Parts of Chapter 9

2. Plan for Today:
• Remainder of Chapter 9
• Islamic Life, Culture, and Trade
• Fragmentation of the Caliphate(s) and Newcomers from the East
• Next Time
• The beginning of Chapter 12
• Central, Southern, Southeastern Asia and the Pacific

4. Social Hierarchy
• Arab Muslims were at the top
• Muslim converts were the second strata (Berber, Persian, Copt, etc.)
• Jews, Christians (people of the book), Zoroastrians (because they were
monotheistic) were the third strata, and protected (but paid higher taxes)
• Later Hindus and Buddhists were also protected
• Other free people
• Slaves
• Jews were allowed to participate in society and commerce under Muslim
rule, while in Christian Europe Jews were ostracized, outcast, and
discriminated against

5. Slavery
• Slavery was accepted, and most slaves came as the result of military
conquest
• The Qur’an encouraged the humane treatment and freeing of slaves
• Unlike later European Imperial slavery, race played no part in it, nor did
the economy depend on it
• Many slaves were allowed/able to buy their freedom
• Many also assimilated and converted, which was also a path to freedom
• Female slaves served in the household or were concubines
• Male slaves provided labor and served as soldiers

6. Women
• Prior to Islam, women had virtually no power
• Married off by their parents for dowries
• Husbands could terminate marriage at any time
• Could not own property or participate in politics
• Islam sought to make women the spiritual equals of men
• Under the Umayyad period women and men could practice religious
observances together, own property, and travel
• This changed with expansion and under the Abbasid Caliphate
• Byzantine and Persian customs begin to be absorbed into Islam
• Veiling begins, as does separation during religious ceremonies
• Seclusion of women became a sign of prestige and wealth
• The Qur’an begins to be interpreted through that lens

7. Trade and Commerce
• The Qur’an openly supported trade and the merchant class, this was
different than Christianity and East Asian religions which looked down on
merchants to varying degrees
• Islamic Caliphates develop increasingly spread out trade networks
• Throughout the Middle East and Asia Minor
• North Africa and the Mediterranean
• Through the Red Sea and across to South Asia
• The Silk Road
• Business innovations
• The concept of a Check (sakk), a note ordering a bank to pay someone on your
behalf
• The Bill of Exchange
• Joint Stock companies

8. Trade Networks

9. Exchange of Goods
• From a 9th century manifest:
• India – Animals (tigers, leopards, elephants), rubies, ebony, sandal-wood,
coconuts
• China – Aromatics, silk, porcelain, paper, ink, peacocks, horses, saddles, felts,
cinnamon
• Byzantium – Silver, gold, embroidered cloths, horses, copper, locks, lyres,
engineers (water), marble craftsmen, eunuchs, slaves
• Egypt – donkeys, fine textiles, papyrus, balsam oil, topaz
• North of the Black Sea – Slavic slaves, armor, helmets, chain mail
• Persia – Sugar, silk, dancers, dates, molasses, candy
• Cotton, sugarcane, and rice spread because of this trade
• Citrus fruits come to Europe (Spain) from Asia

10. Cultural Centers
• By the 10th century two main centers of culture develop
• There were, of course, many other large cities throughout the Islamic world
• Baghdad – Center of Abassid Caliphate
• The Thousand and One Nights – emerges from the tales written and told during this
period
• “Aladdin and the Lamp,” “Sinbad the Sailor,” “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”
• The stories in Arabian Nights end up being the folklore transmitted to Europe, affecting
stereotypes and conceptions of the Muslim world to this day
• As we know from the video last class, Baghdad also becomes the center of learning, with
the House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikmah) and the Grand Library
• Cordoba – City of 1 million, competes with Baghdad as a cultural center
• Eventually the Muslim leaders in Spain would separate from the rulers in the east
• Schools, mosques, and libraries, the largest containing 400000 texts
• Chess first appears in Europe through Cordoba

11. Education and Learning
• Because of the centrality of studying the Qur’an, literacy was
widespread amongst men and women
• Men went through compulsory schooling and then attended
madrasas (colleges for religion and law, but later home to other
scholars)
• Women were excluded from traditional schooling (since it prepared
men for governance, religious service, and the law)
• However, many women were educated by teachers in the home

12. Fragmentation of the Caliphate

13. Fragmentation of the Caliphate(s)

14. Fragmentation of the Caliphate(s)

15. Entry of the Mongols

16. Final Thoughts
• For next time – Read Chapter 12
• Have a good weekend!