Banu Umayya and Banu Abbas The Umayyad

Banu Umayya and Banu Abbas

The Umayyad Empire The Umayyads ruled until 750 CE providing the next 14 caliphs The first caliph of the Umayyad Empire was Muawiya – when he took control he moved the capital of the Empire from Medina to Damascus in Syria where his supporters and armies were located Once the Umayyads had control they began to conquer new lands The empire spanned parts of three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe in less than 100 yrs.

The Umayyad Empire

The Expansion of the Empire When the Umayyad’s took power in 661 CE the Empire’s eastern boundary extended into Persia and pushed the border further into Central Asia The expansion began with raids attacking the cities of Bukhara and Smarkland – both major trade cities of the region (located in modern Uzbekistan

Umayyad Armies Frequent raids soon turned into organized campaigns for conquest which allowed them to control most of Central Asia by 700’s By 710 they controlled North Africa from the Nile to the Iberian Peninsula By 711 they moved North across the Mediterranean Sea and into the Iberian Peninsula (modern nations of Spain and Portugal)

UNITING MANY PEOPLES

Umayyad’s Success The Umayyads’ ruled successfully for awhile: Expanded into a vast area of land They build Mosques (Dome of the Rock) Allowed their people to bring their problems to them and consulted advisers about their policies Had a postal service Arabic replaced Greek and Persian as the language of the captured territory Developed Arab coinage called the Dinar (gold) or Diraham (silver)

Challenges to Success The Umayyad controlled a vast empire, and with so much land under their control they faced many challenges How would the Umayyads rule such a vast empire? How would the Caliphs communicate with their subjects hundreds of miles away? How would the subjects of the Ummayyads pay for goods?

Umayyad Government In order to control the vast territory the Umayyads patterend their government on the bureaucracy used in the lands they won from the Byzantine Empire The bureaucracy allowed the Umayyads to control the entire empire from the capital, Damascus The caliphs appointed Emirs, or govenors, to rule the outlying provinces

Language The population of the Umayyad empire was very diverse which was a challenge in uniting the population Abd al-Malik, who became caliph in 685, declared Arabic as the language of the government for all Muslim lands

A Common Coinage Trade was another issue the Umayyads faced In 700 Abd al-Malik further unified the Empire by introducing a common coinage The coins helped spread acceptance of Islam and the Arabic language Commerce was also made easier

The Decline of the Umayyads Over time the Umayyads started to neglect the rules of Islam They did not base their laws on the Qur’an Built lavish palaces outside of the towns where they spent their time hunting, drinking, or dancing surrounded by beautiful women, poets and musicians The Umayyad clan was Sunni. Which meant they supported the election of caliphs. However, each Umayyad caliph named a relative as a successor before he died. This was creating a ruling family.

The Abbasids One group of Muslims, the Abbasids, gained support from other Muslims who opposed the Umayyads By 750 the combined forces devised a plan to overthrow the Umayyads According to some historians, the Abbasids invited the Umayyad leaders to a meeting to talk about peace. At the meeting the Umayyad’s were murdered

The Islamic Golden age The golden age was during the Abbasid historical period beginning in the mid-8 th century lasting until the Mongol conquest of Baghdad in 1258 It was led under caliph Harun Rashid During the reign of Harun al-Rashid Baghdad was the world center of knowledge, wealth and international significance. Two factors that laid down the foundation of this period: Collection and translation of knowledge Sponsoring of scholars Discussion of viewpoints

Advances of the golden age Mathematics Medicine science Philosophy and translation Architecture and engineering

Reasons for success

Catalysts for success There are many reasons for the success of the Islamic civilization during this period most notably is: The principles and ideals of Islam was practiced. tolerance and respect for the contributions of ethnic and religious minorities. Islam unified the tribes of Arabia. Islam was attractive to the conquered: It was easy to become Muslim preaches equality (people could move up in society)

Mathematics Islam made major strides in the field of algebra, geometry and trigonometry. They used to solve practical problems. Contributions can be traced to Al -Khawarizmi in the 9 th century. He introduced the fundamentals of algebra. Most revolutionary contribution was the development of numbers and the discovery of zero (sifr). Muhammad Bin Musa Al. Khawarizmi (780 -850)

Scientific method scientific method was first developed in the Muslim world, where significant progress in methodology was made. The most important development of the scientific method was the use of experimentation and quantification. Muslim scientists translated Greek classics and made farreaching advances in many fields.

Advances in medicine In the field of medicine the Muslims laid down the foundations of many sub areas of medicine. Both preventative and remedial aspects of medicine was researched and developed. Al-Razi, a 9 th century Persian physician, made the first major Muslim contribution to medicine when he developed treatments for smallpox and measles. Another physician Ibn sina composed over 276 works and the most prominent is Qanun Ibn Sina (Cannon of medicine). Muslims also made advances in the treatments of cataracts (main cause of blindness during old age).

Medicine Cataract Extract from the canon of medicine Invention of medical tools

Philosophy Al-Farabi and other early Muslim philosophers tried to find rational arguments for the existence of God. Theologians, led by Al-Ghazali, defended religion by pointing out contradictions and limitations to human reason. Ibn Rushd (Muslim scholar), responded to Al-Ghazali's argument by urging philosophers to use reason to reach genuine knowledge of the truth, independent of revelation.

Translation The Abbasid encouraged translation from pre -Islamic languages, particularly Middle Persian, Greek, and Syriac. This was necessary for two reason: 1. to understand the texts 2. Make further research and development This activity provided a channel through which older thought could enter and be reoriented by Islamic societies.

Architecture and engineering Islamic architecture is distinct in terms of its unique architectural elements and ornamentations Calligraphy, an essential aspect of written Arabic, developed in manuscripts is often incorporated in architectural designs Muslims also contributed to the field of engineering by inventing gears, cranks, pistons and pumps. These tools was later incorporated into machinery developed during the European-based industrial revolution.

Architecture and engineering Machine used to elevate water Twin cylinder suction pump by Al-jazri Mill-house near cordoba

The Great Mosque of Kairouan (Tunisia) Founded in 670 (9 th century)

Al-Mutawakkil Mosque Beautiful masjid outside the city of Samarra Remained intact for centuries

Trade and commerce The benefits of trade during the golden age Transfer of knowledge (scientific) Trade Economic prosperity (enabled the state to set up hospitals and support scholars) Other benefits: The use of paper spread Spread of Islam to other lands

The decline of Islamic civilization (golden age) The decline of the golden age came as a result of a decline in adherence to Islam as an ideology Ideological decline can be attributed to: Infusion of philosophical ideas from Greek, Persian and Indian civilization Abandoning of ijtihad (Translation) Neglecting the study of the Arabic language Political, cultural and missionary intervention from the west

Decline of the golden age As a result of decline in adherence to Islam: Muslims priorities in life changed and they faced internal upheavals and conflicts It also led to weakness of all institutions in the state The field of Science and technology was most impacted due to financial problems that research funds to decline

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