PERSIAN Chart Pre AP World History Chapter 6: Postclassical Era: Influences of Islam Before Islam, the Arabian Peninsula

is rather empty of population and trade centers, with many POLITICAL warring factions of Bedouin tribes spending energy butting heads. Leaders, Mecca, established as a trade center and a place for truce during war, is controlled by the Elites Umayyad clan. Muhammad born 570 CE into well respected clan and is adopted by merchant State family; Muhammad preaches new religion Islam, which the Umayyad fear and hate. Structure Muhammad must flee to the rival city of Medina, where he mediates conflicts and draws more War followers to Islam. They are badly outnumbered but beat back successive attacks from the Diplomacy, Umayyad and force the acceptance of their religion and free protected access to Mecca (worship Treaties of the Kaba). Courts, Essential split between who should rule as caliph after Muhammad dies in 632 CE causes the Laws Ridda Wars to get rid of rival prophets (also the establishment of caliph Abu Bakr, 632-634CE) Era of Arab Conquest within a century, the Byzantine Empire loses Egypt and Syria, while the Sassanid collapses. Umayyad Empire established Dissatisfaction with Umayyad rule causes external invasion by the Abbasid clan, toppling the empire and replacing it with new caliphs, or divine rulers (largest empire of the time) by end of 8th Century (about 750 CE) New capital at Baghdad, in Iraq (a cultural and trade center of the Middle East until the Mongol destruction Elaborate bureaucratic system where people could rise based on conversion to Islam (religious tolerance
ECONOMIC Type of System Technology, Industry Trade, Commerce Capital/Mon ey Types of Businesses RELIGIOUS Holy Books

Arab domination of the Indian Ocean Trade Route leads to tremendous wealth for the emerging merchant class ; wealth used to build hospitals (the best in the world at that time), religious schools, mosques, bigger palaces, infrastructure, and given away as a charity tax

Beliefs, Teaching Conversion Sin/Salvatio Deities

SOCIAL

Family

Gender Relations Social Classes Inequalities

Life Styles

Islam is largely borrowed from Christian and Jewish influences Bedouin tribes/clans are a mixture of animism and polytheism before Muhammad Muhammad, a merchant, receives revelations while in isolation from the worlds wrongdoings and decides to spread those revelations as teachings compiled later into the Quran, which contains the principles of Islam and an ethical law code 5 Things a Muslim should do: 1. Pray facing Mecca 5 times a day 2. Pay the zakat, or charity tax for the poor 3. Go on a pilgrimage to Mecca every year (hajj) 4. Confess that Allah is the only god and that Muhammad is his prophet 5. Fast during the month of Ramadan Bedouin Society: (typical of pastoral nomads) 1. Matrilineal societies granting much freedom to women (such as the ability to choose a husband) 2. However, the warrior clan of men are always more dominant in Bedouin clan affairs and wars, reducing women to little more than laborers. 3. Led by the Under Islam: 1. Women according to Muhammad are supposed to be treated equally, although that spirals to something different as Arabian civilization develops

2. Only the Arab Muslims are considered high class; slavery is in theory prohibited but is
3. 4. 5. shown through laborers The woman is separated from the man in the Muslim household eventually Females could not go out alone and had to wear the veil to cover themselves In the Abbasid Era, non-Arab converts to Islam were more widely accepted and soon became figures with high powers

INTELLECTUAL, ARTS Art, Music

Writing, Literature Philosophy Math & Science Education NEAR: GEOGRAPHY Location

Great revival of Hellenistic culture; Greek literature, astronomy, geometry, algebra, and philosophy were re-copied into Arabic scrolls and transmitted throughout the empire to places as Spain (precursor of the Renaissance) Indian system of numbers discovered and transmitted Culturally backward until the era of conquest and re-discovering of the ancient Mediterranean knowledge

Physical Movement

Geographically, the Arabian Peninsula has a desert climate, with scattered centers of population in oasis towns (which is why the region was once a cultural backwater) Expansion of the empire was limited by physical barriers such as the Pyrenees in Spain and the Sahara in Africa

Human/Envi ronment Region

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