Ahlcon Public School, Mayur Vihar-1, Delhi.

Class: XI Subject: HISTORY Assignment No. 4

Academic Session: 2016-17

Theme 4 – The Central Islamic Lands (Questions marked with an ** are to be done for H.W.)

1. Examine what is known about the background of Prophet Muhammad and the early Arabs.

2. What is meant by the term ‘mawali’?

3. State the features of the new faith created by Muhammad / the chief teachings of Islam. How did people initially react to his teachings?

4. ** Describe how Muhammad organized the umma and set about creating an Arab / Islamic Empire.

5. ** Analyze the political, religious, military and social consequences of the death of Muhammad in 632 CE.

6. How did sects emerge in Islam?

7. Examine the steps taken by the Ummayad Caliphs to centralize political power and promote an Arab- Islamic identity.

8. Why was the coming to power of the Abbasids called a revolution? State the features of the Abbasid Caliphate.

9. ** Describe the manner in which the Caliphate disintegrated. When and how did the Turkish Sultanates rise to power?

10. (PLEASE WRITE EACH QUESTION and THEN WRITE THE ANSWER) ** (a) State the meaning of the term ‘Crusades’. When did they occur? ** (b) Explain why friction developed in the relationship between the Muslims and the Christians between the 7th –11th century.

11. ** Describe the major developments which took place during the Crusades. Did these wars have any long term and / or short term impact? Explain.

12. Describe how land owning and agriculture was organized in the Arab / Islamic empire.

13. ** Examine how the new urban centers of the Arab Empire were typically organized.

14. What were ‘garrison cities’?

15. Examine how trade and commerce developed in the Arab / Islamic empire. Support your answer with specific examples.

16. ** The Arabs made remarkable economic innovations. Explain.

17. ** Explain how and why the sharia was created.

18. Examine the chief features of the Sufi movement. To what extent did Sufism pose a challenge to orthodox Islam?

19. Describe the major developments and changes taking place in Arab / Islamic literature and learning during this period.

20. What is meant by ‘adab’?

21. ** With the help of specific examples, describe the chief features of Islamic art and architecture. What were the chief decorative devices used?

22. ** Mapwork: On a political map of Asia (Pg.82) :- mark and label the following- MAP 1: Shade the extent of empire under Muhammad; expansion of the empire by 750 CE (MAKE AN APPROPRIATE KEY). Label the major provinces- Anatolia, Egypt, Palestine, Hejaz, Yemen, Arabia, Syria, Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Transoxiana. MAP 2: Label the Byzantine Empire. Mark with a dot and label the following cities- Alexandria, Cairo, Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Damascus, Basra, Kufa, Baghdad, Antioch, Constantinople, Samarkand, Ghazni.