What’s the Connection?In Section 1, you learned how

Islam spread from Madinah toMakkah. In time, Islam’s followersbrought their beliefs to all ofSouthwest Asia and parts ofSoutheast Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Focus on the • Arabs spread Islam through preaching,

conquest, and trade. (page 380)

• While Muslims split into two groups,the Arab Empire reached new heights.(page 382)

• Turks and Moguls built Muslim empiresin Asia, Africa, and Europe. (page 384)

Locating PlacesDamascus (duh•MAS•kuhs)Indonesia (IHN•duh•NEE•zhuh)Timbuktu (TIHM•BUHK•TOO)Baghdad (BAG•dad)Delhi (DEH• lee)

Meeting PeopleUmayyad (oo•MY•uhd)Sufi (SOO• fee)Abbasid (uh•BA•suhd)Suleiman I (SOO• lay•MAHN)Mogul (MOH•guhl)Akbar (AK•buhr)

Building Your Vocabularycaliph (KAY• luhf)Shiite (SHEE•eyet)Sunni (SU•nee)sultan (SUHL•tuhn)

Reading StrategyCause and Effect Create a diagramto show why the Arabs were successfulconquerors.

IIslamic slamic EEmpiresmpires

CHAPTER 11 Islamic Civilization 379

A.D. 750Abbasids overthrowUmayyads

1258Mongols burnBaghdad

1526Moguls ruleIndia from DelhiConstantinopleC´ordoba

BaghdadDelhi

A.D. 500 1100 1700A.D. 500 1100 1700

Arabs were successful conquerors.

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The Spread of IslamArabs spread Islam through preaching,

conquest, and trade.

Reading Focus When you come up with a new idea,

how do you let others know about it? Read on to find

out how Arabs spread Islam.

When Muhammad died, his followerschose his successor. He was called a caliph(KAY • luhf), which meant successor to theMessenger of God.

The first caliph was Muhammad’s father-in-law, Abu Bakr. The first four caliphs ruledfrom Madinah and were called the RightlyGuided Caliphs. That is because they triedto follow in Muhammad’s footsteps. Theylived simply, treated others fairly, and also

fought hard for Islam. They wanted tospread Allah’s message to everyone. Undertheir rule, the empire expanded to includeall of southwest Asia.

Expansion continued under the Umayyad(oo • MY • uhd) caliphs, who ruled from A.D. 661 to A.D. 750. They made their capitalthe city of Damascus (duh • MAS • kuhs) inSyria. Now the Arab Empire includedNorth Africa, Spain, and some of India.

The Muslims Build an Empire Just 100years after Muhammad’s death, the Islamicstate became a great empire. Why were theArabs so successful?

Arabs had always been good on horse-back and good with the sword, but asMuslims, they also were inspired by theirreligion. They were fighting to spread

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The Umayyad Mosque, alsoknown as the Great Mosqueof Damascus

Byzantine Empire, A.D. 750

Islamic territory atMuhammad's death, A.D. 632Islamic expansion, A.D. 632–661

Islamic expansion, A.D. 661–750

KEY

After Muhammad’s death, the ter-ritory in the Arab Empire expanded.1. What area of Europe came under

Muslim control?2. Describe the territories conquered

by the Arabs by the year A.D. 661.

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Relationship to Muhammad

Abu BakrAbu Bakr

father-in-law

A.D. 632–634

UmarUmar

Career

Caliphate

Achievements as Caliph

merchant

spread Islam to all of Arabia; restored peace after death of Muhammad; created code of conduct in war; compiled Quran verses

friend

A.D. 634–644

merchant

spread Islam to Syria, Egypt, and Persia; redesigned government; paid soldiers; held a census; made taxes more fair; built roads and canals; aided poor

UthmanUthman

son-in-law, member of theUmayyad family

A.D. 644–656

merchant

spread Islam into Afghanistan and eastern Mediterranean; organized a navy; improved the government; built more roads, bridges, and canals; distributed text of the Quran

AliAli

first cousin, son-in-law

A.D. 656–661

soldier, writer

reformed tax collection and other government systems; spent most of caliphate battling Muawiya, the governor of Syria

The Rightly Guided CaliphsThe Rightly Guided Caliphs

CHAPTER 11 Islamic Civilization 381

Islamic glass horse

Under the caliphs, Islam spread through theMiddle East and into North Africa.1. Which caliph organized a navy?2. Compare What achievements did Umar

and Ali have in common?

and teaching Islam. They won many fol-lowers throughout the Arab Empire.

Arab merchants also helped to spreadIslam. They set up trading posts throughoutsoutheast Asia and taught Islam to the peo-ple there. Today, the country of Indonesia(IHN •duh •NEE • zhuh) includes more Muslimsthan any other nation in the world.

Some Arab merchants crossed the Saharato trade with kingdoms in West Africa. Inthe 1300s, the west African city of Timbuktu(TIHM • BUHK •TOO) became a leading center ofMuslim learning.

Explain How did Arabsspread the religion of Islam through trade?

Islam. Muslims believed anyone who diedin battle for Islam would go to paradise.

The Arabs were also successful becausethey let conquered peoples practice theirown religion. They called Christians andJews “People of the Book,” meaning thatthese people, too, believed in one God andhad holy writings. Muslims did not treateveryone equally, though. Non-Muslimshad to pay a special tax.

When a people are conquered, they tendto adopt the religion and customs of theirnew rulers. In the Arab Empire, many peo-ple became Muslims and learned Arabic.The customs of the conquered countries alsoinfluenced the Arabic rulers. Eventually, theterm Arab meant only that a person spokeArabic, not that he or she was from Arabia.

Preaching and Trading Muslims alsospread Islam by preaching. A group calledSufis (SOO • feez) spent their time praying

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to the present day. Today most Muslims areSunnis. Iran and Iraq have the largest pop-ulations of Shiites.

How Did Islam Split? Shiites (SHEE •eyets)believed that Ali, Muhammad’s son-in-law,should succeed him and that all futurecaliphs should be Ali’s descendants.According to the Shiites, the Umayyadcaliphs in Damascus had no right to rule.

Sunnis (SU • nees), who outnumberedShiites, accepted the Umayyad dynasty asrightful caliphs, though they did not alwaysagree with their policies. Over time, theShiites and Sunnis developed different reli-gious practices and customs.

Who Were the Abbasids? The Abbasids(uh •BA • suhds) were the dynasty that cameafter the Umayyads. The Umayyads lostpower in A.D. 750 because they angeredmany Muslims, especially in Persia. Persian

Muslims felt that Arab Muslims gotspecial treatment. They got the bestjobs and paid fewer taxes.

When these Muslims rebelled,people all over the empire joinedthem. They overthrew the Umayyads,and a new dynasty began. The new caliph was a descendant ofMuhammad’s uncle. His name wasAbu al-Abbas. The new Abbasiddynasty lasted until 1258.

The Abbasids devoted their energies totrade, scholarship, and the arts. They alsobuilt a new capital, Baghdad (BAG •dad).

Baghdad prospered because it wasbeside the Tigris River and near theEuphrates River. It was a good location totrade since many people used the rivers toship goods north and south. As a result, theArab Empire grew even wealthier.

The Abbasid dynasty is also known forbringing Persian influence into the empire.

Royal CaliphsIbn Khaldun recorded historical events andhis interpretation of them.“When one considerswhat God meant thecaliphate to be, nothingmore needs [to be said]about it. God made thecaliph his substitute tohandle the affairs of Hisservants. He is to makethem do the things thatare good for them andforbid them to do thosethat are harmful. He hasbeen directly told so.A person who lacks the power to do a thing is never told to do it.”

—Ibn Khaldun,“The Muqaddimah”

According to Khaldun, what is therelationship between God and the caliph?

382 CHAPTER 11 Islamic Civilization

Struggles Within Islam While Muslims split into two groups,

the Arab Empire reached new heights.

Reading Focus Have you ever belonged to a club

whose members could not agree on a leader? Read to

find out what happened when Muslims disagreed about

who should lead them.

From the moment Muhammad died,Muslims began arguing about who had the right to be caliph. The quarrel over who should succeed Muhammad split theMuslim world into two groups, the Sunnisand the Shiites. This division has remained

The Great Mosqueof Damascus built by theUmayyad caliphs.

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CHAPTER 11 Islamic Civilization 383

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Baghdad was very close to Persia, and theAbbasid rulers came to know and love theart and literature of Persia.

The Seljuk Turks Time brought manychanges in the 500 years of Abbasid rule. InEgypt and Spain, the Muslims wanted theirown caliphs. About the same time, a newpeople, the Seljuk Turks of central Asia,began moving south into the Arab Empire.The Abbasids were losing control.

The Seljuk Turks were nomads andgreat warriors. When they first moved into the empire, the Abbasids hired them assoldiers. Soon, however, the Seljuk Turkssaw how weak the Abbasids were. Theydecided to take power for themselves.

First, the Seljuks took over much ofwhat is now Iran and Turkey. Then, in

1055, they boldly took Baghdad itself. TheSeljuks were satisfied to rule only the government and army. They let the Abbasidcaliph remain as the religious leader. TheSeljuk ruler called himself sultan (SUHL •tuhn), or “holder of power.”

For 200 more years, the empire contin-ued in this way. The Seljuks ruled, but itwas still the Abbasid dynasty. Then, in the1200s, another people swept into theempire. These were the fierce Mongols ofcentral Asia. The Mongols were buildingtheir own empire and destroying many ofthe civilizations they conquered. In 1258they stormed into Baghdad and burned it tothe ground. The Arab Empire had ended.

Contrast What is the dif-ference between Shiite and Sunni Muslims?

A mosquein Baghdad

Baghdad became the capital of the Abbasid empire and animportant center for trade.1. What empire blocked Abbasid expansion to the northwest?2. Does Baghdad appear to be well located for trade? Explain.

Abbasid capitalFormer Umayyad capitalTrade route through Baghdad

Abbasid empire during reignof Harun al-Rashid, A.D. 800

KEY

Nik Wheeler

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Later Muslim Empires Turks and Moguls built Muslim empires

in Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Reading Focus How do you react when someone

treats you unfairly? Read on to find out how Muslims in

Turkey and India treated the people they conquered.

The Arabs built—and lost—the firstMuslim empire. Later on, other Muslimgroups created empires in Asia, Africa, andEurope. One of the largest and most power-ful of these empires was the Ottomanempire that began in Turkey. Another wasthe Mogul empire in India.

Who Were the Ottomans? In the late 1200s, a group of Turks in the northwestcorner of Asia Minor began to build a newempire. The ruler of these Turks was namedOsman, and as a result, these Turks becameknown as the Ottoman Turks.

The Ottomans quickly conquered mostof the land that today makes up the countryof Turkey. They attacked the ByzantineEmpire and pushed north into Europe. In1453 they seized Constantinople, theByzantine capital. They changed the city’sname to Istanbul and made it the center oftheir empire.

Ottoman armies also marchedsouth, conquering Syria, Palestine,Egypt, Mesopotamia, and parts ofArabia and North Africa. They usedguns and cannons to fight their bat-tles and built a large navy to controlthe Mediterranean Sea.

Like the Seljuks, the Ottomanscalled their leader a sultan. The mostfamous sultan was Suleiman I (SOO •lay • MAHN), who ruled in the 1500s.Suleiman was a man of many talents.He was enthusiastic about architectureand built many schools and mosques.

Suleiman was also a brilliant gen-eral, who brought Ottoman armiesnorth into Europe. He even threatenedthe great European capital of Vienna.For all these reasons, Ottomans calledhim Suleiman the Magnificent.

After his rule, the Ottoman empirebegan to weaken. Little by little, theylost territory. The empire finally col-lapsed at the end of World War I.

Muslims pray beneath the large decorateddome of Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, Turkey.Suleiman built this beautiful mosque for hisson Selim II. What were some of the reasonsthat Suleiman was called “the Magnificent”?

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How Were Non-Muslims Treated? TheOttoman empire had many different people,including Turks, Arabs, Greeks, Albanians,Armenians, and Slavs. These groups prac-ticed several religions. While many wereMuslims, others were Christians or Jews.

The government made different laws fornon-Muslims. They had to pay a special tax,and in return, they were free to practicetheir religion. They also could run theirown affairs. These groups chose leaders topresent their views to the sultan.

However, the sultan made somedemands on the conquered people. Forexample, Christian families in EasternEurope had to send their sons to Istanbul.There the boys became Muslims andtrained as soldiers for the sultan.

CHAPTER 11 Islamic Civilization 385

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The Expansion of the Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman empire continued toexpand for almost 400 years.1. How far west into Europe did the

Ottoman empire expand?2. During what time period did the Ottoman

empire expand to the Persian Gulf?

The Ottomans used elite soldiers called janissaries.

Who Were the Moguls? During the 1500s, the Moguls (MOH • guhlz) createdanother Muslim empire in India. TheseMuslim warriors came from the mountainsnorth of India. The Moguls used guns, can-nons, elephants, and horses to conquer territory. In 1526 they made the city ofDelhi (DEH • lee) the center of their empire.

The greatest Mogul ruler was Akbar(AK • buhr). He brought peace and order tothe part of India he ruled by treating all hissubjects fairly. Most of India’s people wereHindu. He allowed them to practice theirreligion. Both Hindus and Muslims servedin Akbar’s government.

Ottoman lands, c. 1300

c. 1300–1326 (Osman)1326–14511451–14811481–15201520–1566 (Suleiman I)1566–1699

New Territory Gained:

KEY

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Reading SummaryReview the • Arab armies spread Islam as far

west as Spain and as far east asIndia. Muslim traders helpedspread the religion to southeastAsia and west Africa.

• Despite splitting into two groups,the Sunni and the Shiite, Muslimpower reached its greatest heightunder the Abbasids.

• In the 1400s and 1500s, twogreat Muslim empires, theOttoman and the Mogul, arose.

1. How did the Muslims treatconquered peoples?

2. How far did the Arab Empirespread under the Umayyads?

Critical Thinking3. Organizing Information

Draw a chart to organize infor-mation about the Ottomanand Mogul empires.

4. Contrast Describe the differ-ences between the Shiite andSunni Muslims.

5. Summarize Besides conquestsby Arab armies, how was Islamspread?

6. Evaluate Why was Akbar considered a great ruler?

7. Persuasive Writing WhichMuslim empire—the Umayyads,the Ottomans, or the Moguls—treated its non-Muslim subjectsthe most fairly? The leastfairly? Write a paragraph todefend your answer.

What Did You Learn?

Homework Helper Need help with the material in this section? Visit jat.glencoe.com

386 CHAPTER 11 Islamic Civilization

result, trade increased. Muslim merchantsbrought paper, gunpowder, and fine porce-lain from China to India. In addition,Muslim architects introduced new buildingstyles, such as the arch and dome, to India.

After Akbar, the Mogul empire began todecline. Later rulers spent too much moneytrying to expand the empire and imposedheavy taxes on the people. Others tried toforce the Hindus to convert to Islam andbanned the building of Hindu temples.These policies led to many rebellions, andparts of the empire broke away.

At the same time the Moguls began los-ing power over their subjects, they had todeal with European merchants. The mer-chants came to India to trade but used theirmilitary power to take over Mogul territory.Eventually, the Mogul empire collapsed, andGreat Britain took control of most of India.

Describe How didConstantinople change in 1453?

OttomanEmpire

MogulEmpire

Mogul emperor Akbar passing the crown tohis grandson Shah Jahan

Times were good in India under Akbar.Farmers and artisans produced more foodand goods than the Indians needed. As a

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