The Growth of Cities and Trade

​Muslim cities

​During the Abbasid Dynasty the caliphate was at its height.

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• central government

• single language

• united empire ​

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​Fueled economic expansion & urban growth

​Urban centers

Urban: having to do with cities ​

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​Other important muslim cities

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Cordoba, Spain

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Cairo, Egypt

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​urban economy

​Islamic cities grew rapidly due to the strong economic foundations they held.

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read pg 103

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textiles: woven goods

imported from Egypt and Persia

steal swords from Damascus

and leather goods from Cordoba

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​The role of merchants

​traders and merchants were highly respected.

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Social Mobility: ability to rise in society

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Souk: marketplace

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where merchants bought and sold goods from around the empire

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Open Ended

what was the economic foundation of Islamic cities?

​Trade and trade routes

​The Islamic world was found between the Med. Sea and the Indian Ocean

• ideal trade route as it connected Europe, Africa, and Asia

​Arab dhows (small sailing ships) sailed from South Africa to east India

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by land merchants traveled on camel caravans

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​the silk road

​the most famous overland route

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​Muslims and Banking

​improved trade

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Muslim bankers would issue letters of credit that could be used ANYWHERE IN THE EMPIRE

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a letter of credit: is a written record issued by one bank that allows a person to take money out of another bank

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imagine you were a merchant in these times, what may have been a benefit of using a letter of credit?

​effects of trade

​goods flowed into the Islamic cities from three continents:

Asia :

• China: silk, paper, and dishes

• India: spices, coconuts, gems, and woods

​Africa

• gold & salt

​Europe:

• Amber and furs ​