What am I? Camels- “ships” of the desert; made trade in the Middle East possible
What am I?Camels- “ships” of the desert; made trade in the Middle East possible
What does each camel tell you about the environment that they live in? What can you infer about each climate?
• Bedouins- tribes of nomadic herders – Traveled desert with no permanent home– Raised sheep, camels, and goats– Guides for trade caravans
• Caravans- helped keep traders safe• Bedouins were/are Arabs
– Lived on Arabian Peninsula– Spoke Arabic
• Knew way through desert & location of oases:• Guides for surviving trade in the desert!
Early Inhabitants: People called Bedouins
Trade • Cities Mecca
and Medina– trading
centers– located at
crossroads of trade
- traded elephant tusks, perfume, spices, cloth and gold
Early Religion: Before Islam• Before Islam, most Arabs were polytheistic• Kaaba- Sacred shrine in Mecca• Muslims believe it was built by Abraham
and Ishmael– Important prophets to Jews and
Christians• Many Arab gods worshipped there(before Islam)-worshipped idols orFalse gods
Kabba- ancient stone building located at the
Grand Mosque in Mecca • Black Stone
– Eastern corner of Kabba
– From time of Adam and Eve
– Pilgrims touch and kiss the stone as they circle the Kabba
TRADITION OF ARABS• Made a pilgrimage (religious
journey) once a year to Mecca • Worshipped at the Kaaba• Trade goods-
– A lot of trade went on – Mecca was a rich city – This pilgrimage brought mucho money
into the city
WHO WAS MUHAMMAD?
• Prophet of Islam• Prophet- someone who others believe has
talked to God – Born in Mecca in 572 became an orphan– Job: led trade caravans across the desert to
Palestine and Syria– Married a wealthy widow – Khadija
• Angel Gabriel told him that he was a prophet of God
• Arabic for God= Allah• Muhammad decided to spread the word of
Islam
The Hijra: 622 C.E. • Merchants and traders of Arab tribes
rejected the idea of one God– Did not want idols of the Kaaba destroyed – Wanted to kill him- thought Islam would
ruin trade• Hijra – migration of Muhammad and
followers from Mecca to Medina, also known as “Night Flight”
• Medina meaning “city of the prophet”• 622- start of the Muslim calendar
RETURN TO MECCA• 630 C.E. – Muhammad returned to Mecca
and recaptured the city with an army• Dedicated the Black Stone & Kaaba to God
(Allah)• Banned many Arab idols (false gods)• Mecca became Islamic religious center
and stayed a powerful center of trade
Similarities• Muslims are strict monotheists• They believe in same the Judeo- Christian God, which they call Allah.• Muslims believe that the Torah and the Bible, like the Qur’an, is the word of God.
Peoples of the BookPeoples of the Book
Mosque- Muslim house of worship
Remember, the Turks turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque
DOME
MINARETS
Some typical features of
mosques are domes and minarets
Quran or Koran Quran
– Holy book of Islam– Contains messages
God gave to Muhammad
– Similar to the Bible (Christian holy book) and the Torah (Jewish holy book)
– “People of the Book”
The Five Pillars of IslamDeclaration of Faith
Declare there is only 1 God Allah & Muhammad is his messenger
Prayer 5 times per day; facing Mecca
Almsgiving
Must give alms; money that goes to the needy
Fasting Fast during daylight hours during month of Ramadan
Pilgrimage or hajj
Must travel to Mecca at least once in life if able
The Hajj- 2015• Over 2 million
participants – Mina where the
ritual called “stoning of the devil” takes place
– 2 miles from Mecca– 717 people died,
900 injured due to a stampede
The SchismG. A Split Among Muslims
1. After Muhammad’s death…2. Shiites- smaller group argued leader
should be, direct descendant of Muhammad
3. Sunni- larger group, argued any true Muslim could become leader and a group of scholars should interpret the Koran
Think about it….how is this like the schism we studied in Christianity?
Role of Women• Quran taught men
and women are spiritually equal
• Were given more rights by Quran- right to inherit property
- right to education - right to divorce
The Taliban imposed strict laws limiting what women
in Afghanistan were allowed
to do.
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Many New Converts• Islam spreads two ways:
1.Arab Merchants trading in parts of Asia and North Africa
2.Arab armies conquered neighboring regions
Battle of Tours• In Present-Day France- This stopped the Muslimadvance into ChristianEurope
Reasons for Success• Weakness of the Roman, Byzantine,
and Persian Empire
• United Arab community- made them stronger
Under Muslim Rule• Muslims Tolerated other Faiths a. allowed Jews and Christians to
practice their own religion b. Jews and Christians could pursue
their own business affairs- Non-Muslims a. Fewer rights- could not own a
weapon or fight in military b. Paid special tax to help government
The Age of Caliphs- The Golden Age
• Caliph- a Muslim ruler, considered Muhammed’s successor
• Wealth– Came from lands it controlled– Trade
Harun ar-Rashid: A Powerful Caliph 1. wealthy leader 2. supported arts such as writing, music,
dancers
Achievements of the Golden Age
• Math and Science– Contributions to algebra (comes from
Arabic word al-jabr)– Ibn Sina- organized medical knowledge
of Greeks and Arabs into the Canon of Medicine
• Literature– Poetry was important in Islamic world– Sufis: mystics who believed that they
could draw close to God through prayer, fasting and a simple life• Helped spread Islam to Central Asia, India,
and Africa