Unit 1 The Islamic Golden Age

Geographic Origins

Arabian peninsula with nomadic tribes (Bedouins)

Mecca

Powerful trading city and pilgrimage site. Shrine of the Kabba, Black stone, and idols to jinns/gods/spirits

Quraysh Tribe

the most powerful in Mecca

Prophet’s Death

632

Succession Debate

best leader or family connection

Four Orthodox Caliphs

Abu Bakr, Omar, Uthman, and Ali

Muawiya I

a scribe of the Prophet established the Umayyad dynasty after the death of the original four caliphs

Caliph position

changed to hereditary from one chosen by the followers/tribal leaders

Damascus

capital of Islamic Empire changed to

Rule by Caliph and Bureaucracy brought 3 things to their conquered areas

Muslim Government, Muslim Law (sharia), Muslim Culture

Where was there tension in the Umayyad Dynasty?

Non-Arab groups, the ruling Dynasty, and other claimants to rule (Sunni vs Shia)

Sunni

Caliphs do not have to be descendants of Muhammad

Shia

Only descendants of Muhammad can be Caliphs

Sunni and Shia

There is only one God (Allah), the Quran is the holy book of Islam, practice the Five Pillars

Social Groups in the Umayyad Caliphate

Arab Muslims, Non-Arab Muslims (recent converts and enslaved persons), religious minorities (Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians)

Tolerant Rulers

Religious minorities allowed to live in the Islamic Empire

Jizya

Pay tax to the government of the Islamic Empire

Conflict between Arabs and Non-Arabs

Some lived as enslaved persons. Limited social and political roles.

Abbasids

New dynasty (750) centered on Baghdad. The Umayyads pushed to Spain/Cordoba

Abbasid Revolution sparked by:

second-class status of non-Arabs

Abbasid Revolution combined forces:

both discontented Arabs (mostly Shiites) and Persians

Grandeur of Baghdad

Palace, trade center, library center of knowledge

Abbasid Government

Rule by the Caliph (political position)

What was the Abbasid Government supported by?

Supported by ulama (religious scholars), diwan (state council), qadis (judges), vizier (prime minister), and emirs (governors).

What did the Abbasid Government control?

Most of the Umayyad lands (except Spain)

What kind of government was the Abbasid Government?

Balance of Absolute Rule and decentralized system (emirs in provinces)

Army

expanded and shifted to include non-Arabs, mainly professional from conquered areas (Persia and Turkey)

Islamic Law

(Sharia) Developed with the use of the Quran and the hadith material to form the code

Gender roles

Subordinate roles for women in government and the household; property and dowry rights with legal standing

Non-Arabs

converts to Islam (particularly Persians) slowly made up the majority of the Abbasid caliphate

Where was the highpoint of the Islamic culture?

in Baghdad with the House of Wisdom

Study of:

medicine, mathematics, science, astrology, logic, metaphysics

In Islamic culture, they read and translated..

the Greek philosophies (Aristotle)

What were the influences of the Islamic culture?

Persian, Arab, and Hellenistic cultures and ideas, built libraries and use of paper

What areas did the Islamic Empire focus on?

Cordoba (umayyad), Baghdad (abbasid), and Cairo (shitte Fatimids)

Seljuk Turks

Nomadic peoples who conquered Persia, Anatolia, and modern-day Iraq.

What religion did the Seljuk Turks convert to?

Converted to Islam but fought the Islamic Empire. They captured Baghdad in 1055.

What did the Turks replace the position of Caliph with?

Sultan

Seljuk and Ottoman Turks

Turkish group who converted to Islam and conquered most of Middle East

Where were the Seljuk and Ottoman Turks tribes located and what was their leader’s name?

Central Asia and Osman (named Ottoman after him)

How long did the Seljuk and Ottoman Turks dominate the Middle East for?

until the 1900s and they fell during the first world war

What did the Seljuk and Ottoman Turks conquer?

Baghdad, Abbasids, the Byzantine capital of Constantinople

Ottoman Government

The ruling institution with the Sultan and Administrators. Provinces led by governors (pashas) raised armies, collected taxes(tax-farming).

Janissaries

Captured Christian boys that were trained and educated and were part of the slave system of devshirme

Order of events

Umayyad abbasid ottoman