AP VOCAB #2
Jinshi — Chinese scholars who passed the highest level of civil service exams.
Zen-Buddhism — A form of Buddhism focused on meditation and direct personal experience.
Empress Wu — The only woman to officially rule China as emperor; she ruled during the Tang Dynasty.
Neo-Confucians — Thinkers who combined Confucian ideas with Buddhist and Daoist beliefs.
Taika Reforms — Japanese reforms that strengthened the emperor and modeled government after China.
The Tale of Genji — A famous Japanese novel about court life, written by Murasaki Shikibu.
Fujiwara — A powerful Japanese family that controlled government through marriage and political influence.
Bushi — Japanese warrior class; early samurai.
Gempei Wars — Civil wars in Japan between the Taira and Minamoto clans.
Shoguns — Military rulers who governed Japan in the emperor’s name.
Silla — A Korean kingdom that united most of the Korean Peninsula in the 600s.
Sinification — The adoption of Chinese culture, language, government, and traditions.
Khmers — Southeast Asian people who created the powerful Khmer Empire.
Trung Sisters — Two Vietnamese sisters who led a rebellion against Chinese rule.
Islam — Monotheistic religion founded by Muhammad in Arabia.
Muslim — A person who follows Islam.
Islamic / Islamicate — Islamic: related directly to Islam; Islamicate: cultures influenced by Islamic civilization.
Caliph — A political and religious leader who was considered a successor to Muhammad.
Jizya — A tax paid by non-Muslims living under Muslim rule.
Sunni — The largest branch of Islam; traditionally believed the community should choose the caliph.
Shi’a — A branch of Islam that believes Muhammad’s family, beginning with Ali, should lead the Muslim community.
Umayyad — The dynasty that created a large Islamic empire based in Damascus.
Abbasid — Dynasty that overthrew the Umayyads and made Baghdad the center of the Islamic world.
Harun al-Rashid — Famous Abbasid caliph associated with the Islamic Golden Age and Baghdad.
Dhows — Arab sailing ships used for trade across the Indian Ocean.
Al-Mahdi — An important Abbasid caliph who helped strengthen the empire.
Buyids — Persian Shi’a dynasty that controlled Baghdad and influenced the Abbasid caliphs.
Seljuk Turks — Muslim Turkic people who conquered large parts of the Middle East and supported Sunni Islam.
Mamluks — Military slaves who became powerful rulers, especially in Egypt.
Sultan — A Muslim ruler or monarch, usually with political and military authority.
Sultans of Delhi — Muslim dynasties that ruled much of northern India from Delhi.
Ibn Battuta — Moroccan Muslim traveler who traveled across Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe.
Sufi — A Muslim who follows a mystical tradition focused on developing a close relationship with God.
Factions — Groups within a larger organization that have different interests or goals.
Disseminate — To spread information, ideas, or beliefs widely.