AMSCO APWHM Chapter 8 Vocabulary

All key terms and their definitions are listed. This is the list from the 2018 version.

Abbasid Caliphate

(750-1258 AD) The 3rd Caliphate (Polity) founded by a dynasty whose descendant is Muhammad’s Uncle. Succeeded the Umayyad and held a “Golden Age of Islam.”

Baghdad

The Capital and Largest City of Iraq, with a population of ~7 million. Founded in 762 AD by Al-Mansur.

Viziers

A high-ranking political advisor or minister in much of the Middle East.

Seljuk Turks

nomadic people from central Asia who converted to Islam and took command of the empire in 1055.

Sultan

Muslim ruler.

Mamluks

Turkic military slaves who formed part of the army of the Abbasid Caliphate in the ninth and tenth centuries; they founded their own state in Egypt and Syria from the thirteenth to the early sixteenth centuries

Córdoba

Capital of Muslim Spain.

Muhammad

The last prophet who lived in the desert lands of the Arabian Peninsula

Bedouins

Small groups of nomadic people in Arabia

Polygyny

Having more than one wife at a time.

Allah

God of Islam.

Mecca

The holiest city of Islam; Muhammad’s birthplace.

Quran (Koran)

The holy book of Islam.

Medina

City in western Arabia to which the Prophet Muhammad and his followers emigrated in 622 to escape persecution in Mecca.

Hegira

Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina

Ka’aba

the cube-shaped shrine in Mecca, believed to be built by Abraham.

People of the Book

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

Five Pillars

beliefs that all Muslims need to carry out - Faith, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage

Jihad

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

Ramadan

the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which strict fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset.

Shariah

Islamic code of Law

Abu Bakr

First caliph after the death of Muhammad (father-in-law).

Caliph

Head of State

Ali

the fourth caliph of Islam, who is considered to be the first caliph by Shiites (cousin and son-in-law)

Sunnis

Supporters of Abu Bakr

Shias

Supporters of Ali

Dar Al-Islam

Refers to all of Islamic culture, including Shia and Sunni.

Umayyad Dynasty

A Sunni dynasty that controlled the largest territory of any since the Roman Empire; the capital is Damascus.

Damascus

a Syrian city that was the capital of the Umayyad caliphate.

Imam

(Islam) the man who leads prayers in a mosque.

Dhows

Large ships that were developed in India and China.

Averroes

Muslim philospher who used Greek philosophy to explain Islamic truth.

Alhambra

A palace and fortress built in Granada by the Muslims in the Middle Ages.

Omar Khayyám

Author of the Rubaiyat.

The Rubaiyat

Epic poem of Omar Khayyam, seeks to find meaning in life and a path to union with the divine

Female Infanticide

The killing of baby girls.

Dowries

The property a woman brings to her husband at marriage.

Hijab

The practice of dressing modestly or to a specific type of covering.

Sufis

Islamic mystics; spread Islam to many Afro-Asian regions.