Haghia Sophia Constantinople [today's Istanbul] ca. 537 CE [minarets were added after 1453 when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks] |
"Dome of the Rock" Jerusalem, Umayyad dynasty ca. 685 CE |
Read:
- Duiker/Spielvogel: pp. 187-215.
- Christian: pp. 333-363.
- Reilly, vol. I, pp. 221-240, 250-260, 279-283 (Jerry Bentley, "The Spread of World Religions"; "Pliny Consults the Emperor Trajan"; Eusebius, from "Life of Constantine"; from the Qur'an; "Peace Terms with Jerusalem"; Islam: Sayings Ascribed to the Prophet).
Written Assignment 9: Due on email by Monday, 6 pm, March 10. In 4 or 5 paragraphs, answer the following question:
1. What do historians now believe to have been the major reasons for the Arabs’ success in establishing their empire?