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Chapter 6 Section 1 reg
The Arabs
The Arabs were nomads due to their hostile environment, they developed into individual
communities loosely connected to one another, they began to domesticate camels which led to
Arabs becoming an important part of the Silk Road, this also led to civilizations being created
along this route
The Life of Muhammad
He became a merchant & while doing this job he became upset with the way rich people treated
poor people in his society, he visited the hills to meditate on these issues, this is where he
received revelations from God, he then returned to Mecca and began to spread the word of Allah
initially receiving opposition but eventually gaining massive support
The teachings of Muhammad
It is monotheistic, Muslims do not believe that Muhammad is divine, they believe he was sent
because the humans did not accept Allah’s first two prophets Jesus & Moses, Muslims are to
follow the Five Pillars of Islam to ensure their eternal paradise
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Creation of an Arab Empire
After the death of Muhammad Abu Bakr became the leader of the Islamic community- Caliph
which means successor to Muhammad
Arab Conquest
Arab soldier’s great bravery came from their belief in Jihad- if they die in a holy war they go to
paradise/ heaven
Arab Rule
They had a succession problem after the death of Abu Bakr, They were very tolerant in their
conquered territories not requiring conversion only loyalty & taxes
Umayyad
Mu’awiyah fixed succession problem making the caliphate hereditary under his family
Umayyad Conquest
They tried to conquer many areas succeeding in Berbes/ Southern Spain/ Parts of Old Roman
Empire failing in France and Byzantine
A Split in Islam
Many Muslims of non-Arab background were upset with the way they were treated, This
struggle eventually lead to a split in Islam into two groups the Shiite- agreed and accepted
Umayyad rule Sunni- did not agree with but accepted Umayyad rule, Split still exists today
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The Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258)
Built a new capital in Baghdad to mark the change in leadership, All Muslims were treated fairly,
civil & military offices were open to everyone, the move east brought Persian influence,
Baghdad became the center of an enormous trade empire, the bureaucracy grew under this
dynasty
Decline & Division
Succession problems continued, financial corruption existed, people began to break away from
the central authority in the provinces
The Seljuk Turks
Created a strong army by hiring non-native soldiers to fight for them, were once a part of the
Abbasid dynasty but as they grew stronger they began to conquer parts of the Abbasid empire,
the Turks eventually conquered the whole dynasty even defeating the Byzantine empire in a fight
The Crusades
The Byzantine Empire asked Europe for help and they gave it because they were Christian & did
not like Islam, initially the crusades were successful capturing some of the Turk areas, eventually
the Turks recaptured most of the area back & the two came to a standstill, Now the Muslims
mistrusted the Christians in southwest Asia
Mongols
They were destructive invaders they burned cities/ destroyed dams/ reduced farming villages to
the point of starvation, their goal was to put fear in people so they would not fight back, Hulego
hated Islam so he destroyed Baghdad, Eventually the Mongols excepted Islam and integrated
into society but with Baghdad destroyed the new center of Islam became Cairo, Egypt
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Prosperity in the Islamic World
Prosperity in the Islamic world was centered on trade
Role of Cities
Due to the success of trade cities in the Islamic world were very developed, even the cities in
rural areas were more advanced than those of other areas like Europe, the two major buildings
were the palace & the mosques, the bazaar was also another important feature in Muslim cities
Farming
The majority of people made a living by farming or herding animals, initially the farm land was
owned by small farmers but eventually wealthy landowners began to consume most of the land
Social Structure
According to Islam all people are equal in Allah’s eyes but this was not the case in the Arab
empire, Upper Class- ruling families/ senior officials/ nomadic elites/ wealthy merchants, since
Muslims could not be slaves they got them from Africa & non-Islamic populations, Law stated
slaves were to be treated fairly & freeing them was considered a good act
Role of Women
Women could own property, Quran gave them equal rights, like most societies men were
dominant, women always had a male guardian, men could have up to 4 wives
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Preservation of Knowledge
In the beginning of the Arab empire Greek philosophy was being studied, the making of paper
greatly increased the amount of books available
Philosophy, Science, History
When Europe received Greek philosophy it was accompanied by commentaries by Arabic
philosophers, Europe also got their mathematic system from the Arabs who got it from India, an
Arab-mathematician created Algebra, the perfected astrolabe came from the Muslims as well,
Ibn Sina wrote about contagious disease
Literature
Muslims considered the Quran to be their most important piece of literature, Omar Khayyam
wrote Rubaiyat & the Arabian Nights- which is a collection of folktales/ fables/ romances
Art & Architecture
Islamic art is a blend of Arab/ Turkish/ Persian traditions and is best represented in Muslim
mosques, because religion & government were not separate palaces also had Islamic art
influence as well