Middle East & Muslim Empires (Medieval Period)

Muslim and African Empires

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​Muhammad Founds the Islamic Religion around 610 AD

• ​​Not all Arabs supported him

• Forced to flee from Mecca to Yathrib, later renamed Medina or “city of the prophet”

  • This journey is known as the “hijra”

  • Gains followers and returns to Medina, defeating the Meccans in war

• Dedicates the Kabba, a structure he believed was built by Abraham, as the holiest site in Islam.

• Muhammad Dies in 632 AD

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​Islam Unifies the Arabs, Then They Split, and Spread Rapidly

• c. 632 AD Islam splits into two sects over who would lead after Muhammad

  • Virtually identical religions

  • Sunni (90%) - Believed Four Caliphs were rightful successors to Muhammad

  • Shia (10%) – Followers of Ali, Muhammad's Son-in-Law should be Muhammad's successor

  • This divide continues today

• Abu Bakr the first caliph unifies the Arabs by war (Sunni)

• Islam and the Arabs spread rapidly

  • Fight Wars with Europe, the Byzantine and Persian Empires

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​Muslims Spread Rapidly through War

Multiple Choice

Why did the Islamic religion SPLIT in 632 AD?

• Muhammad's wife Fatima wanted peace with all non-Muslims instead of war

• Disagreements over who would lead the Muslims after Muhammad died

• Abu Bakr wanted war with Western Europe and Persia

• The Muslims argued over who would appoint Imams and who was the head of the religion

Multiple Choice

The holiest site(s) in Islam is

• Disney World

• The holy city of Jerusalem

• The Kabba

• Tours, France

• The holy cities of Mecca and Medina

The Muslim Caliphates

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The Muslim Nations and Governments were called Caliphates

• A caliphate is a political-religious state governing Muslim lands and peoples.

  • Literally a "government under a caliph"

  • A caliph is a spiritual leader of Islam who claims succession from Muhammad.

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​The Umayyad Caliphate

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​The Umyyad

• Capital in Damascus (modern day Syria)

• Spread Westward across all of North Africa (the Maghrib)

• Spread Eastward into the weakened Byzantine and Persian Empires all the way to India

• Spread North through Spain into France

  • Defeated by the Franks under Charles Martel in 732 AD

  • Parts of Spain remain under Muslim control until 1492. (Reconquista)

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​Muslims Spread Islam Everywhere They Went

• Imposed taxes and restrictions on people who wanted to maintain their own religions

• Segregation of populations – created an elite class of Arabs

• Developed Trans-Saharan slave trade from Africa to the Middle East

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Umayyad Declined because ...

• Tried to rule an empire like a small tribe

  • lacked bureaucracy and infrastructure

• People began to reject the policies of restriction and the “elites”

• Shiites (Shia) rejected the legitimacy of the Umayyads (Sunni-Shia Split)

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​The Abbasid Empire 750 – 1258 AD

• Abu al-Abbas conquers Damascus in 750 supported by people discontented with the Umayyad

  • Surviving Umayyad’s fled to Spain and founded an independent state

• Abbasid’s Make Reforms

  • More equality – no more elites

  • Halts large military expansions

  • Moves capital to Baghdad

  • Creates a bureaucracy to manage the empire

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Abbasids Become Wealthy and Prosperous

• Decline begins with a fragmentation of the caliphate in the 850s

• Seljuk Turks gain control around 1055

• Baghdad captured and destroyed by the Mongols in 1258 AD

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​Seljuk Turks and the Fatimids

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The Seljuks Empire 1030- 1194

• Move in from Asia and conquer large areas of the middle east

  • Persian origins

• Fought the Byzantine Empire/Constantinople

• Closed off Jerusalem and the Holy Lands to Christians thus beginning the Crusades

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​The Fatimid Empire 909 - 1171 AD

• Shiite Caliphate

• The Fatimids claimed descent from Fatimah Bint Muhammad, the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

• Invaded by Saladin and incorporated into his caliphate in 1171

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The End of the Abbasid Caliphate at the Hands of the Mongols Ends the Islamic Golden Age

Achievements​

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• Preservation and diffusion of Learning

• Expansion of Trade, Ideas and Technology

• Discoveries and Improvements

  • Astronomy & Navigation

  • Agriculture & Irrigation

  • Medicine improvements

• Social Mobility within their society

• Art and Architecture

  • Calligraphy

  • Poetry

  • Mosques

​The Ottoman Empire

1453 - 1922

The Ottoman's Under Mehmed Conquer the Byzantines in 1453

A "Gunpower Empire"

• During the 15th and 16th centuries, three great powers arose in a band across western and southern Asia in large part due to a Chinese invention of gunpowder.

  • Ottoman (Modern Turkey)

  • Safavid (Iran)

  • Mughal (India)

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Ottoman Control of Constantinople Causes Europeans to Look for New Routes to Asian Trade

Like the Romans, the Ottoman empires had NO CLEAR POLICY on the succession of the ruler causing internal conflicts

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Multiple Choice

A political-religious state governing Muslim lands and peoples.

• Sultanate

• Nation-State

• Muslim Kingdom

• Caliphate

Multiple Select

Select all that apply: Which of the following is true of the Umayyad Caliphate?

• Defeated by the Franks at Tours in 732 AD and stopped from invading Europe

• Maintained control of Spain until 1492

• Imposed taxes and restrictions on people who wanted to maintain their own religions

• Began the

  Trans-Saharan Slave Trade

• Allowed freedom of religion throughout their domains

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the best reason that the Umayyad declined?

• The Sunni's began to reject Sharia Laws forced upon them by the Umayyad

• The Umayyad tried to rule an empire like a small tribe

• Large Umayyad military expansions led to high casualties among the lower classes

• People refused to follow the corrupt leadership of the Umayyad

Multiple Choice

True or False: After being conquered by the Abbasids, the surviving Umayyad’s fled to Asia and founded an independent state called Pakistan.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or False: The Abbasids are conquered by the Seljuk Turks around 1055.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

-- A Shiite Caliphate

-- Claimed descent from Fatimah Bint Muhammad, the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

-- Invaded by Saladin and incorporated into his caliphate in 1171

The above facts relate to which Islamic Caliphate/Empire of the Middle Ages?

• Umayyad

• Abbasid

• Seljuk

• Fatimid

• Ottoman

Multiple Choice

More equality – no more elites

Halts large military expansions

Moves capital to Baghdad

Creates a bureaucracy to manage the empire

The phrases above relate to the reforms of WHICH Islamic Caliphate/Empire of the middle ages?

• Umayyad

• Abbasid

• Seljuk

• Fatimid

• Ottoman

Multiple Select

Select all that Apply: Which of the following is an achievement of the Muslim Empires of the Middle Ages?

• Diffusion of learning across the world

• Expansion of trade across Africa and into Europe

• Creation of the Trans-Saharan Slave Trade

• Technological and scientific innovations in navigation, astronomy, and medicine

• The creation of impressive works in the arts and architecture

Multiple Choice

Sahara Desert

Rivers

Mountains

Jungle​

What do each of the above geographic features of Africa have in common?

• Geographic features that were obstacles to travel

• Used by European conquerors to destroy African societies

• Geographic features common to all continents

• Geographic features used for transport and trade of African goods