Transcript Islamic Civilization - Saugerties Central Schools

Islamic Civilization
Global Studies 9
Mrs. Hart and Mrs. Bernier
The Spread of Islam
Islam was founded in
the Middle East in the
early 600s by a man
named Muhammad.
In the years after his
death, Islam spread
quickly. Muslims
conquered empires in
the Middle East, North
Africa, Europe, India,
and Southeast Asia.
Diverse Lands and People:
The Middle East and North
Africa
The Muslims conquered
Syria, Palestine, the Persian
Empire, and Egypt in the
600s. After taking over
parts of North Africa, they
joined forces with the
North Africans to conquer
Spain.
Diverse Lands and People:
Spain and Sicily
Muslim Arabs and the North African Allies
attacked Spain in the early 700s. When
Europe was weak during the Middle Ages,
the Muslims took control of Sicily.
Diverse Lands and People: India and
Southeast Asia
In the 700s, the Muslims conquered the Indus
Valley. By the 1200s, Turkish converts to Islam
conquered most of northern India, and created a
great Muslim empire on the subcontinent.
Islam was spread throughout Southeast Asia
mainly through trade.
Reasons for Muslim Success
 Strong cavalry.
 Persian and Byzantine
Empires were weak from
fighting each other.
 United in their belief of
Islam.
 Treated conquered
people fairly.
 Common language.
Social Patterns: Social Mobility
Under Islam, people were
able to move up
or down the social class
ladder. Religious,
academic, or military
achievement could
lead to someone moving
up in society.
Social Patterns: Treatment of
Conquered People and Slaves
In areas conquered by the Muslims, most people were
treated fairly and allowed to practice their own
religions, however, they had to pay the Muslims a
special tax.
Slavery was allowed under Muslim law, but it was
possible for slaves to buy their freedom. Also if a
slave converted to Islam, his or her children would be
free.
Social Patterns: Women
According to Muslim belief, men and women are
spiritually equal, but not socially equal.
Historically women had certain rights like the right to
inherit property, education, and consent to marry.
Over time however, some Muslim societies became
more strict.
Muslim Empires: Umayyad Dynasty
* Based in Damascus (modernday Syria).
* Ruled large cities and
territories.
* Used local officials to govern
the large empire.
* Influenced by Byzantine and
Persian traditions
of government.
* Criticized for being too
worldly,
Muslim Empires: Abbassid Dynasty
In 750, the Abbassid dynasty was
founded when their leader
captured the Umayyad capital of
Damascus. They ruled until the
mid-1200s. One consequence of
Abbassid rule was that it ended
Arab domination of Islam. Around
850, Abbassid rule of Islamic
civilization began to decline.
Independent dynasties began to
rule in Muslim states. In the 900s,
the Seljuk Turks adopted Islam
and built their own empire.
Golden Age of Islam
Muslims absorbed and
blended customs and
traditions from many of the
peoples they ruled. The glory
of the empires was reflected
in their emphasis on learning,
achievements in the arts and
sciences, and flourishing
economies based on trade.
This was known as the
Golden Age of Islam.
Golden Age of Islam
Accomplishments:
* Preservation of GrecoRoman culture.
* Vast libraries and
universities that
employedhighly
respected scholars.
* Magnificent mosques
and palaces influenced
by Byzantine domes
and arches.
Golden Age of Islam
Accomplishments:
• Muslim artists were
highly skilled in
calligraphy, or artistic
writing, which
decorated buildings and
pieces of art.
* The Quran was the most
important piece of
Muslim literature, many
writers wrote poems
based on the holy book.
Golden Age of Islam
Accomplishments:
*Muslims pioneered
the study of algebra.
* Muslim astronomers
also observed the
Earth’s rotation and
calculated the
circumference of the
Earth within a few
thousand feet.