medieval
Islam
During all Middle Ages, the Islamic
religion develops with the liking of the territorial conquests. This expansion
of Islam gives rise to a true empire
and to a brilliant civilization: civilization arabo-Moslem woman. Art,
architecture, the literature, sciences make extraordinary great strides then.
The EXPANSION OF ISLAM
Mahomet and first caliphs
Islam is propagated from the very start
of the
vii E century with the conquests of the Mahomet prophet,
who seizes most of the Arabique peninsula. After its death in 632, the
territories controlled by the Moslems are controlled by the "successor of
Mahomet" (in Arabic khalifa, become "French caliph"). The
capacity of the caliph is political than religious as much.
The first four caliphs, whom one calls the "well
guided" caliphs, reign from 632 to 661. During this period, the Moslem
armies invade the remainder of the peninsula Arabique, part of Egypt, of Libya,
of Turkey and Georgia, but also Syria, Iraq, Iran and Arménie of today.
Empire of Omeyyades (661-750)
In 661, Mu' awiya, the fifth caliph,
melts the dynasty of Omeyyades, which settles in Damas (in current Syria), and continues the
expansion of Islam. In the east, the armies omeyyades seize the Central Asia,
of Afghanistan, of Pakistan and part of India current; they are stopped at the
borders of China. In the west, Omeyyades continue to extend their empire in
North Africa, to the Atlantic, then invade Spain. They go then on France, where
they are demolished into 732 per Charles Martel (the grandfather of
Charlemagne).
Large conquerors, Omeyyades are also of
large administrators and large builders. It is them which built the Large
Mosque of Damas and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, for example.
Gradually however, dissatisfaction grows
inside their empire. A civil war bursts and is concluded, into 750, by the
inversion of the dynasty of Omeyyades. The dynasty of Abbassides succeeds to
him.
Empire of Abbassides (750-1258)
Arrived at the capacity into 750, Abbassides
transfer their capital in Iraq from
today. The first caliphs establish a solid capacity equipped with a very
developed administration. The second, Abu Jaffar Al-Mansur, melt into 762 the
town of Baghdad, which becomes the capital of Abbassides.
Under the caliphate of Haroun Al-Rashid,
which reigns from 786 to 809, Baghdad becomes one of largest and the richest
cities of the world. Each day, of the caravans abounding in invaluable goods
arrive of the four corners of the empire and the close countries: objects in
ironwork of Spain, perfumes of Egypt, spices of India, silk of China, etc. The
Empire abbasside is made of a mosaic of cultures: Arabs, Berber or Kurdish, of
Moslem confession, Jewish or Christian.
The creation of autonomous States
If Abbassides remain with the capacity
until the medium of the xiii E century, their
empire émiette gradually. Autonomous States, more or less powerful, appear in
various provinces:
? in Spain, the last one going down from Omeyyades (which has escaped with the
massacre of its family) melts an emirate with Cordoue to the
viii E century, which becomes
the caliphate of Cordoue to X E century;
? in Morocco, the dynasty of Idrissides is born to
the viii E century;
? in Egypt, the dynasty of Fatimides melts an independent caliphate with X E
century;
? to Baghdad even, in 953, the political power passes to the hands of an
Iranian dynasty, Buyides. The caliphs abbassides do not have any more since the
religious capacity.
In the medium of the xi E century, Buyides of Baghdad are reversed
by the Seldjoukides Turks, who move the capital with Ispahan
(in Iran of today). Descendants of a
tribe of Central Asia, those migrated to the Middle East to the ix E
century and converted with Islam. They quickly take the control of many
provinces of the Moslem empire.
Vis-a-vis this rise to power of Islam, the
emperor byzantin (who fixes his capital in Constantinople, today Istanbul in
Turkey) request assistance of the Christians of Occident, who launch out in a
holy war against the Moslems: it is the beginning of the
Christian crusades (1095-1270). At
the end of the xii E century, the cross ones run up against
the resistance of Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria.
Then, in 1258, the Mongolian hordes of
Gengis Kahn break on Baghdad, put it at bag and kill the last caliph abbasside.
At the same time, the Empire ottoman appears in current Turkey. Moslems, the
sultans ottomans become soon very powerful, at the point to seize
Constantinople in 1453, which becomes their capital under the name of Istanbul.
A BRILLIANT CIVILIZATION
Art and architecture
Civilization arabo-Moslem woman is
characterized by her art and its architecture. The Moslem architects make a
significant use of the arches and domes.
The mosques (places of worship), the
palates, the public buildings and the rich person residences are decorated
inside and outside. These ornamentations, made
mosaics, reliefs in painted
stucco and of wood, include/understand geometrical reasons, arabesques
and
penmanship (a very stylized writing).
The language and literature
Coran (the crowned book of the Moslems) having
been revealed in Arabic, all the Moslems must be able to read it in this
language. Consequently, the Arab language develops and becomes also the language of the
administration, the literature, the right, etc.
Under Abbassides, the Arab scholars gather
the books which they find with the four corners of the empire; they bring them
to Baghdad (but also in Cordoue), where they are translated into Arabic. This
immense company of translation covers all the
disciplines: poetry with mathematics while passing by the tales, as L are Thousand
and One Nights.
Among the thousands of books collected to
be translated works of the Greek philosophers are, for the majority also
mathematicians, doctors, astronomers, geographers or historians. These
translated works are copied to be diffused in all the Moslem empire. Later, of
the Christians (often of the monks) translate them in their turn of Arabic:
thus the texts of the writers and erudite Greek were known Europeans.
Scientific progress
The scientists arabo-Moslems are at the
origin of major scientific discoveries. Persan
Avicenne writes the Gun of the doctor E (counting all medical
knowledge of the time), who becomes
a reference in the universities of the Middle East and Europe.
The scholars develop their own sky
charts. Many stars kept their Arab name (like Alcor). They study also Indian
mathematics. They borrow to
them the figures from 1 to 9 and introduce
the zero. Thanks to this
invention, they melt the decimal system which is spread in the whole world.
These figures are those which we use today (and that we call besides "Arab numerals ").
