Pre-Islamic Arabia up to the 600s

1. Pre-Islamic Arabia up to the 600s Chapter 6 (part 1 of 5)

2. Islam did not arrive until the 600s

5. Arabian Peninsula Before Islam • People considered backwards • Lived in the desert • Nomads who rode camels Bedouins = Arab nomads who rode camels

6. Clans Rubin Family • Tough to survive in desert • Families joined to form clans • Clans joined to form tribes Rubinsana Clan Insana Family L’Town Tribe Bergersen Family Bergello Clan Costello Family

7. Shaykhs = Clan leaders selected by elders Clan Leadership Clan councils – Shaykhs met to make rules, enforced by warriors Examples of Rules: Regulated use of watering holes and grazing land

8. Clan Hierarchies

9. Wealth Disparities

10. Wealth Disparities Rubinsana Rubins Berglo Insanas

11. The Big Problem – Clan Fighting • Fights constantly broke out between clans • Fought over issues such as: • Grazing land • Defeat in horse race • An insult • These feuds often lasted 100s of years • Constant infighting hurt the bedouins: • Drained resources • Weakened bedouins compared to their neighbors

12. Women in Pre-Islamic Arabia

13. Religion In Pre-Islamic Arabia, religion was mostly mix of: Animism Polytheism Animism = worship of nature Polytheism = belief in many gods

14. Pre-Islamic Arab Culture Pre-Islamic art and architecture not advanced Poetry was main cultural output and how we know what life was like Visitors to Arab cities like Mecca thought architecture was unimpressive

15. 2 Major Cities: Mecca and Medina

16. Mecca Grew b/c along trade route Ruling Clan = Umayyad Ruling Tribe = Quraysh

17. The Ka’ba Religious shrine in Mecca Site of yearly truce as pilgrims came to Mecca Helped business b/c visitors traded in peace Big reason for Mecca being major city

18. Medina (formerly called Yathrib) City of the Prophet Muhammad Like Mecca, grew b/c along trade route Constant fights for control left Medina behind Mecca