Developments in Dar al-Islam Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering historical terms, political structures, key figures, and cultural achievements in Dar al-Islam between c. 1200 and c. 1450.

House of Wisdom

A renowned center of learning in Baghdad under the Abbasid Empire where scholars from far away gathered to study and transfer knowledge throughout Afro-Eurasia.

Mamluks

Enslaved people, frequently ethnic Turks from Central Asia, purchased by Arabs to serve as soldiers and bureaucrats, who possessed greater opportunities for advancement than most enslaved people.

Mamluk Sultanate

An Islamic state established in Egypt (1250-1517) after Mamluks seized control of the government, prospering through the trade of cotton and sugar with Europe until Portuguese sea routes were developed.

Seljuk Turks

Central Asian Muslims who began conquering parts of the Middle East in the 11th century and extended their power as far east as Western China.

Sultan

The title taken by the Seljuk leader, which reduced the role of the highest-ranking Abbasid leader from caliph to chief Sunni religious authority.

Crusaders

Groups of European Christian soldiers organized to reopen access to holy sites in and around Jerusalem after the Seljuk Turks limited travel there.

Mongols

Central Asian conquerors who ended Seljuk rule, conquered the remaining Abbasid Empire in 1258, and were eventually stopped in Egypt by the Mamluks.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

A celebrated Islamic scholar (1201-1274) who made contributions to astronomy, law, ethics, mathematics, philosophy, and medicine, and laid the groundwork for trigonometry as a separate subject.

Ibn Khaldun

An Islamic scholar (1332-1406) known for his historical accounts and widely acknowledged as a founder of the fields of historiography and sociology.

'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah

A prolific Sufi poet and mystic (1460-1507) best known for her poem honoring Muhammad titled 'Clear Inspiration, on Praise of the Trusted One'.

Sufis

Muslim mystics who emphasized introspection to grasp spiritual truths rather than focusing solely on intellectual study, playing a major role in converting people by adapting to local cultures.

Hijab

A term in Islamic culture that refers either to the practice of dressing modestly or to a specific type of head and face covering worn by women.

Harem

A dwelling in urban Islamic society set aside for wives, concubines, and their children.

Battle of Tours

A 732 military conflict in which Islamic forces were defeated by Frankish forces, marking the limit of rapid Islamic expansion into Western Europe.

Dhows

Ships developed in India or China featuring long, thin hulls that made them highly effective for transporting commercial goods across maritime trade routes.

al-Andalus

The Islamic state in Spain that became a major intellectual center for sharing innovations among Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

Ibn Rushd

A 12th-century Islamic scholar in Spain, known in Europe as Averroes, who produced influential writings on law, secular philosophy, and natural sciences.

Maimonides

A Jewish philosopher (c. 1135-c. 1204) who synthesized Aristotelian reasoning with biblical interpretation and was influenced by Ibn Rushd.