Preview

Abbasid Caliphate Research Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1021 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Abbasid Caliphate Research Paper
The Abbasid Caliphate’s success as an empire led it to rule over the Middle East from the year 750 to 1254 C.E. Abbas, the first caliph, overthrew the Umayyad’s to create a more righteous caliphate that wanted to follow the Prophet and the Islamic teaching. Little did he know that he was going to create a prosperous empire that would benefit the entire world. Abbas and his successors lead Islam to its golden age. Many people desired the Abbasid Caliphate and chose to move to its province because of the vast amount of accomplishments that had been occurring. Muslims were given the chance to become political leaders, poets, and theologians. Harun al Rashid’s granting of education and the fueling of scholarly sanctuaries led the caliphate to contribute …show more content…
The Abbasids created court circles where only the elite and the knowledgeable were allowed; thus, it created the ideology that the educated were the high-class. The court circle required the “aristocracy to submit to one God”, and also be educated about the world in science, philosophy, history, theology etc. (Lapidus 1988, 74). People had to be “knowledgeable” or educated in order to be of the high class; knowing not just their religion, but also worldly information (Lapidus 1988, 74). The people of the high courts or the aristocracy had to be educated in secular studies and also continue to stay on their Islamic values. This idea continued on into Europe and the Europeans educated themselves, and expanded this concept throughout the world. Education was even emphasized, and was an “essential quality for worldly refinement” (Lapidus 1988, 80). The form of education the Abbasid’s developed is the fundamental foundation to the modern form of education we see around us. It has been derived from the Abbasid’s and put together by the Europeans to be employed all around the …show more content…
The language of Arabic was not as common or widely spoken as it is in modern times. With the Help of the Abbasid’s rule, Arabic became the common language of the Middle East. Previously, the region was dominated with a variety of languages. The literary revolution that took place under the caliphate’s rule replaced all other languages and made Arabic the lingua franca (Lapidus 1988, 74). Due to such rapid expansion of Arabic, as mentioned in “Language of Empire: Politics of Arabic and Persian in the Abbasid World”, Arabic replaced “Greek, Persian, Sanskrit, Coptic, and Syriac as the lingua franca” (Yucesoy 2015, 385). Arabic gave the Abbasid rulers a central identity and a path for building social and political relationships. The importance of a common language was for everyone to stay interconnected as an empire. One of the most important things that occurred during the transformation of Arabic as the lingua franca was the translation and the accumulation of information from various scholars and researchers. Eventually, “it became unavoidable for non- Arabic speaking subjects of the caliphate to articulate their claims in Arabic” (Yucesoy 2015, 386). As a result, many non-Muslims, and non-Arabs came together and translated their works of scientific research in philosophy, politics, theological interpretation and science to Arabic (Yucesoy 2015, 386). This

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Osman Bey: The founder of the dynasty that continued in unbroken succession until the dissolution of the empire. He was chief of a band of semi-nomadic Turks who migrated to northwestern Anatolia.…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The following terms, people, and events are important to your understanding of the chapter. Take notes over the concepts listed below answering the following questions for each concept: Who? (when needed) Where?, What?, Why?, How?, and historical significance. Definitions are not sufficient. Definitions alone will earn a daily grade no higher than 50%.…

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Muslim empire went through great expansion. I think the major key to the Islamic expansion was their military. They conquered lots such as the Greeks. They conquered all who rebelled against them. One way military helped with Islamic expansion is by conquering others around the world and teaching them of the Islamic religion. By conquering others this expanded and increased the Muslim empire and population. According to Document A “The battle they fought at al-Yarmuk was of the fiercest and bloodiest kind. In this battle 24,000 Muslims took part”. This is an example of how military helped Islamic expansion. Another way the military helped Islamic expansion was according to Document C “ Individuals were required to embrace…

    • 139 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The early Islamic Empire expanded throughout the years in three different ways. One way the empire expanded was through war to acquire additional land. In Document A it explains that the Muslims were fighting an impressive war and also that the Muslim women were fighting violently. Another reason the empire expanded was since the treaty persuaded several people to practice Islam. In Document B the treaty says that they will not perform anything wicked toward them for example putting them in jail or harassing them. This probably impressed people, which made them choose to practice such a peaceful and forgiving religion. The last reason why the early Islamic empire expanded was because people desired stipends. Stipends exist as payments which…

    • 135 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The non Arab people felt “unhappy with the fact that Muslim rulers lived a life of luxury while the majority of Muslims lived in poverty.” Acrobatiq (2014 ) Now with the split they needed a new leader and they found Abu Muslim. Abu Muslim army defeated the Umayyad army and ended the Umayyad dynasty. During the Abbasid period the Islam started moving into Central Asia, western Chinia, southeast Europe, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. . Acrobatiq (2014 ) With the Muslims moving all over, it made them the rulers. They ended up the rulers of “most trade routes in the Eastern Hemisphere, including land routes that stretched between the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, West and East Africa, the Middle East, Asia Minor, and India.” Acrobatiq (2014 ) the Abbasid Dynasty grow by trading goods and moving place to place. For example “Muslim merchants traveled to Southeast Asia to trade African ebony and ivory and fine Egyptian cotton for commodities such as Chinese porcelain, silk, and spices”. Acrobatiq (2014…

    • 1077 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Safavid Empire really put Iran on the map for their economic strength. The Safavid Empire was founded by the Safavids and covered all of Iran, parts of Turkey, and Georgia. The Shiite based empire lasted from 1501-1722. The reason for their success was their locations on the trade routes. Shah Ismail, age 14 ruled from 1501 to 1524 and by 1510 he had conquered all of Iran. Shi’ism was introduced to Iran and many Sunni Muslims were murdered. But there was a positive side to their religion; the early Safavid Empire was a theocracy. Religious and political powers were all together. The Empire became rich because it was in the center of the trade route in the Ancient World. Shah Abbas was leader during the golden years of the Safavid Empire.…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    As I stated before, the Islamic Caliphates’ main religion was Islam, referring to their empire name. Like Christianity from the Byzantine Empire, Islam also took a part of the government in the Islamic Caliphates. Just like the Byzantine Empire, the ruler of the Islamic Caliphate was Muslim, their most practiced religion. His name, as many of you probably know, was Muhammad (c.570-632). He is the person who found the religion and was the leader of all Muslims until his death. After his death, caliphs appeared, who were “successor of the Messenger of God.” Looking back at their name it is believable that they were the ones that ruled the Muslim community and the empire. Since they were the ones that ruled, Islamic Caliphates were mostly governed by the Muslims. The religion didn’t specifically help or effect the government, but actually governed the empire. Abū Bakr was the first caliph who ruled the Islamic Caliphates and as it states on britannica.com, “When the Prophet Muhammad died (June 8, 632 ce), Abū Bakr succeeded to his political and administrative functions as khalīfah rasūl Allāh, “successor of the Messenger of God,” but it was probably under ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, the second caliph, that the term caliph came into use as a title of the civil and religious head of the Muslim state.” So it makes one understand that Muhammad was in charge of the politics and government while he was alive, and since it says that Abū Bakr succeeded to Muhammad, it means that they did the same as Muhammad, govern the Islamic Caliphates. Umar was the second caliph and he used his knowledge about politics and government that he received from the two rulers before him. This helped the Islamic Caliphates to stay put and hold itself together. This quote from www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org supports the fact that Umar was a great leader, “Umar, however, was one of the great political geniuses of history.” Under him, the empire expanded immensely and he was…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unlike the Mongols, the Islamic empire originated out of a religion. Muhammad was born in Mecca around 570 AD. He had a small group of followers in his radically different religion and with them, he created the now known religion of Islam (Pollard pg. 304). The vibrant passion of the believers of Islam is what helped to spread it so far and so fast. Within a hundred years, Islam had spread as far as North Africa, sweeping down the east coast of Africa, into southern Europe, and finally into present day India and central Asia (Pollard pg. 306-307) The Islamic empire contained so many vastly different peoples that the leading rulers, the Abbasids, started to conscript local Arab men into their armies to help keep control. As time went by though, the empire continued to grow and eventually, the Abbasid turned to nomadic groups to be hired out as mercenaries (Pollard pg. 309). This was a shift in how empires created armies. Different from the Mongols that relied entirely on their own strength for all military purposes, the Islamic empire chose to focus on spreading their religion and knowledge and leave the fighting to their hired…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this paper, we will learn the most important Islamic achivements and how the Muslims were able to make contributions that impacted the world. They have many achievements and also accomplishments that have contributed to the world. The Muslims adapted in different areas from Greece, India, and Rome. They also gained much from the people that they conquered. Muslim achievements stand out and have a long lasting impact on the world and were able to advance scholarships in many different areas to the highest level at that time. Muslims of the Islamic Empire both preserved existing knowledge and extended it. Their achievements have helped many cultures create new ideas and many great advancements.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The rise and fall of the Persian Empires The Achaemenid Empire Medes and Persians migrated from central Asia to Persia before 1000 B.C.E. Indo-European speakers, sharing cultural traits with Aryans Challenged the Assyrian and Babylonian empires Cyrus the Achaemenid (the Shepherd) (reigned 558-530 B.C.E.) Became king of Persian tribes in 558 B.C.E. All of Iran under his control by 548 B.C.E. Established a vast empire from India to borders of Egypt Cyrus's son, Cambyses (reigned 530-522 B.C.E.), conquered Egypt in 525 Darius (reigned 521-486 B.C.E.); largest extent of empire; population thirty-five million Diverse empire, seventy ethnic groups New capital at Persepolis, 520 B.C.E. Achaemenid administration Twenty-three satrapies (Persian…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    The Persian Empire of Mesopotamia was the largest and most powerful empire of the Ancient Near East civilizations. The Persian Empire had engaged in a series of wars, also known as the Persian Wars of Expansion, which was beneficial for the empire. After conquering and taking over many other civilizations, they gained more power and control. In addition to gaining more power, the Persian Empire had also gained more land, which can help the empire economically, politically, and socially. By warring, conquering and gaining control over other empires, the Persian Empire made its way to the top of all ancient civilizations.…

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    The devastation of the Black Death following hard on the heels of the Mongol destruction of Islam’s most important city and capital of the Abbasid Empire, Baghdad, eliminated Islam’s old political order. Nonetheless, these two catastrophes prepared the way for new Islamic states to emerge. Of these, the Ottoman, the Safavid, and the Mughal dynasties ultimately grew powerful enough to become empires themselves. The most powerful, the Ottoman Empire, occupied the pivotal area between Europe and Asia. They embraced a Sunni view of Islam, while adopting traditional Byzantine ways of governance and trying new ways of integrating the diverse peoples of their expanding territories.…

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the centuries, many empires have developed on the different continents of the Earth. All of these empires have experienced period of political, economic, and social success, as well as periods of decline. This is the case with the 3 Muslim empires: the Ottomans, the Safavids, and the Mughal. After the collapse of the Mongol Empire, the 3 kingdoms began to from across Asia: the Ottoman Empire in Asia Minor, the Safavid Empire in Persia, and the Mughal Empire in India. At their height, they covered nearly all of the Islamic World. Although all 3 empires have distinct differences, they also have many similarities.…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Monotheistic Religion

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Many of the people of the Abbasid empire were Muslim, and followed Islamic beliefs. They believed in a god called Allah. Even after the fall of the empire, the caliph was still the leader of the Islam religion, and the Abbasids were very influential for the Islamic religion (Smart). Khorāsān, a vast territory within the ʿAbbāsid Empire, stretched from central Persia into Central Asia, and it was home to powerful Arab-Iranian elites who were Muslim in religion. These strong people were defined by their religion and able to grow in…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Islam and Arabic Language

    • 410 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Before the Islam, arabic was just one of the Language that was spoken in only certain regions in Arabia. But after the Islam whole Arabia had started to talk in arabic because arabia is the region which is starting point of Islam. It was natural but after spreading other parts of the World, The arabic had became main language of some regions which was unnatural. In christianity, for example, for many centuries, Latin was the language of Bible but it could not influence people that made people's who live in Europe lanugage change. Because unlikely to Islam, people can prey and worship in other language. These restrictions in Islam influence people's language because worshipping and preying take a lot time and they have to be done everyday. In addition to that Kor'an has to be read in Arabic. Due to these reasons from tunus to Iraq arabic is the main language even though it is not their ancient language.…

    • 410 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays