Browse Items (31 total)

The Mamluk Empire was a fairly unique society in terms of the civilizations we've studied so far in this class. It was built upon a ruling class of Turkish-born slaves who were brought from their homes and sold to masters as soldiers, and then often…

During the second half of Abbasid rule, from roughly 1000 to 1258 CE, or 390 to 656 H, Abbasid rule was essentially symbolic. During this time, many empires were springing up within the Islamic world, like the Ghaznavid Empire, The Seljuks, and the…

The Golden Age of the Abbasid Caliphate, from 750 to 1000 CE, was a period of cultural development for the empire, and the development of distinctly Islamic architecture, styles, culture, and traditions. To get to that place, Islam drew on a number…

In 750 CE, or 133 H, the Umayyads were overthrown by the Abbasids, who drew on popular support of many ethnic and political groups who saw the Umayyads as a primarily oppressive force. By claiming tolerance and respect for a wide variety of beliefs…

The rise of the Umayyads is shrouded in controversy. For Shi'ite Muslims, who are focused on the lineage of Muhammed, the cardinal sin is the killing of Ali, who they see as especially important. Another negative perception of the Umayyads is their…

In 570 CE, or -76 H, Muhammed was born. His birth was prefaced by a number of signs of coming importance: his father was said to have a fire between his eyes before conceiving him, and his mother had no discomfort during pregnancy or birth. As he…

Sometimes, the Arabian peninsula is described as empty before the start of Islam in 622 CE, or 1 H. In fact, there were a great many things happening all around, and a great deal of rich culture that existed before Muhammed became the Messenger of…

As the Abbasid dynasty grew in size and prosperity, Islamic culture developed rapidly, tying in elements of all sorts of different culture to create something uniquely Islamic. This is the case with this wood and bone panel, which was found near a…

Arabic writing was not born out of nowhere and formed into the standard Arabic calligraphy that we know today. As with all things, it evolved from any number of previous writing forms, and this piece of writing is a perfect example of that. In…

This poem, made before the time of Muhammed, is an example of the Arabic and Bedouin tribe cultural heritage that cultivated poetry before Islam. Islam has dedicated this time period as the time of ignorance, and there is a tendency to think that…