The Rise of Islamic Empires: Lesson 2 | Beginnings

GUIDING QUESTION As you read, think about this question:

What are the defining features of Arabian geography?

Beginning in the 630s C.E., Arabs led a movement that built a new empire—a very large kingdom—in Southwest Asia. Islam was the driving force behind their empire. Within one hundred years, Islam spread throughout parts of Asia, northern Africa, and Europe.

Islam began on the Arabian Peninsula. Today, the country of Saudi Arabia makes up much of the Arabian Peninsula. This large area of land, also called Arabia, sticks out between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. On the western side, rocky highlands run along the Red Sea coast. A narrow coastal plain separates them from the sea. Very dry plains and deserts cover most of the rest of the land. The desert heat can be dangerous—even deadly. Summer temperatures can rise above 122°F (50°C). The high heat begins soon after the sun rises and lasts until the sun sets.

The Arabian Peninsula has fresh water only at scattered oases (oh•AY•sees). Oases are springs and water holes where trees and other plants grow. However, desert oases are rare. The southwest region has mountains and valleys. There, enough rain falls for juniper and olive trees to grow.

In ancient times, different empires surrounded the Arabian Peninsula. Each empire had its own civilization. At different times, the Egyptian civilization was to the west and the Mesopotamian and Persian civilizations were to the north and east. Farther north were the Israelites, Greeks, and Romans. Long distances and the difficult Arabian geography kept the armies of surrounding empires from conquering the peninsula.

This isolation, or aloneness, was not complete. For example, Arabs traded with other areas. The geography of Southwest Asia placed the region and its merchants at the center of a large trade network. The peninsula’s surrounding waterways, such as the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, linked its peoples to civilizations along the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Some goods came from as far away as China. People from the south coast of Arabia, in modern Yemen, traded frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense and myrrh are sweet-smelling materials taken from trees. People burned them to release their scents during religious events.

Through trade, Arabs also learned about other people’s ways of life. Traders brought cloth, foods, and other goods into Arabia. Jewish and Christian groups also lived in the area and practiced their religious customs.

There were also political ties with other areas. Over time, the people of Arabia formed small kingdoms. Some of those kingdoms had the support of a nearby empire. Those ties often developed through trade.