The Islamic World
The Islamic Golden Age (the eighth through thirteenth centuries CE) was one of the greatest incubators of culture the world has ever known, producing remarkable scientific breakthroughs and wonders of architecture. Use these materials as a cultural map of the Islamic world, your guide to understanding how it became so central to our collective knowledge.
Featured Materials
Causes and Consequences of the Crusades
Video
Causes and Consequences of the Crusades
The Crusades were a centuries-long clash between Christian and Muslim kingdoms over control of the Holy Lands—but they also sparked new connections across the Mediterranean world.
Dar al-Islam
Article
Dar al-Islam
In the thirteenth century, the Islamic golden age ended with the political fragmentation of the Abbasid caliphate. However, Islam as a belief system emerged stronger than ever.
Spread of Islam Thematic Map
Visual Aid
Spread of Islam Thematic Map
A full-color thematic map of the Spread of Islam in 800 CE, meant to help you support, extend, and challenge the frame narratives.
Lessons
Lesson 2.3
Dar al-Islam
Muslim rulers controlled vast territories from West Africa to Indonesia, spreading a faith that united many very different cultures. Studying the Islamic world in this period makes for a perfect introduction to an era of empires.
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Lesson 5.5
The Islamic World
Islam spread quickly across Afro-Eurasia through trade, conquest, and cultural interactions. Explore how this expansion shaped communities and transformed global networks.
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Materials
The Emergence of Islam
Video
The Emergence of Islam
Islam is practiced by nearly 2 billion people—that’s 1 in 4 people on the planet. Muslims and historians alike think about the history of early Islam by studying the Qur’an and Hadith.
Mapping Dar al-Islam
Closer
Mapping Dar al-Islam
Use a blank map of Afro-Eurasia too illustrate the spread of Islam and better understand how geography shaped the religion and culture of the Islamic world.
The Caliphate
Article
The Caliphate
The early Islamic world was a community of faith, but it was also a political community known as the caliphate. The first caliphs quickly built an empire stretching across a vast region.
Rumi
Graphic Biographies
Rumi
Rumi was a poet who believed that universal love was a path to God. He rejected divisions based on ethnicity and religion.
Mawläy 'Abd al-Mälik
Graphic Biographies
Mawläy 'Abd al-Mälik
Mawläy 'Abd al-Mälik was a Moroccan sultan who defended his kingdom against multiple threats—relatives, Ottoman sultans, and Christian Europeans.
Rashid al-Din
Graphic Biographies
Rashid al-Din
Rashid al-Din was a Muslim intellectual whose history of the world showed the diversity of the peoples and ideas mixing in the Mongol Ilkhanate.
The Universe Through a Pinhole
Article
The Universe Through a Pinhole
Hasan Ibn al-Haytham revolutionized our understanding of how light moves through the Universe and how we see it. He urged people to question ancient knowledge.
Lion of the Sea
Article
Lion of the Sea
Being a great sailor requires a lot of knowledge. The greatest among them relied heavily on the collective learning that made crossing the vast Indian Ocean possible.