28/06/2023
The rise of Islam
The dominance of two mutually hostile monotheistic religions— Christianity and Islam—was the most distinctive characteristic of this period across much of Eurasia. The founding of Islam in the 7th century was a transformative event, and Arab armies inspired by the faith altered the political landscape: Muslim rule spread from Spain in the west to central Asia in the east. Although a united Islamic caliphate could not be sustained, the religion ensured a continuity of civilization even when power shifted from the Arabs to other peoples such as the Turks. The great cities of the Muslim world surpassed any in Christendom in size and sophistication, and Muslim scholars preserved the science of the ancient Greeks and built upon it. Islamic civilization remained dynamic and expansive throughout the entire medieval period.
