Early Islamic World

Hijrah

* 610 CE- Muhammad experienced a revelation (vision)
* Went to Yathrib (town north of Makkah) in 622
* 622 - marks the beginning of the Islamic era and is the first year of the Muslim calendar

Madinah Compact

* Muhammad laid the foundation of an Islamic state
* All Muslims were to place loyalty to the Islamic Community above loyalty to the tribe

Quran

* the holy scriptures of Islam- all areas of life were placed under divine law and recorded in the Quran

Shariah

* body of law which covers all aspects of Muslim private and public life

Caliph

* new type of leader (successor to Islamic political and religious leadership)

Gunpowder Empire

* an empire formed by outside conquerors who unified the regions that they conquered through their mastery of firearms

Harem

* “sacred place,” the private domain of an Ottoman sultan, where he and his wives lived

Janissary

* a soldier in the elite guard of the Ottoman Turks

Pasha

* an appointed official in the Ottoman Empire who collected taxes, maintained law and order, and was directly responsible to the sultan’s court

Sultan

* “holder of power” – the military and political head of state under the Seljuk Turks and the Ottomans

Dar al Islam (or Islamic Realm)

* fostered contacts between China and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Arabian Peninsula

* south of Asia Minor (Between the Red Sea and Persian Gulf)
* The Home of the Arabs was isolated- allowed Arabs to create their own civilization

Bedouin

* Life Ancient times- many Arabs were nomads called Bedouins who lived in tribes made up of related families – led by Sheiks
* 500 AD- many tribes settled to farm or trade
* Makkah - the most important town Trading Center, 50 miles inland from the Red Sea
* Arabs had a common language
* No central form of government

Makkah (Mecca)

* became the spiritual capital of Islam
* most important town Trading center, 50 miles inland from the Red Sea

Muhammad

* prophet of Islam; Born in Makkah- 570 CE

Yathrib

* town north of Makkah

Sunni

* Majority of Muslims

Shi’ite

* believed that the caliph should only be descendants of Muhammad
* Stress spiritual, rather than political, aspects of Islamic leadership

Geometric Design

* flowers, and stars

Arabic Numerals

* advancements in algebra & geometry

Mosques, Mosaics, Calligraphy

* Architecture: Rebuilt palaces and mosques with mosaics, calligraphy , and geometrical design

The Umayyads

* Ruled from 661-750
* Expanded to the borders of India, North Africa, and into Spain

Battle of Tours

* stopped the spread of Islam into Western Europe (occurred in France) Led by Charles Martel

Charles Martel

* Led the Battle of Tours

The Abbasids

* Built Baghdad on the banks of the Tigris River (Present day Iraq) and made it the new capital.
* Ruled from 750-1258
* Emerged as rulers of Islamic world in the 13th century
* Persian practice of veiling women emerged in the Abbasid Dynasty as a part of Islam

Baghdad

* Capitol of the Abbasids

Ill Khanate

* Established by Helegu, grandson of Genghis Khan the Mongol conqueror

Helegu

* Grandson of Genghis Khan, the Mongol Conqueror
* captured the Abbasid capital in Baghdad in 1258
* \[name\] successors ruled the Islamic heartlands for almost 100 years

The Ottoman Empire

* Nomads from Central Asia
* Emerged as rulers of the Islamic world in the 13th century

Suleiman the Magnificent

* Ruled the empire from Istanbul
* Christians and Jews tolerated – given limited self-government
* Expanded the empire to its greatest height in the 1500s