Medieval Islam 9-15 - MR. LE SHANA' S...

Front Cover

ContentsFront CoverTitle PageUnit Introduction for TeachersCalif History-Social Science Standards Covered Unit BibliographyLesson 1 Introduction for TeachersLesson 1 Student WorksheetsLesson 2 Introduction for TeachersLesson 2 Student WorksheetsLesson 3 Introduction for TeachersLesson 3 Student WorksheetsLesson 4 Introduction for TeachersLesson 4 Student WorksheetsList of Images, CoverLesson 1 Full-Page ImagesLesson 2 Full-Page ImagesLesson 3 Full-Page ImagesLesson 4 Full-Page ImagesAcknowledgmentsBack Cover

HOT THEMES INWORLD HISTORY

The Emergence and Spread of Islam

500-1400

PLEASE SEE NOTES ON THE PDF, PAGE 3.

Title Page

Unit Introduction for Teachers 3

LESSONS IN WORLD HISTORYBy Nicole Gilbertson, Department of History, The University of California, Irvine

Teacher Consultant, Ruben Fernandez, Willard Middle School, Santa AnaFaculty Consultant, R. Bin Wong, Professor of History and Director of the Asia Institute,

The University of California, Los AngelesManaging Editor, Tova Cooper

The publication of this CD has been made possible largely through funding from GEAR UP Santa Ana. This branch of GEAR UP has made a distinctive contribution to public school education in the U.S. by creating intellectual space within an urban school district for students who otherwise would not have access to the research, scholarship, and teaching represented by this collabora-tion between the University of California, the Santa Ana Partnership, and the Santa Ana Unified School District. Additional external funding in 2004-2005 has been provided to HOT by the Bank of America Foundation, the Wells Fargo Foundation, and the Pacific Life Foundation.

THE UCI CALIFORNIA HISTORY-SOCIAL SCIENCE PROJECTThe California History-Social Science Project (CH-SSP) of the University of California, Irvine, is dedicated to working with history teachers in Orange County to develop innovative approaches to engaging students in the study of the past. Founded in 2000, the CH-SSP draws on the resources of the UCI Department of History and works closely with the UCI Department of Education. We believe that the history classroom can be a crucial arena not only for instruction in history but also for the improvement of student literacy and writing skills. Working together with the teachers of Orange County, it is our goal to develop history curricula that will convince students that history matters.

HUMANITIES OUT THEREHumanities Out There was founded in 1997 as an educational partnership between the School of Humanities at the University of California, Irvine and the Santa Ana Unified School District. HOT runs workshops in humanities classrooms in Santa Ana schools. Advanced graduate students in history and literature design curricular units in collaboration with host teachers, and conduct workshops that engage UCI undergraduates in classroom work. In the area of history, HOT works closely with the UCI History-Social Science Project in order to improve student literacy and writing skills in the history classroom, and to integrate the teaching of history, literature, and writing across the humanities. The K-12 classroom becomes a laboratory for developing innovative units that adapt university materials to the real needs and interests of California schools. By involving scholars, teachers, students, and staff from several institutions in collaborative teaching and research, we aim to transform educational practices, expectations, and horizons for all participants.

THE SANTA ANA PARTNERSHIPThe Santa Ana Partnership was formed in 1983 as part of the Student and Teacher Educational Partnership (STEP) initiative at UC Irvine. Today it has evolved into a multi-faceted collaborative that brings institutions and organizations together in the greater Santa Ana area to advance the educational achievement of all students, and to help them enter and complete college. Co-directed at UC Irvine by the Center for Educational Partnerships, the collaborative is also strongly supported by Santa Ana College, the Santa Ana Unified School District, California State University, Fullerton and a number of community based organizations. Beginning in 2003-2004, HOT has contributed to the academic mission of the Santa Ana Partnership by placing its workshops in GEAR UP schools. This unit on The Emergence and Spread of Islam reflects the innovative collaboration among these institutions and programs.

CONTENT COUNTS: A SPECIAL PROJECT OF THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIESThis is one in a series of publications under the series title Content Counts: Reading and Writing Across the Humanities, supported by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Content Counts units are designed by and for educators committed to promoting a deep, content-rich and knowledge-driven literacy in language arts and social studies classrooms. The units provide examples of “content reading”—primary and secondary sources, as well as charts, data, and visual documents—designed to supplement and integrate the study of history and literature.

A publication of Humanities Out There and the Santa Ana Partnership (including UCI’s Center for Educational Partnerships, Santa Ana College, and the Santa Ana Unified School District).

Copyright 2005 The Regents of the University of California

UNIT INTRODUCTION FOR TEACHERS

This unit on Islam and on life in the Arabian Peninsula during the Middle Ages demonstrates that the world was intercon-nected before 1492, in contrast to a Eurocentric presentation of world history that suggests the world did not become uni-fied until the Europeans began their travels on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The unit not only addresses the rituals and beliefs associated with Islam, but it also emphasizes the intercon-nectedness of the Muslim world through trade networks, and suggests that Islam often spread through the activities of traders along the Silk Road. Central to this examination of trade is the unit’s attention to the geography of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as to social and economic life in both the Islamic city and in sedentary and nomadic Arabic cultures.

The unit teaches students about methodologies used by historians, such as the impor-tance of understanding differ-

ences between primary and secondary sources, the study of cities through the conceptual frameworks of economics, poli-tics, society, and culture, and the use of maps to understand geo-graphical and historical develop-ments. Each lesson begins with an introduction for teachers, followed by a description of key terms and objectives, and an an-swer key that the teacher can use for answering questions in the student sections. The lesson then provides student worksheets, which include introductory ma-terial on the lesson’s topic; pri-mary source illustrations, maps, and textual citations; questions to encourage close reading; and a final writing exercise that allows students to process the material they have learned.

Lesson One, “How does the climate shape society in the Arabian Peninsula?,” teaches students about desert life in the Arabian Peninsula, about the social and economic networks of nomadic and sedentary societies,

and about Bedouin culture. Like all the lessons, Lesson One helps students to acquire academic English by introducing difficult vocabulary words and their cor-responding definitions. Lesson Two, “How do Islamic beliefs and practices shape a religious community?,” teaches students about the Hajj, or the pilgrim-age to Mecca. Using primary and secondary sources, this les-son explains some of the rituals and beliefs that have remained a part of Muslim practice over distance and time. The third les-son, “How were cities important to the Islamic Empires?,” of-fers an analysis of Islamic state formation through a case study of Córdoba, its urban and rural networks, and its economic, po-litical, social, and cultural char-acteristics. Finally, Lesson Four, “How did trade affect the spread of Islam?,” examines the land and water trade routes through which Islamic merchants shared both their goods and their belief system with others.

WORLD HISTORY: 500-1400

HOT THEMES IN WORLD HISTORY: THE EMERGENCE AND SPREAD OF ISLAM

Unit Introduction for Teachers

Unit Introduction for Teachers 3

NOTES ON THE PDF:1) Please note that in this pdf document the page numbers are two off from the printed curriculum. For example, page 2 in the printed curriculum is now page 4 in this pdf document.

2) We apologize if some of the hyperlinks are no longer accurate. They were correct at the time of printing.

3) Full-page versions of the images in this unit—some in color—can be found at the back of this pdf.

4) You can easily navigate through the different parts of this document by using the “Bookmark” tab on the left side of your Acrobat window.

CALIFORNIA HISTORY-SOCIAL SCIENCE STANDARDS COVERED IN THIS UNIT

Content Standards: Seventh Grade

7.2 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Islam in the Middle Ages.

7.2.1 Identify the physical features and describe the climate of the Arabian Peninsula, its relationship to surrounding bodies of land and water, and nomadic and sedentary ways of life.

7.2.3 Explain the significance of the Qur’an and the Sunnah as the primary sources of Islamic beliefs, practice, and law, and their influence in Muslims’ daily life.

7.2.5 Describe the growth of cities and the establishment of trade routes among Asia, Africa, and Europe, the products and inventions that traveled along these routes (e.g., spices, textiles, paper, steel, new crops), and the role of merchants in Arab society.

Skills: Six through Eighth Grade

Chronological and Spatial Thinking Skills

Students explain how major events are related to one another in time.

Students use a variety of maps and documents to identify physical and cultural features of neighborhoods, cities, states, and countries, and to explain the historical migration of people, expansion and disintegration of empires, and the growth of economic systems.

Research, Evidence, and Point of View Skills

Students distinguish fact from opinion in historical narratives and stories.

Students assess the credibility of primary and secondary sources and draw sound conclusions from them.

Students detect the different historical points of view on historical events and determine the context in which the historical statements were made (the questions asked, sources used, author’s perspectives).

Historical Interpretation Skills

Students explain the central issues and problems from the past, placing people and events in a matrix of time and place.

Students interpret basic indicators of economic performance and conduct cost-benefit analyses of economic and political issues.

4 HOT Themes in World History: The Emergence and Spread of Islam Unit Introduction for Teachers 5

Calif History-Social Science Standards Covered


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bentley, Jerry H. Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. Bentley examines the long-distance trade in luxury goods during the medieval and early modern periods.

Burckhardt, Titus. Art of Islam: Language and Meaning. London: World of Islam Festival, 1976. Burckhardt offers a genesis and history of Islamic art, including a discussion of architecture, painting, and calligraphy, particularly as these forms exemplify Islamic principles and Muslim social organization.

De la Croix, Horst, et. al. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages. Forth Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1991. This is a reference book with high-quality reproductions, chronicling the history of art from early cave paintings to postmodern architecture.

Esin, Emel and Haluk Doganbey. Mecca the Blessed, Madinah the Radiant. New York: Crown Publishers, 1963. This is an illustrated historical text about Mecca and Madinah, the holy cities of Islam, including rare photos of Islamic shrines and historical sites.

Esposito, John L. Islam: The Straight Path. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. This book offers an introduction to the history, doctrine, and practice of Islam from historical times to the present, including analysis of the impact of Islam on world history and politics.

Fletcher, Richard. Moorish Spain. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1992. In this book, Fletcher demonstrates how Islamic philosophy and science made their way through Moorish Spain to influence the philosophy and art of Christian Europe.

Hitti, Philip K. History of the Arabs. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. This is a classic study of Arab society and culture.

Hourani, Albert. A History of the Arab Peoples. London: Faber and Faber, 1991. This is a very useful study of the Arabian people, which emphasizes cultural development both before and after the advent of Islam.

Jabbur, Jibrail S. The Bedouins and the Desert: Aspects of Nomadic Life in the Arab East. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995. This book provides a detailed study of Bedouin life in the Arabian Peninsula.

Kay, Shirley. The Bedouin: This Changing World. New York: Crane, Russak & Company, Incorporated, 1978. Kay offers a detailed description of Bedouin habits and customs, their desert environment, tribal and social structure, arts, and history up through the mid-twentieth century.

Peters, F.E. The Hajj: The Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca and the Holy Places. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994. This book compiles firsthand accounts of pilgrimages to Mecca to provide the reader with detailed information on the central rituals of the Hajj.

Safran, Janina M. The Second Umayyad Caliphate: The Articulation of Caliphal Legitimacy in Al-Andalus. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2000. This book analyzes the modes by which the Umayyad Caliphate achieved and maintained its legitimacy.

Schroeter, Daniel J. “Jewish Quarters in the Arab-Islamic Cities of the Ottoman Empire.” In The Jews of the Ottoman Empire. Princeton: The Darwin Press, 1994. 287-300. Schroeter distinguishes between medieval European cities, where Jews were isolated from the mainstream by rigidly defined geographical and economic boundaries, and Arabic cities, in which Jews benefited from a degree of geographical mobility and held dominant positions in the Islamic bazaar.

Tilly, Charles. Coercion, Capital, and European States, AD 990-1990. Cambridge: Blackwell, 1990. In this book, Tilly traces the emergence of the modern nation-state in Europe, and demonstrates that war

Unit Bibliography

6 HOT Themes in World History: The Emergence and Spread of Islam How does the climate shape society in the Arabian Peninsula? 7

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against rival states has been the nation-state’s central object.

Wolfe, Michael. One Thousand Roads to Mecca: Ten Centuries of Travelers Writing about the Muslim Pilgrimage. New York: Grove Press, 1997. This book includes many valuable primary sources on the Hajj, from classic Muslim accounts dating from 1050 through texts from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

Horace Mann’s site honoring Medieval Islamic Cultureshttp://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Islam_New_Main.html

This excellent website, geared toward junior high school students, provides both information and primary-source images on many aspects of medieval Islamic culture. The pages on famous Muslim travelers and mapmakers from the Middle Ages include links to historical maps as well as information about geography, travel, and trade in the Arabian Peninsula. Other areas of the site feature mosque imagery from around the world, with useful links to sites about Islamic architecture. If the students follow links to the pages on Ibn Battuta, they can take a virtual tour of his journeys. Finally, students can learn about camels and other animals of the medieval Islamic world from the Animals page.

Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice)http://www.ummah.net/hajj/

This website provides detailed descriptions of the various stages of the Hajj, and includes both historical and contemporary photographs of the journey.

Architecture of the Islamic Worldhttp://archnet.org/courses/arch%20of%20islam.html

This website not only contains links to articles about Islamic architecture, but also includes images of mosques throughout the world. Each image contains the date, location, and building materials of the mosque concerned.

Paul Halsall’s Internet Medieval Sourcebook: Islamhttp://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1d.html>http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1d.html

This site has extensive primary-source materials related to the history and culture of Islam.One of the links on Halsall’s website leads to primary-source material of Ibn Battuta’s travel narratives: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1354-ibnbattuta.html

http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Islam_New_Main.html

http://www.ummah.net/hajj/

http://archnet.org/courses/arch%20of%20islam.html

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1d.html>http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1d.html

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1354-ibnbattuta.html

HOT THEMES IN WORLD HISTORY

LESSON 1

How does the climate shape society in the Arabian Peninsula?

LESSON INTRODUCTION FOR TEACHERS

This lesson introduces students to the geography and so-ciety of the Arabian Peninsula. Through an examination of social and economic networks, students gain an understand-ing of life in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, and con-sider how this geographic region is connected to the larger world through trade. Students examine and analyze primary sources and a map in order to gain an understanding of life on the Arabian Peninsula for both nomadic and sedentary peoples. In a final writing project, the students decide wheth-er they would rather have been nomads or merchants in the Arabian Peninsula, and justify their decision. To prepare for this, the students first review the components of sedentary and nomadic societies by completing a graphic organizer, thus allowing them to review the information presented in the lesson and to develop an organized set of ideas to use while writing. This lesson has also been designed to help students acquire academic English and has been presented successfully in English Language Learner classrooms. Finally, while this lesson introduces the geography of the Arabian Peninsula primarily through textual and visual sources, the instructor may want to expand the modes of intelligence that students utilize by bringing in dates for them to observe and taste, since these fruits were an important staple for the Ara-bian diet.


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KEY TERMS

Arabian Peninsula: a vast desert peninsula in southwestern Asia, bordered by three bodies of water—the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and the Red Sea—as well as by Jordan and Iraq to the North.

Nomadic society: a group of people who travel throughout a given region to support themselves and their livestock.

Oasis: a small area in the desert, which is watered by underground springs and often visited by animals and people looking for water and vegetation.

Sedentary society: a group of people who live in a given place, which allows them to develop agriculture and accumulate goods.

OBJECTIVES

This unit teaches students:

How the desert environment shapes society and culture in the Arabian Peninsula.

The concepts of nomadic and sedentary societies, including how these societies interact and overlap.

How the Arabian Peninsula was connected to other parts of Europe and Asia through trade relationships in the Middle Ages.

Lesson 1 Introduction for Teachers


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CALIFORNIA HISTORY-SOCIAL SCIENCE STANDARDS COVERED IN THIS LESSON








Students explain the central issues and problems from the past, placing people and events in a matrix of time and place.

ANSWER KEY

Questions 1 & 2: Import is the business of bringing products in from an outside area to be sold. This is an important term when discussing trade because we can study where goods come from and how people obtain goods that are not produced in their area.

Questions 3 & 4: The purple cloths and gold were meant for elite consumption, while the blankets, wine, and wheat were sold for common consumption.

Question 5: Camels provided the nomadic people with transportation, food, clothing, and shelter.

Question 6: The poet uses the rein of a camel to describe the thinness of the woman. Additionally the poet compares the woman to a palm tree.

Question 7: The poet’s references to the camel rein and the palm tree highlight the significance of camels and date palms for Arabic society.


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HOT THEMES IN MEDIEVAL WORLD HISTORY

LESSON 1: STUDENT WORKSHEETS

How does the climate shape society in the Arabian Peninsula?

DESERT AND OASIS

Today, if it is a hot day we have air-conditioning to keep us cool and we have re-frigerators to save our food from spoiling, but what did people do hundreds of years ago when these inventions did not yet exist? In this lesson, we will learn how people lived and flourished in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula.

The harsh climate of the Arabian Peninsula makes it difficult to sustain life. Both people and plants have to adapt to the dry desert environ-ment. There is very little rain in the desert; rain-fall only occurs a few days in the winter. The few times when it does rain in the desert, the rain may be very strong and destructive. This occurs largely in the mountain-ous regions in the

southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula. Because it rains so little, there are no big rivers and only a few streams. Oases are the only places that provide enough water to sustain humans. An oasis is a small area in the desert that is watered by underground springs. Because plants often grow around the oasis, animals often congregate around it.

IMAGE 1: Oasis of Badr, lying along the ancient caravan route from Mecca to Aleppo.

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

flourish: to grow or develop well.

adapt: to change one’s behavior so it is suitable for new situations.

environment: the land, water, and air in which people and animals live.

congregate: to come together in a group.

Lesson 1 Student Worksheets


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IMAGE 2: Date Palm

The waters of the oasis supplied a place for people who lived in the Arabian Peninsula to grow grains, vegetables, and fruits to sustain themselves. The most important plants for humans were the date palms. The dates, the fruit of the palm, were a key component of the Arab’s

diet. These sweet fruits were often dried and brought by Arabs on their trips across the desert.

Camels also helped peo-ple to survive. These ani-mals not only carried Arabs across the desert, but also provided them with food and milk. In addition, the camel’s hair provided peo-

ple with material to make tents to protect them from the cold nights and hot days of the desert.

Two different types of societies lived together in the desert environment of the Arabian Peninsula: sedentary and nomadic societies. Sedentary societ-ies developed around the oases, where people built houses, markets, and places of worship. These cities of the oases were centers of trade and commerce. At the margins of the sedentary societies lived the nomadic societies. Nomads traveled around to look for food and follow their herds. The camels and goats that they raised caused them to travel through the desert in search of plants and pasturage to feed these animals. There-fore, they did not live in a fixed place, but were always on the move around the desert of the Arabian Pen-insula.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

sustain: to make it possible for someone or something to continue to exist over a period of time.

commerce: the buying and selling of goods and services.

margin: along the side or at the outskirts.


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Read the following quote about goods available in an Arabic market and answer the four questions below.

The merchandise imported there consists of purple cloths, both fine and coarse; clothing in the Arabian style, gold, blankets, wine and wheat.

TRADE AND SEDENTARY SOCIETY

Within the cities of the sedentary society, people formed community net-works through work and family. Some of the people farmed date palms or grain. Others were ar-tisans and created crafts for sale. The most impor-tant component of the sedentary society was the merchant class. Merchants kept the communities connected to the outside world through trade.

The Arabian Peninsula was the center for trade between the Mediterra-nean Sea and the Indian

Ocean. The Arabian Peninsu-la produced incense that was important for religious cer-emonies both in the penin-sula and abroad. Fabrics from India, silk from China, and gold from Ethiopia flowed through the trade networks across the Arabian Penin-sula to the Mediterranean. However, most people who congregated at the markets in the oases could not afford to purchase luxury goods. In-stead, the majority of people in both the sedentary and no-madic societies bought goods that they needed to sustain themselves so they could feed

and clothe their families.

1. What does the word import mean?

2. Explain how this is an important term when discussing trade.

3. Which pieces of merchandise mentioned in the above quote did wealthy people use?

4. Which goods did ordinary people use?

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

network: a group of people and organizations that work together.

artisan: someone who does skillful work with his or her hands.

component: part of a whole.

incense: a substance that smells good when you burn it.

fabric: cloth.

fine: soft.

coarse: rough.


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Look at the map on the next page. These areas were connected by trade routes that stretched across the Indian Ocean through the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean. During the fifth and sixth centuries, Mecca was an important trading center in the Ara-bian Peninsula. Goods trav-eled through Mecca into the Mediterranean region.

There were many differ-ent trade routes between the Middle East and China. Traders made the trip in caravans with thousands of camels to carry their goods. Along the way, they stayed in caravanserai (“camel inns”). Traveling could be dangerous, however; traders sometimes died from ex-treme weather conditions, or bandits attacked them.

Locate the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea on the map on the next page. Place a star on China, India, Egypt and Arabia. Then draw a line from China to Mecca following a trade route of your choice. Which goods would you have wanted to buy along the way? Circle the things you would buy or trade for at each location along your route.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

caravan: a procession of people and animals traveling together, often single-file.

caravanserai: an inn with a large courtyard that provided accommodation for caravans.

bandits: robbers, especially those who travel in groups and steal from travelers.


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NOMADIC SOCIETY

IMAGE 4: A Sbei Badawin family on the march leaving Subaihiyah Wells.

Nomadic societies ex-isted alongside sedentary societies. The nomads, or Bedouin, were people of the desert. Nomads raised sheep and camels for their own consumption, but also to sell to people who lived in the cities. As previously mentioned, camels were an important part of the no-mads’ existence.

Camels enabled the Bed-ouins to survive. Their milk and meat provided food, their fur gave the Bedou-ins shelter, and the camels themselves transported the Bedouins and their goods across the desert. Camels can travel in the heat of the desert for many days with-out water. The Bedouins rode the camels across the

desert and used them to carry their tents, household goods, and families.

Look at the camels’ sad-dles. The saddles allowed the nomads to ride the cam-els across the desert.

5. How were the camels important for the survival of nomads in the Arabian desert?

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

consumption: the process of taking in food, or eating.

transport: to carry or move from one place to another.


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POETRY

An important part of Bedouin culture was the recita-tion of poetry. Through reading poems, we can understand what was important to nomadic life. Read the following excerpt from a poem by Imru-Ul-Quais, which he wrote about a woman he admired.

And she meets me with a slender waist, thin as the twisted leathern nose-rein of a camel.

Her form is like the stem of a palm-tree bending over from the weight of its fruit.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

recitation: the act of speaking aloud something that has been memorized.

excerpt: a portion taken from a larger work.

slender: skinny.

nose-rein: a piece of leather that allows the rider to control the camel.

6. What images does the poet use to describe the woman?

7. Are these images that we have read about before in this lesson? Why are they important to nomadic society?

16 HOT Themes in World History: The Emergence and Spread of Islam How do Islamic beliefs and practices shape a religious community? 17

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CONCLUSION

You now know the difference between sedentary and nomadic societies in the Arabian Peninsula. In the table below, list the similarities and differences between these two societies and describe how the climate shapes each one.

8. If you had the chance to be a nomad or a merchant in the Arabian Peninsula, which would you be? Why?

SEDENTARY SOCIETY NOMADIC SOCIETY

food

drink

shelter

work


LESSON 2

How do Islamic beliefs and practices shape a religious community?


This lesson introduces students to the concept of a religious community by examining one the Five Pillars of Islam, the Hajj. The Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, allows students to understand how the practices of Islam have created a religious community that is bound by rituals and beliefs over distance and time. Stu-dents first examine primary and secondary sources relating to Mecca in order to understand how this city became an important site for Islam. They then learn about the acts and rituals that cre-ated a sense of shared belief among Muslims as they participated in the Hajj. This information creates a context for the students to understand how a religious community was formed and main-tained through the actions of the Five Pillars of Islam. As a final writing assignment, each student uses this knowledge of the Hajj to create an imaginary narrative about his or her experience as a pilgrim to the Arabian Peninsula.

This lesson is organized as a way of teaching students about historical research while they are studying a topic in-depth. Be-fore beginning the workshop, students are expected to have prior knowledge of Islam and the life of Muhammad. You may want to remind students that Muhammad was born in Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia) in 569 C.E. He worked as a trader and was known locally as al-amin (the trustworthy one). When he was forty years old, Muhammad received a message from the angel Gabriel, who ordered him to instruct his close family members in Islamic prin-ciples. After a few years, he began to spread the religion more broadly, and continued to do so until his death in 632. In the last year of his life, Muhammad led a pilgrimage (Hajj) to the Kaba in Mecca, which subsequently became one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

During the lesson, students learn to differentiate between pri-mary and secondary sources and then create a primary source for their final writing assignment. In addition to learning about the methods of historical research, students speculate about an im-portant historical topic, the notion of community, which is also relevant to other themes in HOT Medieval World History work-shops.


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KEY TERMS

Five Pillars of Islam: a spoken declaration of faith; prayer five times a day; charity; fasting during the month of Ramadan; the Hajj.

Hajj: the Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.

Kaba: a cube-shaped building that Muhammad pronounced a Muslim place of god, visited by Hajj pilgrims.

Pilgrimage: a trip to a holy place for religious reasons.

OBJECTIVES


About the Five Pillars of Islam.

To differentiate between primary and secondary sources.



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ANSWER KEY

Question 1: This is a secondary source.

Question 2: The Kaba is black and cube shaped and is surrounded by palm trees. People on elephants are charging the Kaba. Before the Kaba was an Islamic shrine, different Arabic tribes fought over it, as this picture illustrates.

Question 3: The Kaba is a cube-shaped building that has a few decorations on it. You may want to point out that the Kaba was a place of worship for pre-Islamic Arabic people who worshipped Vedic (Hindu) gods and viewed the elephant as a divine animal.

Question 4: This source describes Mecca as a meeting center of many believers.

Question 5: Mecca is presented as a religious city because the people who are in the city are praying and acting spiritually.

Question 6: Pilgrims traveled together at night so they did not get overheated. They stopped at wells so they could drink water, which they did not carry along with them because it was too heavy.

Question 7: The painting’s crowded mass of men and animals points to the group nature of the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Questions 8 & 9: The mood of the painting is one of excitement and joy. This mood is conveyed by the waving of flags and playing of musical instruments, as well as the colorful nature of the painting.

Question 10: People traveled together and made many sacrifices on the journey as a group and as individuals, so people had similar experiences. Also, people participated in group religious rituals, thus demonstrating they were a community of believers.

Question 11: Believers wear a special outfit because it is sacred to go the Kaba and to commune with god.

Question 12: The picture shows men all wearing shrouds and looking at the Kaba. The Kaba is situated in the center of a very crowded city.





Skills: Six through Eighth Grades




Students assess the credibility of primary and secondary sources and draw sound conclusions from them.

WORLD HISTORY


How do Islamic beliefs and practices shape a religious community?


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INTRODUCTION FOR STUDENTS

Today, Muslims form one of the largest religious com-munities in the world with 1.5 billion believers. People of many different nations and cultures practice Islam, and they are joined through their religious beliefs and rituals. An important com-ponent of Islamic worship is the observance of the Five Pillars of Islam.

The Five Pillars are the basic obligations of every Muslim. They consist of the following: a spoken declaration of faith, prayer five times a day, charity, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the Hajj—a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Through involve-ment in these religious acts, Muslims participate in the larger Islamic religious community. This commu-nity of believers has spread over time and distance.

In this workshop we will

IMAGE 1: Page of the Qur’an by the Ottoman calligrapher Ahmad Qarahisari, 1574

IMAGE 1A: Page of the Qur’an by the Ottoman calligrapher Ahmad Qarahisai, 1574



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study the Hajj, the fifth Pil-lar of Islam. Traditionally, people were expected to undertake the pilgrimage to Mecca at one time during their lives, if they had the health and wealth to make such a difficult journey. Muslims were expected to save their money in hopes that they might be able to undertake the long jour-ney as a form of sacrifice. Traveling across the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula to arrive at Mecca was not an easy trip for these believers to undertake. On their jour-neys, they might suffer from extreme heat or flash floods in the desert, shipwrecks at sea, or attacks by bandits. Through looking at the per-sonal stories of pilgrims’ journeys across the desert to Mecca, we can begin to understand how individual experiences formed part of a larger Muslim religious community of believers.

We will do the work of historians by examin-ing primary sources about Mecca and the Hajj. Pri-mary sources are materials written or created during

the time or event that the historian is studying. In order to study the Hajj, we will look at historical docu-ments produced as people traveled across the desert to Mecca. Historians can use many different texts that people may not immedi-ately think of as historical, such as letters, paintings, and religious writings.

Another important com-ponent of historical study is the use of secondary sourc-es. These sources are based on information found in the primary sources, but are written by people who did not participate in the his-torical event. For example, your school history text-book, encyclopedias, maps, and charts are all secondary sources. These are often just as important for historical research as primary sources, partly because they often bring together information from a wide range of pri-mary sources. Today you will examine primary and secondary sources in order to understand a significant part of Islamic history.

IMAGE 1B: Eastern Kufic Script.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

practice: to repeat an action or activity in a particular way.

component: part of a whole.

observance: the act of obeying a law or religious rule.

charity: giving money or goods to people in need.

fasting: the act of giving up food for religious reasons.

pilgrimage: a trip to a holy place for religious reasons.

pilgrim: a person who goes on a pilgrimage or trip for religious purposes.

primary source: something that is created during the time or the event that the historian is studying.

secondary source: something that is created based upon primary sources by people who did not take part in the time or the event under study.


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MECCA: A HOLY CITY

IMAGE 2: Abraha’s elephants, charging upon the Ka’bah: a Turkish book-painting

Although Mecca has been an important city for Muslims, it was also a holy city before the emergence of Islam. The Kaba, a cube-shaped building, was a holy site where Arabic tribes would gather to worship many different gods. This temple increased in signifi-cance when Muhammad made a pilgrimage to the Kaba and pronounced it the Muslim house of god. As we know, Islam is a monothe-istic religion, based on the belief in one god, so it was an important moment for Muslims when this holy place became a temple for the worship of only the Is-lamic god.

Here we can see a paint-ing created in the late 1500s, which depicts Mecca and the Kaba in the 500s—a pe-riod before the emergence of Islam.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

significant: important.

pronounce: to say something officially or formally.

monotheism: the belief in one god.

depict: to show.


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1. Is this a primary or secondary source?

2. Describe the image of the Kaba.

3. What conclusions can you reach about the Kaba from studying this picture?

Read the following primary source description of Mecca by a Muslim who traveled to the city on a pilgrimage.

On Friday the road was almost as jammed as the day before with horsemen and pedestrians, men and women walking along the blessed way in hope of heavenly reward. Throughout all this, whenever men met, they shook hands, offering prayers and seeking God’s forgiveness on each other’s behalf and the women did the same.

4. What does this primary source tell us about Mecca? Is it a busy city? How does this description compare with the previous picture of Mecca (Image 2)?

5. After reading this quote, do you think that Mecca is a religious city? Why?


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THE PILGRIMAGE: ACROSS THE ARABIAN PENINSULA

The pilgrimage to Mecca could take people months, even years, in pre-modern times when airplanes, cars, and trains were not avail-able. During the medieval period, Muslims lived in distant locations, such as Spain, Mali (in Africa), and portions of Eastern Asia. Muslims traveled across the

world to reach major cities near the Arabian Peninsula and then made a caravan in groups through the deserts of the Arabian peninsula to Mecca. The caravan al-lowed a group of people and camels traveling across the desert together to gain protection from the dangers of the desert. Caravans of

pilgrims often started their journey in Cairo, Damas-cus, or Baghdad.

Circle Cairo, Damascus, and Baghdad on the map on the next page. Look at the overland routes from these cities to Mecca. What countries are these cities the capitals of today?

It took travelers fifteen days to travel from Cairo to Mecca over land. Pilgrims could also travel to Mecca by sea. Trace three additional routes to Mecca on the map. At least one should make use of the Red Sea. Circle each city from where your pilgrims would begin their journey. Then draw lines to Mecca.

Often pilgrims stopped at other holy sites along the way to Mecca. Below is an excerpt from Ibn Jubayr’s account of travel across the desert in 1183:

If they rest through the day, as is the custom, leave at dusk, and travel throughout the night, in the morning they will reach the Sacred Mosque…The place has a well of sweet spring water, so the pilgrims do not have to overburden themselves with water coming up through the mountains the night before.

6. According to this primary source, what strategies did the pilgrims use to survive their journey through the desert?

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

caravan: a procession of people and animals traveling together, often single-file.


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IMAGE 3: Routes to Mecca


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Look at this thirteenth-century painting of a caravan of Muslim pilgrims on their way to Mecca.

7. Why do you think the painter has stacked the camels and pilgrims on top of one another?

8. What is the mood of this painting?

9. What details about the painting make you think that it has that mood?

IMAGE 4: Pilgrim Caravan (Bibliothèque Nationale de France)


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RITUALS OF THE HAJJ

Pilgrims travel to Mecca to participate in sacred rituals at the Kaba. While these believers come from many different cultures across the world, they join together as one group of be-lievers through the pilgrim-age of the Hajj. The rituals and practices that these people participate in dur-ing this time contain many

spiritual meanings for Mus-lims and provide them with a time to pray and meditate both individually and as a group. One of the rituals is to walk around the Kaba, which is located in a Great Mosque that only Muslims can enter. The pilgrims cir-cle around the Kaba seven times, reciting a prayer each time they circle.

10. How does participation in the pilgrimage and the rituals of the Hajj create a sense of community?

Another important part of the pilgrimage is the dress that Muslims wear when entering the Great Mosque. Muslims wear a special type

of cloth when entering the area around the Kaba. This piece of cloth is supposed to be used by the believer as a shroud after his death. Read

al-Ghazali’s discussion of the importance of this gar-ment for the Hajj ritual.

And just as he may not look upon the Lord’s House [Great Mosque] except in clothes different from what he usually wears, so after death he cannot see God but in a dress different from his worldly dress.

11. According to al-Ghazali, why is it important for Muslims to wear a special outfit for the religious ceremony?

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

ritual: a ceremony or practice having a religious significance.

recite: to speak aloud something that has been memorized.

shroud: a cloth that is wrapped around a dead person’s body before he or she is buried.


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IMAGE 5: Muslim men praying at the Kaba

Here we see a group of Muslims praying at the Kaba. Look at the picture carefully. It is also a primary source.

12. What type of information can you learn from this picture?


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IMAGE 6: MODERN-DAY MUSLIM PILGRIMS

As you can see from the pictures above, the Hajj is still a central part of Muslim practice today.


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CONCLUSION: CREATING A PRIMARY SOURCE

You have read about pilgrims’ accounts of their travels across the desert to Mecca in or-der to pray at the Kaba. Now imagine that you are a pilgrim traveling from Cairo to Mecca across the desert in the year 1013.

In the space below, describe your travels and create a primary source about the Hajj.

What does the desert look like?

How are you traveling?

Who is with you?

Do you make any stops along the way?

What do you think of Mecca when you arrive?

What do you do once in Mecca?

Describe how your experiences of pilgrimage give you the sense of belonging to a larger religious community.


LESSON 3

How were cities important to the Islamic Empires?


This workshop challenges students to begin an examination of Islamic empires utilizing the methodology employed by his-torians. We will examine the site of the Islamic city as a way to understand state formation in the Islamic empires. The curricu-lum employs the theoretical principal that the city is the center of trade, politics, and culture, and that these categories allow us to examine the social structure of the city. The city examined in this workshop, Córdoba, also forms a larger network of relationships with the surrounding rural areas, which provided raw materials necessary for the reproduction of wealth in the urban area. These urban and rural networks were linked to a larger Empire and world system through the economy, the political and military ap-paratus, and a language and religion shared by the other Islamic empires. The lesson breaks down the categories of the economy, politics, society, and culture for the students to understand in isolation and interrelation, and asks students to reformulate a rep-resentation of the city utilizing Islam as a way of unifying these categories of analysis.

By utilizing the model of a city, this lesson provides students and teachers with a paradigm to understand the significant ana-lytical categories used in the study of history. Students should then not only be able to employ these categories in future his-torical investigations, but also to gain a better understanding of the connections between these ideas. This model of the networks between urban and rural areas, influenced by Charles Tilly’s book, Coercion, Capital, and European States, AD 990-1990, can provide a framework for teachers to use in future World History presenta-tions. The concept that the city forms the center of production and consumption could be helpful when studying Venice, Shang-hai, and New York, to name a few. Through the examination of one city, students and teachers are able to analyze connections between local and international networks of capital, power, and culture.

30 HOT Themes in World History: The Emergence and Spread of Islam How were cities important to the Islamic Empires? 31

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KEY TERMS

Caliph: a religious and political leader of the Islamic Empire.

Córdoba: a city of southern Spain on the Guadalquivir River, and a Muslim cultural and intellectual center from 711 to 1236.

Iberian Peninsula: a peninsula in southwestern Europe formed by Spain and Portugal, separated from Africa in the South by the Strait of Gibraltar, and from Europe in the North by the Pyrenees Mountains.

Maghreb: the region of northwest Africa comprising the Atlas Mountains and the coastlands of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

OBJECTIVES

In this unit, students:

Examine the categories of analysis that are significant for the study of history.

Understand the connections and networks that linked urban and rural areas.

Actively develop vocabulary vital for academic English.



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Skills: Six through Eighth Grades


Students explain how major events are related to one another in time.



Students interpret basic indicators of economic performance and conduct cost-benefit analyses of economic and political issues.


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ANSWER KEY

Question 1: Cities were important locations of power and culture in the Islamic Empire. The city was the center of capital, where merchants from the society would congregate to trade their goods.

Question 2: Agricultural work was necessary to produce these goods. This work took place in rural areas.

Question 3: These goods would be bought and sold in the urban areas. The people in the urban areas would consume these goods.

Question 4: The Guadalquivir River, the Ebro River, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea connected Córdoba to the larger Islamic World. Goods, people, religion, diseases, and ideas were all transported on these waterways.

Question 5: The rivers and oceans allowed people to transport themselves and their possessions faster than by foot. There were no planes, trains, or cars during this period to increase the speed of transportation.

Question 6: Because Córdoba is situated on the Guadalquivir River and in the center of agricultural lands, goods could be produced in the area and transported throughout the Islamic world.

Question 7: Religion provided the society with laws and a political hierarchy. The caliph was at the top of this hierarchy and also was the representative of the Islamic faith. Just below him were the judges, who interpreted the Qur’an and ruled on matters of law.

Question 8: The merchants and non-Muslims provided the caliph with wealth so he could provide them with protection.

Question 9: The city’s economy provided a way for merchants to acquire wealth, and allowed the caliph’s authority and power to grow through the collection of taxes.

Question 10: The mosque was the center of trade and culture in the city of Córdoba. People gathered in the mosque to meet friends, discuss important matters, and exchange goods.

Question 11: According to the poem, Walladah hint-al-Mustakfi has been put in the social position she is in by god.

Question 12: We can conclude that poetry was an important way for people to express themselves and their relationship to religion in Islamic culture.



How were cities important to the Islamic Empires?


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INTRODUCTION FOR STUDENTS

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

nexus: the center of a group of things.

hypothesis: something assumed to be true for the purpose of argument or investigation.

authority: the power to enforce laws, demand obedience, command, or judge.

In this lesson we will examine Córdoba, an im-portant city in the Islamic empires, which is located in modern-day Spain. In the tenth century, this city formed the nexus of the Umayyad dynasty in the Maghreb, or the western part of the Islamic Empire. You may already be aware that Islamic civilization brought many advances to Eurasian society, such as new scientific inventions, a flourishing artistic com-munity, and a revival of the classic writings of the Greeks and the Romans. This lesson addresses the question of how this civi-lization became powerful enough to spread its ideas and authority over such a large area.

We will begin with the hypothesis that the city formed the center of this powerful civilization. The city of Córdoba was an enormous place filled with many different types of people and traditions. To approach this complex topic, we need to develop a strategy that will allow us to study Córdoba in a system-

atic way. Historians often consider a topic through four basic analytical cat-egories, or ways of think-ing. These categories are economy, society, politics, and culture.

What do we examine when we study the economy?

We study how people worked together and what types of goods they pro-duced in order to earn a living. We look at trade relationships, studying the goods people consumed or exchanged with others. Understanding how goods were transported to the area also allows us to gain clearer insight into trade relationships.

What types of factors are important for a study of society?

A study of society pro-vides answers to basic questions about how and where people lived and what occurred in their daily lives. Historians want to see how people interacted with one another in families and communities. They also ex-amine the relationships that

connected people beyond family and community to larger groups.

How do we describe the politics of a given area?

The study of politics is the study of power rela-tionships and how these links are established and maintained. We often think about politics as an exami-nation of a particular leader, but this is not always the case. We should consider the study of politics as an examination of author-ity—who has it and how they use it. As we will see in this lesson, rulers often maintain authority through encouraging a set of beliefs, rather than by force.



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What does it mean to study culture?

Culture refers to the ways that people create and interpret meaning in so-ciety. People express ways of thinking about society and their place within it in various ways. In studying culture, we examine how

EXAMINING THE ECONOMY OF CÓRDOBA

people communicate these ideas to each other. We can study these cultural expres-sions by looking at art, reli-gion, and language.

We will see that these an-alytical categories work to-gether to form a big picture of the topic we are study-ing. By looking at the city of

Córdoba, we will see how these categories describe different aspects of the city. Through these broad cat-egories of economy, society, politics, and culture, we will begin to answer our central question:

1. How were cities important for the Islamic Empire? Draw on the previous descriptions of economy, society, politics, and culture to write your own hypothesis.

The location of a city tells us a lot about its economy, the resources that are available, and the goods that can be transported into the area. Córdoba lies in the

southern part of Spain, in the region called Andalusia. This part of the Iberian Pen-insula has a dry climate that requires irrigation for the production of crops.

Fruit appears on the olive trees and vines. Bees prepare honey. The early varieties of pears and apples ripen as well as the black grapes, known as cow’s eyes, apricots, and cherries. Now is the time for preserving nuts, and the juice is extracted from the Sh’aiyi apple. Poppy seed is gathered, and syrup is made from it. In the Orient, the sycamores ripen at this time. Fumitory, celery, dill, houseleek, black poppy seed, mustard, watercress, and tarâthît are gathered, and the juices extracted from them. Chamomile flowers are also gathered and oil made from them.

The following excerpt describes the agricultural goods that were native to Andalusia in the month of May:

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Andalusia: a region of southern Spain that was a center of Muslim culture.

irrigation: a man-made system of watering the land.

preserve: to keep food for a long time, treating it so it won’t decay.

extract: to take out.

Orient: the East.


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2. What type of work was necessary to produce these goods? Did this type of work take place in urban areas or rural areas?

3. What would happen to these goods in a city like Córdoba?

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

urban: having to do with the city.

rural: having to do with the countryside.

provided: gave.

bulk: the main part.

industry: the production of goods.

irrigated: watered.

inhabited: lived in a particular place.

plateau: large area of flat land higher than the area around it.

vibrant: exciting and full of energy. (see next page)

Read the following descriptions in order to understand how this local economy was connected to the outside world.

Córdoba, lying on the river Guadalquivir. The river provided the waterway to bring the bulk of goods needed for food and industry; in the plains around it, the grain and other produce the city needed were grown on irrigated land.

The Iberian peninsula, or Andalus, that part of it which was ruled and largely inhabited by Muslims…The center of the peninsula is a vast plateau surrounded and cut across by mountain ranges. From here a number of rivers flow…the Ebro runs into the Mediterranean in the north…and the Guadalquivir into the Atlantic further south.


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With the two geographical descriptions on the previous page, you should have enough information to fill in the map with the following locations. (Hint: the Mediterranean Sea is east of Spain, and the Atlantic Ocean is to the west.)

The Iberian Peninsula Andalusia Córdoba The Mediterranean Sea The Atlantic Ocean The Ebro River The Guadalquivir River

4. What are the waterways that connected Córdoba to the larger Islamic world? What was transported on these waterways?

5. Why were rivers and oceans an important mode of transportation at this time?

6. How does the location of Córdoba ensure that it has a strong and vibrant economy?

IMAGE 1: Spain and the Mediterranean


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THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF CÓRDOBA

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The chart represents the social structure of Córdoba in 929. It illustrates the power hierarchy of the various groups that lived and interacted in Córdoba during this period.

The caliph had the most power in the city of Cór-doba and the surrounding area, but he also gained authority throughout the Islamic region. According to Islamic law, the caliph had to fulfill the follow-ing requirements: to have knowledge of the Islamic religion; to be a descen-dent of the same tribe as the Prophet Muhammad; to have a sense of justice. Abd ar-Rahman III, a descendent of Muhammad and member of the Umayyad dynasty, proclaimed himself caliph in 929. This strategic po-litical claim shifted power in the Islamic world from Baghdad to Córdoba.

The caliph interpreted the Qur’an, like a judge, to provide Córdoban soci-ety with justice and order. Judges, as well as the reli-gious teachers who worked in the Great Mosque of Córdoba, supported the ca-liph in these duties. These men formed an elite class,

educated in special schools, and often claiming to be descendents of the Muham-mad’s daughter, Fatima. The judges followed the laws of the Shari’a, a system of norms and rules developed through the interpreta-tion of the Qur’an. These laws provided people with rules of interaction affect-ing all aspects of life, from trade regulations to the relationship between hus-band and wife.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

caliph: a religious and political leader of the Islamic Empire.

interpret: to explain or decide on the meaning of words.

Qur’an: the sacred text of Islam, considered by Muslims to contain the revelations of God to Muhammad.

Shari’a: the Muslim code of law based on the Qur’an.


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7. How was religion important to the political organization and the society of Córdoba?

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

merchant: a person who makes a living selling and trading goods.

The merchants and the non-Muslims provided the city and the caliph with wealth through their work as traders and manufactur-ers. They paid taxes to the

caliph, so he could afford to pay for the armies that pro-tected trade and maintained order in the Umayyad king-dom.

Examine the chart on the previous page to answer the following questions.

8. How was the authority of the caliph dependent on people that filled in the lower orders of society?

9. How was the economy important for organizing society and politics in Córdoba?


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THE GREAT MOSQUE OF CÓRDOBA: THE CULTURAL CENTER OF CÓRDOBA

IMAGE 2: The Great Mosque of Córdoba

Córdoba became the center of the Umayyad dy-nasty because this is where the caliphs built the Great Mosque of Córdoba. The mosque formed the center of Muslim power and so-ciety in Spain. Although it was a place for daily reli-gious practice, many other

aspects of daily life oc-curred in the Great Mosque as well. Teachers and judges worked in the mosque and dispensed knowledge and justice based on the Qur’an and the Shari’a. As we have seen, these laws guided Muslim society and provided people with a

framework to organize their daily interactions as well as a shared morality. People went to the mosque to gain education and to get news about the world. Students gathered around teachers as they taught in a part of the mosque. A Muslim scholar confirmed the value of edu-cation in this society when he stated,

Know that learning leaves a trail and a scent proclaiming its possessor; a ray of light and brightness shining on him, pointing him out.

Within the walls of the mosque, people formed and renewed relationships. The Great Mosque of Córdoba was the city’s center, and it provided a place for people to understand their world.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

dispense: to give away.

proclaim: to officially say something exists.

possessor: a person that has something.


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10. How is the Great Mosque of Córdoba important for everyday life in the city?

Through a study of the economy, society, politics, and culture of Córdoba, we can see that this city was a center for trade, government, and learning. The caliphs ruled a society that had wealth and peace, which attracted people with education and prosperity to come to the city to learn and write. Both elite men and women participated in the sharing of knowledge and

the creation of new artistic and scientific works.

Islamic society valued education and intellectual achievement. In some in-stances, when women had wealth and power, they could go beyond the bar-riers of the harem and participate in cultural pur-suits. Through the writings of one poet, Walladah hint al-Mustakfi, the daughter of the caliph, we can see that

Córdoban society provided a place for men and women to express themselves.

Walladah hint al-Mus-takfi wrote the following verse:

I am fit for high positions, by GodAnd am going my way with pride.

11. How is religion represented in this poem?

12. What conclusions can you come to about the relation between poetry and religion in Córdoban culture, based on this poem?

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

harem: a section of a house reserved for female members of the Muslim household.


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CONCLUSION: WHY WERE CITIES IMPORTANT TO THE ISLAMIC EMPIRE?

We have examined the city of Córdoba through the analytical categories of the econo-my, society, politics, and culture in order to understand how this place was central to the Umayyad Empire.

Use what you have learned in this lesson to fill in the following graphic organizers. On the lines provided, write in as many details as you remember from each section of the lesson.

ECONOMY

Agriculture, Trade, Geography, Taxes

13. What did you learn about the economy in Córdoba?

14. How did the Islamic religion shape or influence the economy?


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POLITICS

Caliph, Judges, Shari’a, Qur’an, Merchants

15. What did you learn about politics in Córdoba?

16. Who had power in Córdoban society? How are these positions related to religion?


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17. What did you learn about society and culture in Córdoba?

18. How is religion important in Córdoban society and culture?

Use information from the graphic organizers to answer the following question.

19. How was the religion of Islam important to the city of Córdoba?

SOCIETY AND CULTURE

Great Mosque, Law, Education, Women


LESSON 4

How did trade affect the spread of Islam?


Like other lessons in this unit, this lesson reminds students of the dominant thesis that the world was interconnected before 1492, in contrast to a Eurocentric presentation of world history that suggests the world did not become unified until the Europe-ans began their travels on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The les-son emphasizes that Europe, Asia, and Africa relied on networks that linked these areas well before the Europeans discovered the New World. This idea is presented to students through an ex-amination of both the land and water trade routes that connected Muslim merchants to the larger world during this period.

This lesson is designed to get students thinking about interac-tions between merchants from different cultures. Students will consider how shared beliefs were necessary for merchants to cre-ate trade networks across long distances. Through an examination of religious conversion through trade, the lesson not only presents students with a sense of how Islam united people through shared beliefs, but it also highlights the fact that religion is only one of many activities and ideas that shaped societies. The lesson also approaches the spread of Islam by presenting students with travel narratives from an Arab merchant, Ibn Batutta, who recorded the cultures of men and women from both Africa and Asia. Finally, students process what they have learned by imagining they are Arab merchants writing a daily journal entry about their experi-ences.

NOTE: In discussing questions 5, 6, 7, & 8 with the students, you may want to raise the issue of religious and cultural chauvinism, which characterizes some of Battuta’s views about other cultures. Otherwise, the students may not have sufficient context for under-standing his somewhat derogatory accounts of these cultures.

44 HOT Themes in World History: The Emergence and Spread of Islam How did trade affect the spread of Islam? 45

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KEY TERMS

Merchant: a person whose profession is to trade goods.

Commercial: having to do with trade or business.

Monsoon: a large storm that occurs in the ocean.

OBJECTIVES


To understand the significance of merchants for the spread of Islam.

To understand how trade connections and networks linked disparate geographical areas.

To examine the spread of Islam in the medieval period in order to think about how history has affected contemporary world demographics.



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Students distinguish fact from opinion in historical narratives and stories.

Students detect the different historical points of view on historical events and determine the context in which the historical statements were made (the questions asked, sources used, author’s perspectives).

ANSWER KEY

Question 1: Merchants are valued in Muslim society because they are responsible for spreading Islam through their travels and cross-cultural exchanges.

Question 2: Mohammed compares merchants with martyrs. This is important because martyrs are people who are strong believers in god, and their actions require bravery and courage. In this way, Mohammed suggests that merchants provide a good example to others.

Question 3: Merchants bought and sold goods on credit, which required them to trust one another. A shared sense of beliefs and morals, such as those represented by Islam, was necessary for this system of exchange to work.

Question 4: Muslim merchants traded goods in Africa and Asia, following the trade networks on the Indian Ocean.

Question 5: Ibn Battuta describes the cultural practices of the African Muslims.

Question 6: He condemns the practice of women wearing little or no clothing, people marking their heads with ashes, and people eating animals forbidden under Islamic law.

Question 7: Ibn Battuta is critical of Chinese religions. Through this source it is clear that he has little respect for the beliefs of the Chinese.

Question 8: He feels more comfortable with Muslims because they share similar cultural practices, such as a shared belief in god and religious worship.



How did trade affect the spread of Islam?

LESSON INTRODUCTION FOR STUDENTS

IMAGE 1: Muslim Population Distribution (Sunni and Shia)

We know that a large portion of the population of the Middle East today is Muslim, but did you know that there are large popula-tions of Muslims through-out contemporary Africa and Asia?

Look at the map to gain an understanding of where the largest populace of Muslims is located in the modern world.

We know the world was an interconnected place

during the height of the Islamic Empires. How did Islam spread throughout Africa and Asia?

Today we will examine how trade routes and eco-nomic networks provided the paths for Muslim mer-chants to spread their reli-gion throughout the Indian Ocean region. First, we will examine the aspects of Is-lamic society that allowed trade to flourish throughout the Eurasian and African

world before 1492. Then we will explore the technologi-cal advances necessary for travel on the Indian Ocean. Finally, we will think about why people converted to Islam.

Who were the people that spread knowledge of the Islamic religion?

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

contemporary: current day, modern.


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Sunni

Shia


GLOSSARY OF TERMS

martyr: someone who dies for his religion as an act of faith.

courier: someone who delivers messages.


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EXAMINING THE MERCHANT’S ROLE IN ISLAMIC SOCIETY

As you know, merchants were a very important segment of Islamic society. Even the prophet Mohammed spent part of his life conducting merchant activity. Read the following statements from Mohammed and answer the questions.

On the day of judgment, the honest, truthful Islamic merchant will take rank with the martyrs of the faith.

Merchants are the couriers of the world and the trusted servants of God upon earth.

1. After reading these proclamations by Mohammed, what do you think he thought of merchants?

2. To whom does he compare merchants? Why is this important?


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HOW DID MERCHANTS TRAVEL AND EXCHANGE GOODS?

Just like today, merchants needed money and credit in order to exchange goods. Merchants traded with gold and silver coins. They also bought goods on credit, but unlike today they did not have credit cards. Instead, merchants who shared the same morals and beliefs often trusted one another to buy and sell goods on credit. These merchants participated in commer-cial and banking networks that stretched across long distances, allowing them to work together to make a profit.

Arabs sailed through the waters of the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea. The Arab sailors had navigation manuals to help them avoid the dangers of the mon-soon season in the Indian Ocean . They also used an instrument called an astro-labe, which helped them to navigate by reading the po-

sitions of the stars. People could only cross the Indian Ocean during certain times of the year, but sailors could travel along the coastline all year long.

IMAGE 2: Yemeni Astrolabe

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3. How did merchants trade goods? How did they know they could trust each other to pay their debts?

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

commercial: having to do with trade or business.

monsoon: a large storm that occurs in the ocean.


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Draw a line from the Arabian Peninsula to India and then to Indonesia.

4. Where did the Muslim merchants trade their goods?

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

disparate: different; spread far apart.

With the travels of Muslim merchants, Islam spread throughout their areas of trade, across Africa and Asia. Arab merchants brought their religion and culture along with their goods when they journeyed to these disparate urban ar-eas along the Indian Ocean. These Arab Muslims often inspired the Asian and Afri-

can merchants who worked closely with them to con-vert to Islam. Not only did merchants in Asia and Af-rica become Muslims, but many rulers in Africa and Asia converted to Islam in order to strengthen their political power by linking themselves with a power-ful Empire. From the 900s to the 1400s, Islam became

a widespread system of be-lief in the urban areas that bordered the Indian Ocean. Islam provided merchants and rulers living in these areas with a common lan-guage, culture, and set of laws.

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IMAGE 3: Crossing the Indian Ocean


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ISLAM AND THE WORLD

IMAGE 4: Islam in Africa today

We know about the spread of Islam through the writings of an Arab traveler, Ibn Battuta. He visited many areas and wrote letters and a journal that allow us to un-derstand the Islamic world of the 1300s.

The first description we

will read is from Ibn Battu-ta’s journey to the kingdom of Mali. Mali was a large empire in Africa south of the Sahara desert. The rul-ing elites and the merchants of this empire had con-verted to Islam by 1300 due to their connections with

Muslim merchants. The Empire of Mali had enor-mous wealth based on the trade of agricultural goods, gold, and slaves.

Can you locate Mali on the map?

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In the following passage, Ibn Battuta describes his opin-ion about Islamic practices in Mali. Read how he describes Africans practicing their Muslim faith.

Another of their good qualities is their habit of wearing clean white garments on Fridays. Even if a man has nothing but an old worn shirt, he washes it and cleans it, and wears it to the Friday service. Yet another is their zeal for learning the Koran by heart. They put their children in chains if they show any backwardness in memorizing it, and they are not set free until they have it by heart. I visited the qadi in his house on the day of the festival. His children were chained up, so I said to him, “Will you not let them loose?” He replied, “I shall not do so until they learn the Koran by heart.”

Among their bad qualities are the following. The women servants, slave-girls, and young girls go about in front of everyone naked, without a stitch of clothing on them. Women go into the sultan’s presence naked and without coverings, and his daughters also go about naked. Then there is their custom of putting dust and ashes on their heads, as a mark of respect…Another reprehensible practice among many of them is the eating of animals not ritually slaughtered, dogs, and donkeys.

5. What Islamic practices does Ibn Battuta describe?

6. What cultural practices of the people of Mali does he condemn?

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

garments: clothes.

zeal: passion, strong feelings toward something.

qadi: holy man.

ritually: according to religious law or custom.

condemn: to express strong disapproval of something.


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Next, we will read Ibn Battuta’s account of his visit to China in 1330.

China was beautiful, but it did not please me. On the contrary, I was greatly troubled thinking about the way paganism dominated this country. Whenever I went out of my lodging, I saw many blameworthy things. That disturbed me so much that I stayed indoors most of the time and only went out when necessary. During my stay in China, whenever I saw any Muslims I always felt as though I were meeting my own family and close kinsmen.

IMAGE 5: Ibn Battuta’s Itinerary in Southeast Asia and China, 1345-46.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

paganism: the belief in gods not accepted by Jews, Christians, or Muslims.

blameworthy: deserving blame for being evil or harmful.

kinsman: blood relative.

7. What did Ibn Battuta think about religious beliefs in China?

8. Why did he feel more comfortable with Muslims than Chinese?


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CONCLUSION—A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A MUSLIM MERCHANT

After spending several workshops thinking about the place of merchants in Islamic soci-ety and the role they played in spreading Islamic religion throughout Asia and Africa, you have a general idea about the life of a Muslim merchant.

For your final assignment, write a daily diary entry from the perspective of a Muslim merchant living in the 1300s. The following questions should guide you to shape your description.

Are you a man or a woman? Where do you live? Where did you go today? Are you in an urban or a rural location? How did this affect your day? What did you trade? Who did you trade with? Who else did you encounter today?What religious practices did you perform today?

54 HOT Themes in World History: The Emergence and Spread of Islam 55

List of Illustrations

Cover Image/Image 4 from Lesson Two: Yahyâ ibn Mahmûd al-Wâsitî, Assemblies of al-Harîrî: Pilgrim Caravan (Thirty-first Maqâma). Baghdad (Iraq), 1237. MS. arabe 5847 (Schefer Harîrî), folio 94 verso (Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris). Reproduced by permission of the Bibliothèque Nationale (Paris), from Richard Ettinghausen, Arab Painting (Paris: Editions d’Art Albert Skira, 1962), p. 119.

List of Images, Cover


Cover Image: Yahyâ ibn Mahmûd al-Wâsitî, Assemblies of al-Harîrî: A Drove of Camels (Thirty-second Maqâma). Baghdad (Iraq), 1237. MS. arabe 5847 (Schefer Harîrî), folio 101 recto (Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris). Reproduced by permission of the Bibliothèque Nationale (Paris), from Richard Ettinghausen, Arab Painting (Paris: Editions d’Art Albert Skira, 1962), p. 117.


Cover Image: Tova Cooper, “Detailed Carving in the Great Mosque at Córdoba.”


Lesson One, Image 1: Mohamed Amin, “Oasis of Badr.” Reproduced from Desmond Stewart, Mecca (New York: Newsweek, 1980), p. 49.

Lesson 1 Full-Page Images


Lesson One, Image 2: Phoenix dactylifera L, Date Palm. Limited Edition Color Drawing (114 Of 500). Botanical Collection. Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust.


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Lesson One, Image 3: Susan Reese, based on “Map of the Silk Road.” Tradelinks Across the World. March 2005. http://library.thinkquest.org/13406/sr/.

http://library.thinkquest.org/13406/sr/


Lesson One, Image 4: H.P. Dickson, “A Sbei Badawin family on the march leaving Subaihiyah Wells.” Reproduced from H.P. Dickson, The Arab of the Desert: A Glimpse into Badawin Life in Kuwait and Sau-di Arabia (London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1959), p. 224.


Lesson One, Image 5a: H.P. Dickson, “Camel Saddles” (modified drawing). Reproduced from Shirley Kay, The Bedouin (New York: Crane, Russak & Company, 1978), p. 63.


Lesson One, Image 5b: H.P. Dickson, “Dhalla or Chitab (without trap-pings).” Reproduced from H.P. Dickson, The Arab of the Desert: A Glimpse into Badawin Life in Kuwait and Sau-di Arabia (London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1959), p. 99.


Lesson Two, Image 1a: Ahmad Qarahisari, “Page with Quranic Inscriptions” (Cairo, Islamic Museum). 1574. Reproduced from Yasin Hamid Safadi, Islamic Calligraphy (London: Thames and Hudson Limited, 1978), p. 98.



Lesson Two, Image 1b: Eastern Kufic Script. “Detail of a Qur’an, copied in Iraq or Persia in the late 10th century.” Reproduced from Yasin Hamid Safadi, Islamic Calligraphy (London: Thamesand Hudson Lim-ited, 1978), p. 50.


Lesson Two, Image 2: “Abraha’s elephants, charging upon the Ka’bah: a Turkish book-painting” (Top-kapu Museum, Istanbul). Reproduced from Emel Esin and Haluk Doganbey, Mecca the Blessed, Madinah the Radiant (London: Elek Books, 1963), p. 50.


Lesson Two, Image 3: Wilhelmina Reyinga, “Island of the Arabs.” Reproduced from Desmond Stewart, Mecca (New York: Newsweek, 1980), p.19.


Lesson Two, Image 5: “Pilgrims facing the Ka’bah, dressed in the traditional two lengths of cloth.” Reproduced from Emil Esin and Haluk Doganbey, Mecca the Blessed, Madinah the Radiant (London: Elek Books, 1963), p. 197.


Lesson Two, Image 6: “Modern-Day Hajj Pilgrims.” Reproduced from Desmond Stewart, Mecca (New York: Newsweek, 1980), pp. 61, 64, 65.


Lesson Three, Image 1: Susan Reese, “Spain and the Meditteranean.”



Lesson Three, Image 2: Tova Cooper, “The Great Mosque of Córdoba.”


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Lesson Four, Image 1: Susan Reese, based on “Distribution of Muslim Populations (Sunni and Shia).” Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection (Austin: University of Texas Library). http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_maps/muslim_distribution.jpg


http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_maps/muslim_distribution.jpg

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_maps/muslim_distribution.jpg


Lesson Four, Image 2: “Brass Astrolabe, Yemenite, 13th Century” (Metropolitan Museum of Art). Repro-duced from Desmond Stewart, Mecca (New York: Newsweek, 1980), p. 95. Photograph by Mohamed Amin.


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Lesson Four, Image 3: Susan Reese, “Crossing the Indian Ocean.”


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Lesson Four, Image 4: Susan Reese, “Islam in Africa today,” based on a digital map from Islamic Africa for Today at http://www.islamfortoday.com/IslamicAfrica.gif


Lesson Four, Image 5: “Ibn Battuta’s Itinerary in Southeast Asia and China, 1345-46.” Repro-duced from Ross E. Dunn, The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986), p. 256.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

THE UCI CALIFORNIA HISTORY-SOCIAL SCIENCE PROJECTRobert G. Moeller, Faculty Director and Professor of History

Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio, Site DirectorEileen Powell, CH-SSP Program Assistant

http://www.hnet.uci.edu/history/chssp/

HUMANITIES OUT THEREJulia Reinhard Lupton, Faculty Director and Professor of English and Comparative Literature

Tova Cooper, Director of PublicationsPeggie Winters, Grants Manager

http://yoda.hnet.uci.edu/hot/

THE SANTA ANA PARTNERSHIP:

UCI’S CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIPSJuan Francisco Lara, Director

http://www.cfep.uci.edu/

THE SANTA ANA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICTLewis Bratcher, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education

http://www.sausd.k12.ca.us/

SANTA ANA COLLEGESara Lundquist, Vice-President of Student Services

Lilia Tanakeyowma, Director of the Office of School and Community Partnerships and Associate Dean of Student DevelopmentMelba Schneider, GEAR UP Coordinator

http://www.sac.edu/

This unit would not have been possible without the support of Professor Karen Lawrence, Dean of the School of Humanities at the University of California, Irvine; Professor Robert G. Moeller, Faculty Director of the UCI California History-Social Science Project, who provides ongoing intellectual leadership in all areas touching on historical research, interpretation, and teacher professional development; Dr. Manuel Gómez, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, who provided funding and has been a steadfast supporter of our work; and the leadership of the Santa Ana Partnership, including Dr. Juan Lara, Director of the UCI Center for Educational Partnerships; Dr. Sara Lundquist, Vice-President of Student Services at Santa Ana College; Lilia Tanakeyowma, Director of the Office of School and Community Partnerships and Associate Dean of Student Development at Santa Ana College; and Dr. Lewis Bratcher, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education at the Santa Ana Unified School District.

PERMISSIONSThe materials included in this booklet are original works of authorship, works for which copyright permission has expired, works reprinted with permission, or works that we believe are within the fair use protection of the copyright laws. This is an educational and non-commercial publication designed specifically for junior high school History-Social Science classes, and is distributed to teachers without charge.

Book design by Susan Reese

Acknowledgments

http://www.hnet.uci.edu/history/chssp/

http://yoda.hnet.uci.edu/hot/

http://www.cfep.uci.edu/

http://www.sausd.k12.ca.us/

http://www.sac.edu/

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“These lesson plans bring to life the dynamic world of Islamic religion, cities, culture, geography and trade. Students are offered an attractive combination of analytical skills and empirical information that should make these units both effective and satisfying.”

—Bin Wong, Professor of History and Director of the Asia Institute,

University of California, Los Angeles

SEVENTH GRADE CALIFORNIA HISTORY-SOCIAL SCIENCE STANDARDS ADDRESSED

Content Standards7.2 Students analyze the geographic, political,

economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Islam in the Middle Ages.




Skills• Students use a variety of maps and documents

to identify physical and cultural features of neighborhoods, cities, states, and countries and to explain the historical migration of people, expansion and disintegration of empires, and the growth of economic systems.

• Students assess the credibility of primary and secondary sources and draw sound conclusions from them.

• Students interpret basic indicators of econ-omic performance and conduct cost-benefit analyses of economic and political issues.

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