Download Building an Arab Empire

Building an Arab Empire
Umayyad and Abbasid Empires
Divisions within Islam
Crisis: Who would take over for Muhammad after his death.
Caliph = leader, successor to Muhammad
Shi’ites
Shi’ite = followers felt that Muhammad had designated his sonin-law, Ali, to be his successor.
They believe the true successors to the prophet are the
descendants of Ali and his daughter Fatima.
These descendants are called Imams or divinely inspired
religious leaders. Empowered to interpret the Koran.
Minority.
12 imans
 Infallible leaders that direct descendents of Muhammad
 12th Iman Muhammad al-Mahdi Hides outside of Samarra in
874 ce
 Allah will reveal Mahdi and return to guide humanity
Sunnis
 Sunnis believe that the Caliph position should be an elected
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position.
First Caliph = Abu Bakr.
First convert and father-in-law to Muhammad
Majority of Muslims
Beliefs = political leader of the religious community (sunna)
Inspiration comes from examples of Muhammad
Sufis
 Muslim mystics
 Sought communication with God through meditation,
fasting, and spinning in circles (whirling dervish)
 Believed to have miraculous powers
Rightly Guided Caliphs
 The first four Caliphs
 Close to Muhammad
 Abu Bakr
 Umar or Omar
 Uthmann
 Ali
Abu Bakr
 632-634
 Daughter Aisha married Mohammed
 Unified Community
 Raised an Army
Umar
 15th convert to Islam
 634-644
 Spread the Empire
 Calendar date to the Hirja
Spread of Islam Under Umar,
634-644
Uthmann
 644-656
 Spread Islamic Empire to Mediterranean
 Put together Koran
 Killed 656
Empire Under Uthmann
Ali
 1st male convert to Islam
 Cousin and Son in Law of Mohammad.
 Married Muhammad’s daughter Fatima
 Assassinated by being slashed with a poisoned sword 661 in
Najaf
 Shiites believe in his line of leaders
Tomb of Ali
Battle of Karbala
 October 10, 680
 Husayn Ali vs. Umayyad Empire
 Separates Sunni and Shia Islam
 Husayn and 71 others killed buried in Karbala
 Survivors marches to Damascus
Karbala
Ashura
 ‘Festival’ to the fallen at
Karbala
 March of captives to
Damascus
 Banned in some Sunni
 http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=49J6eh7kJMA&
feature=related
Differences
Sunni
“Any worthy man”
Regardless of lineage
1st Caliph – Abu Bakr
Winners
Decentralized – no
centralized
Authority
Individual
85 % of Islamic world
See Shi’ites as
heretics
Not oppressed
Wahhibism (Saudi
Arabia)
Moderate – Turkey
Similarities
Belief in 5 Pillars
Daily Prayer
Fasting
Charity
Hajj
Monotheism
Koran = holy text
Mohammad
Resurrection
Judgment Day
No Idolatry
Shi’ite
Direct Descendant
“Partisans of Ali”
Losers
Centralized Heirarchy
Clergy
Ayatollahs
15 %
“Cult of Death”
Ali’s son – Hussayn 680
Oppressed
Iraq/Iran
12 Legitimate successors to
Mohammad
Aka Imams
Last Imam Mahdi (874)
Before the Umayyad
The Byzantine Empire
Umayyad Caliphs
661-750 A.D.
 Meccan Clan
 Sunni
 Capital, Damascus (Syria)
 Empire expanded from Spain in west to Indus River Valley
(Pakistan/India) in east
 711 – Spain
 732 – France stopped at the Battle of Tours by Charles “the
Hammer” Martel
Umayyad Caliphate
Charles “The Hammer” Martel
Battle of Tours
TOURS
Reason for Muslim Success
 Weakness of Byzantine (Eastern Roman Empire) and Persian
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Empires
Many people welcomed Arabs as liberators
Bedouin horse and camel cavalry
United a patchwork of tribes
Belief in Islam and desire to glorify new religion
Orderly system of administration
Conquered People Treated Fairly
 Super Tax on “People of the Book”
 Converts given advantages
Decline of Umayyad Empire
 1. Rulers had trouble adapting from living in the desert to
ruling large cities and huge territories
 2. Non Arabs did not have the same privileges as Arabs resentment
 3. Umayyad caliphs became corrupted/living in luxury
Rise of the Abbasids
750 A.D. – 1258 A.D.
 Founder and leader: Abu al-Abbas
 Descendant of Muhammad’s uncle
 Killed all members (except one) of last Umayyad ruling
family
Abbasid Empire
Changes Under Abbasids
 Create equality of all Muslims
 Halted large military conquests
 Empire of caliphs reached its greatest wealth and power
 Muslim civilization flourished
 Ended discrimination of non Arabs
 Encouraged learning
 Moved capital from Damascus (Syria) to Baghdad (Iraq)
 Shi’ite
 Umayyad keeps Spain
Muslim Civilization’s Golden Age
During the Abbasid Empire
 750-1350 Built vast trading network
 Money economy
 Partnerships
 Credit
 Formed banks
 Bank Checks
 Manufactured goods highly sought
 Agriculture thrives
 Social Mobility
 Slave Practice
“Ships of the Sand”
Arts, Literature, Architecture
 Poetry
 Calligraphy – the art of beautiful handwriting
 Architecture – 688 Dome of the Rock
 Libraries of Baghdad – Learning Centers
 Ancient philosophy and history preserved by Muslim scholars
 Advances in astronomy, mathematics, medicine
Calligraphy
Dome of the Rock
The Muslim Empire Declines
Seljuk Turks
 900 A.D. Seljuk Turks (from Central Asia) adopted Islam
and set up and empire across the Fertile Crescent
 1055 Sultan or ruler takes over Baghdad
 Pushed into Asia Minor (Turkey)
 Threatened the Byzantine Empire
 Preventing Christian pilgrims from entering Jerusalem
 1095 Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade to free
Holy Lands of Muslim invaders
Seljuk Turkish Empire
Route Map of the 1st Crusade
Mongols
 1216 - Genghis Kahn led the Mongols out of Central Asia
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into Southwest Asia
1258 – Grandson of Genghis Khan looted Baghdad
Killed the last Abbasid caliph
Mongols convert to Islam
Timur the Lane or Tamerlane conquers many Muslim lands
Mongol Empire In The Late 1400s