World Civ Quiz #1

Mature Islamic Civilizaion and the First Global Civilization

Astronomers

Painting illustrates that law and theology were the foremost Islamic schools, but sciences such as mathematics, astronomy, and medicineremained popular and benefitted from the patonage of caliphs and sultans.

Islamic civilization was consolidated when?

The period from. the founding of the Abbasid Dynasty in 750 C.E. through the degeneration of that dynasty in the tenth century.

Rivals of the Islamic Civilizations

Christians and Chinese

African, Hindu

Challenges of the caliph’s supremacy

Christian Crusades to the Holy Land

Breakdown of the Baghdad caliphate

Mongols

Ottoman Turks

Abbasids

Seized power from the Umayyads

City became center of culture, manufacturing, and trade

Equality among Muslims, religious leadership,

Ulama

Caliph’s religious scholars

Shari’a

Sacred law based on the Qur’an

Sunna

Doctrine set by the prophet Muhammad for Muslim living

Unlike the Western World, the Muslims’…

Unlike the Western World, the Muslims’ sacred book and the Sunna of the Prophet remained the twin bases of all holy law

Baghdad

Persian bureaucracy

Diwan

State council

Qadis

Judges who had jurisdiction in all disputes involving a Muslim

Vizier

Caliph’s prime minister with lots of power

Eunuchs

Castrated male slaves

More devoted to their government

Amir

The key man, collected taxes

Rebellions in the Baghdad government

In provin ces and led by independent-minded amirs

Muslim army in the Abbasid era

Internation, made up mostly of slaves, taken from conquered people, Africans and Egyptians. Well trained, well equipped, increasing political power as the caliph became weaker. Most impressive of the era, overshadowed the European's and Byzantines. Raided Afganistan and western India

Changes in the tenth century

1. The ulama had succeeded in systematizing the application of the Shari’a to all spheres of Muslim’s lives

2. Caliphs were the primary source of authority on religious matters

3. Turned to ulama for religious guidance and education instead of caliphs

Closing of the Gates

The system and the sources of written law they had developed for seeking God’s will in all things were considered to be complete and closed to further development. Discouraged all future independent thought and intellectual innovation after that time.

Caused religious law to become conservative. Ulma exercised almost total control over defining acceptable, orthodox practices in God’s eyes

Sufism

Equivalent of Christian and Buddhist mystics, believed in a direct, personal path to the experience of God’s presence. Relied on emotional connections to div ine truth. The Qur’an is not the sole path to God. Ecstatic dancing, participants fell into a trance.

Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims.

Relationship between Sufi and Ulama

Strained to the point of mutual condemnation and bloodshed

Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazzali

An Iranian Sufi, managed to bring together the mystic enthusiasts and the conservative clerics into a fragile, lasting truth.

“Renewer of Islam”

Tariqas

Sufi masters gathered these circles and organized them into religious associations

Arabic

Every educated Muslim had to learn this some

What did Muslims invent?

Paper, university, expanded classical Greek

“House of Wisdom”

Created by Harun al-Tashid

Translating great works of medicine, science, mathematics, astrology, alchemy, logic, and metaphysics from greek and sanskrit into arabic

Congregated and debated writings of Greek and Indian mastered

Revered Aristotle

Muslim contributions to science

Pharmacology, physiology, anatomy, and, above all, opthalamay, and optical science, Geography

Geography

Arabic and Persian writers and travelers were responsible for much new information about the known and the hitherto unknown world.

Astronomy

Built on and expanded the traditions of careful observation inherited in the Near East

Math

Developed and rationalized the ancient Hindu system of numbers to create Arabic numbers. Algebra and decimal system

Ibn Sina (Avicenna)

Physician and scientist of great importance to medival Europe and the author of the famous handbook on clinical practice, The Canon of Medicine

Al-Zahrawi

Surgeon and medical innovator

Abbisad era

Flourishes un arts—plastic, literary, and poetic. Intricate geometric paintings, ceramics, mosaics, and inlay works

Taj Mahal in India

Most beautifl buidling in the world

Mark of gentility and good manners for a ruler to spend lavishly

Calligraphty

Incorporated into almost every form of art, quotation from the Qur’an

Literarature

Persian replaced Arabic

Shah-Nama

Collection of tales and anecdotes from the poet Firdawsi, sums up Persia’s history from its origions, writeen early eleventh century. Storytelling as a high art, invention of fiction

The 1001 Nights (The Arabian Nights)

created by a courtier at the court of Harun al-Rashid.

Women

Qur’an states that men are superior to women

Protections from male abused

As time increased, veiling and seclusion of women increased

Slave women were allowed more freedom than freeborn, many were concubines

Were confined to the harem, private areas of the house were they kept in hiding

Marriage

A man can marry up to four wives and have many concubines. Had at least one slave. Not harsh, worked in household or shop, could be freed. People were enslaved for debts, wars, bad luck

Muslim society priortized…

Honor and shame

Purdah

Private areas of the house were they kept in hiding

Class differences in Women

Lower income women usually had more freedom, breadwinners

Houses sometimes belonged to women

Women kept houses and other things in divorces

Decline of the Abbasids and coming of the Turks and Mongolds

Spaniards and North African amirates would not submit their rule

Became independent caliphs during 800s

Abbasids in control of only Iraq and Syria, became dependent on Turks

Seljuks

Surged out of Afghanistan into Iran and Iraq. Took over government until fell prey to internal rivals. Middle East became series of large and small Muslim prinicpalities, fighting

Chinghis Khan

Started as tribal leader, horse and sheep breaders, northern central Asia. Conquered most of central Asia and Middle East.

Great Khan

Chinghis Khan’s successor. Victorious over Russians and ravaged half of Europe. Took Baghdad. Major slaughter and rape. Abbasid caliphate of Baghdad came to an end and was replaced by Mongols

The First “World” Civilization

Flourished brilliantly between 900 and 1200. Rivaled by China and India

Honor the highest merchant

Qur’anic exhortation meaning that commerce and manufacturing held places of honor in Islam

Islamic world around 900

Extended from Spain to China, Muslim traders, Muslims and Hindus reduced trade on Indian Ocean, Muslims exercised equal control over land routes. Greaters producers and consumer of wealth with Imperial China.

Greatest routes

Indian Ocedan and Silk Road tied prosperity between Islamic world and China.

Silks, porcelians, carpets, textiles, gold coins, metal wares

Ships, camels , mules

Believers easily moved through network

Opposition in 900s

Abdullah al-Mahdi claimed to be a direct descendant of Muhammad’s daughter. led a Berber rebellion againstlocal Aghlabid amirs. Declared a Shi’ite counter-caliphate

Fatimids Rise

The Fatimids were a major Ismaili Shia Islamic dynasty that ruled a vast empire across North Africa, Sicily, and the Middle East from 909 to 1171 CE. Named after Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, the dynasty built its capital in Cairo and rivaled the Abbasid Caliphate

Expelled allies of the Abbasids from Egypt and established new capuital at Cairo

Fatimids Fall

Saladin drove them from Egypt in 1174 and restablished Sunni Islam in the eastern Mediterranean region, shi’ite missionaries trained in Cairo Uiversity.

Abd al-Raham al-Umayya

Umayyad survivor who escaped from massacure in Damascus, landed in spain, and established emirate at Cordoba

Three caliphs ates

Abbasids in Iraq

Fatimids in North Africa

Umayyads in spain

al-Analus

Spanish Muslim kingdom

Cultural rival to Baghdad

Cordoba

Intellectual beacon of Maliki law

The model followed in al Anadalus and Africa

large poplations, Muslim ruling class, other religions too

Abu Abdallah ibn Battuta (c. 1304-1369)

Muslim scholar and traveler from Morrocco. Undertook the hajj. Visited Mecca and most of Islamic world.

Educated Muslim elite (ulama)

Gained royal protection

Parents died of the Black Death

Wrote accounts of his travels

Abu Sa’id

Last Mongol ruler of the Ilkhanid state

Muhammand ibn Tughlug

Sultan of Delhi