1. Abbasid Decline and the Spread of Islamic Civilization

2. Review Questions
What group finally ended the Abbasid caliphate in 1258?
What was the name of the mystics/missionaries of Islam during this period?
What was one issue that has always plagued Islamic governments, going back to Sunni-Shia split?
What is the island country in Asia that today has the most Muslims in the world?
Whose learning did the Abbasid scholars improve upon?

3. People and Places
Muhammad
Harun al-Rashid
Baghdad
Jerusalem
Delhi

4. Abbasid Caliphate

5. Abbasid decline Emerging Issues in the Reign of Caliph al-Mahdi
Courtly excesses
Failure to bring to back the Shia meant terrorism
Unable to solve succession issues
Harun al-Rashid’s( ) Impact
Originally dependent on Persian advisors
Thousand and One Nights
Death caused civil war and the rise of slave mercenary armies that eventually became power players

6. A Drawn Out death
Treasury drained by constant civil violence and attempts to create new capital
More taxation added to peasant’s burden, causing them to abandon irrigation works and villages, leading to banditry
Provinces began to secede by the mid-10th century, then invaded, like the Buyids in 945 who then made the caliphs puppets
Later the Seljuk Turks did the same thing, invigorating the dynasty by purging the Shia and defeating the Byzantines
They soon came under attack from Crusaders, who had mixed success, though they did gain knowledge
Trade was a more important source of exchanges however

7. Messed up By the Mongols
Raids begun by Genghis Khan, Baghdad defeated by grandson Hulegu in 1258
This formed the llkhanate
Mongols stopped by Mamluks in Egypt
Baghdad pillaged again by Timur in 1401, never again regained prominence

8. Golden Age
While rural areas declined, cities had rapid growth as a result of trade, with a large professional class
This benefited artists and artisans, seen in rugs and architecture
Arabic remained state language but Persian became the language of culture
Elegant style of writing on a variety of subjects, such as the history of Persia in the Shah-Nama

9. Islamic Textiles

10. Bronze

11. Glass and Ceramics

12. MST Stuff Originally compilers, then creators and correctors of Greece
Artisans and scholars combined in geography and astronomy for amazing results
In chemistry, classifying of material substances and objective experiments
Corrections to Greeks in math and sohcahtoa created
Amazing hospitals, with trained doctors and advancements in optics and the bladder
Trading brought Chinese technology

13. Technology

14. The Dark side of Golden
Harems of caliphs increased demand for slaves of both genders, who were often intelligent and had more freedom
Women’s rights decreased by staying in the house and marrying younger
Slightly better for poor women, who could participate in economic activities
What other civilization was having its cultural golden age during this period, while having subordination of women?

15. Religious Changes
Though there was new mysticism, the ulama grew increasingly hostile to foreign ideas
Much of the religious vitality in the later Abbasid period came from Sufis, who were mystics who sought a personal union with Allah
Sufism was a reaction to the ulama’s belief of Allah’s abstract divinity, as the Sufis tried to delight in the presence of Allah in the world
Sufi’s used a variety of methods to find Allah such as bodily denial, meditation, and drugs
The organized Sufis converted many in India and Indonesia, as a result of the people’s belief in their magical/healing powers
Their mosques became centers of regional political power and their tombs became veneration sites

16. Arrival in India Very different from other invasions of India
The religions were as opposite as possible, a notable example being in egalitarianism
Always tensions, but peaceful interaction usually occurred
First invasion in 711 a result of pirate attacks on Arab traders
Conquered peoples left alone, treated as dhimmi
This initial contact brought Indian culture and learning to Islam, particularly numerals

17. Stuff to Sultanate
After raids for years by a Turkish slave dynasty, Muhammad of Ghur, establishes a capital at Delhi
Under a succession of five dynasties the Delhi Sultanate rules fluctuating territory in north India until Mughals
Muslim migrants swelled Muslim numbers, which were greatest in the northwest and the east
Hindus originally believed Muslims would assimilate

18. Conversion and Accommodation
Few forced converts, most drawn from specific regions or low-caste groups such as untouchables
Many converts were Buddhists as a result of Muslim sacking of temples, debased teachings, lack of organization, and corruption
Group conversions were essential and often were prompted by a desire to escape the jizya and intermarriage
Though they would work for and profit from them, Hindus remained aloof towards the Muslims
Muslims partially assimilated, adopting Hindu customs such as female subordination
Also set themselves on the top of the caste system

19. Stand-off
To compete with Islam Hinduism placed more emphasis on cults of specific gods, called bhaktic cults
Leaders in both religions rejected to fuse, promoting the differences
Though India would never be fully absorbed like other areas, it was fundamental for Islam’s growth

20. Indonesian Islam
Trade brought Islam to the trading hub of Indonesia, as the trade was increasingly controlled by Muslims from south India
Conversions took off after the fall of the Buddhist Shrivijaya empire in the 13th century because they helped trade
Sufi’s brought by merchants slowly moved outward from the ports, the key conversion being Malacca

21. Sufi effect
More syncretism in harder to convert places like Java, while areas like Bali and Ceylon could not be touched
Converts believed in Sufi’s magic and infused Hinduism, Buddhism, and animism
Less Islamic law emphasis, less patriarchy
Pre-conversion practices retained and expanded

22. Though this period is often referred to as the Dark ages by Euro-centrists, the golden age of Islamic culture shows it was anything but. The incredible spread of Islam also shows the flexibility of the civilization, again defying Western stereotypes. Islam was the first global civilization, so that’s why it is the only culture that gets a direct sequel in Stearns. Thanks for coming.