The city of Baghdad dates back to Babylonian times, but only gained large importance after the creation of Islam. During the Abbasid Caliphate, Baghdad transformed from a tiny Persian city into a bustling capital. During this time, Baghdad was not only a political center, but also a hub of education, medicine, arts, and science. One […]
Author: Monica Ward
Mecca
Mecca is the holiest city in all of Islam. Muslims pray in the direction of Mecca, and they are obliged to do the pilgrimage or al-Hajj once in their life. This includes an extensive ceremony of rituals based upon the father of all Abrahamic faiths, Abraham. There are many rituals that go along with the […]
Al-Najaf
After the Prophet Muhammad died in 632 CE there was a disagreement as to who should be in charge of the Islamic state. Most believed it ought to be Abu Bakr,Muhammad’s closest friend. Indeed, this was the case, and Abu Bakr became the first caliph of the “Rashidun,” or the ‘rightly-guided.’ However, a minority believed […]
Medina, Saudi Arabia
Medina is the second holiest city in all of Islam because this is the city where the Prophet Muhammad led his followers in order to create the Islamic state and to escape religious persecution from the Meccans. Medina was formerly called Yathrib. Muhammad converted many of the people of Medina to Islam, but had trouble […]
Cairo
For centuries, Cairo had been an important city in the North African and Middle Eastern regions. It was the capital after Saladin helped defeat the crusaders during the third crusade. Starting in 1260, the Mamluks ruled over Egypt and Syria. They defeated the Mongols and kept them from conquering Syria and Egypt. The Mamluks were […]
Alexandria, Egypt
The city of Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great circa 331 BCE. It has a vast history of scholars in the arts and social sciences as well as in math and physical sciences. Anytime a person uses grammar, geography or a Western-style atlas or map, a debt is owed to the city of Alexandria […]
Tunis
During the 14th century, Tunis was a city that flourished with art, scholars, and religion. There were beautiful mosques in Tunis that were built under the Hafsids, which reigned from 1229 to 1574. The city was one of the largest ports in the Maghrib lands, and during the 14th century it was the most important […]
Damascus
The second most important city in the Mamluk dynasty was Damascus, and it was their capital in Asia. Damascus was a beautiful city that was thought of as the “earthly equivalent of Paradise” [1]. Ross Dunn notes in his book The Adventures of Ibn Battuta that there had been a time when Damascus had suffered […]
