Download Development of Islamic caliphates and their impact

The Middle Ages: Asia and
Africa 600-1450
The Islamic World
Question #1
Describe the historical
origins and central
ideas of Islam.
IslamAn Abrahamic
Religion
Muslims
are strict monotheists.

They believe in the JudeoChristian God, which they call
Allah.

Muslims believe that the Torah
and the Bible, like the Qur’an,
is the word of God.
Peoples
of the Book
The Five Pillars of Islam

Shahada: the declaration of faith

Salat: mandatory prayers 5x a day

Zakat: alms-giving; charity to the poor

Sawn: fasting; done during the Holy month of
Ramadan

Hajj: required pilgrimage to the holy city of
Mecca
Development of Islamic
caliphates and their impact on
Asia, Africa, and Europe
Causes
Arab soldiers committed to the promise of plunder
unified around Islam and conquered territory from
Spain to India across North Africa, Arabia and
Anatolia
Weak Sassanid (Persian/Iran) and Byzantine
Empires made conquest easier
Followers were attracted to ideas of equality
among believers and familiar with monotheism
from Jewish and Christian traditions
Effects
 Caliphate’s introduced bureaucratic structure and
established first Muslim Empire
 Arabs, Persians and other groups unified politically
and culturally as Muslims
 Trade flourished, as merchants agreed on a common
set of Muslim business dealings
 Intellectual development led to algebra, preservation
of Classical texts especially those of the Greeks
 Mosques, hospitals, schools, orphanages and the
House of Wisdom were built
 Islam spread via trade routes to West Africa and to
Southeast via the Indian Ocean to Central Asia and
China via the Silk Routes
Question #2
 On the T chart, Describe how the
Islamic Caliphates developed and
list the political, economic, and
social effects of the spread of
Islam.
Muslim Empire
Question #3 How could the extent of the Muslim empire affect Africa?
New languages, Trade, Cultural Diffusion, Religion, Math, Medicine, Moral
Conduct, Family Life, Business Matters, tax to help the poor
What was the political, economic, and social
impact of Islam on Europe?
 Political
 Battle of Tours in 732AD stopped the Muslim advance
into Europe and left only Spain in Muslim control.
 In 1096 Western Christians marched through the
Byzantine Empire to take back the Holy Land from the
Muslims. This conflict brought about the end of the
feudal system in Western Europe.
Battle of Tours
Impact of the Caliphates on Europe
Cont’.
Economic
 Increased interaction with the Islamic Empire during
the Crusades led to a revival of European trade with
Asia. This trade led to a rise in the economic prosperity
of Western Europe
Social
 Increased interaction with the Islamic Empire as a
result of the Crusades opened Europeans up to new
knowledge of science, medicine, and technology from
the Muslims.
 Cordoba Spain was a cultural hub of the Islamic Empire
in Europe.
 Europeans adopted Indian numerals from the Muslims
 Question #4
What was the political, economic, and
social impact of Islam on Europe ?
What was the political, economic, and
social impact of Islam on Asia?
Political
 Abbasid caliphate politically unified North
Africa, Arabia, Persia and Asia Minor.
 Bureaucratic system was established and
rule was centralized
Economic
 Silk Road trade flourished
 Indian Ocean Trade Network thrived as
Muslim merchants traded with Indian and
Chinese merchants
Fatimid
Empire
(909-1171)
Capital:
Cairo
Abbasid
Empire
(750-1258)
Capital:
Baghdad
Impact of the Caliphates on Asia
Cont’.
Social
 Tolerance of “people of the book” led to conversions
 Split between Shi’a (supporters of Ali’s descendents)
and Sunni (supporters of the Umayyad)
 Geometric patterns
 Architecture – Mosques – use of domes and minarets
 Calligraphy – developed as a result of the ban on the
use of human figures as decoration in mosques
 Poetry – reflects oral heritage
 Islam also spread through merchants and Sufis
 Question #5
What was the political, economic,
and social impact of Islam on Asia?
What was the political, economic, and
social impact of Islam on Africa?
Political
 Trade kingdoms emerged in West Africa –
Ghana, Mali, & Songhay and rulers converted
to Islam to gain trade advantages
 Eastern coastal city-states gained power as
rulers converted to Islam
Economic
 Trans-Saharan trade grew with trade in salt,
gold and slaves.
 Eastern coastal city-states were a source of
slaves in Indian Ocean Trade Complex.
Impact of the Caliphates on Africa
Cont’.
Social
 Islam spread to sub-Saharan African
through trade contacts mostly
merchants and rulers who converted,
such as Mansa Musa of Mali.
 Local beliefs mixed with Islamic
beliefs
 Swahili – mix of Bantu and Arabic
became widespread
 Question #6
What was the political, economic,
and social impact of Islam on
Africa?
 Analyze the role trade played in the
spread of Islam to Africa and India
and describe what was
characteristic of Muslim contact
with societies in Africa and India
After the collapse of classical
empires:
 New political, economic and social
systems evolved and expanded from 6001450.
 Let’s look at how the Silk Road and the
African gold-salt trade facilitated the
spread of Ideas and trade
The Silk Road
 Helped to spread ideas and trade
 The Silk Roads included not only land
routes but also sea lanes in the Indian
Ocean.
Silk Road Trade 600-1450
 Silk Road Trade under the Tang and the Mongols
was protected and the Mongols kept it safe.
 During this time the Silk Road Trade flourished
and allowed people from different countries with
different ideas to meet and interact through
trade.
 In fact the Mongols were responsible to carrying
the bubonic plague into Eurasia over the Silk
Road
Silk Road Trade
 Silks and porcelain from China
 Woolen and linen cloth, glass, horses and
ivory from other trading partners
 The interaction of peoples from various
areas allowed the spread of Buddhism
and Christianity
 These interactions also spurred European
interest in finding a water route to China
Indian Ocean Trade Network
 The Indian Ocean Trade Network thrived
as Muslim merchants traded with Indian
and Chinese merchants.
 Increased interaction with the Islamic
Empire during the Crusades led to a
revival of European trade with Asia. This
trade led to a rise in the economic
prosperity of Western Europe.
 Slaves, ivory, gold, and iron from Africa
 Porcelain from China
 Pottery from Burma
 Cloth from India
Trans-Sahara Trade
 There was an increase in the use of trade
routes during this period (600-1450)
 The use of camels, caravans and Berber
traders increased contact with Muslims.
This route connected West Africa with the
Muslim world and beyond
Trans-Sahara Trade
 Sub-Sahara Africa had lots of gold, little
salt—the Mediterranean had little gold,
lots of salt
Slaves, ivory, gold
and iron came from
below the Sahara
Salt, cloth and
metalware came
from the Sahara
Trans-Sahara Trade
 These trade routes helped the rise of African
empires and kingdoms in West Africa
 These trade routes helped to spread Islam
through West Africa
Question #7
Analyze the role trade
played in the spread of
Islam to Africa and India
and describe what was
characteristic of Muslim
contact with societies in
Africa and India
Cultural Diffusion
Question #8
What are the challenges and impacts between
West Africa trade routes, the Sahara, and the
Mediterranean ports?
Question #9
Compare the Africa Gold and Salt Trade to the
Silk Road?
Similarities: Long distances, cultural diffusion, growth of wealth, trading slaves,
trading ideas
Differences: Silk Road- silk and spices covering several continents
African Gold and Salt- gold, salt, all in Africa
How did Muslims, Christians and Jews interact?
 Europe:
 Jews were ostracized in European
communities and often forced to live in
independent communities (ghettos)
 Many Jews lived in Spain under control
of the Moors (Muslims in Spain)—the
Jews were treated well as Muslim values
of toleration were practiced
How did Muslims, Christians and
Jews interact?
 Around 1031, the Reconquista began in
Spain and Jews along with Muslims were
persecuted during this struggle to return
Spain to Christian control.
 Jews living in Europe were often
persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church
and communities of Jews in Europe were
attacked as part of the Crusades.
How did Muslims, Christians and
Jews interact?
 Asia:
 Throughout the Asian world (specifically
in the Southwest Asia) the monotheistic
faiths were somewhat tolerant of Islam
and were tolerant of “each other”,
provided they paid the Jizya (tax on
non-believers).
How did Muslims, Christians and
Jews interact?
 Jews were integral to the Abbasid and
later Islamic Empires. As a rule Muslims
are not allowed to charge interest. They
were able to circumnavigate this rule by
allowing Jews to extend credit and
monitor trade networks.
 Most prominent interaction between
Muslims and Christians took place during
the Crusades, a series of wars that lasted
from 1096-1291
How did Muslims, Christians and
Jews interact?
 North Africa
 As Islam entered northern Africa some
kingdoms remained Christian such as
Nubian, Ethiopia, and the Coptic in
Egypt. North Africa provided many
converts to Islam
 Question #10
How did Muslims, Christians and
Jews interact?
How did the Muslim and Hindu societies
interact in South Asia?
 Islam enters South Asia via merchants and
later conquered Northern territories of
India and eventually spread to Southeast
Asia
 Few Islamic converts were won forcefully
but easily converted lower castes through
the ideas of equality of the believers. The
Hindu social structure was more restrictive
than that of the Muslims. Muslims living in
India adopted many aspects of Hindu
culture.
 Question #11
How did the Muslim and Hindu
societies interact in South Asia?