Arabia: Islamic Faith is a way of life…

 Essential Question:

What are the Five Pillars of Islam and how have they

shaped the culture of Arab countries?

Geography ***PG. 55***Geography ***PG. 55***2-3-1

-Arabian Peninsula (SW Asia-east of Sinai Peninsula)

-hot, dry desert

-sand dunes (hills of sand shaped by wind-800+ft. high and hundreds of miles long—Rub’ al-Khali “Empty Quarter” covers much of S Arabia)

-oases (wet, fertile lands in a desert)

-Mountains along S and W coasts

-marsh land along Persian Gulf

Geog. Continued

The middle east includes parts of three continents (Europe, Africa, and Asia)

Saudi Arabia is the home of many important Islamic cities and monuments. (Mecca and Medina)

The Middle East region

Is often considered to extend

where ever Arabic is spoken

Trade & EconomyTrade & Economy

2-3-1-crossroads location for trade (in between Africa, Asia and

Europe)-trade along land (camels) and water-traded spices, silk, and gold (date palm)-only needed water for

roots)-EXPORTED: jewelry, glass, clothing-IMPORTED: cotton, rice, oranges from India, China, and SE

Asia-IMPORTED: ivory, cloves, slaves, and gold from Africa-Arabs learned how to make paper and use gunpowder from

Chinese (Chinese soldiers captured in battle taught Abbasid captors)

Trade & Economy cont’d.

-caravans (people who travel and trade together and relied on oases)

-Souk-“market” (nomads[travelers] and townspeople traded animal products, desert herbs, leather, clothing, food, home supplies)

2-4-1-trade routes helped spread Islam as far east as modern

Malaysia and Indonesia and west into Spain

ReligionReligion

-mosque: building for Muslim prayer (minaret is narrow tower that sounds call for Muslims to pray)2-3-2

-Muhammad (“worthy of praise”):

-born in Mecca around 570

-father died before he was born, mother died when he was 6

-raised by uncle (caravan merchant)

-managed caravan business owned by Khadijah and they married when Muhammad was 25

-concerned that wealthy people of Mecca were keeping all the money for themselves, Muhammad would meditate

-when he was 40, he claimed he heard a voice in a cave telling him to “Recite!”

-believed God had sent an angel to make him a prophet

-613 he started to share his message

Religion of IslamReligion of Islam-Islam (religion)

-Muslims (followers of Islam)

-Qur’an (holy book of Islam-contained messages Muhammad claimed were from God)

-monotheistic

-Allah “One God” in Arabic

-paradise for believers, suffering for others

-preparations for worship (wash before)

-no eating pork, no alcohol

-encouraged freeing of slaves

-women’s rights (own property, earn money, get an education)

-jihad “to make an effort or to struggle” (within self to follow Islamic ways-external struggle to protect Muslim community- “holy war”)

-Sunnah (refers to how Muhammad lived and is basis for Muslim life)

-Shariah (Islamic law based on Qur’an and Sunnah)

Muhammad (Religion contMuhammad (Religion cont’’d.)d.)-his teachings upset Arabs:

-told to stop worshipping multiple gods

-merchants would lose business if believers stopped making the pilgrimage to Mecca to worship gods and goddesses in a shrine

-belief in Allah meant a community without social classes

-leaders of Mecca threatened to kill him, so he left to Medina “the prophet’s city” and this journey is known as the hegira

-Meccans finally welcomed Muhammad back in 630

Muhammad (Religion cont’d.)

-Muhammad died 632

-Fatimah (Muhammad’s daughter-PG 65)

-4 caliphates after his death—Muhammad did not pick a successor

Five Pillars of Islam (Religion contFive Pillars of Islam (Religion cont’’d.)d.)1. statement of faith (“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet”)2. daily prayer (5 times toward Mecca)3. yearly donation (help poor, build mosques, pay debts)4. fasting (holy month of Ramadan-fast from sunrise to sunset)5. hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in life – PGS. 86-87)

Monotheistic Religions (Rel. contMonotheistic Religions (Rel. cont’’d.)d.)

-similarities to Judaism and Christianity: -monotheistic-Abraham and Moses as prophets

-differences from Judaism and Christianity:-Islam does not teach Jesus as Son of God -face Mecca when pray (instead of

Jerusalem like Jews and Christians)-Kaaba (house Abraham built to worship God in Mecca)

Politics & GovernmentPolitics & Government2-4-1

-After Muhammad’s death, Abu Bakr (“caliph”-highest leader of Islam) takes over

-Muslims conquer lands (Persian and Byzantine Empires)

-make treaties with non-Muslims (Jews and Christians had to pay special tax)

-Baghdad (capital of Islamic Empire in 762-trade, farming, art important—between two rivers—designed in concentric circles with citizens on outside, then an open circle for defense, then a circle of army houses, and the caliph at the center)

-Cordoba (capital of what is now Spain in 756-center of learning-center of Jewish culture-huge libraries)

Ottoman Empire (P&G contOttoman Empire (P&G cont’’d.)d.) 2-4-2

-Ottoman Empire controlled much of Europe, Asia and Africa by mid-1200s *PG. 89*

-Ottoman army trained Christian boys from conquered towns to become soldiers called Janissaries (slaves converted to Islam)

-armed with cannons

-Mehmed *PG. 89* led Ottomans to conquer Constantinople and then Byzantine Empire (renamed Constantinople Istanbuland turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque)

-sultan-Ottoman ruler

-Suleyman I “the Magnificent” ruled from 1520-1566 and took control of eastern Mediterranean-cultural peak

Ottoman Empire ContOttoman Empire Cont’’d. d. (P&G cont(P&G cont’’d.)d.)

-Ottoman culture:

-sultan in charge

-two classes:

-ruling class (judges, advisers-must practice Islam, be loyal to sultan, understand

Ottoman customs)

-other class (didn’t fit requirements-many Christians and Jews formed

communities called millets and had their own government and religious laws)

-women kept separate in harems and out of public life

-wealthy women could own property or businesses

Safavid Empire (P&G contSafavid Empire (P&G cont’’d.)d.)-Safavid Empire (1501)

-leader Esma’il conquered Persia and made Shia the official religion…conflicts…

-conflicted with Ottomans because Safavid Empire was Shiite and Ottomans were Sunni (Muslims had split into two groups in mid-600s)

-Shia-Muslims who believed only descendant of Muhammad should rule (Fatimah married to Ali, a relative of Muhammad—Shia Muslims believed Muhammad wanted him to rule…)

-Sunni-Muslims who believed people unrelated to Muhammad should be allowed to rule

-major civilization until mid-1700s

Mughal Empire (P&G contMughal Empire (P&G cont’’d.)d.)-Mughal Empire (established by Babur in 1526)

-India

-known for poetry and architecture

-Turkish Muslims

-Taj Mahal (built 1631-1647 by Akbar’s grandson for his wife)

-religious tolerance (from emperor Akbar) until late 1600s…then tax back and empire begins to fall apart

Society & CultureSociety & Culture2-3-1

-harsh weather forced two groups:

-nomads (lived in tents and stayed in tribes-raised goats, sheep, camels)

-townspeople (settled in oases and farmed)

Astronomy & GeographyAstronomy & Geography (Science&Technology)(Science&Technology)

2-4-3-astronomy:

-observatories to study moon, sun, and stars (time/clockmaking)-astrolabe (invented by Greeks, but

improved by Muslims) to chart position of stars and figure out their location-geography:

-advances in map-making-advances in calculating distances

Math & Medicine (S&T contMath & Medicine (S&T cont’’d.)d.)

-math:

-al-jabr textbook (brought to Europe in 1500s)

-medicine:

-Muslim doctors had to take tests before treating people

-made encyclopedia of drugs and their effects

-wrote descriptions of diseases

-started first pharmacy school

-public hospital in Baghdad

-discovered how to diagnose and treat smallpox

-zoology (studied animals for medicine for humans)

Philosophy & Literature (S&T contPhilosophy & Literature (S&T cont’’d.)d.)-philosophy:

-focus on spiritual issues (Sufism-find God’s love through personal relationship)

-literature:

-poetry and short stories (The Thousand and One Nights with Sinbad, Aladdin, Ali Baba)

-House of Wisdom (educational institution in Baghdad—scholars translate various works into several languages—how we know a lot about ancient cultures!)

Architecture & Art (S&T contArchitecture & Art (S&T cont’’d.)d.)-architecture:

-mosques (Blue Mosque in Istanbul PG. 99)

-palaces, marketplaces, libraries (domes, arches, colored bricks, decorative tiles)

-Taj Mahal (started in 1631—20,000 men took 22 years to build—northern India—Muslim ruler took throne by killing

his brothers, but built this as a memorial to one of his wives, who had 14 children and died giving birth to the last one—Islam spread through India)

-art:

-no people or animals (only Allah can create)

-calligraphy (“beautiful writing”-only writing worthy of Allah) to write sayings from Qur’an