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570
Birth Of Muhammed
Muhammed was born in Mecca, the cultural and trade center at the time. He worked as a caravan manager, which allowed him to interact with people from a variety of cultures. As he gained more experience, he began to question the values of the people he worked with. He began to retreat into the mountains to meditate, where he recieved his first vision from God. This vision led him to spread the word that there was only one God, who was Allah. -
Period: 570 to Jan 1, 632
Muhammed's Life
Muhammed forever changeed the history of the middle east. His "spiritual visions unified the Arab world with a speed no one would have suspected possible." (Duiker, 158) The message that Muhammed recieved, which is written down in the words of the Qur'an, both unified and divided the people. The basic message of the Quar'an is that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is his prophet. The Five Pillars of Islam developed as a guide to living by Allah's will. -
Jan 1, 622
The Hegira and The Conquest of Mecca
The Hegira, Muhammed's flight into Medina to escape persecution, was an important event in his life. There, he attempted to convert the native people into Muslims. As a result, the first Muslim community was created, known as the Umma. With his new group of converts, Muhammed returned to Mecca in 630. There, he destroyed all the idols of the old gods that were inside the Ka'aba. From then on, the Ka'aba was known to be God's sacred shrine. -
Jan 1, 632
The Death of Muhammed
In 632, Muhammed died in Medina. After his death, scholars attempted to record all of his sayings in the Hadith, a work of scripture often used to supplement the Quar'an. With Muhammed gone from the world, many Muslims believed that God had abandoned them. They were left with only the prophet's words. Muhammed had no sons and did not name a sucessor, which later led to a political dilemma. -
Period: Jan 1, 632 to Jan 1, 661
Muhammed's Death Leads To The Reign Of The Rightly Guided Caliphs
The Rightly Guided Caliphs were the four caliphs who succeded Muhammed. Abu Bakr was the first, considered to be both a political leader and a religious leader, or imam. He was one of the first caliphs to assist in the expansion of the Islamic empire. Some muslims, however, did not approve the election of Abu Bakr, instead hoping for Ali to take the position. Ali eventually became caliph after Umar and Uthman. -
Period: Jan 1, 632 to Jan 1, 750
The Umayyads
Mu'awiya, the first of the Umayyads, created a new capital in Damascus. Under the Umayyads, Arab armies conquered parts of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Even though there were succesion problems within the government, the Islamic Empire did not stop it's expansion. Some people, though, had no wish to be under Umayyad rule. The Ummayyads were viewed as more political leaders than spiritual leaders, and this led to some resentment that eventually divided the Arab people. -
Jan 1, 636
The Arabs Start Their Expansion
The Arabs began to expand their empire with the conquest of the Byzantine empire. Brought together by their common faith, they defeated the Byzantine army in 636, captured Syria in 640, and eventually defeated the Sassanids by 650, taking over most of North Africa and Egypt. -
Jan 1, 750
The Overthowing of The Umayyad Dynasty
Umayyads usually favored Arab leaders over non-Arab ones. They believed that the caliphate should be hereditary, excluding people who were not related to Muhammed. This led to a schism between the Sunni (orthodox) Muslims and the Shi'ite Muslims ("partisans of Ali"). Eventually, the leader of the Sunni, Abu al-Abbas, let a revolt to put an end to Umayyad rule. This marked the beggining of the Abbasid dynasty, -
Period: Jan 1, 750 to Jan 1, 1055
Abbasid Rule
The Abbasids "brought political, economic, and cultural change to the world of Islam." (Duiker,164) Before the death of Harun al-Rashid, this was positive change. However, after his death, the caliphate lost much of it's authority. Political and finantual corruption was abundant. The empire began to break into fragments of independant dynasties. -
Jan 1, 756
Umayyad Dynasty Established In Spain
Abd al-Rathman became the ruler of the new Umayyad dynasty, which was established in Andelusia, with it's capital at Cordoba. Andalusia "flourished as an artistic and intellectual center," much like Baghdad had been in the past. The people of Andelusia also tolerated the religions of others many diffrent religions could coexist. -
Jan 1, 762
Baghdad Becomes The New Capital
The new Abbasid capital, Baghdad, was built east of the old one, Damascus. Baghdad soon became the center for knowledge and learning. Many Greek scholars moved there, bringing their literature with them so that it could be translated in academies, printed, and then distributed throughout the Empire. According to Khatib Baghdadi, there was "no city in the world equal to Baghdad in the abundance of it's riches, the importance of it's business", and "the numbers of it's scholars". -
Jan 1, 1055
The Seljuk Turks Conquer Baghdad
The Turks, an Islamic people originating in Central Asia, conquered Baghdad in 1055, and their leader assumed the position of Sultan. They also took over much of Anatolia in Southern Spain. The arrival of the Turks led to economic and political stability. They attempted to settle disputes between the Sunnii and Shi'ite Muslims, who had been fighting with each other. for a long time. At last, there was new organization in the empire. -
Jan 1, 1200
Sources
Pictures:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__EL2EvKO2so/S4q8gq4CVUI/AAAAAAAAMF0/7K1ynslafOM/s1600-h/Muhammad.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Hejaz622.jpg/250px-Hejaz622.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zneXSdbwBYQ/SlKbJfBPRQI/AAAAAA
http://www.allaboutturkey.com/img/bizans.jpg
http://historyfacebook.wikispaces.com/file/view/Umayyads_small.jpg/30592300/590x241/Umayyads_small.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Mohammad_SAV.svg/512px-Mohammad_SAV.svg.png -
Jan 1, 1250
Sources (continued)
Duiker, William, and Jackson, Spielveg. The Essential World History. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2005. print. -
Period: to
The Reign of Harun al-Rashid
Harun al-Rahid was said to be in power durring the Abbadid "golden age," when there were many cultural and economic achievements. The empire's expansion continued, covering most of the old Roman Empire. Trade routes stretched from Europe, to Central Asia. At Harun al-Rashid's death, however, his rival sons began a civil war which eventually destroyed the city of Baghdad. The era the followed Harun's reign was broken by corruption.
