WHAP 1.2 Developments in Dar al-Islam

dar al-islam

islamic regions of the world (anywhere where muslims are majority); middle east and north africa

caliphate

leader is called a "caliph"; leader is the successor of prophet muhammad; religious leader

sultanate

leader is called a "sultan"; regular king/emperor

"go in quest of knowledge even unto china"

quoted by muhammad; core islamic idea; means to always be in search of more knowledge "even if you have to go to china"

house of wisdom

an academy and library for research and translation of foreign texts that was established in baghdad in 830 CE by the abbasid caliph al-mamun; burned by mongols during mongolian invasion

how did islam save greek teachings/philosophy?

translated greek classics into arabic to preserve knowledge

what did the middle east learn from nearby countries?

indian math (which was eventually transferred to europe) and chinese paper making

notable people from the golden age

nasir al-din al-tusi, ibn khaldun, a'ishah al-ba'uniyyah, al-andalus, and ibn rushd

nasir al-din al-tusi

1201-1274; studied law, logic, math, philosophy, medicine (kinda expert at everything); established one of the most advanced observatory (astronomy); laid groundwork for trigonometry

ibn khaldun

1332-1406; "founder" of historiology and sociology

a'ishah al-ba'uniyyah

1460-1507; prolific female muslim writer; writing themes centered around "mystical illumination"; also a sufi

sufi

branch of islam that believes in a more mystical connection with allah; find truths beyond traditional learning (finding truth other than just reading a book)

al-andalus

"all people of the book": everyone is a scholar

cordoba library

largest library in the world at the time

ibn rushd

wrote commentaries on aristotle that influenced jewish philosopher maimonides that influenced christian st. thomas aquinas (muslim -> jewish -> christian)

why are merchants held in high regard in islam?

muhammad was a merchant; merchants spread islam

islamic views on slavery

islam forbids enslaving muslims or monotheists; slaves were imported from north africa, russia, and central asia; many slaves converted to islam to escape

islamic views on women

women wear hijabs (though it was already a common cultural practice prior to islam); women cannot study in the presence of a man they aren't related to; dowries are passed down to wives; forbid female infanticide; women can inherit property, remarry, file for divorce, and testify in court (woman's testimony are only worth 1/2 of a mans)

limitations in womens rights

women had to wear a veil in public and many had to live in harems

harems

dwelling for wives and concubines

why were doctors and pharmacists required to pass a certification test?

to increase medicinal standards; make sure doctors actually knew what they were doing

al-razi

wrote 200 books on medicine; known as the "backbone of western medicine"

zakat tax

public tax that funded hospitals

abbasid caliphate

750-1258; overthrew umayyad caliphate in 750; stability for several centuries (contributed to many advancements); united the islamic world; had to confront many enemies (took land); house of wisdom increases in popularity

baghdad

center of trade/culture during abbasid caliphate

seljuk turks

1037-1243; muslims from central asia; conquered much of the abbasid empire in 11th century (but they still recognize abbasid caliph); turks appoint sultan shah (reduced caliph to a "mere" religious figure)

crusades (christian enemies)

abbasid let christians travel to jerusalem + other holy sites until seljuk turks limited christian travel; europeans eventually organize crusades to reopen access

mamaluks

slaves from central asia; served as soldiers/bureaucrats and exerted their own control; seized control of egypt

mamaluk sultanate

1250-1517; facilitate trade between islamic world and europe (cotton, sugar, etc.)

mongols

conquered remains of abbasid in 1258 and overthrew seljuk turks; also seized baghdad; tried to conquer egypt but lost to mamaluks

end of the abbasid

1258; w/o abbasids, trade routes shifted north; baghdad is no longer center of trade/culture (lost wealth/population); dar al-islam is still considered a cultural region