OLLI Workshop: Critical Historical Periods in the Middle East
Leader: Theo Pavlidis (t.pavlidis@ieee.org)
Handout No. 5 - March 1, 2010
Worskshop Timeline versus Historical Timeline
State of the Middle East around 630: The Roman and Persian empires were exhausted after a 30 year mutually destructive war. The Romans (Byzantines) were also torn by religious strife. The losing sects (Nestorians and Monophysites) were centered in Syria and Egypt.
Topic of the Fifth Meeting: The Rise of Islam and the Arab Caliphate during 600-1000. (Lecture Material in: http://www.theopavlidis.com/MidEast/part25.htm)
Main bibliographical references: Gibbon [EG, Chapter L], Lewis [BL95], and Wright [Wr09] (for religious issues).
Visuals for Fifth Meeting
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Arab Empire under the immediate successors of Muhammad (Rashidun empire). The areas of the Arab Empire are in black overlayed on a map that shows the boundaries and names of modern countries. The location of the cities of Mecca and Medina is approximate. Adapted from |
