Untitled Deck

Question 1

Caliph

Answer 1

Successor to Muhammad as leader of the Muslim community; combined political and spiritual power. Represented unity and authority in Islam.

Question 2

Rashidun Caliphate

Answer 2

The first four “Rightly Guided” caliphs (632–661). Expanded Islam rapidly and set precedents for governance and law.

Question 3

Quraysh

Answer 3

Muhammad’s Meccan tribe. Dominated early Arabian trade; became ruling elite in early Islamic empires.

Question 4

Umayyads

Answer 4

First hereditary Islamic dynasty (661–750, based in Damascus). Expanded Islam into Spain and India; emphasized Arab identity.

Question 5

Ali

Answer 5

Muhammad’s cousin/son-in-law and the fourth caliph. His contested rule caused the Sunni–Shia split.

Question 6

Pillars of Islam

Answer 6

Core duties of Muslims: faith, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage. Foundation of Islamic practice.

Question 7

Sharia

Answer 7

Islamic law based on Qur’an and Hadith. Governed religious, moral, and legal behavior.

Question 8

Ulama

Answer 8

Scholars who interpret Islamic law and theology. Served as moral authorities and advisors to rulers.

Question 9

Zakat

Answer 9

Mandatory charity (2.5% of wealth) for the poor; one of the Five Pillars. Promoted social justice.

Question 10

Jizya

Answer 10

Tax on non-Muslims under Muslim rule; allowed religious freedom in return for payment.

Question 11

Amsar

Answer 11

Garrison towns founded by early Muslim conquerors (e.g., Basra, Kufa). Helped consolidate Islamic rule.

Question 12

Jihad

Answer 12

“Struggle in God’s path”; can mean inner spiritual striving or armed defense of Islam.

Question 13

Mamluk

Answer 13

Slave-soldier class that ruled Egypt (1250–1517). Powerful military caste that stopped Mongols and Crusaders.

Question 14

Shahnameh

Answer 14

Persian “Book of Kings” by Ferdowsi (c. 1000 CE). Preserved Persian history and culture under Islamic rule.

Question 15

Isfahan

Answer 15

Safavid capital under Shah Abbas I. Famous for art, architecture, and trade.

Question 16

Shah Abbas

Answer 16

Greatest Safavid ruler (r. 1588–1629). Centralized power, reformed army, built Isfahan, expanded trade.

Question 17

Suleiman the Magnificent

Answer 17

Ottoman sultan (r. 1520–1566). Expanded empire, codified laws, and patronized architecture and the arts.

Question 18

Millet System

Answer 18

Ottoman policy allowing religious communities self-rule. Maintained harmony among Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

Question 19

Timar System

Answer 19

Ottoman land grant system rewarding military service. Supported cavalry and tied elites to the state.

Question 20

Devshirme

Answer 20

Levy of Christian boys converted to Islam and trained as soldiers/administrators. Fed the Janissary corps.

Question 21

Janissaries

Answer 21

Elite Ottoman infantry loyal to the sultan. Became politically powerful, later abolished (1826).

Question 22

Waqf

Answer 22

Charitable endowment funding mosques, schools, and hospitals. Key to Ottoman social welfare.

Question 23

Iltizam

Answer 23

Tax-farming system; individuals paid for right to collect taxes. Boosted short-term revenue but fostered corruption.

Question 24

Cycle of Equity (Cycle of Justice)

Answer 24

Ottoman philosophy: a just ruler ensures prosperity → prosperity funds the army → the army protects the ruler and people.

Question 25

Muhtasib

Answer 25

Market inspector enforcing moral and commercial standards in Islamic cities.

Question 26

Capitulations

Answer 26

Treaties granting Europeans trade privileges in Ottoman lands. Encouraged commerce but weakened sovereignty.

Question 27

Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774)

Answer 27

Ended Russo-Ottoman War. Gave Russia rights to protect Orthodox Christians and access to Black Sea.

Question 28

Nizam-i Cedid (“New Order Troops”)

Answer 28

Military reforms by Sultan Selim III to modernize the army. Opposed by conservatives and Janissaries.

Question 29

The Auspicious Event (1826)

Answer 29

Mahmud II’s violent abolition of the Janissaries. Cleared path for modernization.

Question 30

The Battle of Navarino (1827)

Answer 30

Naval defeat of Ottoman-Egyptian fleet by Britain, France, and Russia during Greek independence. Marked Ottoman decline.

Question 31

Bajazet “the Thunderbolt” (Bayezid I)

Answer 31

Early Ottoman sultan (r. 1389–1402). Expanded rapidly but defeated by Tamerlane.

Question 32

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

Answer 32

British observer in 18th-century Istanbul; introduced smallpox inoculation to Europe.

Question 33

Battle of the Pyramids (1798)

Answer 33

Napoleon’s victory over the Mamluks in Egypt. Began European dominance in the Middle East.

Question 34

Jabarti

Answer 34

Egyptian scholar who chronicled Napoleon’s invasion. His writings reveal local reactions to European imperialism.