Spread of Islamic Culture | World History | Khan Academy

Summary

This video script explores the rapid spread of Islam in the early seventh century, its cultural integration through trade, missionary work, and pilgrimage routes. It highlights the transformation of Islamic architecture in various regions, such as the Great Mosque of Xian blending Islamic and Chinese elements, the Grand Mosque of Djenne incorporating Malian traditions, and the Cheraman Juma Mosque reflecting Indian influence. The discussion also touches on the role of Sufism in spreading Islam, with examples of Ribats, Zawiyas, and Hankas serving as community and worship centers along trade routes.

Takeaways

• 🕌 The video discusses the cultural spread of Islam starting from the early 7th century, highlighting the rapid expansion of the Islamic world after the death of Muhammad in 633.
• 🌍 The Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia were two powerful empires during this period, which were in tension and experienced instability, providing a backdrop for the rise of Islam.
• 📚 The spread of Islam was facilitated through Islamic conquests and the influence of trade routes, missionaries, and pilgrimage routes emanating from Mecca.
• 🏛 The Great Mosque of Xi'an in China exemplifies the fusion of Islamic and Chinese architectural ideas, showing how Islamic culture integrated with local traditions.
• 🕋 The Grand Mosque of Djenne in Mali incorporates Malian traditions into Islamic architecture, such as the use of ostrich eggs symbolizing purity and fertility.
• 🛤 The Silk Road played a significant role in the dissemination of Islamic ideas, which evolved as they moved through different regions.
• 🏰 Sufism, a mystical devotional practice within Islam, contributed to the spread of Islam by adapting to local traditions and establishing lodges and places of worship along trade and pilgrimage routes.
• 🏰 Ribats and Zawiyas served as hostels, monasteries, and places of learning for Sufis, creating a permanent presence for Islam along the routes and aiding in its spread.
• 🕌 The Cheraman Juma Mosque in South India, dating back to 629, is an early example of the rapid spread of Islam and its adaptation to Indian culture.
• 🌐 The spread of Islam beyond the heart of the Islamic empire led to diverse iterations of Islamic traditions, influenced by local cultures and practices.

Q & A

What is the historical context of the early seventh century that the script refers to?

The script refers to the early seventh century as a time when the Byzantine Empire, which was the continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire, and Sassanid Persia were powerful empires in tension with each other, leading to struggles and instability.

What significant event in 628 is mentioned in the script that affected Sassanid Persia?

The script mentions that in 628, there was an event that led to a lot of instability within Sassanid Persia, although it does not specify the exact event.

Who is Muhammad and why is he significant in the context of the script?

Muhammad is the founder of Islam, and his birth in Arabia is significant because it marks the emergence of a new religion that spread rapidly through Islamic conquests during his lifetime and immediately after.

How did the spread of Islam change the political landscape by 750 according to the script?

By 750, Islam had spread and taken over most of Persia and a large part of the Byzantine Empire, extending its influence further east and west, including Spain.

What is the difference between the spread of Islamic rulers and Islamic culture as mentioned in the script?

The script distinguishes between the rapid spread of Islamic rulers through conquests and the slower integration of Islamic culture, which took hold in areas over time through trade, missionaries, and pilgrimage routes.

How did trade routes, such as the Silk Road, influence the spread of Islam and cultural exchange?

Trade routes facilitated the movement of people and ideas, allowing Islamic religious concepts to spread and transform as they encountered local cultures along the way.

What is the significance of the Great Mosque at Xian in terms of cultural fusion?

The Great Mosque at Xian is significant because it fuses Islamic and Chinese architectural ideas, maintaining the structure of an imperial building while being oriented towards Mecca for Muslim prayer.

What is unique about the Grand Mosque of Djenne in terms of local cultural expression?

The Grand Mosque of Djenne is unique because it incorporates Malian traditions into Islamic architecture, such as the use of ostrich eggs on minarets, symbolizing purity and fertility in Malian culture.

What role did Sufis play in the spread of Islam and how did they adapt to local cultures?

Sufis played a significant role in spreading Islam by adapting their teachings to local traditions and building lodges and places of worship, like Ribats and Zawiyas, that served as community centers and monasteries along trade and pilgrimage routes.

How did the Cheraman Juma Mosque in Kerala, India, demonstrate the early spread of Islam?

The Cheraman Juma Mosque, dating back to 629, demonstrates the early spread of Islam as it was constructed during the life of the Prophet Muhammad and represents a distinctly Indian interpretation of a mosque.

What is the significance of the Hanka in the spread of Islamic tradition in former Persian and Indian territories?

The Hanka, exemplified by the Shah Hamdan mosque in Kashmir, is significant as it represents a place of worship and learning that also served as a site for spreading Islamic tradition, incorporating local architectural styles and craftsmanship.

Outlines

00:00

🕌 Early Islamic Expansion and Cultural Integration

This paragraph discusses the early seventh-century setting, highlighting the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia as powerful yet aging entities in tension with each other. It notes the emergence of Islam with the birth of Muhammad in Arabia and the rapid spread of the religion following his death in 633. By 750, Islamic conquests had significantly expanded, encompassing most of Persia and the Byzantine Empire, extending to Spain. The paragraph emphasizes that while political control was swift, the cultural integration of Islamic traditions with local cultures took longer and occurred through trade, missionary work, and pilgrimage routes, particularly from Mecca. The Great Mosque of Xian is highlighted as an example of the fusion of Islamic and Chinese architectural ideas.

05:01

🛕 The Global Reach of Islamic Architectural Influence

The second paragraph delves into the global reach of Islamic architectural influence, starting with the Grand Mosque of Djenne in Mali, which incorporates Malian traditions into Islamic design, such as the use of ostrich eggs symbolizing purity and fertility. The discussion then moves to South India, focusing on the Cheraman Juma Mosque, one of the earliest mosques dating back to 629, reflecting the swift spread of Islam through preachers. Sufism is introduced as a mystical devotional practice that played a significant role in spreading Islam by adapting to local traditions and establishing lodges and places of worship, such as Ribats and Zawiyas, which served as community and monastic centers. The paragraph concludes with an example of a Hanka in Kashmir, the Shah Hamdan mosque, showcasing the local flavor in Islamic architecture and its role in spreading Islamic traditions beyond the heart of the Islamic empire.

Keywords

💡Cultural Spread

Cultural spread refers to the process by which cultural elements, such as beliefs, practices, and ideas, are disseminated across different regions and populations. In the video, the cultural spread of Islam is the central theme, illustrating how Islam rapidly expanded through conquests and integration with local cultures, as evidenced by the various architectural styles of mosques mentioned in the script.

💡Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. In the context of the video, the Byzantine Empire represents one of the powerful entities of the time, which was in tension with Sassanid Persia and later significantly impacted by the rise of Islam.

💡Sassanid Persia

Sassanid Persia, also known as the Sassanian Empire, was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, starting in the 3rd century and lasting until the 7th century. The script mentions its struggles with the Byzantine Empire and its eventual conquest by Islamic forces, highlighting the empire's historical significance in the narrative of Islamic expansion.

💡Muhammad

Muhammad is the founder of Islam and is regarded by Muslims as the last prophet sent by God. His birth in Arabia and the subsequent spread of Islam during and after his lifetime are pivotal to the video's theme, illustrating the origins and rapid expansion of the Islamic faith.

💡Islamic Conquests

Islamic Conquests refer to the military campaigns led by the early Muslims to expand the territory under Islamic rule. The script discusses how these conquests facilitated the swift spread of Islam, resulting in the vast territorial gains depicted by the year 750.

💡Trade Routes

Trade routes are the paths used for the exchange of goods and ideas between different regions. In the script, the continuation of the Silk Road and its significance in the dissemination of Islamic culture and the fusion of ideas through trade are highlighted, emphasizing the role of commerce in cultural exchange.

💡Great Mosque of Xi'an

The Great Mosque of Xi'an is an example of architectural fusion between Islamic and Chinese influences. The script notes its structure resembling an imperial building and its orientation towards Mecca, illustrating the integration of Islamic practices with local architectural styles.

💡Grand Mosque of Djenne

The Grand Mosque of Djenne, located in Mali, is the world's largest mud brick building and represents the incorporation of Malian traditions into Islamic architecture. The script mentions the use of ostrich eggs, symbolizing purity and fertility in Malian culture, on the minarets, showcasing the local cultural expressions within Islamic religious structures.

💡Cheraman Juma Mosque

The Cheraman Juma Mosque in Kerala, South India, is one of the earliest mosques, dating back to 629. The script highlights its Indian architectural features and its establishment during the life of the Prophet Muhammad, indicating the rapid spread of Islam and its adaptation to local Indian traditions.

💡Sufism

Sufism is a mystical and devotional practice within Islam, characterized by a quest for a deeper, personal connection with the divine. The script discusses how Sufis were successful in spreading Islam by adapting teachings to local traditions and establishing lodges and places of worship, such as Ribats and Zawiyas, which served as community centers and monasteries.

💡Hanka

A Hanka, as mentioned in the script in relation to the Shah Hamdan mosque in Kashmir, is a type of Islamic religious building that also served as a place of learning and interaction. The script describes the Hanka as having local architectural elements, such as intricate wood carvings, and as a site for spreading Islamic tradition beyond the heart of the Islamic empire.

Highlights

The discussion is about the cultural spread of Islam starting from the early seventh century.

The Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia were two powerful empires in tension with each other.

The year 628 led to significant instability within Sassanid Persia.

The Byzantine Empire was weakened by the resources exhausted in conflicts with Sassanid Persia.

Islam emerged as a new religion in Arabia, spreading rapidly through Islamic conquests.

Muhammad's death in 633 marked the beginning of Islam's rapid expansion.

By 750, the Islamic world had expanded significantly, including most of Persia and parts of the Byzantine Empire.

Islamic culture did not immediately take hold in all conquered areas but integrated slowly with local cultures.

Trade, missionary work, and pilgrimage routes facilitated the spread and integration of Islamic culture.

The Great Mosque at Xian in China fuses Islamic and Chinese architectural ideas.

The Grand Mosque of Djenne in Mali incorporates Malian traditions into Islamic architecture.

The Cheraman Juma Mosque in Kerala, India, is one of the earliest mosques, dating back to 629.

Sufism played a significant role in spreading Islam by adapting teachings to local traditions and building places of worship.

Ribats and Zawiyas served as hostels, monasteries, and places of learning for Sufis.

Hankas, like the Shah Hamdan mosque in Kashmir, were places of worship and interaction that spread Islamic tradition.

The spread of Islam resulted in diverse iterations of Islamic traditions beyond the heart of the Islamic empire.

Transcripts

- [David] Hi Eman.

- [Eman] Hi David.

- [David] So what we're gonna do in this video

is talk about the cultural spread of Islam.

Where are we and when are we right now?

- [Eman] So we are around the early seventh century,

- [David] Okay

- [Eman] And here we see the Byzantine empire,

which, at the time was still a continuation of Rome,

so this is like the eastern roman empire,

- [David] Right.

- [Eman] and it's an aging empire and we also have

Sassanid Persia which started in the third century

and is still continuing into this period.

- [David] Right, so we've got on the timeline

it's going beyond our start point here.

- [Eman] Yep. So these are two very powerful empires who often

are in tension with one another.

As you can see they neighbor each other.

And around this time

they're involved in some pretty powerful struggles here.

- [David] Right. So in 628 it leads to a lot of instability

within Sassanid Persia.

- [Eman] Certainly, and in some ways as well the Byzantines

are weakened by how many resources

they've exhausted in these tensions.

So around this time, a new religion emerges.

Muhammad is born in Arabia, and pretty soon

during his lifetime and immediately after his lifetime,

the religion of Islam spreads rapidly

through Islamic conquests, which Saul talked about

in an earlier video.

- [David] I mean, just to give you an impression,

Muhammad died in the year 633?

- [Eman] Yes.

- [David] So by 750, this is what

the state of the Islamic world looked like.

- [Eman] They took over most of Persia and a large part

of the Byzantine empire, as we can see

and then even beyond, it goes further east,

further west, all the way over to Spain.

And this happens really really quickly,

but it's not the case that Islamic culture

necessarily takes in all of these areas that quickly.

So it takes a little bit longer for that to really

take hold, and it also takes hold in areas

far beyond this empire as well.

So certainly the presence of Islamic or Muslim rulers

in these areas certainly did affect

the culture of these places.

But what's more important is sort of the ways

in which Islam slowly integrated

with some of these cultures.

And that happened through trade, through missionaries,

and also through pilgramage routes that happened,

emanating out from Mecca.

And these religious ideas weren't static.

As they moved through different areas

and as they moved through different routes,

they changed and they started to take the shape

of the local culture and the local flavor as well.

- [David] So let me pull up some trade routes.

These were the active trade routes of the period.

And you can see this is a continuation of the silk road.

It goes all the way from Rome to China.

This is Xian, which was then known as Chang'an.

This is the imperial capital of at least

ten different Chinese dynasties.

There's also a very large mosque here.

- [Eman] So here we have the great mosque at Xian,

and what's really interesting about this mosque

is that it really fuses a lot of

Islamic and Chinese ideas.

So for example, it still sort of has the structure

of an imperial building, and the way

that the courtyards are set up.

- [David] Sure.

- [Eman] But instead of following sort of the rules of

Feng Shui, it is oriented towards Mecca,

which is the direction in which Muslims look when they pray.

But it still has a very Chinese character.

- [David] Right.

- [Eman] And this makes sense because these trade routes

basically had to go through the Islamic empire.

And so as people traveled, so did ideas.

And those ideas transformed along the way.

- [David] What's next on our whistle stop tour, Eman?

- [Eman] Let's look at the mosque in Djenne.

- [David] Okay. So Djenne is in what is today, Mali,

just south of Timbuktu or Tombuktu as it's called today.

So it was a great center of Islamic learning.

And in Djenne is the site of the world's largest

mud brick building, the grand mosque of Djenne.

Let me pull it up.

It's a really incredible building

that gets a lot of elements of Malian culture.

So this is the grand mosque of Djenne,

this is a mud brick building.

We have an article about this on Khan Academy

in the art history section.

What's really cool to me about the grand mosque of Djenne

is the way that is incorporates Malian traditions

into Islamic tradition.

So you can see on top of these spires,

some of these spires are minarets, from which issue

the call to prayer.

You can't see them as detailed,

but there are little ostrich eggs on top of

- [Eman] Ostrich eggs?

- [David] Yeah, in Mali, ostrich eggs represent

purity and fertility.

And so even within the constraints of building

a religious building, there's still expressions

of local culture.

- [Eman] Yeah, and it's really interesting how that

spread through trade, but it also spread another way,

which is through pilgramage, through missionaries,

through preachers, and that also took on

the local traditions in interesting ways.

So let's go to southern,

to South India.

- [David] Okay.

- [Eman] Near Kerala.

- [David] So this is the Cheraman Juma mosque.

This is supposed to be one

of the earliest mosques in history.

It's construction dates to about 630.

- [Eman] Yep, 629 to be precise.

- [David] Thank you.

- [Eman] This was actually during the life of the prophet,

and it's quite far from Mecca,

so it's really fascinating how quickly it traveled there.

But it traveled with a preacher

and as you can see, this is a very distinctly Indian mosque.

Another way that Islam traveled through preachers

was through Sufis.

So let's talk about Sufis for just a minute.

- [David] Sure.

- [Eman] Sufis were like a mystical devotional practice,

and we see many iterations of Sufism

in all different sects of Islam.

But they were particularly successful

at spreading Islam for a few reasons.

One of them was that they adapted the teachings

to local traditions.

And another reason was that they built lodges

and places of worship along the way.

And these sometimes function like community centers

and monasteries.

So let's have a look at a couple of them.

- [David] Sure.

- [Eman] Let's look at some North African ones.

- [David] So this is a Ribat in Tunisia.

- [Eman] Yes, so a Ribat is kind of like a hostel,

you have travelers staying there.

Early on in their history,

there were soldiers that stayed there.

Over time, they sort of took on

a monastery culture for Sufis.

We also have something called a Zawiya.

So here is an example of one.

And similarly this was a place of learning,

it was a place of worship.

People often lived there for a long time,

so they sort of have this monastic tradition

that created a permanent presence for Islam

along these routes.

And this was really really integral in the spread of Islam.

And it's not just in North Africa, but even farther east,

you see different iterations of that.

So once you get into former Persian territory and

in Indian territory you have something called a Hanka.

So here's an example from Kashmir.

This is called the Shah Hamdan mosque.

And it's a fourteenth century mosque.

And this is a commemorative building,

it commemorates an important Sufi leader.

But again, you see some of the local flavor here.

You see that there's some intricate wood carvings,

which is really,

- [David] Very Kashmir-y

- [Eman] Very Kashmir-y, certainly.

And similarly this was a place of worship

but also a place where people passed through

and interacted and learned.

So it was a site of spreading Islamic tradition as well.

- [David] So that was about,

sorry I should have said, that was about here in Srinagar.

- [Eman] Yes, about there.

- [David] Yeah and so, in this way Islam was also spread.

- [Eman] Certainly.

Let's have a look at sort of the bounds

of the Islamic empire.

- [David] Sure.

- [Eman] And where we see some of these instances

of new Islamic traditions were no longer

in the heart of the Islamic empire.

We're beyond that.

And that's because Islam was carried in many different ways.

And as we can see it ended up with some

really really diverse iterations of Islam.