Byzantine Empire

the eastern half of the Roman Empire, which survived after the fall of the Western Empire

Nika Rebellion

riot that saw crazed fans call for the overthrow of Justinian, his wife Theodora saved his crown

patriarch

leader of the church

Slavs

people group from eastern Europe, north of the Black Sea that traded with the Byzantines, same ethnic group as the Russians

Kiev

trade center and capital of the first major Russian state

Bedouins

Arabia's earliest inhabitants who were nomadic herders, "desert dweller"

Ka'aba

shrine located in Mecca, erected by Abraham

umma

Islamic community

hajj

pilgrimage to Mecca

shari'a

collection of Islamic law formed by the Qur'an and Sunna

Sunni

an Islamic group that believes any Muslim can be caliph

Abbasids

clan that overthrew the Umayyads in 750, descendents of Muhammad, established Baghdad as capital city, ruled during golden age

House of Wisdom

academic center established in Baghdad

Justinian

Byzantine emperor who reconquered much of the territory previously under the rule of the Roman empire, ordered the construction of the Hagia Sofia, introduced new legal code

Muhammad

founder of Islam, prophet, born into family of Mecca's ruling tribe, worked as caravan merchant

Uthman

murdered Umayyad caliph whose death set off a civil war between Muslims

Ibn Rushd

Spanish-Arab philosopher, also known as Averroes

Justinian's Code

simple, clear and logical work that reorganized and standardized confusing Roman laws

iconoclasts

those opposed to the use of icons

schism

seperation

Cyrillic

form of the Greek alphabet used for writing Slavic languages, attributed to Cyril

Dome of the Rock

mosque in Jerusalem built on the location where Muslims believe Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac

Mecca

important Arabian city, holy city in Islam, birthplace of Muhammad

Islam

monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed

Qu'ran

holy book of Islam, Muslims believe it contains the flawless words of Allah

shahada

Islamic declaration of faith in no God but God

jihad

struggle with external and internal challenges as Muslims strive to please God

Shi'a

an Islamic group that believes only descendents of Muhammad can be a caliph

Library of Cordoba

center of learning established by the Umayyads

Theodora

Justinian's wife, influenced empirical policy, fought for the passage of laws to protect women, children, and some Christian minority groups

Ali

Muhammad's son-in-law by virtue of his marriage to Fatima, considered the first caliph by Shi'ites

Harun al-Rashid

most well-known Abbasid caliph

Ibn Battuta

scholar who traveled from China to Spain, writing detailed accounts of his visits across the Islamic empire and beyond

Hagia Sophia

large church in Constantinople built by order of Justinian

icons

religious images of Jesus and the saints

excommunication

expulsion from the church

Constantinople

capital city of the Byzantine Empire

The Thousand and One Nights

collection of popular Muslim folktales

Medina

city in western Arabia where Muhammad and his followers fled to escape persecution in Mecca

Hijrah

Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution

Five Pillars of Islam

five acts of worship required by all Muslims: the belief in Allah, praying five times a day, giving to the needy, fasting during Ramadan, and making the pilgrimage to Mecca

mosque

Islamic place of worship

caliph

successor

Umayyads

dynasty that ruled the Islamic Empire and established hereditary succession, moved the capital city to Damascus, established kingdom of al-Andalus in Spain

calligraphy

art of beautiful handwriting

al-jabr

algebra

Cyril

missionary sent by the Byzantine government to eastern Europe to convert Russians and Balkans to Orthodox Christianity

Abu Bakr

first caliph after the death of Muhammad, administrative/military leader but not a prophet, spread Islam to parts of Byzantine and Persian empires

Ibn Sina

Islamic scientist/philosopher who organized the medical knowledge of the Greeks and Arabs into the Canon of Medicine, also known as Avicenna

al-Khwarizmi

muslim mathematician who created the technique of "al-jabr" or algebra

Vladimir of Kiev

converted to Orthodox Christianity and ordered his subjects to convert, conquered by the Mongols

Ivan III

first ruler of the independent state of Russia, declared himself czar, declared Moscow "Third Rome"