HIST131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Mihrab, Karbala, Caliphate
31 Aug 2016
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Document Summary
Ulama are the clerics (not really good term) of islam closest analogy is rabbis. Interpret faith and provide guidance but there is not hierarchy. Derived from arabic term for knowing and learning. Mihrab prayer niche in direction of mecca. Minbar pulpit (to the right of the mihrab) A place to cleanse yourself in order to purify yourself spiritually (people use sand if in the desert) symbolic state of purity. Create a haram mini sanctuary, sacred space. Not like a church, more of a social space as well as religiously devotional space. Fought byzantines but unable to bring down constantinople for many years; more successful taking down sussanians arabs took over created new empire. Map looks big but, huge parts of interior of saudi arabia and iran that are uninhabited; real control was in nile valley and sliver along coast in north, so power not evenly distributed. First capital was damascus in syria (661-750) and ummayad dynasty emerged.
