From Mrs. Walton’s World Studies I Class

Harrisonburg High School – Harrisonburg, VAThanks Mrs. Walton!

Section 2The Arab Empire and its Successors

Creation of An Arab Empire• After the death of Muhammad, unity was difficult

to maintain.• The friend and father-in-law of Muhammad, Abu

Bakr, was chosen to be the first Caliph, or successor to Muhammad.

• Abu Bakr helped to unify the Muslim world and expanded in Arabia and beyond.

• Under the idea of jihad, or “struggle in the way of God” the early Muslims expanded their territory. The believed that defensive warfare was permitted by the Quran.

Arab Rule• The Arabs were now united and expanded their territory

instead of fighting each other. • They defeated the Byzantine army in 636 taking the province

of Syria. By 642 they took Egypt and by 650 they controlled the Persian Empire

After Abu Bakr died there was conflict over who would be the next Caliph.

The next two Caliphs were both assassinated.

After that Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali wasappointed Caliph, but five years later he too was assassinated.

Administration• Muslims administrators were fairly tolerant of

the people they defeated.

• Initially, both Christians and Jews were allowed to practice their religions, with some restrictions, because they were “People of the Book” who had written scriptures revealed to them by God before the time of Muhammad. Those who chose not to convert had to be loyal to the Muslim state and pay a special tax.

The Umayyad Dynasty• At the beginning of the eighth century

Islam had expanded across northern Africa and had converted the Berbers (a pastoral people along the Mediterranean coast) to the faith.

• By 710 combined Berber and Arab forces crossed the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain and had taken most of the country by 725. In 732, however, the Muslim advance into Europe was halted at the Battle of Tours.

• By 750 the Muslim advance came to an end. The southern and eastern Mediterranean and parts of the old Roman Empire were now Muslim territory.

• The Umayyad Dynasty was centered in Damascus, in modern-day Syria and was wealthy. This was also a very diverse empire as many different peoples had been conquered in new territory.

• The diversity helped lead to a split within the Islamic faith

The Umayyad Empire

A Split in Islam

• Many non-Arab Muslims resent the favoritism which the Umayyad Empire showed toward Arabs.

• The large empire was difficult to rule efficiently and there were financial problems as well.

The Revolt of Hussein• The grandson of Muhammad,

Hussein, led a revolt against the Umayyad Empire in 680.

• His solders defected and he was killed by an overwhelming Umayyad force.

• This struggle led to a split within the faith of Islam between Sunni and Shi’a (Shiite) Muslims.

Sunni vs. Shi’a (Shiite)

• Sunni Muslims supported the Umayyad Dynasty. They believe the Caliph does not need to be a direct descendant of Muhammad.

• Shi’a Muslims supported Hussein and believe that the Caliph should be a direct descendant of Muhammad through his son-in-law Ali and his grandson.

Umayyad Architecture

Dome of the Rock

The Abbasid Dynasty• Amidst growing resentment

toward the Umayyad Dynasty Abu al-Abbas, a descendent of Muhammad’s uncle, overthrew the Umayyad Dynasty in 750 and est. the Abbasid Dynasty.

• The Dynasty lasted until 1258 A.D.

Abbasid Rule• The Abbasids moved the capital of their

empire to Baghdad.• This move increased Persian influence and

changed Abbasid culture.• Under this dynasty the new heroes were

judges, merchants, and government officials.

• This dynasty did not favor Arab rule and the empire became more culturally diverse.

• Harun al-Rashid– The greatest of the caliphs of the

dynasty. This is called the golden age of the Abbasid Dynasty (Caliphate)

– He was known for his charity and was a great supporter of culture and the arts.

– His son continued the tradition and supported the study of astronomy and began to translate classical Greek works into Arabic.

Trade• Baghdad became a major crossroads for trade.– This made the city very wealthy.– This also helped spread products and knowledge

from the Middle East to parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Government Administration

• The government of the Abbasids became more like a monarchy.

• The bureaucracy which assisted the Caliph became more complicated.

• In order to assist him the Caliph appointed a Vizier who was like a prime minister.–This man was the chief advisor to the

Caliph and would help him run the government.

The Abbasid Dynasty

Decline and Division• There was great difficulty in the Abbasid

Dynasty with imperial succession.• There was also financial corruption.• Caliphs began to recruit from non-Arab

groups for government administration such as the Turks and the Persians.–These groups came to dominate the

political situation.

• Rulers of provinces began to break away and establish independent kingdoms.– Spain had an independent

Caliphate at Cordoba which had been established in 750 by Umayyad rulers who fled the Abbasid Dynasty.

• Morocco became independent.

• The Fatimid dynasty was established in Egypt with the capital at Cairo in 973.

Seljuk Turks and the Crusades

• As the Fatimid Dynasty in Egypt became more powerful they became the new center of the Muslim world.

• One group which came to power in this region were the Seljuk Turks. – The Turks played a large role in the military and

many rose through the ranks to gain a lot of political power.

• The Turks were originally a nomadic people who converted to Islam and were great soldiers in the Abbasid caliphate.

• As the Abbasids weakened, the Turks became stronger moving into the areas of Iran and Armenia. They eventually took over many Abbasid territories.

The Sultan• The Turks were ruled by a Sultan, meaning “holder

of power.”• While the Abbasids were still a religious authority

when the Turks captured Baghdad they were the military and political leaders of the state.

• The Turks in the second half of the 11th century kept putting pressure on the Byzantine Empire. In 1071 they defeated the Byzantine army at Manzikert and gained control of Asia Minor (Anatolian Peninsula) – In desperation, the Byzantine Empire turned to the West

for help. This led to a series of wars known as The Crusades.

The Crusades• The Byzantine Emperor Alexius I sent a letter

to the Pope (Urban II) asking for help against the Turks.

• This led to a series of wars in 1096 known as The Crusades.

• At first the Crusaders were successful and took the city of Jerusalem.

• In 1187 the Muslim leader Saladin retook the city, leaving the Christians with only a small collection of land holdings in the Middle East.

• The Crusades had a lasting impact-breeding centuries of mistrust between the Muslim world and the Christian World.

The Mongol Threat• The Mongols were a pastoral, horse-riding people who

swept out of the Gobi in the early 13th century to seize control over much of the known world.

• The were not Muslims and find it difficult to adapt to city life.

• The spread destruction across Asia into Muslim territory.• The Invasion began with Genghis Khan and was continued

under the leadership Kublia Khan and Hulegu.– They seized Mesopotamia Persia and Mesopotamia destroying

the city of Baghdad in 1258• The Mongols made it as far as the Red Sea, but were

unable to take Egypt.• Over time the Mongol rulers converted to Islam and rebuilt

the Muslim world.