Islamic Civilization Chapter 6 Section 3. Prosperity in the Islamic World Extensive trading network that included the Islamic world, China, India, and.

Islamic CivilizationChapter 6 Section 3

Prosperity in the Islamic World

Extensive trading network that included the Islamic world, China, India, and Byzantium

Imports to the empire - slaves, gold, ivory (Africa) silk, porcelain (China), sandalwood, spices (SE Asia, India)

Produced within – grain, linens, dates, precious stones, and textiles

The Role of Cities

Baghdad known as the City of Peace – was the greatest city in the empire and one of the greatest in the world

Cairo and Damascus as well

All three were centers for administrative, cultural, and economic activities

Cordoba – capital of Umayyad Spain

The Role of Cities

Islamic cities had distinct appearances

Urban buildings for government officials

Mosques for worship

Public buildings, public baths, and bazaars

Bazaars

covered markets where goods from various regions were sold

They had inspectors for mostly sanitary and safety reasons

Also had shops, laundries and bath houses

The Importance of Farming

Arab Empire more urban than other areas of the world

The majority of the people lived as farmers or herders

At first small farmers (peasants) owned the land, later on it was wealthy land owners (sound familiar?)

Lands owned by states were farmed by slave labor

River valleys most remained independent

Islamic Society

Being a Muslim means more than worshipping Allah

Life must be lived according to Allah’s teachings in the Quran

Quran is compiled in 635

All of life’s questions are dictated and answered through Islamic teachings

Social Structure

In Islam all people are equal in the eyes of Allah

Sound great on paper, hard to put into practice

Upper class well defined and had more than merchants and farmers

Slaves no where near equal – most coming from Africa and non-Muslim populations (a Muslim can’t be a slave)

Slaves served in the army (most were freed)

Female slaves used as domestic servants

Slaves must be treated fairly – good act to free them (Charity)

The Role of Women

Quran grants spiritual and social equality to women

Could earn money, own and inherit property

Women had different duties than men

Women have a male guardian

Arranged marriages

Men could have up to 4 wives – didn’t happen often because a dowry a gift of money or property, had to be paid to the brides

The Role of Women

Could enter into a marriage freely and could divorce under certain circumstances

Adultery is forbidden

Some older customs override the freedom afforded to Muslim women

Covering of almost all body parts is widely accepted, but not dictated by the Quran rather traditional Arab customs

Even though they had restrictions, they had more freedom that most women during that time period

The Culture of IslamChapter 6 Section 4

Preservation of Knowledge

Aware of other ancient civilizations like Greece

Important Greek works were translated into Arabic

Read and studied by Muslim scholars kept in the House of Wisdom in Baghdad

Made easier by making paper

Paper factories were established in Baghdad followed by booksellers and libraries

Thanks to the Arabic translations Greek works survived and were translated into Latin for the western world

Philosophy, Science, and History

Ibn-Rushad – lived in Cordoba and wrote commentaries on most of Aristotle’s surviving works

“Arabic” system of numbers was acquired from India - includes the use of zero

Algebra can be credited to an Arab mathematician

Observatory in Baghdad used to study positions of stars

Knew the Earth was round and named several stars

Perfected the astrolabe an instrument used by sailors to determine their location using the stars and planets

Philosophy, Science, and History

Ibn Sina

Wrote a medical encyclopedia that’s translated into Latin

Becomes basic medical textbook for medieval Europe

Ibn-Khaldun

Historian – most famous work Muqaddimah (Introduction to History)

Argues that civilizations go through cycles (birth, growth, decay)

Looked for scientific basis for political and social factors that determine history

Literature

Quran – greatest literary work

Most famous Middle Eastern literature Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam and The 1001 Nights (Arabian Nights)

Arabian Nights’ author is unknown

Consists of folktales, fables, romances, with some supernatural

Early ones were passed down orally and written down later

Art and Architecture

Islamic art is a blend of Arab, Turkish, and Persian cultures

Muslim mosques have the best art

Great Mosque of Samarra

It is a minaret – tower where the muezzin (crier) calls Muslims to prayer 5 times a day

Mosque in Cordoba – still in immaculate condition

Art and Architecture

Palaces are just a glorious as the mosques

Alhambra in Granada, Spain – palace is adorned with arabesques – repeated geometric patterns

No paintings of Muhammad

Not forbidden in the Quran

Warnings in Hadith against imitating of God through creating pictures of human beings

No people in early Islamic religious art