2003 MCPS Social Studies 107

Abullah raced home to her father as fast as her feet

could carry her! She had been shopping in the main
market of Cairo when she overhead two men talking.
They were talking about a lecture to be given the next
day by a Muslim astronomer from Baghdad, the capital
of the Abbasid empire, that Egypt was a part of. He was
going to be explaining new discoveries about the stars.
Abullahs father was not a Muslim, but he worshipped
Isis the Egyptian goddess whose symbol was often the
star Sirius. He would want to know what this astrono-
mer had to say. Although her family did not want to
give up their own religious beliefs and become Mus-
lims, they were eager to learn from the thinkers, doc-
tors, and scientists that visited Cairo. Abullah gave a
quick prayer to Thoth, the god of knowledge, and thanked
him for this exciting time of sharing between Egyptians
and Abbasid Muslims.
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The Abbasid Caliphate

LOCATION
Present Day Iran and Iraq
MAJ OR RELIGIONS
Islam
747 CE to 1258 CE
500 CE 1000 CE 1500 CE 100 CE
OVERVIEW QUESTIONS
How do cultural ideas,
beliefs and traditions of a
society influence their
political, economic, and
social systems?
In what ways is the older
traditional culture still
seen in modern society
today?
T H E A B B A S I D C A L I P H A T E
2
Background
EVIDENCE OF HUMANS LIVING IN THE TIGRIS
Euphrates valley, or Mesopotamia, goes back
for hundreds of thousands of years. Some of
the worlds first cities, such as Ur, were built
in what is now the country of Iraq. Many of
these cities eventually became part of large
civilizations under the rule of various leaders,
like the Babylonians and the Assyrians.
Then, in 610 CE, something happened that
would forever change the cultures of the
Middle East. The religion of Islam began in
Saudi Arabia and spread quickly to
Mesopotamia, Syria and Persia, creating a
vast Islamic empire. Over the centuries that
would follow, various Muslim families would
control the empire, gaining and losing lands.
The one constant throughout, however, was a
strong commitment to their religion, Islam.
WHEN ISLAMIC RULERS CONQUERED NEW
territories, they introduced Islam as a new
religion, but did not to force it on people.
While many chose to become Muslims,
others chose to maintain their own religion
whether it was Christianity, J udaism, Hindu-
ism, or another religion. In addition, Muslim
rulers did not try to erase the cultures of those
they conquered, but instead tried to blend the
cultures with traditional Arab culture in order
to enrich and deepen their culture overall.
THIS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE OF MAINTAINING
ones own culture, while adding to it the
useful elements of other cultures, helped to
create one of the greatest Muslim empires, the
Abbasid Caliphate (AB ah sidd KAL ah FIT)
The Abbasids ruled from 747 CE to 1258 CE,
a time known as the Golden Age of Islam
because of all of its achievements and wealth.
TOP OF A COLUMN
Geometric designs and patterns often decorated palaces and
mosques throughout the Abbasid Caliphate.
AN EARLY ABBASID BOWL
Islamic art decorated both religious and everyday items. New
techniques were learned from Persians conquered by the Abbasids.
T H E A B B A S I D C A L I P H A T E
3
Political System
Who Should Rule?
Before the Golden Age of Islam could
begin, however, the Abbasids had to come to
power. They had been part of the previous
Muslim empire, but had grown increasingly
unhappy with the rulers. Finally, in 747 CE,
the Abbasid family had enough. After years of
watching the previous rulers live an extravagant
lifestyle, ignoring the needs of the people it was
time to take over. Besides, they, the Abbasids
were the rightful rulers anyway. Werent they
descendents of the uncle of the Prophet
Mohammad? Werent they the ones who would
restore the empire to its true Islamic roots? And
so a revolution began. In three years it was over
and the Abbasids had taken over the Islamic
empire with a promise to restore it to the glory of
Islamic rule.
The rulers of the Islamic empire were called
caliphs, and so the region controlled was
known as the Abbasid caliphate. The entire
empire was made up of several regions under
various governors. Many of these regions were
inhabited by people that were not Arabic and so
had very different cultures. The Abbasids were
eager to keep the peace in their empire by
allowing these other people, like the Turks in
the west and the Persians in the east, to have
important positions in the government.
Unfortunately for the Abbasids however, these
non-Arabs gained control of the government.
The Abbasids were no longer in control of the
decision making, they were rulers in name only.
The Abbasid Caliphate, that rose to power on
the promise of a return to the true, rightful
Islamic rulers, actually turned power over to
non-Arabs with distinctly different cultures.
Economic System
Open Exchanges
A huge expansion of trade under the
Abbasids was in large part due to the fact that
they were not afraid of other cultures, but were
eager to learn about them and exchange trade
goods. The Abbasids built a new capital city,
called Baghdad, today the capital of Iraq, right
on the Tigris River. The city came to be a
gateway for trade between the East and West.
To the East was India, Indonesia, and China
with all its spices, ceramics, textiles, and
woods. To the west was the Mediterranean and
North Africa with its ivory, salt, gold, grains,
and wines. Because the Muslims of this time
were not afraid of other cultures, they were
eager to trade and try new things.
AN ABBASID MEDICAL TEXT
Physicians from Egypt, India, and Arabia shared their
knowledge of medicine in the open exchange of ideas that
was a part of the Abbasid Caliphate.
Social System
Blending Artistic Styles
The wide acceptance of other cultures
within the Abbasid Caliphate had profound
impacts on the intellectual and artistic
accomplishments of this Golden Age. Non-
Arabs, such as the Persians, brought their own
styles to the empire and helped to create new
styles of art and architecture. For instance, prior
to the Abbasids, hardly any Islamic art had
pictures of humans or animals, because the
Quran warned against this. Persian art,
however, did depict animals and humans.
Because the Abbasids were open to Persian
culture, Islamic art during the Abbasid caliphate
began to show humans and animals.
Contributions/Impact on the World
Math and Manuscripts
Many discoveries and inventions were
made under the Abbasids, an accomplishment
that could not have happened in a society that
was closed to risk taking, new ideas, or contri-
butions of other cultures.
Astrolabe. A navigational aid to help
sailors journey farther without fear of losing
their way on the ocean.
Geometry. Important concepts were
discovered, building a foundation for future
mathematicians.
Astronomy. These studies provided
scholars important understandings of how the
solar system operates.
Manuscript translations. Ancient Greek,
Roman, and Christian manuscripts were trans-
lated into Arabic, preserving them for future
generations.
Iraq/Iran Today
Islam is still the primary religion of this
region of the world. There are over 91 million
Muslims in Iraq and Iran. The openness of
Islam to other cultures that was so important to
the development of the Abbasid Caliphate is not
as easily seen today. An important value for
Muslims today is to preserve their traditions
and beliefs. This has led some Muslim
countries, like Iran and Iraq to resist the
influence of other cultures, particularly the
American culture. Iraq has become a state that
is run by a dictator who does not closely follow
Islam. It is often difficult for Muslims in the
these countries to learn about or experience
other cultures. While many prefer to maintain
their traditions, others are still eager to learn
more about the rest of the world.
T H E A B B A S I D C A L I P H A T E
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AN ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT OF
THE QURAN
Copies of the Quran helped to spread
Islam across the lands conquered by the
Abbasids.