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570
Muhhamad is born
Muhammad was a man with spiritual visions that changed the world. During his life he felt troubled with the gap between the Bedouin values and the greedy lifestyles of the commercial elites. Because of his journey, the Islamic Civilization spread widely. -
Jan 1, 610
Muhammad received the Revelation
When Muhammad was about 40 years old he went to the nearby hills for meditation. While he was there he received revelations from Allah. These revelations are called the Qur'an. The Qur'an are the rules by which all Muslims should live. Many people in his hometown of Mecca did not like that he taught his revlations. -
Jan 1, 622
Journey to Mecca
When no one would believe Muhammad's revelations, he and his followers left the city, which is known as the Hegira. The people in the town of Yathrib gave Muhammad a lot of support for his revelations. Because of this support, he formed the first Muslim community, or the umma. He then traveled back to Mecca and conquered it. In 630, he visited the Ka'aba and made it a sacred shrine of Islam. While travelling these lands Muhammad made many people believe in his revelations and spread his beliefs. -
Jan 1, 632
Muhammad's Death
Just as Muhammad's revelations about the Islamic faith began to spread throughout the peninsula, he died. Many problems ocurred after his death. These problems included succession. After the Sunni and Shi'ite problems became evident in the Islamic world, the Abassids ruled. -
Period: Jan 1, 636 to Jan 1, 650
Creating an Empire
After Muhammad's death there were difficulties choosing his successor. Once all of those problems were solved, the Arabs started to expand there civilization. The Byzantine and Sassanian Empires were among the first groups to be taken over by the Arabs. Once those empires had been conquered, the Arabs moved east and gained control of a Persian force. While they were gaining control of those areas, Egypt and other parts of North Africa were taken by the Arabs. -
Period: Jan 1, 656 to Jan 1, 732
Umayyads Taking Control
Many of Muhammad's followers were unhappy with who was in charge of the Arabs during this time. When it was time for a new successors to be chosen the Umayyads made it hereditary in their clan. When they had power the Arabs took control of more parts of North Africa, and many islands in the eastern Mediterranean. Then they moved on to the Iberian peninsula, by 725 it was mostly a Muslim state. The Arabs were not able to defeat the French. Because of these expansions, Arabic culture was spread. -
Jan 1, 762
New Capital in Baghdad
When the Abassid caliphs ruled many changes occured. They brought political, economic, and cultural change to the Islamic world. By moving the capital to Baghdad trade was easier because of the Tigris River and its connection to the Persian Gulf, and it was also near the caravan route. Baghdad had a commercial market that housed a lot of cultural exchange. This added to the wealth of the Islamic world because they gained knowledge from all of the people that came through this area. -
Jan 1, 1055
Seljuk Turks
The Seljuk Turks were nomads who were from Central Asia, converted to Islam, and had very strong military forces. They started conquering eastern provinces of the Abassid empire. Then the Turks took over Baghdad and took control of the entire empire. Towards the end of the eleventh century, the Slejuks were trying to take contol of the Byzantine Empire and Egypt. This group of people severely ran down the Abassid Empire and other civilizations. -
Work Cited
"Timeline of Islam." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/muslims/timeline.html.
"Muhammad." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
Duiker, William J., and Jackson J. Spielvogel. The Essential World History. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005. Print.
http://www.interfaithshaadi.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/kaaba1.jpg (timeline picture)
http://www.citizentimes.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Muhammad_Ahmad_al-Mahdi.jpg (picture number one) -
Works Cited
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/6993937.jpg (picture two)
http://www.sacredsites.com/middle_east/saudi_arabia/images/mecca-construction-drawing.jpg (picture three)
http://teachmiddleeast.lib.uchicago.edu/historical-perspectives/rulership-and-justice/islamic-period/images/rul-jus-islamic-period-09.jpg (picture four)
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/Age_of_Caliphs.png (picture five)
https://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/baghdad_bus_1961.jpg (picture six) -
Works Cited
http://www.turkey-visit.com/map/egypt/cairo/cairo historical map.jpg (picture seven)
http://www.turkishpeople.net/pictures/categoryPictures/seljuks.jpg (picture eight) -
Problems with Succession
There were many issues between non-Arabic Muslims and Arabs. The non-Arabic Muslims did not like the treatment that Arabs had from the local government because they thought it was unfair. A relative to a leader gathered his supporters and revolted against the Umayyads. This group of people was later named the Shi'ites. Another problem was that a group called the Shi'ite thought successors should be in the line of Muhammad. The Sunni did not agree with the Shi'ites. This is still a large problem. -
Instability and a New Dynasty
Many problems were occuring around this time in the Islamic world. Financial problems were a big part of the instability. The rich people were gaining more wealth and more power. Many of the other Muslim values were being forgotten by the Islamic people. Rulers from different provinces began to break away and create their own dynasties. A new dynasty called the Shi'ite Dynasty was founded with its capital in Cairo. The only things that kept them related were the Qur'an and the Arabic language.
