The Expansion of Muslim Rule By Ms. Escalante
Expansion Under the In 661, the Umayyads family won a power struggle and built a great empire. In less than 100 years, their empire spanned parts of 3 continents-asia, Africa, and Europe. This included the Iberian Peninsula. At first the armies used hit and run raids to attack the cities. Umayyads
Uniting Many People The Umayyads controlled a huge empire that covered many lands. They needed to take steps to unite and govern these people. The Umayyads used a bureaucracy to rule the entire empire from the capital city in Damascus. To rule different countries the caliphs appointed Muslim governors called emirs. These emirs worked with local leaders to win the support of the people.
A Common Language and Coinage Language was a barrier at first to unite people because of all the different languages spoken in the empire. Abd al-malik became caliph in 685 and declared Arabic the official language in government for all Muslim lands. Having a common language helped people communicate more easily. In 700, Abd al-malik introduced a common coinage. Coins were engraved in Arabic. This helped spread the language. The pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) helped spread the language as well.
The Overthrow of the Umayyads Even though the Umayyads expanded the empire, many Muslims felt they did not take their duties as leaders seriously. They felt they were too interested in living a life of luxury. The Abbasids in 750 took power. According to historians, the Abbasids invited the Umayyads leaders to a meeting to talk about peace. At the meeting the Umayyads were murdered. One Umayyad escaped, Abd Rahman. He fled to Spain. There he re-established the Umayyad dynasty. The Muslim empire was permanently split into east and west.
The Abbasids The Abbasids held to power first through force. They built a huge standing army and stationed army units at military posts throughout the empire. The Abbasids also used a policy of inclusion to persuade people through the empire to accept their rule. All Arabs and non-arabs were declared equal. Therefore, the most talented people could work in the empire.
A New Capital The Abbasids moved the capital to Baghdad from Damascus to strengthen their power. Baghdad was considered to be the marketplace for the world. Baghdad lay on an old east-west trade routes. As trade increased Baghdad prospered and grew to a population of more than 900,000 people. Industries prospered in farming, irrigation, textiles, and market goods.
Abbasid Advances The brisk economy made the Abbasids very rich and some wanted to display their wealth. So they began to support the arts and learning. As a result Muslim culture enjoyed a golden age. This is when society or culture is at peace.
Art and Design Most Muslims thought is was wrong to use the human form in art. Such images, they believed took away from their faith. Many religious leaders felt that is would encourage worship of images rather than God. As a result, Muslim art emphasized plant life and geometric images. One design was called Arabesque which shows the intertwined stem, leaves, and flowers of a plant.
Calligraphy Muslim art often used Arabic script. Arabic was very special to Muslims because it was the language of the Qur an. Many Muslim artist became very skilled at calligraphy, or the art of fine handwriting. The Abbasids enjoyed calligraphers to decorate everything from buildings to swords and armor.
Bookmaking Muslims used calligraphy in books. In 750 the Abbasids learned to make paper from the Chinese. By the early 800s Baghdad became a major papermaking center. In 830 Baghdad opened the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. It housed books on all subjects from many parts of the world.
Literature Muslims developed there own literature. Thousand and One Nights became a favorite to read in Baghdad. It mixed stories of the Abbasid court with tales of adventure. Other stories included Sinbad the sailor. Poetry flourished as well. A poetic form called the quatrain was popular. This is a four-line poem in which the first, second, and fourth line rhyme. A Persian born Muslim named Omar Khayyam was a master of this form.
Mathematics and Astronomy Muslim scholars borrowed ideas from the Greeks, Egyptians, and Indians. Al khwarizmi, borrowed the numerical system and zero from Indian scholars. He published a book called Hisab aljaber, translated into the addition of one thing to another. Al-jaberis the origin of the word algebra. He also applied his knowledge of math to astronomy to develop a very accurate calendar.
Medicine Muslim doctors improved upon earlier discoveries. Al-Razi, used old studies to help him identify and describe diseases such as smallpox and measles. The Persian doctor Ibn Sina wrote the Canon of Medicine. This detailed work organized all known medical knowledge. This was a reference book for more than 600 years.
The Decline of the Abbasids Factions or opposing groups, challenged Abbasid rule but many of their problems were their own making because of poor leadership, Fatimid revolt, and the Seljuk Turks. The had poor leadership because they were fond of easy living and ignored their government responsibilities. The Fatimid's challenged Abbasid rule and claimed decent from Fatima, daughter of Muhammad. They were Shi a Muslims and the Abbasids Sunni. They drove the Abbasids out. In 1055, the Seljuk Turks attacked Baghdad and the Seljuk leader became the leader of the empire.