| Term | Definition |
|---|
| oasis towns | towns that grew up around water sources on the Arabian Penninsula |
| Mecca | a large commercial city, home of the Ka'ba |
| Ka'ba | large black meteor. once a part of pagan worship it is now one of the holiest sites in Islam |
| Bedouins | nomadic Arabian tribesman known for their horsemanship, loyalty and toughness |
| Tribe | the basic family/government unit |
| haram | a shrine |
| mansib | chief, esp. of a relig aristocracy common in the southern penninsula |
| Muhammed- biographical issues | early stories oral, and life idealized |
| Muhammed's message (from Gabriel) | abandon polythesim, and submit to one indivisble god |
| Qur'an | the holy book of Islam containing Muhammed's teachings, first complied in 651 |
| Age of Arab Monotheism | the peroid in which Islam sorts out it's theological issues and distinguishes itself from other monotheisic religions |
| Caliph | successor to Muhammed |
| Hadith | quotes from and acntecdotes about Muhammed that provide basis for Islamic law and behavior |
| sunna | Muhammed's example of how to live |
| Five Pillars of Islam | the basis of the moral code |
| hirja | when a person is forced to flee - such as when Muhammed was forced out of Medina in 622 |
| 632 AD | Muhammed dies |
| Problems w/ Byzantine and Sasanid Empires | religious issues, desire to control and expand trade, weak from already fighting (each other) |
| Umar and Uthman | launch 2 pronged attack against infidels |
| Syria, Palastine and Egypt | taken from the Byzantines by the Muslims. important sources of $$ and food |
| Nihawand | this defeat of the Sasandis by the Muslimsmarks the end of the Persian empire |
| Tashkent | Important trade stop along silk road where Muslims encounter Chinese army |
| Multan | Islamic settlement in the Indus valley in India |
| jihad | holy war |
| personal jihad vs. communal jihad | internal struggle vs. war against the infidels |
| garrison cities | Islamic settlements in conquered areas key in spreading Islamic culture and influence |
| diwan | monetary register that collects taxes, pays soliders, etc. |
| overpopulation | because of lacking recourses, it was a major reason for Islamic expansion |
| Abu Bakr | Muhammed's father in law and successor - responisble for the begining of the Islamic state |
| Umar | caliph and Abu Bakr's sucessor. responsible for major milit expansion and limited state spending. Assasinated by an angry Persian |
| Uthman | caliph and Umar's sucessor. Responsible for milit expansion, reinstating shady econom practices, publishing a definative Qur'an, and neoptism. Assassinated |
| Ali | Muhammed's brother in law, who becomes caliph by sketchy means. |
| Seige of Uthman | angry men surround his house. Ali's role is sketchy, though he would have something to gain. ends in assasination |
| Mu'awiya | Becomes caliph after deposing Ali, and turns postition into dynastic sucession. Begins Umayyad dynasty. Known for large personal army, bribery, and fear of assasination. |
| hajib | the servant of the caliph that allows people into the caliph's presence for an audience. Like a "bouncer" |
| Umayyad Dynasty | the line of sucession for the position of caliph begun by Mu'awiya |
| Shia Islam | supporters of Ali and blood relations to Muhammed. Think caliph/imam interprets texts |
| Sunni Islam | Think caliph is poli and judicial figure, but ulama interprest texts |
| ulama | a council of elders that interpret the sacred Muslim texts |
| Abu al-Abbas | leads Shiites in revolt against Umayyads. wins recognition as caliph in 750. moves capital to Baghdad. |
| Baghdad | city in modern Iraq, capital of Islamic world. pop. 1 million. center for trade and scholarly thought |
| Harun al-Rashid | caliph who beautifies Baghdad. Patron of the arts, known for his lavish courts |
| Mu'tasim | responsible for begining the employment of slave soldiers |
| Mamluks | slaves from Turkey, who served as slave soldiers. skilled horsemen/archers. Became a fixture in Muslim milit |
| emirs | provincial governors/expirienced local officials |
| shari'a | body of Islamic law |
| qadis | judges in the religious courts of law |
| barid | system to convey official corespondence |
| vizier | caliph's cheif assistant. Very powerful |
| magnetic compass | a technology taken from the Chinese that allowed for expansion of sea trade and exploring |
| dhows | ships that could hold up to 400 tons of cargo. Key in expansion of Islamic trade routes |
| wakil-al-tryjar | official in Cairo, who was the legal representation to foreign traders |
| camels | key to transporting goods over land |
| Cordoba | city that was an intellectual center and immensely advanced for it's day, with fresh water, paved streets, and a huge pop |
| entrepot | a trading center (esp. Cairo) |
| Ideas on race | ideal, as said in Qu'ran, of universal Muslim communitiy. not reality |
| Zanj | start slave revolt in Iraq, killing many civilians, and ending plantation slavery in the Islamic world |
| female slaves | served in household, court entertainment, and as concubines |
| male slaves | forced to to hard labor (mining, ships, soldiers) or eunuchs |
| harem | area of house where women where housed. sacrosanct |
| eunuch slaves | guard harem, serve as secerteries/tudors, considered more reliable and dependable |
| Jews | "people of the book," marginalized, but full participation in commerce |
| Dhimmis | "protected peoples," such as Jews, CHRs, Zoroastrians, who were allowed to practice their religion if they respected muslim authority |
| converts | viewed as second class citizens, forced to become the client of a tribe |
| ruling elite | caliph's household, other ruling Arabs. |
| 9th century decentraliztion | revolts in Arabia, Persia, Syria, and Iraq. results in weak economy and milit |
| Ayyubids | Shiite clan that take over Baghdad, forces Abbasid caliph to surrender auth. |
| Mustakfi | Abbasid caliph deposed by Ayybids. blinded symbolically. |
| Fatimids | conquer Egypt in 969 |
| Seljuk Turks | move west, convert to Islam, eventually take over Baghdad |
| Chinggis Khan | a mongol who united mongol and turkish tribes, began campaign west, using fear as a tactic |
| Hulagu | mongol. attacks Abbasids, saks Baghdad, wants to irradicate Muslim culture |
| Ghazan | Mongol. converts to Islam and revives Muslim culture |
| social status | though Qu'ran said everyone was equal, birth and later wealth defined this |
Combine with other sets
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