After Muhammad’s death, the Umayyad clan emerged as the dominant force in the Islamic community. Under the rule of the Umayyads, the Arabs built a vast empire and established the foundation for an enduring Islamic civilization. The shift from Umayyad to Abbasid rule reflected a series of significant changes within society. As the Abbasids gained control, regional interests and religious divisions caused immense political fragmentation among the vast empire. In the Umayyad empire, there was a greatly strengthened position of women while the Abbasid empire was characterized by the seclusion and subordination of women. Furthermore, the Umayyad empire stressed military conquests while the Abbasids believed in the value of knowledge and intellectual
…show more content…
The Umayyad empire can be characterized by a focus on military conquests rather than intellectual achievement. However, the Umayyads established Arabic as the official language of the empire and established a common coinage. The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem were two of the greatest architectural achievements of the period. Additionally, Cordoba, under the Umayyads became a city of learning with 70 libraries and over 500,000 volumes. While the Umayyad era was limited in intellectual creativity, the Abbasid empire was renowned for its human ingenuity and creativity. Mosques and places grew larger and more ornate than those in the Umayyad period. Rugs with exquisite designs were woven and superb ceramics were produced. Most notably, the flowering of Persian literature occurred as writers found new ways to express …show more content…
The Umayyad empire began to fall when caliphs developed a growing addiction to luxury and soft living. The Muslims were interested in gardens and marble palaces rather than the frugal, simple lifestyle followed by Muhammad and the earliest caliphs. The abandonment of the frugal life preached by Muhammad sparked revolts throughout the empire and the subsequent uprisings proved fatal to the dynasty. In a similar sense, the caliph of the Abbasid empire, Harun al-Rashid, dazzled the Christians with the splendor of Baghdad’s mosques, palaces, and treasure troves. The luxury and intrigue of Harun’s courts was documented in The Thousand and One Nights. Unfortunately, the great expenses of this lifestyle fell heavily on the peasantry. As a result, spiraling taxation and outright pillaging destroyed the villages of the empire. High taxes caused peasants to form bandit gangs and wreak havoc among the Abbasid empire.
Overall, the Umayyad and Abbasid empires took completely different social and intellectual strategies to establish their empires. Socially, the position of women was greatly strengthened in the Umayyad empire while the women of the Abbasid era dealt with
The Umayyad empire can be characterized by a focus on military conquests rather than intellectual achievement. However, the Umayyads established Arabic as the official language of the empire and established a common coinage. The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem were two of the greatest architectural achievements of the period. Additionally, Cordoba, under the Umayyads became a city of learning with 70 libraries and over 500,000 volumes. While the Umayyad era was limited in intellectual creativity, the Abbasid empire was renowned for its human ingenuity and creativity. Mosques and places grew larger and more ornate than those in the Umayyad period. Rugs with exquisite designs were woven and superb ceramics were produced. Most notably, the flowering of Persian literature occurred as writers found new ways to express …show more content…
The Umayyad empire began to fall when caliphs developed a growing addiction to luxury and soft living. The Muslims were interested in gardens and marble palaces rather than the frugal, simple lifestyle followed by Muhammad and the earliest caliphs. The abandonment of the frugal life preached by Muhammad sparked revolts throughout the empire and the subsequent uprisings proved fatal to the dynasty. In a similar sense, the caliph of the Abbasid empire, Harun al-Rashid, dazzled the Christians with the splendor of Baghdad’s mosques, palaces, and treasure troves. The luxury and intrigue of Harun’s courts was documented in The Thousand and One Nights. Unfortunately, the great expenses of this lifestyle fell heavily on the peasantry. As a result, spiraling taxation and outright pillaging destroyed the villages of the empire. High taxes caused peasants to form bandit gangs and wreak havoc among the Abbasid empire.
Overall, the Umayyad and Abbasid empires took completely different social and intellectual strategies to establish their empires. Socially, the position of women was greatly strengthened in the Umayyad empire while the women of the Abbasid era dealt with