History exam Vocab

Allah

The Arabic word for God in Islam.

Muhammad

The prophet and founder of Islam.

Islam

A monotheistic religion that teaches submission to the will of Allah.

Shahada

The Islamic declaration of faith.

Sawm

Fasting during the month of Ramadan in Islam.

Zakat

A form of almsgiving as a religious obligation in Islam.

Salat

The Islamic practice of ritual prayer performed five times a day.

Ramadan

The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by fasting.

Kaaba

The sacred shrine in Mecca, to which Muslims direct their prayers.

Muslim

A follower of the religion of Islam.

Mosque

A place of worship for Muslims.

Hijrah

The migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina.

Hajj

The pilgrimage to Mecca that is required of all Muslims who are able.

Qur’an

The holy book of Islam.

Shari’a

Islamic law derived from the Qur’an and Hadith.

Sunni

A major branch of Islam.

Shi’a

A branch of Islam that holds that Ali was the rightful successor to Muhammad.

Sufi

A mystical Islamic belief and practice.

The Five Pillars

The basic acts of worship in Islam.

Caliph

A spiritual leader of Islam, regarded as the successor to Muhammad.

Dome of the Rock

An Islamic shrine located in Jerusalem.

Umayyads

The first dynasty of Arab caliphs.

Abbasids

The dynasty that replaced the Umayyads and ruled during the Islamic Golden Age.

Jihad

An Islamic term referring to the struggle for a good cause.

House of Wisdom

A major intellectual center during the Islamic Golden Age.

Damascus

A historic city in Syria; once the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate.

Baghdad

The capital of Iraq and a major cultural and intellectual center in the Islamic Golden Age.

The Gunpowder Empires

Empires in the early modern era known for their use of gunpowder weaponry.

Ottoman Empire

A transcontinental empire that lasted from the 14th to the early 20th century.

Safavid Empire

An early modern Iranian empire known for its establishment of Shia Islam.

Mughal Empire

A prominent empire in the Indian subcontinent during the 16th to 19th century.

Shah Abbas I

The ruler of the Safavid Empire who is credited with its golden age.

Babur

The founder of the Mughal Empire in India.

Akbar

The third ruler of the Mughal Empire, known for his policies of religious tolerance.

Genghis Khan

The founder of the Mongol Empire.

Pax Mongolica

The period of peace and stability across the Mongol Empire.

Kublai Khan

The grandson of Genghis Khan and the founder of the Yuan dynasty in China.

Marco Polo

A Venetian merchant traveler who explored Asia.

Steppe

A large area of flat unforested grassland.

Pastoralists

Nomads that herd domesticated animals.

Tang Taizong

The second emperor of the Tang dynasty in China.

Wu Zhao

The only female emperor in Chinese history.

movable type

A system of printing that uses movable components.

Gentry

A class of landholding families in China who were scholars.

Gunpowder

An explosive material made from a mixture of substances.

compass

A navigational instrument used for determining direction.

Tang code

The legal code of the Tang dynasty.

Scholar-officials

People within the civil service who were appointed by merit.

civil service exams

Tests to acquire administrative positions in the government.

standardized testing

A method of evaluating skills and knowledge.

Jinshi

The highest and most prestigious degree from the Chinese imperial examinations.

terrace farming

An agricultural practice where flat platforms are built on slopes.

Justinian

The Byzantine emperor known for his legal reforms.

Justinian code

The collection of laws and legal interpretations developed under Justinian I.

Hagia Sophia

A large and historic architectural marvel in Istanbul, originally a church.

Icon

A religious work of art, usually a painting.

Excommunication

The act of officially excluding someone from participation in the sacraments and services of the Christian Church.

Cyrillic alphabet

An alphabetic writing system employed across Eastern Europe and North Asia.

Justinian’s Plague

A pandemic that afflicted the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Justinian.

Vatican city

The independent city-state enclaved within Rome, Italy, and the spiritual and administrative center of the Roman Catholic Church.

Great Schism

The division of Christianity into Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman Catholic branches.

Slavs

An ethnic group who speak Slavic languages.

Don River

A major river in Russia.

Dnieper River

One of the major rivers in Europe, flowing through Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.

Volga River

The longest river in Europe, flowing through central Russia.

Moscow

The capital city of Russia.

Kiev

The capital city of Ukraine.

Novgorod

An important historical city in Russia.

Rurik

The legendary founder of the Russian state and the first ruler of the Rus.

Vladimir

A prince of Kiev who was instrumental in the Christianization of Kievan Rus.

Yaroslav the Wise

A prominent ruler of Kievan Rus, known for his legal reforms.

Ivan III

The Grand Duke of Moscow who ended Mongol control.

Ivan IV

Also known as Ivan the Terrible, the first ruler of Russia to be crowned as Tsar.

Czar

A title used to designate East and South Slavic monarchs.

Varangians

Norse traders and warriors who traveled to Eastern Europe.

Rus

The name used for the early East Slavs.

Primary Chronicle

A history of the Eastern Slavs, including the founding of Kievan Rus.

Boyars

The noble class of medieval Russia.

Alexander Nevsky

A Russian prince known for defeating the Swedes and Teutonic Knights.

Pravda

A legal code of Kievan Rus.

Oprichniki

The secret police of Ivan IV, known for their terror tactics.

Allah

God (in Arabic)

Muhammad

Prophet and founder of Islam

Islam

The religion of Muslims

Shahada

Declaration of faith

Sawm

Fasting during Ramadan

Zakat

Charity; religious tax

Salat

Prayer

Ramadan

Month of fasting

Kaaba

A cube in Mecca believed to have been built by Abraham. Holiest place in Islam. Muslims face in its direction during prayer.

Muslim

A follower of Islam

Mosque

A place of worship for Muslims

Hijrah

Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina in 622

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca

Qur’an

Holy book of Islam

Shari’a

Islamic law

Sunni

Branch of Islam that believes the caliph should be chosen by election.

Shi’a

Branch of Islam that believes the caliph should be a direct descendent of Muhammad

Sufi

A mystical form of Islam that emphasizes closeness with God.

The Five Pillars

The Five Pillars of Islam — the five obligations that every Muslim must satisfy in order to live a good and responsible life according to Islam