islam a geographical perspective. topics sacred places origins and diffusion
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ISLAM
a geographical perspective
Topics
Sacred places Origins and diffusion
Islam
Islam means “submission” (to the will of Allah) Shares many roots with Judaism and Christianity
including stories of Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus
Islam’s sacred places mosques Mecca Medina Jerusalem
a mosque in Yemen
Parts of a mosque
Minarets are landmarks and places from which a muezzin (or loudspeaker) calls people to prayer
Sahn is a courtyard or open hall for prayer
Mihraab is a recessed niche pointing toward Mecca the focal point of the mosque the point toward which prayers
are directed the point at which the person
leading prayers stands
Parent Teacher Association, Islamic Association of Greater Detroit: http://www.ptaiagd.org/
Istanbul’s Blue Mosque
http://www.mccullagh.org
a mosque in N.W. China
What seems to be an important color in Islam?
Some flags of Islamic countries What seem to be the dominant
colors and motifs? Green was the color of
Muhammad’s robe The crescent moon was a symbol of
Constantinople, “borrowed” when it was conquered in 1453 and renamed Istanbul
The five-pointed star represents the five pillars of Islam
1. Confession of faith in Allah and no other god as well as belief in the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad
2. Ritual worship of Allah 5 times a day3. Charity and concern for the needy4. Avoidance of food, drink and sex
during daylight hours for the month of Ramadan
5. Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca once in one’s life)
Jerusalem (under stormy skies!)
Jerusalem A sacred place for three religions A place of conflict general: the way of the cross
(Christian) foreground
Mount of Olives, Jewish burials background
ruins of the city of David and west wall of the temple mount (believed by Jews to be the remaining wall of Solomon’s original temple, also called the “wailing wall”)
Dome of the rock (gold) believed by Muslims to be where Muhammad ascended to Heaven and by Jews to be where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac
Israeli-controlled territoriesDark Orange: territory designated as Jewish by the UN in 1947
Medium Orange: territory gained by Israel in war with Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Transjordan (Jordan) by 1949
Yellow: territory controlled by Israel since 1967
Mecca
Pilgrims circumambulate the Ka’ba, a cube encased in silk containing a black stone
What is the Ka’ba?
Non-Muslims generally explain it as a meteorite which was worshipped before the time of Muhammad, as part of animist beliefs
For Muslims it is the qibla, the point toward which people must face when praying, and they believe it was built into the structure by Abraham and Ishmael
Origins
Muhammad (570-632) sought end to feuding between nomadic
Bedouins and merchant dynasties of cities replaced family-centered social order with
a more harmonious community based on monotheistic belief, revealed in the QuranGod: Allahcommunity: “Dar al Islam”
Diffusion
Under Muhammad the western part of the Arabian peninsula (incl. Mecca and Medina) were brought under Islam)
Under the Caliphs (his successors), Islam expanded very rapidly across the entire southern half of the Roman Empire’s territory, as well as areas under control of Sassanid Empire to the east.
Combination of military conquest and tax policy! Those who did not surrender to Muslim forces were forced to pay rent on their land, whereas those who surrendered maintained ownership of their land
Interesting aspects of this map
Massive expansion between 630 and 700 Replacement of Christianity and Judaism (as the
dominant religion, though never a complete exclusion) in the Middle East
Far reaches of Islamic diffusion: Iberian peninsula (Spain & Portugal) by 900 Indonesia by 1200 (via Islamic seagoing traders) Land route to China (Xian) by 1000
“Things are looking better”
Both the Roman Empire and the Sassanid Empire had losing their grip and had tried to maintain control by waging war and committing atrocities on local populations
Both Empires had been extravagant and demanding
The new Islamic rulers brought peace to people exhausted with conflict and exploitation
The Ottoman Empire (1300-1917)
Note: Core in Anatolia (Turkey) area of earliest
control hearth of Ottoman
culture Replacement of
Orthodox Christianity in its core (Constantinople falls in 1453)
Islamic Influences in Europe
Muslim components of the population in the Balkans: Bosnia & Kosovo, Bulgaria, and Albania
Many Arabic words are carried into Spanish e.g. wadi (Arabic for river)
shows up in Guadalajara
Sunni vs. Shiah
Shiah
Sunni
Sunni
Sunni
Sunni vs. Shiah
Dispute centers around the legitimacy of the first three caliphs
Iran-Iraq war was partly caused by this doctrinal dispute
US administration is currently banking on Shiite support for the US presence in Iraq, with mixed results
Carving up the Ottoman Empire