World History I – Final Question #1
#1 Bentley and Ziegler state that dar-al-Islam became probably “the most prosperous and cosmopolitan society in the postclassical world.” What does this statement mean? What evidence is there for this statement? Do you agree or disagree, and why?
Prosperity of Dar-al-Islam
Islam itself was transformed over time as the Islamic armies extended the boundaries of the empire beyond the borders of Arabia. Each territory conquered was influenced by the Islamic religion and politics. This enlarged sense of community and grand the scale of the Islamic Empire came to be known as Dar-al-Islam or the “house of Islam” referring to all lands under Islamic rule.
Although the Muslims took over conquered territories they did not alter the social structures of the previous empires and many were allowed to continue to practicing their religions as well. The Local Muslim governors were appointed and continued rely on established governments and economic systems. This system of governing promoted the fusion between the conquered societies and the Islamic religion and its politics. Take the Sasanid Dynasty for example, Muslims left in charge adopted the Persian techniques of government and finance (p.260). These transformations were not only political and economic but cultural as well.
The blending of policies and technologies throughout the empire increased all facets of the Islamic economies such as overland and maritime trade as well as banking (p.270) Technological improvements in textiles and improved transportation helped provide new opportunities for entrepreneurs in new parts of the world as well as new commodities for trade. Banks were now operating on a much larger scale, exchanging currencies, providing credit across multiple branches. This provided people the ability to create businesses on their own with out other investors.
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