The Islamic World13.1 | Islamic Civilization at its Height

Islamic Unity

Contrary to Christian sectarianism Muslims defined Islam in terms of what

Muslims do By practice, rather than belief

Ramadan The Hajj

Sufi piety Different to monasticism An idea of Islamic devotion and

knowledge A community of informed practice

The Islamic WorldTwo main regions1) Spain (Al-Andalus) and Moroccan

North Africa2) Egypt, Syria-Palestine, Anatolia, and

the EastThe Mongols will complicate things later

Andalusian culture can still be seen The cathedral at Cordoba The Alhambra

Cultural center of the Western Mediterranean

Renowned for its Medicine and science Literature and intellectual life Commercial activity Public baths, gardens, and courtly life

The Spanish Reconquista c. 1000 – 1492 Exclusion of all non-Catholics

Al-Andalus

Egypt and the Eastern Med

Shi’ite Fatimids in Egypt (Muhammad’s daughter Fatima)

Built Cairo 969 “the Victorious” Al-Azhar mosque Fatimid defector to Elburz mountains:

Hashishiyyin

Ayyubid Dynasty Salah al-Din (Saladin) Recaptured Jerusalem 1187 Halted the 3rd Crusade

The Mamluks of Egypt Originally slave bodyguards: overthrow Conquered the last of the crusader states Harbored the last Abbasid caliph Defeated the Mongols 1260: the only Islamic

dynasty Converted the Mongols to Islam

Islamic Asia before the Mongols

Immigration and integration of Turkomans c. 900

Autonomous growth of Turkic states in Central Asia

The Seljuk Turks Conquered Baghdad 1055 Manzikert 1071 The Seljuks of Rum (“Rome”)

Islamic Central Asia massacred Mongol ambassadors when asked to surrender

Genghis Khan’s famous reciprocity

Mongols in the Islamic World

Hulagu Khan (grandson) r. 1256-1265 Crossed the Oxus river Destroyed every Iranian state Destroyed Bagdad and the Abbasid caliph

1258 80,000 citizens massacred

The Golden Horde converts to Islam Fights against Hulagu Sends aid to Mamluks Hulagu defeated 1260

Timur-i Lang (Tamerlane) Brutal expansion of the Il-Khanate

Not empire-building Wrought death, disease, devastation, and

political chaos in the Islamic world Recovery was minimal

End of Asiatic nomad superiority (gunpowder)

The Spread of Islam

Islamic conquest of Sind (southern Pakistan)

“Caste-less” system attractive to Hindus Indian Ocean trade

Indonesia slowly converted to Islam Peaceful blending with local traditions