Islamic Civilization, 600-1300
How did peoples from deep in the Arabian desert create a new religion and conquer an empire that spanned Asia, Africa, and Europe? This course explores this important and fascinating history starting with the Prophet Muhammad, the messages he received from Allah, and the rise of a new community. After Muhammad’s death, Arab Muslims conquered Roman and Sasanian lands to constitute the caliphate. Many peoples from different ethnicities, cultures, and religions formed a part of this realm, including Christians, Jews, Persians, Berbers, and diverse groups of Muslims themselves. These interactions and influences blended into a new, vital civilization. Though the Turkish, Crusader, and Mongol invasions broke up the unity of this civilization starting in the 1000s-1300s, Islamic societies had become well-established to survive and flourish all over the world.