ISLAM BEGAN IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA, A SEMI-DESERT BETWEEN THE

RED SEA AND THE PERSIAN GULF, IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
IN THE EARLY 7TH CENTURY RIVAL TRIBES INHABITED
THE ARABIAN PENINSULA.

THERE WERE NOMADIC

BEDOUIN PEOPLE WHO LIVED
INLAND, THAT BELIEVED IN
THE SPIRITUALITY OF PLANTS,
ANIMALS AND NATURAL
ELEMENTS
ANIMISTIC
RELIGION
POLITHEISTIC
RELIGIONS
THE MOST IMPORTANT CITIES WERE
MECCA AND YATHRIB (MEDINA),
WHERE COMMERCIAL ROUTES MET

THERE WERE
TRIBES ON THE RED
SEA COAST THAT
SETTLED AND LIVED
FROM
AGRICULTURE AND
TRADE AND
PRACTISED
POLITHEISTIC
RELIGIONS.

THE ONLY THINGS THAT ALL ARABIAN PEOPLE HAD IN COMMON WERE
THEIR ARABIC LANGUAGE AND THE CULT OF THE BLACK STONE

A STONE WHICH
WAS WORSHIPPED
TOGETHER WITH
OTHER IDOLS IN THE
KAABA, A
SANCTUARY IN
MECCA
IN THE 7TH
CENTURY
MUHAMMAD
BROUGHT THESE
TRIBES TOGETHER
UNDER A COMMON
RELIGION: ISLAM

MUHAMMAD, THE PROPHET OF ISLAM, WAS BORN IN MECCA IN 570 AD AND

SPENT HIS YOUTH IN THE CARAVAN TRADE, AND TRAVELLING AROUND HE
LEARNT ABOUT THE IDEAS OF JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY
IT WAS THE
WHEN HE WAS FORTY YEARS OLD HE
ANGEL GABRIEL
RECEIVED A REVELATION FROM GOD
WHO VISITED HIM
AND STARTED PREACHING A NEW
RELIGION, ISLAM, WHICH PROCLAIMS
MUHAMMAD PROMOTED THE NEW
RELIGION, BUT IN 622 HE HAD TO ESCAPE
SUBMISSION TO ONE GOD, ALLAH
TO MEDINA (HE DENIED POLITHEISM AND
CONSIDEERD ALL THE MEN EQUAL).
WHEN MUHAMMAD DIED THIS EVENT, CALLED HIJRA (HEGIRA),
MARKS THE
IN 632 NEARLY ALL THE
BEGINNING OF THE MUSLIM ERA

PENINSULA WAS ALREADY

UNDER MUSLIM CONTROL
AND MOST OF ITS
INHABITANTS HAD
CONVERTED TO ISLAM

AFTER MUHAMMADS HIS

REVELATIONS FROM ALLAH WERE
WRITTEN DOWN IN THE KORAN, THE
SACRED BOOK OF ISLAM
ISLAMIC LAW, OR
SHARIA, ALSO
PROCLAIMS THE
PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE,
TOLERANCE AND
UNITY
MUSLIMS, OR BELIEVERS MUST
ACCEPT THE FIVE PILARS OF AND
FOLLOW CULTURAL PRACTICES
INCLUDE ACCEPTING POLYGAMY,
NOT DRINKING ALCOHOL OR EATING
PORK, OR GAMBLIING

IT HAS FIVE KEY

RELIGIOUS
ACTIONS, WHICH
ARE CALLED THE
FIVE PILLARS OF
ISLAM

ISLAM IS A MONOTHEISTIC RELIGION THAT

SHARES SOME BELIEFS WITH JUDAISM AND
CHRISTIANITY. MUSLIM WHORSHIP FIGURES
FROM THE BIBLE, SUCH AS ABRAHAM, MOSES
AND JESUS, WHO ARE CONSIDERED TO BE
PROPHETS

1.
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH
THERE IS NO MORE THAN ALLAH AND MUHAMMAD IS ALLAS
PROPHET
2. DAILY PRAYERS
MUSLIMS PRAY FIVE TIMES A DAY FACIING MECCA
3. FASTING
DURING THE MONTH OF RAMADAM, MUSLIMS DO NOT EAT FROM
MORNING UNTIL NIGHT
4. CHARITY
THIS IS THE OBLIGATION TO HELP POOR PEOPLE
5. PILGRIMAGE
EACH MUSLIM SHOULD MAKE THE PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA ONCE IN
THEIR LIFETIME

AFTER MUHAMMADS DEATH (632), HIS SUCCESSORS TOOK THE TITLE OF

CALIPH (SUCCESSOR TO ALLAHS MESSENGER).
THERE WAS A
PERIOD OF RAPID
EXPANSION AS
ISLAM SPREAD
BEYOND THE
ARABIAN PENINSULA
THIS EXPANSION WAS
MADE POSSIBLE DUE
TO THE FOLLOWING
FACTORS:
1. THE
DISSEMINATION
OF THE MUSLIM
FAITH
2. A POWERFUL,
ORGANISED ARMY
3. DESIRE FOR THE
BENEFITS THAT
COME AFTER WAR
4. THE WEAKNESS
OF THEIR
OPPONENTS

THE ORTHODOX CALIPHATE (632-661)

ALSO CALLED THE RASHIDUN CALIPHATE (THE RIGHTEOUS). DURING THIS

PERIOD MUHAMMADS SUCCESSORS WERE CHOSEN AMONG THE FAMILY
MEMBERS AND CLOSEST FRIENDS OF MUHAMMAD. THEY WERE GIVEN THE
TITLE OF CALIPH AND LIVED IN MEDINA. IN THIS PERIOD THE EMPIRE SPREAD
THROUGHOUT SYRIA, PALESTINE, EGYPT, NORTH AFRICA, MESOPOTAMIA AND
PERSIA

THE UMAYYAD CALIPHATE (661-750)

THERE WERE MANY CONFLICTS

DURING THE RULE OF THE
FOURHT CALIPH ALI, WHO WAS
MUHAMMADS COUSIN AND
SON-IN-LAW. IN 661 THE
UMMAYAD FAMILY WAS
VICTORIOUS AND ESTABLISHED
A DINASTY

THE CAPITAL WAS CHANGED FROM MEDINA TO DAMASCUS. THE ARABIC

EMPIRE WAS AT ITS BIGGEST, EXTENDING THROUGHOUT THE NORTH OF
AFRICA, WESTWARDS TO IBERIAN PENINSULA AND EASTWARDS TO INDUS
VALLEY AND TUKESTAN
IN THE NORTH THE
TERRITORIES WERE
TAKEN FROM THE
BYZANTINE EMPIRE

IN 750, THE UMAYYADS WERE

DEFEATED BY THE ABBASID
FAMILY, WHICH CREATED A NEW
DINASTY

THE ABBASID CALIPHATE (750-1055)

THE ABBASID DINASTY DEPOSED THE UMAYYADS (EXCEPT IN THE IBERIA

PENINSULA) AND MOVED THE CAPITAL TO BAGHDAD. AFTER THE CRETE AND
SICILY CONQUEST (827) EXPANSION ENDED AND INTERNAL CONFLICTS
STARTED
AT ITS HEIGHT, THE
THE ISLAMITIC EMPIRE WAS NO LONGER
MUSLIM EMPIRE
EXPANDING, BUT ITS RELIGION WENT ON
EXTENDED FROM THE
SPREADING INTO OTHER REGIONS. ISLAM
IBERIAN PENINSULA TO
BECAME A WIDESPREAD RELIGION IN CENTRAL
THE FRONTIER OF
ASIA, SOUTH-ASIA AND WEST AFRICA, EVEN
PRESENT-DAY INDIA
THOUGH THOSE REGIONS WERE NEVER
CONQUERED BY SLAMIC ARMIES

TURKS AND MONGOLS CONQUESTS

FINALLY THE TURKS CONQUERRED THE CALIPHATE IN 1055, BUT THE ABBASID
MONARCHY CONTINUED UNDER THE TURKS UNTIL THE MOGHULS
CONQUERRED BAGDAD IN 1258

DECLINE

THE CALIPHATE WAS A THEOCRACY AND

AN ABSOLUTE MONARCHY AS THE CALIPH
HELD POLITICAL, MILITARY AND
RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY

HIS MINISTERS WERE CALLED VIZIERS

AND HAD AUTHORITY OVER THE REST
OF THE CIVIL SERVANTS

THE EMPIRE WAS DIVIDED INTO GREAT

PROVINCES, CALLED EMIRATES, WHIC WER
RULED BY EMIRS WHO HAD
CONSIDERABLE POWER AND AUTONOMY
PROVINCES WERE DIVIDED INTO KORAS
THAT WERE CONTROLLED BY
GOVERNORS OR VALIES
JUSTICE WAS APPLIED BY KADIS, ACCORDING
TO THE SHARIA, THE ISLAMIC LAW

SOCIETY
Small group of Arabic
origin. Landowners and
important positions in
administration and
governing

ARISTOCRACY
Peasants, artisans and
merchants. Mawali were
those converted to Islam
and dimmies, those who
kept their religion

FREE PEOPLE
SLAVES

War prisioners or
bought by slaves traders
from Central Africa or
from Europe

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
AGRICULTURE
Islamic economy developed an intensive agriculture, especially in
the fertile regions of its empire.
They introduced new crops such as rice, citrus fruits, sugar cane and saffron.
They developed irrigation throug the use of wells, water wheels and
ditches.

CRAFTWORK
Craftmanship was especially developed in cities.
Artisans worked in small workshops where they sold their products.
They produced textiles (cotton and linen), pottery, carpets, leather goods
(cordovans), paper and glasses.

TRADE
It benefited from the strategic position between Europe and the East.
The land trade routes were crossed by caravans of camels and the maritime
routes by ships.
Luxury products such as metals, silk, leather goods, textiles, salt, spices and
slaves were the most demanded.

BATHS
(HAMMAN)

SOUK

STOREHOUSE

MAIN
MOSQUE

FORTRESS

NEIGHBOURHOOD
MOSQUE OR
ALJAMA

ARRABAL

CITY WALLS
GATES
ENTRANCE TO THE MEDINA

MUSLIM CITY

MUSLIM CULTURE
Islam developed a brilliant civilization characterised by the
contributions from both the Arab culture as well as former
societies.

Muslims could expand a very original culture as a result of

mixing oriental and classical elements from conquered
people with their own culture: their religion and the Arabic
language.

Things that we have inherited from Muslims:

- Irrigation techniques - Arabic numerals

- New crops
- Oriental inventions

- Some Arabic words still in use

ORIENTAL INVENTIONS
MUSLIMS BROUGHT SEVERAL INVENTIONS THROUGH THEIR
TERRITORIAL EXPANSION FROM INDIA AND CHINA

GUNDPOWDER

DEFENSE
AND WARS

COMPASS

ASTROLABE

THEY PLAYED AN IMPORTANT

ROLE IN THE DEVELPMENT OF
NAVIGATION

PAPER

CULTURE AND
SCIENTIFIC
DEVELOPMENT

IMPORTANT CULTURAL ADVANCES

SCIENCE

MATHEMATICS

The y started the

use of zero and
the Arabic
numerals.

They invented
and improved
Arithmetic and
Trigonometry.

MEDICINE

They developed
advanced surgery
and anaesthesia
techniques.
They had come
down to us
thanks to the
work of two
renowed doctors:
Avicena and
Averroes

CHEMISTRY

ASTRONOMY

They invented the

still (distillery)
used in the
distillation of
alcohol.

They made
catalogues of
stars.

IMPORTANT CULTURAL ADVANCES

HUMANITIES

PHILOSOPHY

Muslims
translated many
works by Greek
and Roman
philosophers into
Arabic. These
translations
spread throught
the west from
ancient Persia,
India and China

GEOGRAPHY
AND HISTORY

They wrote
many travel
books and
made
descriptions of
the new lands
they
conquered

LITERATURE

MUSIC

They created
great libraries , as
in Baghdad,
Cordoba and
Cairo, and also
extraordinary
narrations such
as The Arabian
nights

They created new

instruments such
as the vihuela, an
early form of the
Spanish guitar

ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTICS

1. POOR QUALITY CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS: BRICK, WOOD,PLASTER AND TILES.

2. VERY SIMPLE EXTERNAL DECORATION OF THE BUILDING

WHY?

They didnt pay attention to the

outside. It is not important, what
really matters is the inside

ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTICS

3. The poor materials were covered with abundant decoration in marble, coloured tiles,
wood and plaster.
4.

5. There was also a play on light and

shadow, using stained glasses,
shutters and reflections on tiles.

The designs were usually decorations of

vegetables, geometric figures (tracery) and
inscriptions from the Koran (epigraphy or
calligraphy).

ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTICS

6. A love of water can be seen in fountains, pools and waterfalls.
7. Islamic buildings were supported by
columns, pillars and horseshoe arches or
arches with decorative plasterwork.

8.

Buildings usually had flat, wooden

roofs. Some buildings had domes,
which were often richly decorated.

ISLAMIC BUILDINGS
MOSQUES

The mosque is the most important

buliding for Muslims. Its structure is
based on Muhammads house in Medina.
Mosques are also used as religious schools
and
political
appointments
were
proclaimed in the mosques.

PALACES

Palaces were where the caliphs lived. They

had a public area where the throne was
found and a private area, where the baths
and harem were found. All palaces had
beautiful gardens with fountains.

MOSQUE CHARACTERISTICS
THE MOSQUE IS A PLACE OF WHORSIP FOR FOLLOWERS OF ISLAM. ALL MOSQUES HAVE
THE SAME STRUCTURE WHICH IS INSPIRED BY MOHAMMADS HOUSE IN MEDINA.
1. A large courtyard sorrounded by a portico with a fountain to carry out the rite of
purification (ablutions).
2. A Chamber with columns where the
faithful pray. Also called a hall of prayer.

MOSQUE CHARACTERISTICS
3. One or several minarets from where
the faithful are called to prayer.

4. The mihrab, niche in the wall which

points the faithful toward Mecca and the
Koran is kept.

MOSQUE CHARACTERISTICS
5. The mimbar or pulpit, from where the
imam leads the prayers.

6. The main wall of the mosque, the

quibla, faces Mecca. The faithful kneel in
rows parallel to the kiblah wall.

PARTS OF THE MOSQUE

MINARET
MIHRAB

KIBLAH

HALL OF PRAYER
(HARAM)

COURTYARD
(SAHAN)

SUN CLOCK

FOUNTAIN FOR
ABLUTIONS (SIBIL)