The Early Islamic World

This module provides an analysis of the first three centuries of Islam (600-900CE), moving between Arabia, the imperial centres of Baghdad, Damascus and the furthest reaches of the Islamic world.

How did the Arabs, a small group of tribes living in Arabia, come to conquer and rule听a vast region from the Atlantic to the Indus? And how did their religion, Islam, come to be a major world religion? This thematic module will address key topics including religion and empire, urbanism and monumentality, the 'Green Revolution', frontiers and听jihad, industrial innovation, new trading worlds, and issues in Islamic heritage today.