Developments in Dar al-Islam Unit 1.2 - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering Abbasid rise, the Golden Age, invasions, key figures, and social changes in Dar al-Islam during 1200–1450 CE.

Abbasid Caliphate

Muslim dynasty centered in Baghdad (c. 750–1258 CE); presided over the Islamic Golden Age; declined after invasions (e.g., Mongols, Crusaders).

House of Wisdom

Scholarly center in Baghdad where Greek works were translated into Arabic and science, mathematics, and medicine were advanced.

Islamic Golden Age

Period of extensive learning, science, culture, and intellectual exchange under Abbasid rule.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

Persian scholar who laid groundwork for trigonometry and contributed to astronomy and mathematics.

Ibn Khaldun

Arab Muslim historian and sociologist; founder of historiography and sociology concepts.

A’ishah al-Ba’uniyyah

Female Sufi writer in the Abbasid era; example of women’s literary contributions.

Mamluk Sultanate

Muslim-ruled state in Egypt (1250–1517) founded by enslaved Turkic military slaves; became a major power in the region.

Seljuk Turks

Central Asian Turkish dynasty that controlled much of the Middle East and influenced pre-Crusade politics.

Crusades

Religious-military campaigns by Christian powers to reclaim the Holy Land; intensified Islamic–Christian conflict.

Mongols

Central Asian nomads whose conquests destroyed Abbasid authority (1258) and contributed to the empire’s decline.

Merchants

Merchants held high status and facilitated extensive trade networks across the Dar al-Islam.

Slavery in Dar al-Islam

Slavery policy generally forbade enslaving Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians; enslaved people came from various regions; concubines could wield influence.

Status of women in Dar al-Islam

Women often had elevated status for the era, with dowries, inheritance rights, potential access to birth control, and the ability to testify in court.

Dowry and inheritance

Islamic practice where dowries are paid to brides and women can inherit property.

Cultural diffusion

Spread of ideas, sciences, and technologies across regions—Greek works into Arabic, Indian mathematics into Europe, and Chinese papermaking into the Muslim world and Europe.