ISLAM UNIT

Day #1
1. Share Rome projects. In groups of 3 (one trade, one religion and one decline), share thesis and findings. Larger reflections on Rome? Mention that we will pick up the Byzantine Empire in our Crusades unit.
2. Give lecture on origins of Islam: from Mohammed’s vision through the basics of the faith
a. Outline:
i. Pre-Islam: prosperity and trade in Arabia created a loss of tribal values, especially sharing and generosity; Arabs had different gods, one with a rite at Mecca; by 7th century some Arabs started worshipping Allah alone. Thought Allah was same god as one worshipped by Jews and Christians.
ii. Mohammed Ibn Abdullah- born in 570 ce in Mecca
iii. Mohammed’s revelation; hijira; battle of Badr.
iv. Five Pillars
HW: Read pages 254-260 in your textbook.
Answer: 1,2 and 5 on page 260.

Day #2
Aim: How did Muslims develop an empire?
1. Hook: Art of the Empire: go to the highlights of the Met's Islamic collection. See the link below. Choose any three pieces of art that you find interesting. Write a short paragraph about what you see and notice about the art work, what you guess its meaning or function might be, and why it interests you. Highlights from the Metropolitan Museum’s Collection on Islamic Arts: http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_Of_Art/collection_database/highlights.aspx?page=1&sort=5&sortdir=&keyword=&fp=1&dd1=14&dd2=35&vw=1
2. Discuss spread of Islamic Empire.
a. Outline:
i. Traditions: Sunni, Shiite, sufi
ii. Reasons for spread of Islam: Byzantine and Persian empires were weak; religious tolerance of the conquered-tax on non-Muslims; unity and equality of believers.
iii. Chronology: death of Mohammed 632 ce; Sunni-Shiite split 656-661 ce; Umayyad Caliphate 661-750 ce; Abbasid Caliphate 750-1258 ce.
3. Map growth of empire in 632 ce, 656 ce and 750 ce using atlas.
4. Read handout “Economy and Society in the Middle East.” Add key products and trade routes to the map.
HW
In your textbook, please read pages 266-272. Answer questions 2-5.
and read “How Islam Won, and Lost, the Lead in Science”
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/30/science/how-islam-won-and-lost-the-lead-in-science.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print
1. Why was it important for medieval Muslims to study astronomy?
2. How did the Muslims use the texts of Greek thinkers? Why would these be useful?
3. List ways that medieval Muslims used science to bolster their religious understanding.
5. Why did Muslims stop emphasizing scientific study? Explain.

Day #3
Aim: What were the cultural achievements of the Abbasid Caliphate?
1. Review homework
2. Show clip of learning in Baghdad (12 minutes) from Islam by PBS.
3. Group jigsaw activity on learning in the Islamic empire (math, arts, medicine, astronomy and science). Have student work in a group of four. Each group gets four articles; each person reads one article and takes notes. They should share with members from their group to answer the question: What were the most significant cultural contributions of Islamic civilization in the Middle Ages?
4. Have each student write a one-page essay for Wikipedia that answers the question: What were the most significant cultural contributions of Islamic civilization in the Middle Ages?
HW: Read pages 289-292 in your textbook. Answer questions 2, 3 and 5.
and read http://www.timbuktufoundation.org/history.html

Day #4
In computer lab:
Case Study: West Africa
How did Islam spread through trade?
Imagine, if you will, that you get to travel to West Africa several times over several different centuries. You will travel to West Africa in the period of the Soninke Empire in Ghana, the Mali Empire, and the Songhai Empire. You will be traveling to one of the wealthiest places on the globe and one of the world’s intellectual capitols. Lucky you!
In this journey, please copy the questions along the way in your notebook, as well as the answers.1. Go to Map of Africa. Find Mali and Timbuktu. What is the capital of modern Mali?
Map of Africa
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/africa_ref02.jpg2. Your task is to discover the answers to the following questions:
What were West Africa's main products of trade?
What were the major trade routes in this region?
How did the kingdom of Ghana become very wealthy?
How did Muslim merchants influence the development of trade in West Africa?
The Salt Mines of the Sahara
http://www.the153club.org/salt.html
Ancient Ghana
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gold/hd_gold.htm3. Your task is to discover answers to the following questions:
What were the origins of Timbuktu?
What was so important about its setting?
How did Timbuktu become a center of learning?
The Geographical Importance of Timbuktu
http://www.timbuktufoundation.org/history.html
History of Timbuktu
http://geography.about.com/cs/worldfacts/a/timbuktu.htm
4. Your task is to discover answers to the following questions:
How did Mansa Musa travel to Mecca?
What decisions did the ruler make about his own realm during and after his pilgrimage?
In what ways was Mali changed as a result of the pilgrimage?
Ancient Mali and Mansa Musa
http://www.history.com/classroom/unesco/timbuktu/mansamoussa.html
5. Your task is to discover answers to the following questions:
What was the Songhai Empire?
What factors made Timbuktu a spiritual and intellectual center of Islam?
Songhai Empire
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/CIVAFRCA/SONGHAY.HTM
Learning in Timbuktu
http://www.history.com/classroom/unesco/timbuktu/goldenage.html
The Islamic Legacy of Timbuktu
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199506/the.islamic.legacy.of.timbuktu.htm
HW: Finish assignment on West Africa if not finished by end of class.

Class #5
In computer lab: Did the Mongols conquer Islam or did Islam conquer the Mongols?
Read the three articles below very carefully. You may need to re-read them before you write. I would suggest that you take careful notes in your notebook. (about 20 minutes)
Write a one-page essay in your notebook that wrestles with the question: Did the Mongols conquer Islam or did Islam conquer the Mongols? Use extensive evidence and examples from the three readings. (about 20 minutes) Please turn in the essay before the end of class.
Il-Khanate Title
http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/mongols/ilkhanate.html
The Mongols and the Mamluks
http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/IHAME/Sec11.htm The Mongols and Islam
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/history/history7_a.htm
HW: Read pages 276-279 in the textbook.
Answer questions 1, 3, 4 and 6 om p. 279.
Also read American Silver, Ottoman Decline
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199203/american.silver.ottoman.decline.htm
Answer in a breif paragraph. How did the discovery of gold and silver in the New World impacy the Ottoman Empire?

Class #6:
Aim: Why does the Abbasid Caliphate fall?
1. Hook: Based on the readings, why are the followings turning points in world history: 1453? 1529? and Potosi’s silver?
2. Short lecture
a. Outline
i. Reasons for the fall of Abbasid Caliphate: fragmentation around 850 ce with independent dynasties in Spain and Egypt; Seljuk Turks move from Central Asia into Middle East-by1055 they controlled Baghdad; in 1099, crusaders from Western Europe began to attach Middle Eastern cities; around 1200, religious dogmatism stifles intellectual creativity; in 1258 Mongols sack Baghdad and kill majority of the population.
ii. Long-term effects of Abbassids: development of Muslim civilization; Arabic becomes the language of Muslims; trade links between Europe, Asia, and Africa.
iii. Growth of Islam (post-Abbasid): the gunpowder empires: the Ottomans, the Safavids, and the Mughals.
3. In groups, create a study review sheet and begin to drill each other.
Quiz on IslamDefinitions: Please define in one sentence.
Caliph
Quran
Hajj
Sunni
Shiite
Sharia
Dar Al-Islam
Mansa Musa
Umayyad Caliphate
Abbassid Caliphate
Timbuktu
Sankore Mosque
gunpowder empires
janissaries
Chronology: Provide the date for the event below and put in the proper order on the timeline.
Mohammed’s death
The Umayyad Caliphate
The Abbassid Caliphate
The Mongol takeover of Baghdad
The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople
Map: Draw the borders of Islamic territory by 632 ce and 750 ce.
Short answer
1. What are the five pillars of Islam?
2. Name three rights provided by the Quran for women.
3. Name three reasons for the Muslims military success in the 7th and 8th centuries.
4. Name three reasons for the fall of the Abbassid Caliphate
5. Explain what is meant by the “Golden Age” of West Africa.
6. How did the arrival of Muslim traders affect West Africa?
7. Name one way that the Mongols conquered Islam in the 13th century, and one way in which Islam conquered. the Mongols.
Short Essay
1. Discuss the cultural achievements of the Abbassid Caliphate in math science, medicine, and art. Discuss why culture and learning blossomed in this period, and at least one achievement in each of the fields above.