Astronuc
Aug13-06, 09:14 AM
References are introduced in the discussions with regard to Islam, given the conflicts raging in Iraq and Lebanon, and the conflict between the US and certain groups. Hopefully this provides some context and useful background information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_History
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Golden_Age
During the Islamic Golden Age (750 - 1200) philosophers, scientists and engineers of the Islamic world contributed enormously to technology, both by preserving earlier traditions and by adding their own inventions and innovations. Scientific and intellectual achievements blossomed in the Golden age. So what happened in the 1200's?
The key may lie in the migration of Mongols and other tribes into central Asia and Eastern Europe - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Islam#Mongolian_invasion_and_gradual_decline
In 1206, Genghis Khan established a powerful dynasty among the Mongols of central Asia. During the 13th century, this Mongol Empire conquered most of the Eurasian land mass, including both China in the east and much of the old Islamic caliphate (as well as Russia) in the west. Later Mongol leaders, such as Timur, destroyed many cities, slaughtered hundreds of thousands of people, and did irrevocable damage to the ancient irrigation systems of Mesopotamia. Muslim lands subject to the Mongols now faced northeast, toward the land routes to China, rather than toward Mecca. Then came the Ottoman Empire, which absorbed the millenium old Byzantine empire.
The Islamic world reached a new peak (albeit not comparable to the Golden Age of the Abbasiah) under the Ottoman (Uthmaniah) Empire. The Turks migrated from the Central Asian steppe and at first established a tiny state in Anatolia (modern day Turkey). In 1453, after a two-month siege, Ottoman Janissaries and cannons overwhelmed Constantinople. The millennium-old Byzantine Empire was suddenly absorbed by the new Ottoman Empire, which would extend its influence over most of the Islamic world and reach deep into Christian Europe.
The Ottoman empire, which was making great strides in conquering the East, threatened to conquer Central and Western Europe. In 1529, the Siege of Vienna failed, stopping any further Ottoman advances into Eastern Europe. The Battle of Vienna in 1683 precipitated the withdrawal of the Ottoman Empire from many parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans. from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_History#Three_Muslim_empires which leads to - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_History
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Golden_Age
During the Islamic Golden Age (750 - 1200) philosophers, scientists and engineers of the Islamic world contributed enormously to technology, both by preserving earlier traditions and by adding their own inventions and innovations. Scientific and intellectual achievements blossomed in the Golden age. So what happened in the 1200's?
The key may lie in the migration of Mongols and other tribes into central Asia and Eastern Europe - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Islam#Mongolian_invasion_and_gradual_decline
In 1206, Genghis Khan established a powerful dynasty among the Mongols of central Asia. During the 13th century, this Mongol Empire conquered most of the Eurasian land mass, including both China in the east and much of the old Islamic caliphate (as well as Russia) in the west. Later Mongol leaders, such as Timur, destroyed many cities, slaughtered hundreds of thousands of people, and did irrevocable damage to the ancient irrigation systems of Mesopotamia. Muslim lands subject to the Mongols now faced northeast, toward the land routes to China, rather than toward Mecca. Then came the Ottoman Empire, which absorbed the millenium old Byzantine empire.
The Islamic world reached a new peak (albeit not comparable to the Golden Age of the Abbasiah) under the Ottoman (Uthmaniah) Empire. The Turks migrated from the Central Asian steppe and at first established a tiny state in Anatolia (modern day Turkey). In 1453, after a two-month siege, Ottoman Janissaries and cannons overwhelmed Constantinople. The millennium-old Byzantine Empire was suddenly absorbed by the new Ottoman Empire, which would extend its influence over most of the Islamic world and reach deep into Christian Europe.
The Ottoman empire, which was making great strides in conquering the East, threatened to conquer Central and Western Europe. In 1529, the Siege of Vienna failed, stopping any further Ottoman advances into Eastern Europe. The Battle of Vienna in 1683 precipitated the withdrawal of the Ottoman Empire from many parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans. from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_History#Three_Muslim_empires which leads to - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire