The Expansion of Muslim Rule

1. The Expansion of Muslim Rule • Expansion was to the eastward to central Asia • The emphasis was on the trading centers • Expansion was also westward • Muslim rule expanded over north Africa to the Iberian • peninsula, and further into Spain • From Spain the Muslims pushed into Europe but were stopped by the Christians • The Battle of Tours in 732 marks last Muslim push into Europe Expansion Under the Umayyads

2. The Expansion of Muslim Rule • Umayyad government was a system of departments and agencies that carry out the work of the government • To rule foreign peoples the caliphs appointed Muslim governors called emirs and these emirs relied on local clan leaders to help them govern • Language was a barrier at first in the attempts to unify Umayyad rule because people in different parts of the empire spoke their own language • Abd al-Malik solved this problem by declaring Arabic the language of government for all Muslim lands • The empire was further unified by the introduction of a common coinage. These coins were engraved with Arabic quotations from the Qur’an How did the Umayyad’s build a unified empire?

4. The Overthrow of the Umayyads What caused the Muslim Empire to split? • By the mid 700’s the Umayyad Empire faced major challenged to their rule • Some felt that the Umayyads did not take their duties as leaders of Islam seriously • Many accused the Umayyads of being too interested in living a life of luxury and holding on to power • Over time, different groups began to protest Umayyad rule

5. The Overthrow of the Umayyads • The Abbasids gained the support from Muslims who opposed Umayyad rule • By 750 the Abbasids had gained power • The Abbasids invited the Umayyad leaders to discuss their differences and when they arrived they were all murdered • Abd al-Rahman escaped and fled to Spain where he reestablished Umayyad rule. From this point forward Muslim rule was split between eastern and western sections The Abbasids Abbasid Art