HWH Unit 3 Vocab

Muhammad

the Arab prophet who founded Islam (570-632)

Arabic

Language of the Islamic civilization; facilitated trade, saved ancient texts for Western Europe later

Mecca

City in western Arabia; birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, and ritual center of the Islamic religion.

Hijrah to Medina

After years of attacks, Muhammad & his followers fled to Medina. This migration was known as the Hijrah. In Medina, Muhammad gained new converts who put Islam above their families & clans.

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Qur'an. Followers are called Muslims.

Five Pillars of Islam

true Muslims were expected to follow (principle of Salvation): 1. belief in Allah, 2. pray 5 times a day, 3. giving of alms, 4. fasting during Ramadan, 5. pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime

Hajj

A pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims, one of the Five Pillars of Islam

Qur'an or Koran

Holy text of Islam regarded as a revelation from God.

Shari'ah

a law code drawn up by Muslim scholars after Muhammad's death; it provided believers with a set of practical laws to regulate their daily lives

Ka'aba

A black stone building in Mecca that is shaped like a cube and that is the most sacred Muslim pilgrim shrine

People of the Book

what Muslims called Christians and Jews which means that they too only believe in one god

Sunni Muslims

Majority of Muslims, believed that anyone could be Caliph as long as their a devout Muslim

Shi'a Muslims

Minority of Muslims, believed that caliph should be a direct blood line of Muhammad

Caliph

successor to Muhammad as political and religious leader of the Muslims

Rightly Guided Caliphs

The first four rulers of the Islamic world after the death of Muhammad: Abu-Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali - all knew Muhammad. used the Qur'an and Muhammad's actions as guides to their leadership which is why they are called this

Islamic Empire

Spread Islam and Arab culture rapidly. Conquered territory through warfare, during dark ages in Europe there was cultural renaissance in Middle East. Mathematicians, scientists, authors, musicians, doctors, etc. all flourished during this time period.

Umayyads

A dynasty that ruled the Muslim Empire from 661 to 750 and later established a kingdom in al-Andalus.

Abbasids

A dynasty that ruled much of the Muslim Empire from 750 to about 1250.

Ibn Sina

The famous Islamic scientist and philosopher who organized the medical knowledge of the Greeks and Arabs into the Canon of Medicine

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan Muslim scholar, the most widely traveled individual of his time. He wrote a detailed account of his visits to Islamic lands from China to Spain and the western Sudan.

Ghana, Mali, Songhai

During the Trans-Saharan trading time, Kingdoms such as these three wealthy and powerful countries of western Africa were important in connecting the Mediterranean basin to sub-Sahara Africa; many converted to Islam during this time

Bantus

Nomadic peoples from Africa who traveled around Africa spreading language and farming methods

Sundiata

the founder of Mali empire. He crushed his enemies and won control of the gold trade routes

Mansa Musa

Emperor of the kingdom of Mali in Africa. He made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca which established Mali's wealth in the Mediterranean world and established trade routes to the Middle East.

Trans-Saharan Trade

route across the Sahara desert. Major trade route that traded for gold and salt, created caravan routes, economic benefit for controlling dessert, camels played a huge role in the trading

Indian Ocean Trade

connected to Europe, Africa, and China.; worlds richest maritime trading network and an area of rapid Muslim expansion.

Swahili

A Bantu language with Arabic words, spoken along the East African coast

Jihad

A holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal

Tang and Song Dynasties

golden age in China remembered for: porcelain, block printing, gunpowder, the compass, canals for trade routes, strengthening China's central government, using paper money

Mongols

Rise: The Mongols originated in the Central Asian steppes, or dry grasslands. They were pastoralists who sought new pastures for their herds. Around 1200 CE, a Mongol khan (clan leader) named Temujin unified the clans under his leadership and was given the title Genghis Khan, or "universal leader."
Fall: Loss of ethnic unity, distance between the capital and borders made it impossible to maintain unity for long (similar to large empires before),

Genghis Khan

Also known as Temujin; he united the Mongol tribes into an unstoppable fighting force; created largest single land empire in history.

Khanates

Four regional Mongol kingdoms that arose following the death of Chinggis Khan and were ruled by his heirs.

Pax Mongolica

The period of approximately 150 years of relative peace and stability created by the Mongol Empire.

Kublai Khan

(1215-1294) Mongolian Emperor and grandson of Genghis Khan who completed his grandfather's conquest of China and founded the Mongol Yuan Dynasty.

Byzantine Empire

(330-1453) The eastern half of the Roman Empire, which survived after the fall of the Western Empire at the end of the 5th century C.E. Its capital was Constantinople, named after the Emperor Constantine.

Constantinople

A large and wealthy city that was the imperial capital of the Byzantine empire and later the Ottoman empire, now known as Istanbul

Justinian

Byzantine emperor in the 6th century A.D. who reconquered much of the territory previously ruler by Rome, initiated an ambitious building program , including Hagia Sofia, as well as a new legal code

Justinian's Code

Laws of the byzantine empire based the twelve tables of Roman law, became a basis for laws in many European nations

Hagia Sophia

Most famous example of Byzantine architecture, it was built under Justinian I and is considered one of the most perfect buildings in the world. Also known as the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom.

Theodora

the wife of Justinian, she helped to improve the status of women in the Byzantine Empire and encouraged her husband to stay in Constantinople and fight the Nike Revolt.

Great Schism of 1054

The separation between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church

Eastern Orthodox

The Christian religion of the Byzantine Empire in the middle east that formed from Christianity's schism between the remains of the western and eastern Roman Empire. The Christian church ruled by the Byzantine emperor and the patriarchs of various historically significant Christian centers/cities.

Roman Catholic Church

Church established in western Europe during the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages with its head being the bishop of Rome or pope.

Icons

religious images used by Eastern Christians to aid their devotions

Patriarch

Highest church official in the Eastern Orthodox Church

Pope

Highest church official in the Roman Catholic Church, the bishop of Rome

Vikings

one of a seafaring Scandinavian people who raided the coasts of northern and western Europe from the eighth through the tenth century.

Russia

The name Russia comes from the group of Varangians (Vikings), called the, "Rus". They established a state, in the middle of the 9th century in Northern Russia, their power base shifted to trade route to the Greeks, where their capital Kiev was thriving. Thereafter, the state was called, "Kievan Rus". Mostly furs, slaves, and wax, were traded for Arabian silver, as well as Byzantine luxury goods. The state of Kievan Rus was a loose confederation of principalities whose leaders were princes.

Tzar

the name for the emperor of Russia, also known as czar

Kiev

Trade city in southern Russia established by Scandinavian traders in 9th century; became focal point for kingdom of Russia that flourished to 12th century.

Cyrillic Alphabet

an alphabet derived from the Greek alphabet and used for writing Slavic languages