Ancient Arabia

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Ancient Arabia

• 300 BC-1200 AD

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Geography of Arabia

• Huge peninsula in SW Asia
• Today we call this area Kuwait, Yemen, and Saudi
  Arabia
• Persian Gulf lies to the east
• Arabian Sea to south
• Red Sea to west

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Geo

• Can be divided into three areas
• Jabal al-Hijaz ( mountains along west coast)
• rainfall makes agriculture possible
• East Coast- also fertile
• Inner Part of Peninsula- Desert- No rainfall-
  few rivers- Empty Quarter is here- largest
  continuous body of sand
• Oasis-an underground spring in desert (oases)

4
People

• Arab- people who live there- domesticated the
  camel
• Sabaean- live in Yemen (Sheba)
• water brought in through irrigation
• herders, farmers, traders
• Nabatean- live in Jordan-
• water brought in by aqueducts-
• Cap. city- Petra ( imp. stop on trade route)

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peeps

• Bedouins-people of the desert
• PIRATES!!!!
• Became wealthy from raiding towns and caravans
• Nomads- wandered the desert (not all were bad)
• Herders- lived in mountains- also moved around
• Did NOT rob people

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Camels

• Domesticated 3000 years ago
• Carry heavy loads
• Go for days without water
• Provide milk
• Travel in caravans- group of people and animals
  traveling together

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Intro to Islam, Arabia and the people
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Islam

• Means to submit to the will of God
• Muslims- followers
• Quran/Koran- stories/teachings written in this
  bible- the holy book of Islam
• Beginnings
• Muhammad (b.507 AD) in Mecca
• Married Khadija- they became very wealthy

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Beginnings continued

• 610 AD- M received a message from Allah (God)
• Became His prophet
• Was told to worship only me- one God
  (monotheistic)
• Does this sound familiar??????
• Meccas leaders (polytheistic) feared his
  teachings

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Reasons why people did not like Muhammads
teachings!

• First of all- they did not like being told to
  stop worshipping their Gods
• Secondly, they did not like the idea that people
  might stop coming to Kaaba which was an important
  shrine in Mecca to worship their gods
  (pilgrimage) b/c the towns along the way would
  lose money!
• Also that Allah was teaching that rich and poor
  would be equals, or that money should be given to
  the poor.
• WHY?? Because then the rich would lose their
  POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Fear

• Kicked out (exiled) of Mecca in 622
• Made a hijra/hegira(migration/journey) to Medina
  in 622- begins Islamic calendar
• 624-M led attacks on Meccas caravans-cut off
  their supplies
• 630-re-entered Mecca- Holy city- continues to
  teach Gods word
• 632- Muhammad dies

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History of Islam
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Quran

• Teaches
• Only one God, Allah
• Five Pillars ( basic duties)
• 1. belief in one God/M is Allahs prophet
• 2. offer prayers towards Mecca five times a day
• 3. give to those in need
• 4. fast during Ramadan ( ninth month)
• 5. visit Mecca( pilgrimage) at least once in
  life

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Five Pillars
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Quran contd

• 5. continued this pilgrimage is called a hajj.
  Haji is someone who completes this pilgrimage
• Islam calendar is 354 days long- Ramadan may be
  in any month

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Haj
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Sunnah

• Basic rules about how to treat others
• People should treat guests with generosity
• Bad to owe money
• People should obey their leaders

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Islamic Law (Shariah)

• Judges the rightness of actions an individual or
  community might take
• Required-accepted-disapproved-forbidden
• Rewards good behavior
• Punishes bad
• Limits authority
• Changes with the times

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Quran/ Koran
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Worship

• Mosque (temple) the first one was Ms house
• Call people to prayer from towers
• Kaaba- Meccas temple( was once a polytheistic
  temple)
• Dome of Rock- in Jerusalem- believe this is where
  M ascended into heaven

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Mosque
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Caliphates

• 634 BC Abu Baker- first caliph( highest leader of
  Islam) after M died directed battles, unified
  Arabia- defeated Persian and Byzantine Empires
• Set new rules for conquered people- non Muslims
  could not build new worship places BUT could
  continue to practice religion

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Umayyad Family

• Moved capital to Damascus in Syria
• Took over central Asia and N. India
• Gained control of trade in eastern Med.
• N. Africans (Berbers) converted to Islam
• 711 Joined up with Arabs conquered Spain called
  themselves Moors and ruled parts of Spain for 700
  years
• Abbasids- Islamic dynasty- 749 BC reorganized
  govt and made it easy to rule

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Trade Helps

• Islam spread through trade and warfare
• Arabs traded Islamic beliefs and goods to India,
  Africa, and SE Asia
• Indian kingdoms remained Hindu- but costal cities
  started converting
• Muslims practiced tolerance esp. b/c their were
  shared beliefs with other monotheistic religions
• But they were taxed and could not convert others

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Muslim Caliphate

• 700s AD- Muslim rulers controlled Mediterranean
  region
• 762 Baghdad built on Tigris River- cultural
  center for Muslims
• Caliph- means successor to the prophet
• Governed land and region of Islam (area called
  Caliphate)

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Caliphate contd

• In Baghdad- built a huge library- House of Wisdom
• Medicine- Avicenna-
• described how disease spread through air and
  water- GERMS!!!!!
• Ulcers from stress
• Cancer can be fought with surgery
• Large hospitals and traveling hospitals

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Caliphate

• Math/Science- we use Arabic numbers
• Algebra
• Islam calendar based on cycles of moon
• Astrolabe- find position of stars
• Music- Guitar
• Books- Arabian Nights

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Art and Architecture