Islamic and Asian Empires #2 Flashcards
Hajj
The journey to Mecca to visit Kaaba, the sacred shrine in the Great Mosque of Mecca. Each Muslim is expected to make this pilgrimage once in their lives.
Mecca
The holy city that each Muslim should pilgrim to once in their life.
Istanbul
Capital of the Ottoman Empire
Gunpowder Empire
The Ottoman Empire was known as the “Gunpowder Empire.” They conquered territory because of their military force, janissaries. Their knowledge of weapons aided them in becoming so powerful, as they were able to overpower all the other empires who didn’t know as much or have as large weapons or armies.
Minarets
Each of Sinan’s 81 mosques was framed with four towers, known as minarets.
Calligraphy
One of the key elements of Islamic art. It was writing in the architecture, and was normally in Arabic, to symbolize the religious importance of the building, instead of the language spoken in the country.
Aniconic
The absence of representing religious features as human and living creatures. It’s the absence of idols or images.
Babur
Founder of the Mughal Empire. His father was the great Asian conquer Timur Lenk, and after he died, Babur inherited a part of his empire. He used those troops to begin his empire.
Akbar
Babur’s grandson, who was only 14 when he became king. By 1605, he had taken over most of India. He used heavy artillery to create what appeared to be a highly centralized empire, but was actually a collection of semi-independent states held together by the emperor’s power. He’s known for his humane character and his extreme religious tolerance. He showed a keen interest in other religions and married a Hindu. He allowed Jesuit advisors at his court and filled the lower-ranking government official positions with Hindus. Trade also flourished during the Akbar era.
Zamindar
The lower-ranking officials who were normally Hindus, after Akbar started giving them the positions. They received farmland while they were serving, and their salaries were a portion of the peasant’s taxes, the rest of which they were excepted to turn into the government. The had considerable amounts of power in their local districts.
Religious Tolerance
Akbar was extremely religiously tolerant.
Shah Jahan
Built the Taj Mahal for his wife. Reigned 1628 to 1658 and kept the previous emperor’s political systems. He expanded the empire by successful campaigning in the Deccan Plateau. The majority of his subjects lived in poverty, because Shah Jahan continued to spend extreme amounts despite inheriting a basically empty treasury. This forced him to raise taxes. He was imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb, who then took power.
Taj Mahal
The Mughals were able to bring Persian and Indian styles together in art. This is best shown in the Taj Mahal, which is built in Agra in the mid 1800s. To finance it, land taxes were raised and people were put in complete poverty. It’s considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
Aurangzeb
Ruled from 1658 - 1707. Imprisoned his father, Shah Jahan, so he could take power. He continued to expand territory so that the empire reached its greatest extent. He reversed almost all religious tolerance and forbade new Hindu temples from being built, leading to revolts against him by Hindus. The Maratha fought against him from 1680 - 1707 and Aurangzeb was unsuccessful in the Hindu Empire. He’s known for his strict ways of ruling and his strict religious policies.
Yong Le
The son of the founder of the Ming Dynasty. To prove he was worthy of ruling, Yong Le built large monuments, strengthened the Great Wall of China, and restored Chinese authority over Vietnam. He began construction of the Imperial City (Forbidden City) in Beijing in 1406, and moved the Capital from Nanjing to Beijing in 1412, when it was far along. He sent a series of naval voyages into the Indian Ocean, some of which even reached the eastern coast of Africa. Items that the Chinese were then unaware of were brought back, as well as new information of the rest of the world.
