World History Blog

In chapter 9, Strayer discusses the world of Islam as a whole. Islam after the Classical Era was very large and influential. It united with much of Afro-Eurasia and was influential internal and externally. Islam was home to Arabia, Mecca, Byzantine and Sassanid Empires, and the "children of Abraham." Muhammad Ibn Abdullah had a series of revelations and that became the Quran. The religion of Abraham returned and there was a revolutionary message of social justice called the Umma. The Five Pillars of Islam are declaration of faith (Shahadah), obligatory prayer (Salat), compulsory giving (Zakat), fasting in the month of Ramadan (Sawn), pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). The transformation of Arabia was caused by the tensions in Mecca and the Hijra. They entered into Mecca in 630 and there were wars and alliances. This caused for most of the Peninsula to be under a unified Islamic state, and there was a fusion of religious and political authority. The Arab Empire was starting to expand...

In chapter 7, Strayer discusses the importance of trade between the countries and the culture of each country and how that played a part in what they produced. he starts the chapter off by explaining what and where the Silk Roads were. The Silk Road was a network of trade routes which connected the East and West, and was central to the economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between these regions from the 2nd century BCE to the 18th century. The main focus of the trading goods were luxury goods like silk, furs, cotton, dates, and gold coins. With the amount of trade happening during this time, women had to start helping by making the products or even going out to go trade. China and other countries started producing silk and that was the main produced being traded. Along with products being traded, cultures were also being passed along. For example, Buddhism was moving all throughout countries and even new forms, like Mahayana, were evolving. There were also some bad ...