the Abbasids. He opened the world's first free hospital, an
idea that became a common practice in the Muslim world.
Medicine (Europe):
Abu Ali al-Hussein ibn Sina produced a medical encyclopedia called the Qanun. It
described diseases and how to use 760 drugs to treat them. It was translated into Latin
and used throughout Europe. In the Middle Ages, Christian kings preferred to hire
doctor's trained in Arab medical schools.
Astronomy (Egypt):
Arab astronomers advanced upon the work of the ancient Greeks and Ptomely. They
charted the stars and constellations to determine how to navigate the dessert and sea, even
to ensure they were praying in the direction of Mecca.
Turkish Migrations
More: Turks began invading the Middle East in the 11th century from central Asia and southeast
Russia. They were rugged nomadic people used to traveling and hunting on horseback, which
made them fierce warriors. They were often taken as slaves, converted to the Islamic faith, and
trained to be soldiers. They assimilated very well prospering as military leaders and would come
to have a large impact on the Islamic world.
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Break up of Caliphate
More: Local rulers became more powerful because the central Caliph could not control all of the
empire effectively. The local rulers gained more power and eventually took over control of the
military and governments.
Blurb pointing to Buwayhids (I’m pretty certain ‘Buyids’ and ‘Buwayhids’ are the
same)
The Shi'ite Buwayhids invaded Baghdad from Persia. They would carry on the Abbasid
caliphate controlling Mesopotamia and Persia.
Blurb pointing to Fatamids
The Shi'ite Fatamids were Ismaili's, a radical Islamic sect that started in 756. Al-Hakim,
the sixth Fatimid caliph was the most extreme. In 1009 he tore down the Church of the
Holy Sepulcher, which inflamed fears of Muslim expansion in Europe.
Blurb pointing to Quarmatians
The Ismaili sect gained power with the Quarmatians in Arabia. Ismaili's gained religious
and political popularity by promising to help the poor and oppressed.
Blurb pointing to Ghaznavids
The Ghaznavids were the first Turkish Islamic empire. They occupied parts of India and
spread Islam into that region.
THE CHRISTIAN CRUSADES
During this period the Islamic Empire was constantly at war defending its territory against nonMuslim neighbors, most notably the European Christians and the Mongols. Eventually, the
Islamic Empire would fall to the Mongols and the Mamluks.
The Seljuk Turks
More: The Seljuks were a ruling Turkish military family in Uzbekistan that was under the
authority of the Ghaznavids. They quickly conquered the Ghaznavids and then built an empire
that would include Iran, Anatolia, Syria, and Mesopotamia.
Blurb pointing to Baghdad:
By the time the Seljuks reached Baghdad in 1055, the Buywahids fled and the people
quickly accepted Seljuk rule. The Seljuks were Sunni Muslim, but they honored the
Shi’ite Abbasid Caliph as the true leader of the Islamic faith. The Seljuks would rule as
Sultans, Turkish for Emperor..
Blurb pointing to Manzikert:
In 1071 the Byzantine army faced the Seljuks in battle at Manzikert. The Seljuks
captured the Byzantine emperor Romanus and destroyed his army. Romanus returned to
Constantinople and sought help from Europe to help fight the Seljuks.
Blurb pointing to Jerusalem:
The Seljuks briefly occupied Jerusalem. The Turks were recent converts to Islam, and
they were less tolerant of Christians than the Arabs were. Europeans came to fear all
Muslims and resented the fact they controlled access to the Holy Land.
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Turkish Arab Conflict:
The Seljuk Turks adopted many Arabic customs, and developed a network of Islamic schools
called Madrasas. They taught Religion and Science, but were only available to Sunni Muslims.
Soon Shi’ite’s were denied the best education, and important government and military positions
went to Sunnis. This added to Sunni and Shi’ite tensions.
The Order of the Assassins
The Assassins were part of the more radical Ismaili sect of Shi’ite Muslims. In 1090, they
took control of a mountain top fortress at Alamut, Syria. From there, they waged a
campaign of assassination and terrorism against Seljuk officials. The Assassins were able
to destabilize the Seljuk Empire. This created much fighting and chaos throughout the
Middle East as small local empires fought each other.
Blurb pointing to Jerusalem
The Seljuks fought with the Fatamids for control of the Levant coast. By 1095 the
Fatamids reclaimed Jerusalem, but they lost control of Mecca and Medina
Christian Crusades
More: From 1097 to 1291, Christian Crusaders occupied the Levant Coast to reclaim the Holy
Land from Islam.
Jewish persecution
European Christians knew very little about people of the Middle East and would mistake
Jews for Muslims. The Pope had warned against Christians trying to force people to
convert to Christianity. However, mobs throughout Europe would begin to continually
persecute Muslims, Jews, and Orthodox Christians in Europe if they did not convert.
Blurb pointing to Crusader area of influence
The official Christian Crusade began in 1097, when European Knights invaded Anatolia
and the Levant Coast on order of the Pope to regain power over Christian Holy places,
especially Jerusalem. They would defeat the Seljuks and Fatamids and control parts of
the Levant Coast for almost 200 years.
Blurb pointing to Jerusalem
When the First Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, they killed all of the Muslims and
Jews that were defending the city. They forced Muslims out of Christian Holy Cities, but
allowed Muslims, Jews, and Non-Catholic Christians to live in other towns if they paid
taxes to the Crusader Knights.
Ayyubids
More: The Sunni Ayyubids united Syria against the Christian Crusades. In 1174, they took over
the Fatamid territories in order to further defend against the Crusaders and Shi'ite Muslims. The
Ayyubids would control Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and the Hejaz by 1247.
Blurb pointing to Jerusalem
Saladin is the Latin name for the Kurdish General, an-Nasir Salah-ud-Din Yusuf ibn
Ayyub. He showed fairness and compassion in defeating the Christian Crusaders in
Jerusalem in 1187. Europeans came to respect Saladin, and he helped to ease tensions
between Christians and Muslims.
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Mamluks & Mongols
Mamluks more: The Mamluks were Turkish slave soldiers that served in Muslim armies. The
Mamluks rose to power 1250 by using their military power to overthrow the governments
replacing the Caliphs with Sultans of slave origins.
Blurb pointing to Acre
The Mamluks were the defenders of Islam in the Middle East as they faced both the
Mongols and Christian Crusaders. They stopped Mongol advancement west in 1260, and
defeated the last Crusaders at Acre in 1291.
Mongols More: Led by Genghis Kahn and then his children, the Mongols invaded from the east
near China. They conquered almost the entire Middle East as well as Russia and many European
empires to create the largest land empire in the history of the world. The first Mongol invaders
had adopted Christianity and persecuted many Muslims. Later Mongols would convert to Islam.
Blurb pointing to Baghdad
Like the Turks, the Mongols were fierce warriors. Mongols devastated Persia and Iraq
killing hundreds of thousands of Muslims. They were only army that could defeat the
Assassins. Iraq's 4,000+ year old irrigation system was destroyed, and the last Abbasid
Caliph was executed when Baghdad fell in 1258.