Study
Guide – The Spread of Islam & Africa
Islam:
submission to God’s (Allah’s) will
o
Islam originated in the Arabian
peninsula
o
Muslims & prophet Mohammed
conquered an empire spreading from Spain to central Asia- combining classical
civilizations of Greece, Egypt, and Persia
o
Islamic Civilization was spread by
merchants, wandering mystics, and warriors throughout Africa, Asia, and S.
Europe
o
Islam also spread along oceanic
trade routes to southeast Asia and down to E. Africa
o
Muslim merchants = key links in trade;
Muslim merchants & conquerors = prime agents for transferring food crops,
technology, ideas of centers of civilization throughout E. Hemisphere
o
Qur’an= holy book containing Allah’s
revelations to Mohammed
o
Caliph= religious and secular leader
o
Umma= community of believers
o
Abu Bakr became first caliph after Muhammad’s
death
o
Sunni:
caliph
should be strongest member of tribe vs. Shiite:
caliph should be descendant of Mohammad
o
Umayyad= Shiite Abbasid= Sunni
Order of Spread:
People:
Muhammed:
lived c. 570 – 632 (Muhammad enters Mecca 630)
Caliph
Abu Bakr: 632 – 634
Caliph
Umar: 634 – 644
Caliph
Uthman: 644 – 656 (assassinated, then Ali; son in law of Mohammad was appointed
caliph)
Mu’awiya:
661 – 680 (brother-in-law to Muhammad – First Caliph of Umayyad Dynasty)
Harun
al-Rashid: rules 786 – 809
|
Events:
610
Muhammad’s first revelations:
613
Muhammad begins to preach new fate
622
Muhammad flees from Mecca to Medina
624
– 627 Wars between followers of Muhammad & Quraysh of Mecca
630
Muhammad enters Mecca = triumph
661
– 750: Umayyad Caliphate = Muslim Expansion into N. Africa
750:
Abbasid Caliphate established - Baghdad
711
– 713: First Muslim raids into India
945:
Persian Buyids capture Baghdad
1055
Seljuk Turks overthrow Buyids, control caliphate
1096-
1099: First Crusade
1290s
Beginning of the Spread of Islam in SE Asia
1291:
fall of Acre = end of Crusades
1258:
Fall of Baghdad to Mongols; end of Abbasid caliphate
Assassination
of Ali →Umayyad family came to power = Umayyad Caliphate→ Capital= Damascus
Umayyad → Abbasid
o
50, 000 warriors settled near oasis town of Merv,
married local women; began to resent dictates of governors sent from Damascus
(Umayyad caliphate)
o
revolt → Abbasid party challenged
Umayyad armies in 747 = victory
-Abbasid allies; Shi’a & mawali
(non-Arabian Muslims)
o
Persia & Iraq fell to rebels
o
Umayyad army led by Umayyad caliph
defeated in Battle on the River Zab near Tigris
o
Abbasid victory led to conquest of
Syria then capture of Umayyad capital
-Wanting to eliminate Umayyads
→banquet; kill Umayyads – grandson of former caliph fled to Cordoba, Spain
established Caliphate of Cordoba
Abbasid Caliphate
o
Persian culture
o
Abbasids rejected allies; defended
Sunni Islam; became less tolerable of the views of the sects of Shi’ism
o
New capital: Baghdad in Iraq - Baghdad was the center of learning and had
the House of Wisdom which attracted scholars from Europe and Asia
o
Bureaucratization of the Islamic
Empire was reflected above all in the growing power of the wazir (chief
administrator)
o
Important pivots of commercial
system: Abbasid (Islam) & Tang, Song (China)
o
dhows= sailing vessels with
triangular sails
o
Wealth due to trade; some money went
to charity (due to Qur’an) → mosques, schools, rest houses (for travelers),
hospitals
o
Artists were poor, but were valued.
Formed guild-like organizations
o
Slaves: clever, good-looking ones valued
o
Positions of women: declined
-marriage at 9 (puberty)
-lives devoted to household
-harem & veil
o
Ayan: wealthy landowner in country
side
Achievements of Abbasid
o
originally supported Shiites, but
became more accepting of Sunni
o
converts could advance in society
o
↑trade (china)
o
Learning of Greeks, Persians, Romans
preserved
o
Spread of Arabic numerals to W. EUR
o
Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry
o
Astrolobe= measures positions of
stars
o
optic surgery, human anatomy studied
o
detailed maps of world
o
calligraphy arabesques used on pottery
o
geometry shapes
o
use of images of God & Mohammad,
etc. forbidden (idolatry)
o
minarets topped mosques ( mosques
became more elaborate)
o
Great Literature (ex. Arabian
Nights) produced
o
Sufis (mystics) began missionary work to spread Islam
o
House of Wisdom built in Baghdad - translated texts Greek/Latin/Persian/etc.
↔Arabic
o
Dar al Islam= areas that share a
common Muslim culture as the basis of their society. Became one of most
powerful influences of end of 15th century
Trade
o
carpets, linens, brocade, ceramics
from Abbasid Empire
o
silk, porcelain from China
o
Rubies, silver, dyestuffs from India
o
Trinkets, slaves from Byzantine
Empire
Five
Pillars: Ramadan=annual fast, Shahada= acceptance of Mohammad being God’s
messenger, Salat= prayer, Zakat= charity, Hajj, (Jihad- for Shiites)
Spread
of Islam to Southeast Asia
- Arab traders frequently went to ports of
Southeast Asia. Ships carried goods, but also sometimes Sufi mystics
- Traded items; aromatic woods from
rainforests of Borneo & Sumatra, spices (cloves, nutmeg, mace) from
Indonesia
- Shrivijaya= trading empire centered on the Strait of Malacca between Malaya & Sumatra
- Africao Bantu Migration: migration of cultures replacing Khoi San ( W → N, E, S)No *Mediterraneano * Sahara, Nile Rivero Atlas MountainsIslamConquestWo *Savannahs (Sahel)o ↑Populationo Niger River (not navigable)IslamTradeEo *Great Rift Valley = Highland & Coastal Cultureo *Indian Oceano Christianity in Ethiopiao Mt. Kilimanjaroo L. VictoriaIslamTradeCo *Jungle (Congo)AnimismSo Riverso Kalahari Deserto “authentic African culture” – diverse geography
Events:1400 Ethiopian Christian Kingdoms1500 Songhay Empire flourishes; Benin at height100-200 Camels introduced for trade in the Sahara300 Origins of the kingdom of Ghana1000 Ghana at height1200 Rise of Mali Empire1260 Death of Sundiata1300 Mali at its height; Kanem Empire as rival1324 Pilgrimage of Mansa Musa- Mansa Musa lord of Mali Empire stayed at
Cairo in 1324 and spent so much gold that he ruined their economy for 12
years
- Stateless Societies: states organized
around kinship or other forms of obligation and lacking the concentration of
political power and authority
- Members of stateless societies could leave
the society and form a new village
o
Bantu speaking peoples provided a
linguistic base across Africa, so even though specific languages differed,
structure and vocabulary allowed some mutual understandingo Worship: dancing, drumming, divination, sacrificeo Believed evil, disasters, illnesses produced by witchcraft – Specialists needed to combat evil and eliminate witcheso African religion provided a cosmology – a view of how the universe worked – and a guide to ethics and behavioro Ancestors = first settlers = owners of lando Religion, economics, history closely intertwinedo Practiced Venerationo Followers of Mohammad from Suez → Morocco’s Atlantic shoreo Africa : Tunisia = Ifrqiya = NE Africa; W Africa= Maghribo Attraction of Islam: equality, unificationo Christianity: Coptics in Nubia & Ethiopia. Surrounded by pagans & Jewish immigrantso Sahel= extensive grassland belt at the southern edge of Sahara – trade between south & northo Sudanic states often had a patriarch or council of elders - Sudanic kingdoms include Ghana, Mali, SonghayMap of Africa & Middle East- Benin: city state formed sometime in 14th
century. Under Ewuare the Great, it extended from Niger River to the coast
near modern Lagos.
- Kongo Kingdom in lower Congo River –
agriculturally based society – Kingship hereditary
- Zimbabwe= stone houses – Great Zimbabwe=
stone settlement complexes; place of worship & served as royal court
of kingdom at times
Ghana800s - 1076o Ghana empire founded by Sonikeo mid 1000s = height of powero tried to expand north into lands of Almoravids, but this led to waro 1076, captured by Almoravidsc. 750 Sonike found ancient Ghana & gain power by making iron weapons. Emerges has major trading state in Sudan – controls salt & gold trades900s-1000s Ghana at height1070Almoravids (Berber tribes) enter from N. Africa1077 Conquest of GhanaMali1200- 1400o Centered between the Senegal and Niger riverso Created by Malinke peoples who broke away from control of Ghana in 13th centuryo Model of Islamicized Sudanic kingdomso Agriculturally based economyo Juula (Mali merchants) traded with rest of W Africao Sundiata= leader; “Lion Prince”o Griots= oral historianso People left and established their own kingdoms & Tuareg captured Timbuktu(center of learning) => Fall of Mali1230-1240 Sundiata Keita defeats Sumanguru & city of Sosso. Establishes Mali Mandinka Empire1307-1337 Mansa Musa as emperor, trip to Cairo – brings experts back to create Muslim schools and law courts & building techniquesc. 1350 Ibn Battuta visits Mali1400 Gao declares independence, declines as Songhay emergesSonghay1460-1591o Dominated middle areas of the Niger valleyo Farmers, herders, fisherso Capital established at Gao on Niger Rivero Sources of goldo Came to power because of military (led by Sunni Ali) skilled cavalry, strong navyo Sunni Ali established Songhay empire – seized trading cities of Timbuktu (from Tuareg) & Jenneo Muhammad the Great (gained askia title) (1st Muslim ruler)extended borders, strengthened gov.’t during 35 years of reigno conquered by Morocco1465 Sunni Ali gains control of Niger region – new farming methods & navy1493 Askia Muhammad governs Songhay - Timbuktu & Jenne prosper1510 Leo Africanus visits western Sudan1549-1583 reign of Askya Daoud – height of Songay1591 Moroccan invasion; defeat of Songay at Tondibi; declines into anarchy- FOR ALL OF THE WEST AFRICAN EMPIRES, THEY GREW WEALTHY BECAUSE OF TAXATION ON GOLD & SALT TRADE, and GOLD & SALT TRADE ITSELF
- Mansa Musa lord of Mali Empire stayed at
Cairo in 1324 and spent so much gold that he ruined their economy for 12
years
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