religion & politics: prophets, schisms & the...
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The Four “Rightly Guided” Caliphs, c. 632-661 CE
Onward...
Religion & Politics: Prophets, Schisms & the Umma
The Sassanians of Ctesiphon, Iraq, c. 225 through 650 CE)
The Achaemenids of Persepolis, Iran, c. 510 BCE through 325 BCE)
Beginning of Islamic calendar, Arabian Peninsula, 622 CE
Dissemination of Islam, c. 632-660: Syria, Iraq, parts of Iran, parts of North Africa
The Umayyads of Damascus, 661-750 CE
Birth of Muhammad, c. 570 CE
The Abbasids of Baghdad & Samarra, 750-c.1253 CE
Three Principal Goals for Topic 1
1. The Inheritance of Islam - regional context
2. Islam as a political system - “conquest”
3. How we know what we know - the generation of “knowledge”
Islam as a political system - “conquest”
Karbala
Palmyra
Ctesiphon
Persepolis
Jerusalem
The Inheritance of Islam - regional context
EgyptGreat Temple of Hatshepsut. Deir
el Bahri, Egypt. C. 1465 BCE
Great Temple of Amun. Karnak, Egypt.C. 1465 BCE
The Inheritance of Islam - regional context
Islam on the “Silk Road” & the Indian Ocean
Networks of the Pre-Modern World
The Inheritance of Islam - regional context
“Middle East”: Legacies of Greeks and Romans
Corinthian Temple (“Maison carée”). Nîmes, France. Dedicated 4 CE.
© Alka Patel 2016
Temple of Ba'alshamin. Palmyra, Syria.1st-2nd centuries CE.
Legacies of Greeks and Romans IntegratedCorinthian Temple (“Maison carée”).
Nîmes, France. Dedicated 4 CE.© Alka Patel 2016
The Inheritance of Islam - regional context
“Middle East”: Legacies of Greeks and RomansPalmyra, Syria: Monumental Arcade c. 2nd century CE
Romans in Syria by 1st century CE
How we know what we know - the generation of “knowledge”Multiple “Pasts” & “Presents”
How we know what we know - the generation of “knowledge”Multiple “Pasts” & “Presents”
Louis VignesTwo-part panorama featuring Colonnade Street, 1864. Albumen print. 8.8 x 11.4 in. (22.5 x 29 cm), each
print. The Getty Research Institute, 2015.R.15
Colonnade Street with plan. Jean-Baptiste Liénard Lepagelet after Louis-François Cassas. Etching. From Voyage pittoresque de la Syrie, de la Phoénicie, de la Palestine, et de la Basse Egypte (Paris, ca. 1799), vol. 1, pl. 53. The Getty Research Institute, 840011
Multiple “Pasts” & “Presents”
How we know what we know - the generation of “knowledge”
Plan of the Temple of Bel. Charles-Nicolas Varin after Louis-François Cassas. Etching. From Voyage pittoresque de la Syrie, de la Phoénicie, de la Palestine, et de la Basse
Egypte (Paris, ca. 1799), vol. 1, pl. 28. The Getty Research Institute, 840011
Multiple “Pasts” & “Presents”
The Inheritance of Islam - regional context
Multiple “Pasts” & “Presents”
© Los Angeles Times 2015
Louis Vignes (1831-1896). Views and panoramas of Beirut and the ruins of Palmyra, 1864.
How we know what we know - the generation of “knowledge”
Taq-i-Kisra. Ctesiphon, near Baghdad, Iraq. Mid-6th century CE.
The Sassanians: Iran &Iraq
The Inheritance of Islam - regional context
Taq-i-Kisra. Ctesiphon, near Baghdad, Iraq. Mid-6th century CE.
Rome: Arch of Constantine: south side, 312-315 CE.
Multiple “Pasts” & “Presents”
The Prophet’s House and Mosque. Madina, Saudi Arabia. C. 622-30.RECONSTRUCTION
The Prophet’s House and Mosque. Madina, Saudi Arabia. Founded 622-30.
Multiple “Pasts” & “Presents”
The Prophet’s House and Mosque. Madina, Saudi Arabia. C. 622-30.RECONSTRUCTION
Initial orientation toward Jerusalem, then toward Mecca
How we know what we know - the generation of “knowledge”
The Ka’aba. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Pre-Islamic-present day.
Pilgrimage to Mecca (Ar. hajj)
Islam as a political system - “conquest”
The Ka’aba. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Pre-Islamic-present day.
Cevahir al-Ghavaib: Tercüme-i Bahr al-Acaib. Commissioned by Sultan Murad III (r. 1574-95); written by Mustafa Cenabi: the Ka'ba at Mecca,
c. 1582
Multiple “Pasts” & “Presents”
How we know what we know - the generation of “knowledge”
The Ka’aba. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Pre-Islamic-present day.
Multiple “Pasts” & “Presents”
Politico-Religious Islam: Sunnis and Shi‘as
Lived Islam: the Five Pillars* (Ar. arkan al-Islam or arkan al-din)
Declaration of Faith (Ar. shahada)*
Daily Prayers (Ar. salah)
Giving of Alms (Ar. zakat)
Fasting during Ramadan/Ramzan (Ar. sawm)
Pilgrimage to Mecca (Ar. hajj)
Imam Husain Shrine. Karbala, Iraq. Founded c. 690.
Politico-religious Islam: Shi‘ism
Politics & ReligionMotivating factors behind patronage
1. The Inheritance of Islam - regional context
2. Islam as a political system - “conquest”
3. How we know what we know - the generation of “knowledge”