NES 257: Islamic History 600-1258

Fall 1997
Monday-Wednesday-Friday 12:20-1:10
Rockefeller 230
Professor David S. Powers

A survey of Islamic history from the lifetime of the Prophet to the Mongol conquest of Baghdad. Topics to be covered will include the emergence of Islam as a major world religion; the impact of the Arab conquests on the Mediterranean world; political, military and cultural contacts between the Islamic Near East and western Europe.

Pages On This Server
Course Syllabus
Writing Assignments: Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12
Old Announcements
List of Class Members (password required)
Prof. Nasr's Three Seminars on Sufism
Map: The Rise of Islam and the Arab Conquests
Click here for more maps. Here's the Kennedy map too.

Handouts:

Images with Captions:

Arabic Numerals:

Plates: (password required for some)

Outside Links:

Art and Architecture

Islamic Art
A stunning, informative, and concise virtual tour provided by the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Islamic and Arabic Arts and Architecture
Wow...
Index of Mosques and Shrines
Another gorgeous site, packed with information, photographs and maps. Allows you to take a virtual tour through several mosques.
Islamic Architecture
This page simply lists its photographs by country, so it's easier to navigate than some of the other sites. Stunning images.
Mosques Around the World
Images of mosques in Makkah, Madinah, Jerusalem, and other cities around the world.
Samples of very old calligraphy dating from around 200 Hijra.
From a page of beautiful calligraphy images.
Samarra 1 and Samarra 2
The Great Mosque at Samarra, plus images from Cordoba and the Alhambra palace.
Modern Calligraphy
Islamic art by the contemporary artist Ali al-Bedah--quite beautiful.
The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Part of the Smithsonian.
Ayyubid Architecture
The full text of a book by Terry Allen.

Religion

Qur'anic Recitation 1, 2, and 3 on Radio Al-Islam
Download the (free) RealPlayer to listen. Server is sometimes busy.
The Call to Prayer (audio)
From the Grand Mosque of Kuwait Page.
Sufi Music from Turkey
Download the (free) RealPlayer to listen.
Black Stone, Makkah
A picture of the Black Stone, if you're wondering what it looks like.
Religion, Islam
Part of the WWW Virtual Library, this page contains several links, some of which are more useful than others.

History and Sources in Translation

Muslim Scientists and Islamic Civilization
A rich and varied collection of sources.
A Brief Chronology of Islamic History
Timeline.
Primary sources for the study of early Islamic History.
These are texts in translation--very useful!
Sunnah and Hadith
Includes English translations of several collections of hadith, including Malik's Muwatta and Sahih Bukhari.
Middle East Medievalists
Part of the Colorado State University History Department.
Network for Early Islamic Studies
Newsletters of a scholarly group.

Collections of Links and Resources

Islamic Spain
Collection of links for Near Eastern Studies 339: Muslims, Christians and Jews in Islamic Spain.
Islamic Web Sites
Long list of links and resources--this is a good place to start browsing.
IslamiCity
VERY extensive site--another good place to start your explorations.
Al-Khazina - The Treasury
A very useful collection of resources, including MAPS. Under construction.
Islamic Art and Culture Links
Links to many collections of images, among other things. Part of the IslamiCity site.
Hanif's Page on Islam
More links, slightly slow to load.
World of Islam Database
Master Table of Contents.
Islamic Studies, Arabic, and Religion Web Page
Maintained by Professor Alan Godlas.
ArabNet
Information by country.
Sorry, you must have a Java enabled browser to see Mr. Taoufik Nadji's Hijry Clock applet. Upgrade to Netscape 3.x.
Hijry clock © 1997, Malek Physix Inc.

URL:http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/nes257/nes.html
Last updated 1/28/98
© 1997-8 Jo Miller (djm8@cornell.edu)
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