Download A Muslim Caliphate

A Muslim Caliphate
Pages 272-277
Objectives
• Describe the caliphate (KAY luh fayt) established and
headquartered at Baghdad
• Identify contributions of Islamic civilization to the world
Muslim ruler al-Mansur
• 700 A.D., decided to build a city
along the Tigris River in presentday Iraq (Baghdad)
• The city quickly became the center
of the Muslim civilization’s greatest
achievements in science, art, and
architecture
Art &
Architecture
Muslim Rule
• By 700s A.D., Islam was just over
100 years old: it had changed a lot
• Caliphs were chosen to govern the
land – what does “caliph” mean?
• Successor to the Prophet
• Lands ruled by the caliph were
called the caliphate
The Caliphate
• Expanded into western Asia and
North Africa
• Many places converted to Islam
• Other places did not convert, but
learned Arabic
• What tied the Muslim caliphate
together?
• The rule of Muslim law and leadership;
the Arabic language
Baghdad
• Center of city was caliph’s domed
palace
• Next to palace rose a great mosque –
What is a mosque?
• A place of worship where Muslims go
for daily prayers
• City became a center of international
trade – four main roads went to all
parts of the caliphate
Baghdad Today
International Trade in Baghdad
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Arabian perfume
Indian pepper
African ivory
Russian furs
Chinese dishware
• Over one million
people lived in
Baghdad!
How would you compare the imperial capital
of Rome at its height to Baghdad?
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Large populations
Crowding
Magnificent buildings
Destination of roads
Trade goods available
Status as world cities
ROME VS. BAGHDAD
Books in Ancient Baghdad
• Baghdad’s new paper mill made it
possible to create many books
• Muhammad was said to have declared,
“He who travels in search of
knowledge, travels along Allah’s path
of paradise.”
• The caliphs preserved Greek, Roman,
and Indian works translated into
Arabic on a huge library called the
House of Wisdom
• Arab scholars read this books on
history, science, law, and mathematics
BAGHDAD’S HOUSE OF WISDOM
How did Muhammad’s declaration send the
Muslims on a worldwide quest for knowledge?
• It sent them off to gather
knowledge from other parts of the
world and to build on it
Advances in Medicine
• Muslim doctors translated Greek
medical texts
• A famous Muslim doctor named Ibn
Sina (or Avicenna in Latin) described
how diseases spread through air and
water
• Baghdad had many doctors, including
“moving hospitals” that would give
treatment to people who lived far away
Advances in Math and Science
• We use the Arabic number system
today
• Added greatly to the field of algebra
• Studied astronomy – the Muslim
calendar is based on the moon’s
movement
• Muslims improved the Greek
astrolabe to figure out the position of
the stars
What was the astrolabe? How might its
development help later explorers, like Columbus?
• The ability to use star positions to
find one’s location would give
future explorers a means to strike
out over ever greater distances
across Earth
Places of Worship:
Mosques
• Mosques had to follow
standards:
• Had to make sure they faced
Mecca
• Needed tall towers so that leaders
could call people to prayer
• Needed walled-in courtyards to
hold hundreds of worshipers
Why do you think that architects strive for
beauty when they build places of worship?
• Perhaps because they wanted to
show great honor for the deity
worshiped and to elevate
worshipers’ minds and hearts
Dome of the Rock
• Oldest Muslim monument still
standing
• Built in 691 A.D.
• Honors the place where Muslims
believe Muhammad ascended into
heaven
Literature and Music
• Poetry was well-loved among the
people of Baghdad
• Folktales were also very popular
• Favorites were collected into a
book called “The Arabian Nights”
– the tale of Aladdin and his
lamp is one the stories
Why do you suppose that collections like The Arabian
Nights became long-lived favorites of Islamic literature?
• A love story is basic to human
nature
Summing it Up
• Under the caliphs who came after Muhammad, Islam spread into
Asia, Africa, and Europe
• The caliphate furthered learning in medicine, math, and
astronomy
• Mosques were centers of Muslim worship throughout the
caliphate and remain religious centers today
Think About It
• Which of Baghdad’s trade goods came
from other regions?
• Indian pepper, African ivory, Russian
furs, Chinese dishware and silk
• What were some of the achievements
of the Muslim caliphate in medicine?
• Discovering that disease can spread
through air and water
• In what ways did Islam influence life in
the city of Baghdad?
• It made Baghdad a city of magnificent
mosques and it focused the citizenry on
living by the Five Pillars
• Based on your study of the geography
of Mesopotamia, make a conclusion
about the dangers of building Baghdad
on the Tigris River.
• Destructive flooding