Notes on Islamic Civilization

Chapter 7: Abbasid Decline and the Spread of Islamic Civilization to South and Southeast Asia

Main Ideas / Questions
Record for Review
The Islamic Heartlands in the
During his reign from 775 to 785, al-Mahdi had tried to
Middle and Late Abbasid Era consolidate its relationship with the Shi’ites, but had failed.

Harun al-Rashid ascended the throne from 786-809.
Imperial Extravagance and
The tales of The Thousand and One Nights was set in
Succession Disputes
Baghdad during Harun’s rule. After al-Rashid’s death, the first civil

war had occurred and it persuaded the sons of al-Ma’mun (813-

833) to build armies.

In 846, slave merchants killed the caliph and put on of his

sons to the throne. Four more caliphs were killed/poisoned by the

mercenaries (who struggled for control and was a problem for the

government.
Imperial Breakdown and
Needed a lot of money for slaves to construct buildings, but
Agrarian Disorder the taxes led to destructive/abandoned villages.

Bandit gangs and vagabonds were formed from the damage

done by having to tax too much.
The Declining Position of
The harem and the veil were the emblems worn by women.
Women in the Family and
Wives and concubines of the caliphs were restricted to
Society
several places of the palace.

Many of the slaves were either captured or purchased; the

caliphs spent more time with slave concubines.

Veils are worn to resist lures/temptations of women.

Married at the age of puberty (about 9)
Nomadic Incursions and the
The caliphal power could not stop the loss of territory and
Eclipse of the Caliphal Power some areas around Egypt, for an example had broke away from

the Abbasid empire.

In 945, the Buyids of Persia (armies from former land) had

attacked the capital and took over them as sultans.

The Seljuk Turks had taken over the empire in 1055. They

got rid of the Shi’ite influence and defeated the Byzantines’ empire

(expanding the