Islam Beyond the Caliphates Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms, figures, and concepts regarding the expansion and cultural impacts of Islam outside the central caliphates.

Seljuk Empire

A high medieval Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire founded by Turks in 1037 from Central Asia that conquered eastern Anatolia before being invaded by the Mongols around 1260.

Battle of Manzikert

A 1071 battle in which the Seljuk Turks conquered most of Anatolia from the Byzantine Empire, serving as one of the reasons for the First Crusade (1095-1099).

Emirates

Regions ruled by Arab noblemen or military personnel into which the Mongols divided Anatolia around 1260.

Delhi Sultanate

An Islamic empire that dominated most of the Indian subcontinent from roughly 1206 to 1526 CE and successfully repelled Mongol invasions.

Mamluks

Turko-Iranian slave soldiers (literally meaning 'slave soldiers' of the Arab caliphates) who invaded northern India prior to the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate.

Chagatai Khanate

The Mongol khanate whose attempted invasions of the Indian subcontinent were successfully repelled by the Delhi Sultanate.

Sultans

Rulers who wielded political authority and enforced Sharia law, but unlike caliphs, lacked the authority to make religious or theological changes.

Mughal Empire

A Central Asian Muslim power of Mongol and Turkic descent that replaced the Delhi Sultanate in the 16th century.

Diasporic Communities

Settlements established by foreign trade networks—such as Muslim merchants in the Indian Ocean, Chinese in Southeast Asia, and Jews along the Mediterranean and Silk Road—that spread culture and religion.

Mansa Musa

The ruler of Mali who made a high-profile pilgrimage to Mecca, distributing vast amounts of gold along his journey and spurring outside interest in his state.

Timbuktu

The primary trade city in West Africa that became a major hub of Islamic education, holding over $150$ Muslim schools.

House of Wisdom

An academic institution in Baghdad that preserved and combined Greco-Roman and Indian knowledge before being destroyed by the Mongols in 1258.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

A Persian mathematician during the Abbasid Golden Age who created trigonometry.

'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah

A Sufi master and poet who composed more written works than any other Arabic woman prior to 1900.

Dar-al-Islam

A term referring to Muslim-ruled lands through which trade, ideas, and technologies like paper and printing were transmitted.

Ghulam

Young male military slaves who were purchased for government service and given gradual advancements in rank and honors based on service, skill, and merit.