Islamic World Terms (Apworld)

Mamluks

A military force of enslaved people, mostly Turkish, who took control of Egypt and established an empire across North Africa.

Seljuk Turks

The founders and rulers of the Seljuk Empire, a high medieval Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire.

Mongols

The group that conquered the Abbasid Empire in 1258, pushed out the Seljuk Turks, and were eventually stopped by the Mamluks in Egypt.

Abbasid Caliphate

The third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad, founded by a dynasty descended from his uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib.

Muhammad

A man who "raised the statues of women."

Crusades

Religious wars called by the Pope after the Seljuk Turks limited Christian access to Jerusalem and other holy sites.

Sufis

A group of Muslims who emphasized the idea of truths they believed could not be understood through formal learning.

Islamic Golden Age

A period from the 8th to the 14th century known for cultural, economic, and scientific flourishing.

House of Wisdom

A major Abbasid public academy and intellectual center in Baghdad, also known as the Grand Library of Baghdad.

Baghdad

The capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It was a major intellectual hub during the Islamic Golden Age.

Nassir al-Din al-Tusi

A celebrated Islamic scholar who contributed to astronomy, law, logic, ethics, mathematics, philosophy, and medicine.

‘A’ishah al-Ba’uniyyah

A female Muslim writer known for a long poem honoring Muhammad called “Clear inspiration, on the praise of the trusted on.”

Sultan

A king or sovereign, especially of a Muslim state.

People of the Book

A term for people of religions with a written holy scripture, such as Christians and Jews.