Building an Arab Empire

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Building an Arab Empire

• Umayyad and Abbasid Empires

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Umayyad Caliphs661-750 A.D.

• Meccan Clan
• Sunni
• Capital, Damascus (Syria)
• Empire expanded from Spain in west to Indus River
  Valley (Pakistan/India) in east
• 711 Spain
• 732 France stopped at the Battle of Tours by
  Charles the Hammer Martel

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Charles The Hammer Martel
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Battle of Tours
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TOURS
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Reason for Muslim Success

• Weakness of Byzantine (Eastern Roman Empire) and
  Persian Empires
• Many people welcomed Arabs as liberators
• Bedouin horse and camel cavalry
• United a patchwork of tribes
• Belief in Islam and desire to glorify new
  religion
• Orderly system of administration

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Umayyad Empire
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Conquered People Treated Fairly

• Super Tax on People of the Book
• Converts given advantages

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Decline of Umayyad Empire

• 1. Rulers had trouble adapting from living in the
  desert to ruling large cities and huge
  territories
• 2. Non Arabs did not have the same privileges as
  Arabs - resentment
• 3. Umayyad caliphs became corrupted/living in
  luxury

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Rise of the Abbasids750 A.D. 1258 A.D.

• Founder and leader Abu al-Abbas
• Descendant of Muhammads uncle
• Killed all members (except one) of last Umayyad
  ruling family

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Changes Under Abbasids

• Create equality of all Muslims
• Halted large military conquests
• Empire of caliphs reached its greatest wealth and
  power
• Muslim civilization flourished
• Ended discrimination of non Arabs
• Encouraged learning

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• Moved capital from Damascus (Syria) to Baghdad
  (Iraq)
• Shiite
• Umayyad keeps Spain

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The Muslim Empire Declines

• 900 A.D. Seljuk Turks (from Central Asia) adopted
  Islam and set up and empire across the Fertile
  Crescent
• 1055 Sultan or ruler takes over Baghdad
• Pushed into Asia Minor (Turkey)
• Threatened the Byzantine Empire
• Preventing Christian pilgrims from entering
  Jerusalem
• 1095 Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade
  to free Holy Lands of Muslim invaders

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Mongols

• 1216 - Genghis Kahn led the Mongols out of
  Central Asia into Southwest Asia
• 1258 Grandson of Genghis Khan looted Baghdad
• Killed the last Abbasid caliph
• Mongols convert to Islam
• Timur the Lane or Tamerlane conquers many Muslim
  lands

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Map of Middle East
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Map of Central Asia
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Central and East Asia
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Muslim Civilizations Golden Age

• 750-1350 Built vast trading network
• Money economy
• Partnerships
• Credit
• Formed banks
• Bank Checks
• Manufactured goods highly sought
• Agriculture thrives
• Social Mobility
• Slave Practice

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Ships of the Sand
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Arts, Literature, Architecture

• Poetry
• Calligraphy the art of beautiful handwriting
• Architecture 688 Dome of the Rock
• Libraries of Baghdad Learning Centers
• Ancient philosophy and history preserved by
  Muslim scholars
• Advances in astronomy, mathematics, medicine

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Calligraphy
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Dome of the Rock