Muslim Empires Wrap Up
The Abbasid Revolution in 750 CE systematically and ruthlessly destroyed almost all Umayyad power. During the revolution, Abbasids killed most of the Umayyad ruling family, but Abd al-Rahman, the grandson of a former caliph, escaped to Spain. Here, he set up his own unofficial Umayyad caliphate and controlled the region until the Berber Almoravids from North Africa took power in the 11th century. This independent Umayyad house called itself an emirate, rather than caliphate, since its rulers did not believe there could be more than one caliph. The Abbasids were unable to oust the Umayyads, and Spain remained under the rule of regional dynasties until the Christian reconquest in the late 1400s.
A new phase of Islamic history began in 1258 when the Mongol's destroyed the Abbasid capital and massacred its citizens. During the Umayyad dynasty, an Arab world view had been the dominant force in Islamic life—as evident in the culture, language, and government structures. During the Abbasid dynasty, that world view expanded to include Persian, Semitic, North African, Hellenistic, and European influences. The more multicultural Abbasid policies accelerated the cultural divisions within the Islamic world.
With the fall of the Abbasid empire, Islam entered its medieval period, which many historians see as a time of cultural and political disunity and decentralization. Islamic culture often split along ethnic lines, adding to its cultural and intellectual richness. In this divided world, modern Islam has had to embrace—and negotiate between—many powerful centers of culture. In many respects, the contemporary factions in Islam have their roots in the multiculturalism of the Abbasid dynasty.
Answer these questions based on your research and the reading above:
A new phase of Islamic history began in 1258 when the Mongol's destroyed the Abbasid capital and massacred its citizens. During the Umayyad dynasty, an Arab world view had been the dominant force in Islamic life—as evident in the culture, language, and government structures. During the Abbasid dynasty, that world view expanded to include Persian, Semitic, North African, Hellenistic, and European influences. The more multicultural Abbasid policies accelerated the cultural divisions within the Islamic world.
With the fall of the Abbasid empire, Islam entered its medieval period, which many historians see as a time of cultural and political disunity and decentralization. Islamic culture often split along ethnic lines, adding to its cultural and intellectual richness. In this divided world, modern Islam has had to embrace—and negotiate between—many powerful centers of culture. In many respects, the contemporary factions in Islam have their roots in the multiculturalism of the Abbasid dynasty.
Answer these questions based on your research and the reading above:
- Are intellectual and artistic achievements less important for the advancement of a religion-centered civilization than for a more secular society?
- Do current animosities between Islamic factions have historical connections to the rivalry between the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties? Explain.
- Today, Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. Could it ever become a center for Islamic unity as Syria and Iraq were in the 7th through the 13th centuries?