First Exam - Islam and the Middle East Terms

Question 1

Mamluk

Answer 1

Mamluk Caliphate
1260-1517

1259: Baghdad and Abbasid caliphate all to the Mongols	

Cairo was still the capital of the muslim world

The abbasids completely are done at this point

1260: the Mamluks reestablish the caliphate

What is a Mamluk? 

	- Non-muslim slave (Turkik slaves, came from an area in central asia)
	- Bought by the islamic state to be used as warriors
	- Raised to convert to Islam
	- Mamlukes children were ineligible for army
	- Mamlukes were bought as children
	- Raised with the idea that they would convert eventually
	- Reason why they are to CONVERT LATER, is because Muslims cant have muslim slaves 
	- To not convert, they can progress in the military
	- The Mamlukes ultimately, did stage a Coup. 
	- They founded their own dynasty. 

Mamluke Culture

	- in 1260, they had one of the pre-modern military victories
	- A group of 120,000 mamluke soldieers, defeated 10,000 mongol warriors. (This 			is big because they had never beaten them)
	- Mamlukes came from central asia
	- So mamlukes were skilled with archers like the mongols because they had the 			same skill set
	- After the fall of baghdad (when mongols got it), bagdad became a refuge, 			people were fleeing
	- Cairo ended up gettin gthose people and had half a million people
	- The city of Cairo was accepting for the culture that was fleeing from Baghdad, 			essentially cairo became a haven
	- They built these mosques, CURP APPEAL, they gave them curved architecture. 			The "defenders of islam"
	- They fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1517, and that is the end of the Mamlukes 

	Madrasa: the name of the schools, and academys that were developed

Question 2

Saladin

Answer 2

Saladin

He's the one that finished off the Fatimids

Ruler in Egypt and holy lands during the 3rd cruscade

Francis of Assisi (Snuck into his tent during the war to try to convert Saladin to christianity)

Question 3

Druze

Answer 3

Esoteric Religion: Over time the more you practice this religion, you learn more about it and its complexities.

Based on Plato, Aristotle, Akhenaten, and al-Hakim

Monothesitic Relition (One god)

Has elements, judism, christianity, islam, and Gnosticism (Jewish / Christian Mystism), neoplatonism, budism, hinuism

Question 4

Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah

Answer 4

Has a very complicated relt. w other religions

996-1006, first ten years. He posted public curses against the first three caliphs

 	-The first 3 caliphs were not related to mohammad (And Allah Hakim is a shi'ite) 

He rules that christians and jews cant use wine in their ceremonies (The blood of christ)

	-Reason is, Islam forbids alcohol

Christians had to wear an iron cross, and the Jews had to wear a pendant or necklace the shape of a wooden calf (What jews worshiped to satisfy moses etc). This was all for identification

Christians could not celebrate easter 

	- Christian celebration of the resurrection of Christ 
	- apiphomy: When the 3 wise men show up

1007-1012 He removes the curses from the first 3 caliphs

	- Becomes more hostile towards jews and christians
	- Destroyed the Sepulchre (Church beside where Christ was crucified) 1009
	- Destruction of Jerusalem the holy city of Jews

1012-1021

	- He lightens up on the jews and christians, and allows them to practice their own religions
	- Then he again, puts the curses back on the caliphs. This gains him the name "The Mad Caliph"

Question 5

Fatimid Caliphate

Answer 5

Fatimid Caliphate
909-1171

They are a Shi'ite group  (They believe that the caliph should be related to Mohammad)

When they move eastward, they kept changing their capital

Until 969, they find their permanent capital in "Al-Qahira" currently known as (Cairo)

Fatima (Ali is married to Fatima) 1258

	-Becomes the cultural, and economic centre for the entire empire

Question 6

Fatima/ Fatimid Caliphate

Answer 6

Muhammad’s Youngest daughter

Ali, the 4th caliph, married her

Shes not that controversial

Object of admiration and love, and lived with her father. And only member of the fam to 		have kids

There is controversy around her political role though

She supported the first caliph, she died during the reign of the first caliph

She died before Ali became caliph

Shi'ites believe that she opposed the first caliph. And they believe that he 		assaulted her.