Unit 2

• Seljuk Empire


  High medieval Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire founded by Turks in 1037 from their homelands in Central Asia
• Seljuk Empire expansion


  1. Seljuks advanced first into mainland Persia

  2. Seljuks conquered eastern Anatolia

  3. Seljuks won the Battle of Manzikert in 1071

  4. Seljuks conquered most of Anatolia from the Byzantine Empire
• Seljuk conquest of Anatolia


  Became one of the reasons for the first crusade (1095-1099)
• From c. 1150-1250, the Seljuk empire declined, and was invaded by the Mongols around 1260
• The Mongols divided Anatolia into Emirates (regions ruled by Arab noblemen or military personnel)
• One of these Emirates, the Ottoman, would conquer the rest
• Delhi Sultanate


  Islamic Empire that came to dominate most of the Indian subcontinent from roughly 1206 to 1526 CE
• The northern region of India had previously been invaded by Turko-Iranian Mamluks (literally meaning 'slave soldiers' of the Arab caliphates) and divided into regions of control
• From this region emerged an Islamic state in India that would continue conquest as an Indo-Muslim kingdom that played a major role in developing the culture and identity of the region
• The Delhi Sultanate was one of the few states in world history that successfully repelled Mongol invasion (in this case, from the Chagatai Khanate)
• The successful repulsion of Mongol invaders likely saved the population and culture of the Indian subcontinent from the widespread destruction and death suffered by the Chinese, Persians, Caucasus region, and Eastern Europe
• Sultan


  Those that wielded political authority, and enforced Sharia law, but unlike caliphs, they lacked the authority to make religious or theological changes
• Delhi Sultanate domestic policies


  • As a Muslim state, the Delhi administration enforced the Islamic religious policy of destroyed anthropomorphic art in several different historical cycles
  • This created substantial animosity with the subjugated Hindu kingdoms
  • The Delhi Sultanate did, however, provide militaristic and economic stability for a substantial period of its reign, and thus stimulated economic growth
  • Taxes extracted from subjects of the Delhi Sultanate grew continuously over the empire's reign, and caused the economic growth to slow in its later years
• The Delhi Sultanate's role in history is often an overlooked by historians
• Aside from repelling the Mongol invasion, and likely saving millions of people, it also provided a safe haven for Turks, Persians, and others fleeing the Mongol invasions of the 13th and 14th century
• Along with the introduction of Islam through its leaders, a substantial amount of Muslims entered as refugees, this infusion the populations and cultures of Islam, Hinduism, & Buddhism
• While it was the source of a substantial amount of conflict and destruction, this diverse ethnic mix has resulted in significant populations shaping the policies and cultures of modern states such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India
• The economic and militaristic stability provided by the sultanate also allowed technological innovations and ideas to spread throughout the subcontinent, as iron and steel production increased, as well as the use of Chinese paper technology
• The sultanate itself would later be replaced in the 16th century by the invading Mughal Empire—a Central Asian Muslim peoples of Mongol and Turkic descent
• Muslim merchants were the dominant trade force in the Indian Ocean region from the 8th to 16th centuries
• These merchants settled along trading towns, forming diasporic communities, and spreading Islam throughout the Indian Ocean region
• Mosques were setup as locals would often covert to Islam in areas that were not held by a uniform religion (Malaysia, Indonesia, East Africa)
• Other diasporic communities


  • Chinese in Southeast Asia (Singapore, the Philippines, etc.)
  • Jewish communities that continued along trade routes in the Mediterranean, and along the Silk Road
• After 1000 CE, Arab traders, now crossing Saharan with camels and caravans, firmly established a Muslim presence in the W. African civilizations of Ghana and later Mali
• While African leaders drew many cultural and administrative lessons from the Arabs, the Arabs sought the large gold and slave markets
• Mansa Musa of Mali even made the high-profile pilgrimage to Mecca—a journey which spurred interest due to the incredible amount of gold he possessed and distributed along his journey to Mecca from Mali
• Muslim took hold of education in much of Western Africa, such as in the primary trade city of Timbuktu which held over 150 Muslim schools
• However, West African kings did not enforce Islam on their subjects, or impose Arab culture (example: women not hidden away)
• An important key to note is that in this state Islamic law was not enforced on the general population; locals could practice as they wished
• Abbasid period


  Generally considered the Golden Age of Islamic culture and academics
• Islamic mathematicians used Indian numeric symbols to develop algebra and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, a Persian mathematician, created trigonometry
• They also combined and preserved Greco-Roman and Indian ideas of medicine, and added their own contributions to the academic world; many of these works were housed in the House of Wisdom in Baghdad (destroyed by Mongols in 1258)
• Islamic medicine built upon early treatment methods, and learned to correctly diagnose many diseases (measles, smallpox, etc.), developed various methods for treatment, and started the first hospitals and traveling clinics
• Regarding literature, 'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah, a Sufi master and poet, recorded her views in writing, composing the most of any Arabic woman before 1900
• Along with religion, technology was passed via trade from China, through the Dar-al-Islam (Muslim-ruled lands)—mostly the Abbasid Caliphate
• Paper and printing techniques were passed through India (600 CE), the Abbasid Caliphate (700), Spain (1150), and Germany and France by 1300
• The traditional Persian veil for upper-class women became a sociocultural feature of Islam, extending far beyond the borders of Persia