Download Answer Key Chapter 11, Section 2 Islamic Empires The Spread of

Answer Key
Chapter 11, Section 2 Islamic Empires The Spread of Islam (pp.380-386)
1. After the death of Muhammad, who chose the next leader of the Muslim community?
- A group of powerful leaders of the Muslim community
2. What was the title of this leader? What did this title mean?
- Caliph, which meant successor to the messenger of God.
3. Who were the first four caliphs?
- Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali were the first four caliphs
4. What was the capital city under the first four caliphs?
- Madinah.
5. By 661 CE (when the 4th caliph died) how far had the Arab empire expanded?
- The empire had spread to Persia, the rest of southwest Asia (the Fertile Crescent), and
Egypt.
6. What dynasty ruled the Arab empire after the first four caliphs?
- The Umayyads
7. What was the capital of the Arab empire during the rule of this dynasty?
- Damascus.
8. How far did the Muslim Empire Expand under the Umayyads?
- India, Afghanistan, the North African coast, and Spain
9. Give three reasons why the Arabs were so successful in conquering other lands.
- The Arabs were good on horseback and good with a sword so they were good
warriors,
- As Muslims, they were inspired by their religion (believed anyone who died in battle
for Islam would go to paradise)
- They let conquered people practice their own religion, and they had their own Arabic
language.
- (Added by Mrs. Ward) the Byzantine Empire and the Persian Empire were weak from
fighting each other in a war for the previous 50 years.
10. How did the Muslims regard Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians?
- They called them “people of the book” and allowed them to practice their own
religions.
11. In what way were Muslims treated better than the non-Muslims?
- Non- Muslims had to pay a special tax
12. Who were the Sufis?
- They were a group of people that spent their time praying and teaching Islam.
13. How did Islam spread to Southeast Asia?
-Muslim merchants set up trade posts throughout southeast Asia, which helped spread
Islam.
14. What Southeast Asian country today has more Muslims than any nation in the world?
-Indonesia
15. How did Islam spread to West African kingdoms?
- Muslim merchants crossed the Sahara to trade there.
16. What west African city become a leading center of Islam?
-Timbuktu
Struggles within Islam
17. What issue split Muslims into two groups (a division that has lasted into present day)?
- The issue of who should be the next caliph after Muhammad died.
18. How did the Shiites and Sunnis differ? Be sure to include their beliefs about Ali, about all
future caliphs, about the Umayyads, and about religious practices and customs.
- The Shiites believed that Ali who was the son-in-law of Muhammad should succeed
him and that all future caliphs should be his descendents. They did not agree that the
Umayyads should be ruling in Damascus. The Sunnis accepted the Umayyad rule.
Over time, the Shiites and Sunnis also developed different religious practices,
traditions and customs.
19. Why did the Umayyads lose power c. 750 CE?
- The Umayyads angered the Persian Muslims because the Arab Muslims were getting
special treatment.
20. What dynasty followed the Ummayyads?
- The Abbasids
21. What was the capital of the empire under this dynasty? Where was the capital located?
- Baghdad, near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
22. Who were the Seljuk Turks and where did they come from?
- They were nomads and great warriors that came from central Asia.
23. When the Seljuk Turks first moved into the Arab empire, did the Abbasids employ them?
- When they first arrived the Abbasids hired them as warriors.
24. Explain how the Seljuk Turks took control of the Abbasid Empire. (Be sure to include the
term “sultan” in your answer).
- The Seljuks realized how weak the Abbasids were and decided to take power
themselves. First, they took over much of what is now Iran and Turkey, and then
they took over Baghdad. The Seljuks were satisfied to rule only the government and
the army as the sultan, while the caliph remained as the religious ruler.
25. Who conquered the Seljuk Turks in 1258 CE?
The Mongols
26. Looking ahead to the “Later Muslim Empires,” without reading the whole section, what
Muslim group finally conquered the city of Constantinople in 1493?
- The Ottomans