Lecture 18: the 'Abbasid Empire

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Lecture 18: The ‘Abbasid Empire Topics: Eurasian empires from 600-1100 CE Intellectual life, government, and the economy Questions: What were the characteristics of Islamic empire in SW Asia? What was the nature of intellectual life? How does it, and the function of intellectuals, compare with China at this time? What explains the cultural flourishing under the ‘Abbasids? The Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE) • Capital at Damascus (Syria) • Conquered a vast empire by 711 • Governing elite = Arabs (military aristocracy) • Separate garrison towns • Non-Muslim monotheists allowed to practice religion • dhimmi = protected status • Polytheists not tolerated • Cities and economy thrive Great Mosque, Damascus (706-15 CE) Dar al-Islam Conversion to Islam Mosque Qur’an (Arabic only) Shari’a Mosque, Qairouan (Tunisia) (670 CE) Great Mosque, Cordoba (late 8th c. CE) Ibn Tulun Mosque, Cairo (879 CE) The ‘Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 CE) • Non-Arab Muslims resented disenfranchisement • Persian revolt led by Abu al-Abbas • Seized power from - and massacred - Umayyads • Except Spain • Ethnically inclusive government • No significant military expansion • Border skirmishes with Byzantines • Battle of Talas River (751 CE) defeated expansive Tang Chinese • Persian administrative techniques • Tendency toward absolutism • New capital at Baghdad (762 CE) Baghdad Crossroads for wide-ranging trading network - land and sea Dhow Artistic, cultural, religious center of the Muslim world Agricultural production increases Silver dirham Manufacturing Ease of transport and trade Harun al-Rashid (786-809 CE) Great patron of culture One Thousand and One Nights What is he like as a ruler? Muslim Intellectuals Interpretation of Qur’an & Shari’a Ulama = religious scholars Public observance of moral standards and social values mandated by Qur’an and Shari’a Qadi = judge Resolves disputes according to Islamic law Not priests - Educated religious experts Arabic Science • Astronomy • Geometry • Mathematics • Optics Medicine • Optical Diagram • Alchemy Diagram of an eclipse Astrolabe Medical treatise Hellenistic inheritance Cultural crossroads Arabic numerals = Hindi Practical knowledge & experimentation Greek philosophers Map from Geography of al-Indrisi Dar al-Islam Empire of language, culture, inte"ectual life + commerce (even afer began to %agment politica"y) Writing as Art: Calligraphy How do the Chinese and Islamic traditions of calligraphy differ? Why do they differ? Calligraphy by Mi Fu (1052-1107) What does this tell us about the different status and function of intellectuals in Chinese and Islamic society?.

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