Comparison and Contrast Essay
While the Indian Ocean and Trans-Saharan trade routes both encouraged and facilitated the spread of Islam, the Indian Ocean saw a more extensive diffusion of disease, and traded across water instead of land. Islam was a widespread religion amongst both trade routes, but other religions, like Buddhism, were not as popular along the Trans-Saharan route. Through the time period, we see evidence of Islam’s dominance in the form of muslim architecture and the rulers of the time period. Mansa Musa, king of the Malian empire, in specific was a large influence on the religion of the population. Other pieces of Muslim architecture, such as the great Mosque of Djenne, are evidence of the religion’s dominance in Sub-Saharan Africa. Along the Indian Ocean trade routes, we also see Islam as a dominant religion, but there is much more of a variety. Evidence of Islam in Eastern Africa can be found in the language itself. Swahili, the dominant language of the region, is influenced heavily by Arabic. Buddhist traders from India and China spread the religion to some inhabitants of Eastern Africa. Hindu traders from India traded with Muslim traders, facilitating
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The difference between the trade systems, however, were the way the goods were traded. Along the Indian Ocean, ships were used to carry bulk goods as well as luxury goods along a more relay-based route. Along the Trans-Saharan route, traders used camel caravans to carry mostly luxury goods to their trading destination. There were not many cities along the Trans-Saharan, so they never really did the relay-style trading. The Indian Ocean and Trans-Saharan trade routes shared products like textiles and ivory, enhanced the spread of Islam, and spread disease; but, due to the Indian Ocean’s trading style, spread diseases much quicker and spread a plethora of different
1A Answer: One example of how the Islamic world contributed to other cultures was how when Islamic merchants entered West Africa, they caused new beliefs and empires to develop. Since Islamic merchants preferred trading with fellow Muslims, West Africans practiced Islam to appease them. Accordingly, the newly acquired goods from the merchants birthed a new era of West-African empires, like the Mali, and Islam became the religion of nobles and traders. 1B Question : Identify and explain ONE way that Muslim rulers demonstrated tolerance and flexibility in ruling a vast empire.
This extensive trade route allowed West African kingdoms to trade valuable resources, most notably gold and salt, for other goods like textiles and various spices. This map also highlights the importance of key trade cities like Timbuktu which served
In Afonso de Albuquerque’s book, he have say, “This was the best place to intercept the trade... we would close the Straits so that never again would the Muslims be able to bring their spices by this route... I am very sure that, if this Malacca trade is taken out of their hands, Cairo and Mecca will be completely lost.” This address how the Portuguese are taking out the Muslims from the trade routes. However, Islam have play a key role in the Indian Ocean trade like Ibn Battuta whom according to Berkeley Orias, “main reason to travel was to go on a Hajj, or a Pilgrimage to Mecca, to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islamic...
Islam spread quickly because of trade. Mecca, where Islam originated, is in the middle of many trade routes, causing them to interact with and spread their religion to others easily. This is shown by Document A, a map of trade routes in 570, created from various sources. Document A states, “By the middle of the sixth century... Mecca was...prosperous and important.
Another result of the Trans-Saharan trade and the increasing spread of Islam is that Mansa Musa, the king of Mali was able to become extremely wealthy and rule over a large empire. Mansa Musa was a very wealthy man who
Why did Islam spread Quickly? - Trade The Islamic religion spreaded quickly because of trade. Based on the fact, that Islam had trade over many empires. Corresponding to the map on Document A, “ Adding from the profits of caravans was a brisk pilgrimage trade, for Mecca was the site of Arabia 's holiest shrine.
Disease became a large part of trading on both the Silk Road and the Mediterranean Sea Trade Complex. They both were trading the Bubonic Plague all around their trading routes. Although they both had it, the plague was more relevant on the Silk Road because the Mediterranean Sea Trade Complex only received it from interacting with the Silk Road, so it wasn’t as impactful. The bubonic plague killed many people in its travels and also leaders of civilizations, as well as leprosy, which was another disease spread along the Silk Road. The Silk Road was also significantly more difficult to travel across than the Mediterranean Sea Trade Complex.
The Ottoman and Mughal empires both used Islam in their culture, economy, wars, and society. It influenced their art, the way they treated non-Muslims, their motivations for war. It is important to note that both empires were influenced differently by their majority religion. However, both the Ottomans and Mughals were heavily influenced as Islam was a major part of everyday life from the art to the bureaucracy.
East and West Africa from 1000 to 1500 CE had profound differences in forms of government, with West Africa being kingdom based, and East Africa city-state based. The conversion of Eastern and Western African ruling elites compacted trading between themselves and Islamic traders from Mesopotamia, China, India, and as far away as Oceania. The relatively stable political environment from 1000-1500 CE in Sub-Saharan Africa attracted displaced peoples from the Abbasid empire in Northern Africa, with West Africa utilizing Trans-Saharan trade, and East Africa utilizing mariner trade routes. The East and West developed in clearly different ways, but paralleled each other in a way in which the political, social, and economic environments facilitated stable trade in the region, as well as a distinct blend between Islamic culture and African tradition.
Before the 1500 ce Africa had many trades, cultures, and also some encounters with Islam. In 1000 ce Islam invaded the West African State, in Dr. Mayers, 2012 study of Africa he stated that the spread of Islam revealed the power of the religion, commercial, and also the military qualities. Many civilizations were being change without being close to at least one Islamic statement. Islam had spread so much in Africa that Islamization had served to connect with Africa and connected more with the outside world through trade, religion, and
The stability of the society of the Middle East was affected by several aspects which made trade and commerce less viable, where Islam allowed much in the way of progress in the thirteenth and fourteenth
There was a high demand for luxurious goods that were special to each region which caused a great increase in trade. This also occurred on the Trans-Saharan trade routes with gold. Religion also played a big factor in why trade was increasing in these two trade routes. Increases in technology helped trade become more efficient and faster. For example, the compass helped people trade along the Indian Ocean sea lanes.
Islam is the second biggest religion and fastest growing in the world today. Islam is a religion that Muslims follow and is a monotheistic faith regarded as revealed through Muhammad as the prophet of Allah. For Muslims, Muhammad is the last prophet and Abraham is the patriarch of the Qur’an, Bible and Torah. Islam is followed by over a billion people and Muslims make up approximately one quarter of the world’s population. Islam spread quickly during the 600’s trade, choice, and conquest.
The societies of West Africa, Europe, and North America exhibited similarities and differences in their religious beliefs, values, and government systems. These contrasts and similarities were further made apparent during European expansion across the Atlantic and the subsequent new cross cultural interactions that were created. One way in which the societies of West Africa, Europe, and North America diverged was in their belief systems. Unlike Europe and North America, West Africa gradually adopted Islam in addition to its traditional religions. Islam diffused through the trans-Saharan trade with North Africa and by the 1200’s was assimilated into the Mali and Songhai Empire.
The two religions relied heavily on trade routes to grow and expand. Christianity spread almost accidentally by word of mouth through the silk road, the largest trade route in Eurasia at the time. Traders and other travelers spread the word of Christianity through the silk road and all of Europe, subsequently. Meanwhile Islam spread through the Indian Ocean trade route, a trade route created thanks to the development of larger ships, which allowed for much faster trade and spread of ideas, such as Islam, on the sea’s rather than across land. If these trade routes had never been allowed to develop or flourish, it can only be assumed that both Islam and Christianity would have remained very isolated and that their spread would have remained very limited.