Prosperity in the Islamic World
•
The Muslim empires carried on extensive trade
with China, the Byzantine Empire, India, and SE Asia.
•
Trade was done by ship and by camel caravans
which traveled from Morocco in to West to the countries beyond the Caspian Sea
in Central Asia.
•
Goods
– Sub
Saharan Africa: Gold and Slaves
– China:
Silk and Porcelain
– E.
Africa: Gold and Ivory
– SE
Asia and India: Sandalwood and Spices.
– Egypt:
Grain
– Iraq:
Linen, Dates, and Precious Stones
– W.
India: Textiles
•
The development of banking helped to
facilitate trade and eventually influenced European banking systems during the
European Renaissance.
The Role of Cities
•
Flourishing trade led to wealthy and
successful cities.
•
Baghdad-Was known as the city of peace and
was highly successful under the Abbasids
•
Cairo: Was part of the Fatimid Dynasty
•
Cordoba: Capital of Umayyad Spain
•
Cities had Palaces for the Caliphs and
mosques for worship.
– There
were also public buildings with fountains, courtyards, public baths, and a
bazaar.
The Bazaar
•
The covered market was a central part of each
Muslim city.
•
There were high standards for business and
sanitation.
•
It was a place where people could acquire both
goods and services.
Agriculture
•
While cities were expanding a vast majority
of the people still lived in the country and made their living in agriculture.
•
Originally the land was owned by peasants, but
was eventually bought by aristocrats and was worked by slave labor.
Islamic Society
•
Islam is considered more than just a religion,
it is seen as a way of life that encompasses politics, economics, and social
life.
•
According to the Quran, all people
were equal in the eyes of Allah, but in reality, the Muslim Empires did not
follow this ideal. There was a well developed upper and lower class.
•
Non-Muslims were not considered equal to
Muslims and slavery was widespread (as in the rest of the ancient world). Slaves were usually non-Muslims because
Islamic law made it illegal for one Muslim to enslave another.
– Slaves
served in the military or served as domestic servants.
– Slaves
could sometimes purchase their freedom and it was considered a good act to free
ones slaves.
The Role of Women
•
Originally, the Quran granted women
spiritual and social equality with men.
Both men and women were to be friends and protectors of one
another.
•
Women could earn a living and own and inherit
property. They played a prominent role
in the rise of Islam.
•
Men and Women had assigned social duties, but
most societies in which Islam arose were male dominated
•
Women in these societies had to have a male
guardian and parents arranged marriages for their children.
•
Men could have up to four wives, but they had
to pay a dowry (gift of money or property) to their wives’ families.
•
Women did have the right to divorce and
adultery was forbidden for both men and women.
•
After the spread of Islam local traditions
began to assert themselves and many of the rights that were initially given to
women in Islam were replaced by older traditions which denied women equal rights.
A similar thing happened to the rights of early Christian women once
Christianity became merged with Roman influence.
The Veil
•
The veil worn by Muslim women is
traditionally called the Hijab.
•
The ideal of women wearing veils was common in
many Middle Eastern cultures before the advent of Islam.
– In
Ancient Mesopotamia a veil was a symbol of status, purity, and moral character.
There is some controversy over this use of these
veils today. There are different interpretations of this tradition in different
parts of the Muslim world. In general, women and men are supposed to dress
modestly, the degree of that modesty varies from region to region according to
local custom and tradition.
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