1. The Middle East

2. Overview • Mesopotamia, Egypt River Valleys • Akkad, Assyria, Babylon, etc. • Persia • Islamic Empire • Umayyad Dynasty • Abbasid Dynasty • (stretching to India) Delhi Sultanate • Seljuks, Mamluks • Mongols • Ottomans, Safavids, (stretching to India) Mughals

3. Persian Empire • Talking about the O.G. Persians, c. 550 BCE – 330 BCE • Fought Greece a lot • Very tolerant of other faiths • Good imperial bureaucracy

4. Foundation of Islam • Creates a new religion • Quickly spreads via missionary armies • Cultural and linguistic expansion • First trans-regional religion and empire • Ali and Sunni-Shi’a split: first succession problem

5. Umayyad Dynasty • Early Muslim rulers focused on military expansion • Obsessed with booty • Only let Arab Muslims fully share in conquests • Expanded, gathered luxury, but did little to rule effectively

6. Abbasid Dynasty • Overthrow Umayyads by pushing for inclusion • Allow converts and People of the Book to have near equal status • Imperial bureaucracy • Inefficient • Dominated by nobles (vizier) who were Persians, then Seljuk warlords • Weak when conquered by Mongols • Culturally very significant

7. A Few Others • Seljuk Turks • Nomads, moved to Persia and Iraq, became military elite and dominated end of Abbasid Dynasty • Mongols • Conquered, ruled very briefly • Mamluks • Military slaves became elite, took over Egypt and fought back the Mongols

8. Ottomans • Form in Turkey, conquer Byzantines and the disorganized Middle East • Very scary for Europe (land and sea) • Major political problems • Succession conflicts • Janissaries: warrior elites • Conservative religious elements • All prevent adaptation to Europeans, used to Europe as a backwater

9. Safavids • Shi’a counterpart to Ottomans, based in Persia (Iran) • More Persian culture than Arabic • Also “absolute” monarchy with strong warrior elite • Killed by weak rulers, internal conflicts, and pressure from tribal neighbors and Europe

10. Delhi Sultanate • Muslims in control of northern India • Wins some converts to Islam • Former Buddhists (which was attacked) or low-caste Hindus • Sufism • Lots of syncretism, mostly for Islam • Social separation between Muslims and Hindus, Hindus worked in government but not at the very top

11. Mughals • Like two different empires • Akbar • Tolerant, improved Hindu-Muslim relations and women’s rights • Built administrative systems • Successors • Focused on art, luxury, pleasure • Ignored reforms and corruption • Made themselves powerful while hurting the people and the empire