Important Vocabulary:

Unit 7: The Silk Roads Trade Network

(1200-1450)

Course Unit: Networks of Exchange

Unit Essential Question: How are societies affected by the ways that

they produce, exchange, and consume World Themes:

Theme 1: Humans and the Environment Theme 2: Cultural Developments Theme 3: Governance

Historical Reasoning Processes Targeted in this Unit:

Comparison: Compare diverse perspectives; compare different historical individuals, events, developments, and/or processes analyzing broader similarities and differences.

Continuity and Change over Time: Identify patterns of continuity and change, explain the significance of such patterns, and explain how these patterns relate to larger historical processes or themes.

Theme 4: Economic Systems Theme 5: Social interactions and

Organizations Theme 6: Technology and Innovation

1. Bazar/Bazaar: A market in a Middle Eastern country.2. Bubonic Plague: A deadly disease that spread across Asia and Europe in the mid-14th

century, killing millions of people. 3. Caravan: A group of travelers, such as merchants, journeying together for safety in passing

through deserts, hostile territory, etc.4. Caravanserai: A roadside inn with a central courtyard where merchant travelers could rest,

recover, and exchange goods. They often led to the growth of Silk Road mega-cities.5. Commercial Revolution: Great increase in commerce in Europe that began in the Late

Middle Ages and lasted until the mid-18th century.6. Cultural Diffusion: Spread of beliefs and cultural activities from one culture to another.7. Guild: A medieval association of craftsmen or merchants, often having considerable power. 8. Sogdians: An Iranian people whose homeland was located at the center of several Silk Roads

trade routes, in present-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.9. Sufism: A mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth of

divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God.10. Whirling Dervishes: Members of the Sufi order Mawlawi Tariqah, who have taken vows

of poverty and austerity. They were noted for their wild or ecstatic rituals according to the practice of their order.

You are preparing to travel across the world to a place that you have never been to before.

What challenges might you encounter? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How would you prepare for these challenges? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Silk Road Origins

Base your answers to the following questions on the Mankind: Story of All of Us Silk Roads clip:

1. Why do you think the Chinese guarded the secret to silk-making so closely?

2. From the point of view of traders along the Silk Roads, what would be the advantages of making such a

challenging journey?

3. What regions of the world were connected through the Silk Roads based on the excerpt?

4. What cultural exchanges did you observe?

Directions: Plot the following Silk Road cities on the modern political map above. Then, connect each city, moving from east to west. When you are finished, answer the following questions:

Aleppo Tehran Merv Kashgar CairoConstantinople Samarkand Jerusalem Baghdad Hangzhou

1. What did you notice when you were connecting the cities?

2. What can you infer about this trade network based on the map you created?

1) List your five most frequently used phone apps.

2) What are the purposes of each of these apps?

The Silk Road: The Ancient Super Information HighwayIn the year 139 BCE, the Chinese emperor Han Wudi

sent a diplomatic messenger named Zhang Qian on a mission to lands west of China. The emperor’s purpose was to find allies who could help combat the nomadic group, the Xiongnu, who menaced the northern and western borders of the Han empire. From captives he had learned that other nomadic peoples in far western lands bore grudges against the Xiongnu, and he reasoned that they might ally with Han forces to pressure their common enemy.

The problem for Zhang Qian was that to communicate with potential allies against the Xiongnu, he had to pass directly through lands they controlled. Soon after Zhang Qian left Han territory, Xiongnu forces captured him. For ten years the Xiongnu held him in comfortable captivity: they allowed him to keep his personal servant, and they provided him with a Xiongnu wife, with whom he had a son. When suspicions about him subsided, however, Zhang Qian escaped with his family and servant. He even had the presence of mind to keep with him the yak tail that Han Wudi had given him as a sign of his ambassadorial status. He fled to the west and traveled as far as Bactria (modern day Central Asia), but he did not succeed in lining up allies against the Xiognu. While returning to China, Zhang Qian again fell into Xiongnu hands but managed to escape after one year’s detention when the death of the Xiongnu leader

led to a period of turmoil. In 126 BCE Zhang Qian and his party returned to China and a warm welcome from Han Wudi.

Although his diplomatic efforts did not succeed, Zhang Qian’s mission had far-reaching consequences. Apart from political and military intelligence about western lands and their peoples, Zhang Qian also brought back information of immense commercial value. While in Bactria about 128 BCE, he noticed Chinese goods- textiles and bamboo articles- offered for sale in local markets. Upon inquiry he learned that they had come from southwest China by way of nomadic traders from India. From that information he deduced the possibility of establishing trade relations between China and Bactria through India.

Han Wudi responded enthusiastically to this idea and dreamed of trading with peoples inhabiting lands west of China. From 102 to 98 BCE, he mounted an ambitious campaign that broke the power of the Xiongnu and pacified central Asia. His conquests simplified trade relations, since it became unnecessary to route commerce through India. The intelligence that Zhang Qian gathered during his travels thus contributed to the growth of the silk roads- the network of trade routes that linked lands as distant as China and the Roman empire- and more generally to the establishment of relations between China and lands to the west.

The silk roads was not actually a roads as we would think of them today. They were not paved. They were not a single route. The Silk Road was a name given to a vast network of land and maritime (over water) routes that led travelers east and west, from the Mediterranean to East Asia.

Silk roads covered more than 4,600 miles and were in use from the 2nd century BCE to the 16th century CE. However, the name “Silk Road” is relatively recent. It was coined by the German scholar, Ferdinand von Richthofen, in 1877. He derived the term from Rome’s historical connection to the trade route and their love of Chinese silk.

China and other classical societies imposed political and military control over vast territories. They promoted trade and communication within their own empires, bringing regions that had previously been self-sufficient into a larger economy and society. They also fostered the spread of cultural, religious, and political traditions to distant regions, and they encouraged the construction of frameworks that promoted the long-term survival of those traditions.

The classical societies established a broad zone of communication and exchange throughout much of earth’s eastern hemisphere. Trade networks crossed the deserts of central Asia and the depths of the Indian Ocean. Long-distance trade passed through much of Eurasia (a combination of the land masses of Europe and Asia) and north Africa, from China to the Mediterranean basin, and to parts of sub-Saharan Africa (south of the Saharan desert) as well. That long-distance trade profoundly influenced the experiences of peoples and the development of societies throughout the eastern hemisphere. It brought wealth and access to foreign products, and it facilitated the spread of religious traditions beyond their original homelands. It also facilitated the transmission of disease. Indeed, the transmission of disease over the silk roads helped bring an end to the classical societies, since infectious and contagious diseases sparked devastating epidemics that caused political, social, and economic havoc. Long-distance trade thus had deep political, social, and cultural as well as economic and commercial implications for classical societies.

Long-Distance Trade and the Silk Roads Network

Ever since the earliest days of history, human communities have traded with one another, sometimes over long distances. Before classical times, however, long-distance trade was a risky venture. Ancient societies often policed their own realms effectively, but extensive regions lay beyond their control. Trade passing between societies was therefore liable to interception by bandits or pirates. That risk increased the costs of long-distance transactions in ancient times.

During the classic era, two developments reduced the risks associated with travel and stimulated long-distance trade. First, rulers invested heavily in the construction of roads and bridges. They undertook these expensive projects primarily for military and administrative reasons, but roads also had the effect of encouraging trade within individual societies and facilitating exchanges between different societies. Second, classical societies pacified large stretches of Eurasia and North Africa. As a result, merchants did not face such great risk as in previous eras, the costs of long-distance trade dropped, and its volume rose dramatically. The Silk Roads

The establishment of classical empires greatly expanded the scope of long-distance trade, as much of Eurasia and North Africa fell under the sway of one classical society or another. The Han empire maintained order in China and pacified most of the nomadic groups of Central Asia, including a sizable corridor offering access to western markets. Empires rose and fell in Persia, but each extended its authority throughout Mesopotamia. The Roman Empire brought order to the Mediterranean basin. The stability and security created by these classical societies favored long-distance trade. And as these classical empires expanded,

merchants and travelers grew the these routes into an extensive network of trade.

A wide variety of manufactured products and agricultural commodities traveled over the silk roads. Silk and spices traveled west from producers in Southeast Asia, China, and India to consumers in Central Asia, Iran, Arabia, and the Roman empire. The silk came mostly from China, and it remained a mystery fabric to Greeks and Romans who were unable to figure out how to reproduce it. The fine spices- cloves, nutmeg, mace, and cardamom- all came from Southeast Asia. Ginger came from China, cinnamon from China and Southeast Asia, pepper from India, and sesame oil from India, Arabia, and southwest Asia. Spices were extremely important commodities in classical times because they had many more uses than they do in the modern world. They served not only as condiments and flavoring agents but also as medicines, anesthetics, perfumes, aromatics, and magical potions. For the silk and spices they imported, western lands exchanged a variety of manufactured goods and other commodities, including horses and jade from Central Asia and glassware, jewelry, textiles, and pottery from the Roman Empire.

Individual merchants did not usually travel from one end of Eurasia to the other, either by land or by sea. Instead, long-distance trade in stages. Throughout most of Central Asia for example, different groups of nomadic people such as the Sogdians dominated trade, acting as middle men between classical empires. Goods then reached provinces on the outskirts of empires that were especially active in the commercial life.

It is impossible to determine the quantity or the value of trade that passed over the silk roads in classical times, but

it clearly made a deep impression on contemporaries. By the first century CE, pepper, cinnamon, and other spices graded the tables of the wealthy classes in the Roman Empire, and silk garments had become items of high fashion. Such great cultural exchanges worried some. For example, some Romans fretted that see-through silk attire would lead to moral decay, and others worried that hefty expenditures for foreign luxury items would ruin the Roman economy. As it happened, long distance trade more likely stimulated rather than threatened local economies. Yet long-distance trade did not occur in a vacuum. Commercial exchanges encouraged cultural and biological exchanges, some of which had large implications for classical societies. Cultural and Biological Exchanges Along the Silk Roads

The silk roads served as magnificent highways for merchants and their commodities, but others also took advantage of the opportunities they offered to travel in relative safety over long distances. Merchants, missionaries, and other travelers carried their beliefs, values, and religious convictions to distant lands: Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and centuries later, Islam, all traveled the silk roads and attracted converts far from their original homelands. Large cities boomed along important stops along the silk roads, known as “oasis cities.” Meanwhile, invisible travelers such as disease pathogens also crossed the silk roads and touched off devastating epidemics when they found fresh populations to infect. Toward the end of the classical era, epidemic diseases such as The Plague spread across the silk roads and caused dramatic declines in populations, especially in China and the Mediterranean basin.

Please complete the activity on the next page based on this reading!

Sogdian trade on a Bactrian camel.

Bringing the Silk Roads into the Social Media AgeDirections: As you know Instagram is a social media app that allows people to share their lives with a selected audience. For this assignment, pretend you have an account strictly for your love of history.  Act as if you are a traveler on the silk roads. Use the information from “The Silk Road: The Ancient Superinformation Highway” article to “post” three images detailing your adventures.  Include a username, and a description underneath each picture that includes the possible

location of where it was taken and what it is showing.  Be sure to use your knowledge and research of global history to accurately support your picture. For credit, make sure that all information is historically accurate and school appropriate.  

The BIG Ideas:The Silk Road Trade Network was not just one road. It consisted of multiple land-based trade routes. The volume and frequency of trade along the Silk Roads ebbed and flowed.The Silk Roads fostered the growth of cultural diffusion and cultural exchanges throughout the Afro-Eurasian world. Both tangible and intangible exchanges occurred.The Silk Roads led to the growth of major trade cities such as Samarkand, Hangzhou, Chang’an and Constantinople. Many of the cultural and material exchanges on the Silk Road happened in these cities along the way.While the Silk Road ultimately spurred the Commercial Revolution in Europe, it also brought detrimental effects such as the Bubonic Plague as well as dangers along the trade routes.

As a trading network, the volume and frequency of trade on the Silk Roads ebbed and flowed. What factors might promote and increase the frequency of trade along the Silk Roads? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What factors might hinder, or decrease, the frequency of trade along the Silk Roads? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Choose one example from the above image and explain how it represents cultural diffusion: _________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. a. Do items such as those traded above represent needs or wants? ______________________________

b. What is the difference between needs or wants, and why might this be important to understanding trade on the Silk Roads? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dangers on the Silk Roads

1. How could geography have benefited China in the past?

2. How might geography prove to be a detriment when traveling along the Silk Roads?

Source: An excerpt describing the Gobi Desert in Encyclopedia, a natural history of Asia written in the early 1300s by Chinese historian Ma Twan-lin. Note: Today, as then, the temperature in the desert reaches over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and rainfall is minimal.

3. What were some other dangers of traveling along Silk Road routes, according to the above document?

4. What other concerns might there be for those making a living along the Silk Roads?

5. Provide a solution to two of the above dangers/concerns.

Danger Solution: The Caravanserai

One solution that was created as a result of the dangers on the Silk Roads was the caravanserai. The inland routes of the Silk Roads were dotted with caravanserais, or large guest houses or hostels designed to welcome travelling merchants and their caravans as they made their way along these trade routes. Found across Silk Roads regions from Turkey to China, they provided a regular opportunity for merchants to eat well, rest and prepare themselves in safety for their onward journey. They also allowed for a safer area to exchange goods, trade to local markets and bazaars, and to meet other merchant travelers. In doing so, they fostered the exchange of intangibles such as cultures, languages and ideas. As such, caravanserais were far more than simply watering holes along the Silk Roads; they developed as locales for the cross-fertilization of cultures along the length of these routes. Locations of caravanserai in Central Asia. Source: City AP World History

How do you think the caravanserai contributed to the growth of cities along the Silk Road routes?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cities along some Silk Road trade routes

Silk Road Cities

Task: Annotate as you read each source. Underneath each source, analyze as many “HAPPY” components as possible:H istorical Context (contextualization): What is going on in the time period that affects the author or source? A udience: Who is this written for? How does that affect how you interpret the document?P oint of View: How could the author’s nationality, class, race, gender, religion, occupation, influence their views? Is this document reliable based on the information from the source or the author? What is the author’s tone?P urpose: Why is the Author writing it? What is their intent or goal? WhY: Why does the analysis of the “HAPP” that you chose matter?

Source A: Abd-al-Razzak Samarqandi, Muslim ambassador, historical chronicle written circa 1442*a Muslim ruler who governed parts of Iran and Central Asia from 1405–1447

“In pursuance of the orders of God, I received orders from Shah Rukh* to depart for India. His majesty provided me with provisions and post horses and I began my journey from

southern Khurasan, arriving at the port of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran before departing by ship to the port city of Hormuz.

Hormuz is a port situated in the middle of the Persian Gulf and does not have an equal on the surface of the globe. Merchants from Egypt, Syria, Anatolia, Iraq, Iran, Central Asia, China, India, and Southeast Asia bring rare and precious articles by sea. Bargains are made either by money or by exchange. Persons of all religions are found in this city, and no injustice is permitted toward any person whatsoever. I stayed here for two months until the favorable time came for departing by sea.

We then sailed from Hormuz to Calicut along the southwestern coast of India. Like Hormuz, Calicut brings together merchants from every city and from every country, and precious articles are brought there from maritime countries, especially from East Africa. From time to time, ships arrive there from Mecca and other parts of Arabia. The town is inhabited mostly by Hindus, but it contains a considerable number of Muslims who are permanent residents and have built two mosques in which they meet every Friday to pray.”

Source B: The tenth-century Iranian author Istakhri, who travelled in Transoxiana, provides a vivid description of the natural riches of the city he calls "Smarkandian Sogd" (Samarkand).

Samakandian Sogd...[extends] eight days travel through unbroken greenery and gardens....The greenery of the trees and sown land extends along both sides of the river [Sogd]...and beyond these fields is pasture for flocks. Every town and settlement has a fortress...It is the most fruitful of all the countries of Allah; in it are the best trees and fruits, in every home are gardens, cisterns and flowing water...

Source C: A Sogdian rider on a Bactrian camel, made from Chinese glazed pottery, circa 620-770 CE.

Source D: An 8th century painting found in Dunhuang, a major stop on the Silk Roads. It depicts a group of Tibetan and Central Asian merchants who have encountered bandits. Required to unload their goods, they await their fate.

Source E: A Kushan pendant dating to the fourth century CE, it features a Hariti- a fearsome Hindu goddess who is dressed like the Greek goddess Tyche; a lotus blossom- a prominent Buddhist symbol.

Source F: A Chinese ink scroll painting Xu Wei of the Ming Dynasty, with images of grapes (native to the Mediterranean). Chinese scrolls like the ones below document peas, sesame, and onions, all food sources that are now basic ingredients in Chinese cooking, but none of which are native to China.

______________________________________________________________________________________1) What are two similarities that all of these sources share?

2) What are two differences found when comparing all of these sources?

THE SILK ROAD: CROSSROADS AND ENCOUNTERS OF FAITHSAzim Nanji and Sarfaroz Niyozov, Smithsonian Folklife Festival, 2002

The Silk Road evokes images of places and peoples linked by the exchange of exotic goods and fabled treasures. This limited notion of commerce, however, overshadows the fact that the Silk Road as a network of trade routes also spread religious ideas and beliefs.

Communities of faith interacted, co-existed, competed, and influenced each other over long periods of time. These include local traditions that evolved in ancient China, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Korea and Japan, and the subsequent larger traditions that arose in the region — Judaism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam — as well as the shamanistic and animistic traditions of various nomadic peoples stretching across Central Asia, some of which still are practiced today. The history of religions along the Silk Road is a remarkable illustration of how beliefs and indeed civilizations often reflect a broad pattern of synthesis, rather than clash.

Judaism

The Silk Road became a meeting point between Iranian religions and another ancient faith, Judaism. In 586 B.C.E., the southern part of the kingdom, Judah, was conquered by the Babylonians, and this led to many Jews being exiled to Central Asia. In 559 B.C.E., the Sasanian ruler Cyrus freed the Jewish population, and, while some returned to Israel, many chose to stay in Iran, where they continued to practice their faith. They also created Jewish settlements along the Silk Road, including in the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. Jewish practices and beliefs were enriched by contacts with existing traditions and the intellectual heritage of Iran, and then Greece. Apart from the original community of exiled Jews, it seems that Judaism gained local converts, too, though these were not a result of proselytization. The Jewish presence in the region continues to the present.

Buddhism

The Silk Road provided a network for the spread of the teachings of the Buddha, enabling Buddhism to become a world religion and to develop into a sophisticated and diverse system of belief and practice. Of the 18 Buddhist schools of interpretation, five existed along the Silk Road. Among these was the less monastic but very significant tradition of Mahayana, which preached the continuity of the Buddha's compassionate nature through bodhisattvas — embodiments of love and teaching who became the bridge to local traditions, communities, and cultures. The tradition suggests that all bodhisattva Buddhist seekers are equal before the Buddha, have a Buddha-nature, and may aspire to reach Buddhahood through right ways of living.In Central Asia, Buddhism is associated with the rise of the Kushan Empire, which lasted from the 1st to the 3rd century C.E. While Kushan rule marked a significant period in the growth of Buddhism, Kushan coins illustrate more than a narrow adherence to Buddhism. They show that along the Silk Road there were kings and rulers who sought to rise above

certain groups, tribes, and religious traditions. Along with figures of their own kings such as Kanishka, Kushan coins depict Buddhist, Greek, and Iranian nobility. Statues made by the Gandharan school also feature a blend of Indian, Greek, and Iranian elements. The rulers built monasteries and temples along the Silk Road that were often used by the faithful of various religions. The oldest manuscript of an Indian Buddhist text, the Dharmapada, has been preserved in the Central Asian Kharosthi script. This combination of patronage, the founding of monasteries, and the rise of Buddhist scholarship produced favorable conditions for the general spread of Buddhism. Rulers, missionaries, monks, and traders all contributed to make Buddhism a very significant presence all over Central Asia.

The greatest success of Buddhism came with its spread to China, where it reinvigorated the existing philosophy, culture, and literature. It also reached Korea and Japan. Its encounter with Daoism and Confucianism helped establish deep roots among the peoples of East Asia. Here Buddhism became a religious and spiritual presence as well as the catalyst for greater links with Eurasia.

Christianity

Along with the growth of Buddhism, the Silk Road nurtured minority groups from other major faiths. Assyrian Christians, or more accurately the Church of the East, were one such group. Often mistakenly identified simply as Nestorianism, the Church was strongest in eastern Syria, where as part of the Persian Empire it gained recognition and subsequently flourished. In Syria, this tradition is a visible presence to this day, attesting to the lasting influence of the Eastern Christian tradition in the region.

In Central Asia the Assyrian Christians influenced the Sogdians, who, due to their strategic location, had already become the commercial masters of the Silk Road and its cultural transmitters. Sogdian became the lingua franca of the Silk Road, spreading Christianity further east to China and north among the Turks. The Eastern Christians succeeded in three major mass conversions of Turks in Central Asia from the 7th to the 11th centuries. Despite being seen as a faith of foreign traveling merchants, Eastern Christianity gained acknowledgment as "the Brilliant Religion" (Foltz 2000: 72) in China, with Christian saints being referred to as Buddhas.

Islam:

Islam became the faith of the majority of people along the Silk Road. The first Muslim expeditions to Central Asia were part of the general pattern of conquest and expansion of territory during the first centuries of Islam. The consolidation of these early attempts at conquest was continued under early Umayyad rule (661-750) and its successor, the Abbasid dynasty, which established its capital in Baghdad in 762. The process of conversion and Islamization of Central Asia that accompanied this spread and diffusion of Muslim culture and influence lasted several centuries. As the Silk Road once again became a vital international artery of commerce and trade, Muslim travelers, preachers, mystics, and merchants acted as mediators of faith, enlarging the communities of Muslims in the various regions of Central Asia.

The famous North African traveler Ibn Battuta (1304-68?), taking advantage of a well-defended and secure pathway along the Silk Road, managed to travel from his

hometown of Tangier to China and India, reporting on his travels and illustrating the burgeoning trade, social activity, and vital religious life in the region.The history of the Silk Road under Muslim influence reveals a diverse religious landscape, among different faiths and also within the Muslim community. Sunni, Shia, and Sufi Muslim groups interacted and flourished together. The full diversity of Muslim law, theology, culture, arts, and architecture spread across the Silk Road.

Conclusion

A historical view of the Silk Road reveals a world in which religions were living traditions. Central Asia, then one of the most pluralistic religious regions in the world, has again become a center of attention, and perhaps the most important lesson learned on the Silk Road — the ideal of religious pluralism and tolerance — may yet enable it to become a bridge between cultures once more.

Some of the oldest inhabited places in the world can be found along the Silk Road. Each faith has left its signature there, in ideas, art, music, and buildings, and in traditions of learning, remembering, celebrating, and sharing. This cumulative resource from different traditions of knowledge and faith can still, as in the past, help us build trust, reinvigorate civilizational dialogue, and move away from the constraints and ignorance that exacerbate division and generate conflict.

THE SILK ROAD: CROSSROADS AND ENCOUNTERS OF FAITHS

1. What was the main claim(s) made by the authors?

2. What do you feel was the most important takeaway in each of the following sections based on the authors’ main claim(s)?

Judaism:

Buddhism:

Christianity:

Islam

In the last paragraph, the authors state:

“This cumulative resource from different traditions of knowledge and faith can still, as in the past, help us build trust, reinvigorate civilizational dialogue, and move away from the

constraints and ignorance that exacerbate division and generate conflict.”

3. What is the “cumulative resource” that the authors are writing about?

4. Do you agree or disagree with this claim? Support your answer with a modern-day connection.

Sufism: Definitions and Overview

Sufism is a branch of the Islamic religion that emphasizes mysticism. The term mysticism refers to a tendency found within numerous world religions in which practitioners attempt to attain closer spiritual proximity to the divine and, at least temporarily, transcend the everyday world. Within Sufi traditions, meditation and prayer frequently take the form of singing, dancing, poetry, or other forms of artistic expression. Sufi mystical traditions often accentuate notions of rapture, ecstasy, and intoxication.

Different branches of Sufism can be found all over the world, from West Africa, to India, to Turkey, and the United States. Conservative branches of Islam sometimes perceive Sufism as heretical and non-Islamic. In Pakistan, where some of the most vibrant and distinctive Sufi communities can be found, Sufis have been subjected to violent acts of terrorism.

Origins and Proliferation

The earliest origins of Sufism are somewhat obscure, but it is generally believed to have originated sometime during the 8th and 9th centuries C.E. in Persia and modern day Iraq. Early Sufism took the form of theological treatises stressing the need for inner exploration and the importance of perceiving the presence of God in the world. The early Sufi theologians linked their mystical practice directly to the Quran, arguing that

mysticism is not only compatible with Quranic teachings, but is truly the full realization of the Quran.

Beginning in the 12th century C.E., Sufi Tariqahs (orders) begin to form. Sufi Tariqahs were established throughout the Islamic world as communities for like-minded seekers to explore mystical practices, conduct missionary activity, and provide assistance to the poor. The 13th through the 16th centuries C.E. are known as the Golden Age of Islam, due to the proliferation of Muslim intellectual life during this time. Sufis were at the forefront of this intellectual renaissance, composing music, poetry, and philosophy expressing Sufism in its most enduring forms. In the 13th century the Persian poet Rumi composed a large body of mystical Sufi poetry expressing his longing for closeness with God. Rumi's poetry is accessible, compelling, and wildly popular all over the world into the present day.

During the Golden Age of Islam, Sufism made its way to many parts of Africa, Central Asia, Southern Europe, and South Asia. Folk religious practices fused with Sufism in different ways in different locations, taking on regionally specific traditions of Sufism. Generally, all branches of Sufism are characterized by a sense of euphoria and intoxication in experiencing the sacred.

A Turkish Example: The Whirling Dervishes

After the death of Rumi, many of his followers established a Sufi order in Konya, in what is today Turkey. This order came to be known as the Mawlawi Tariqah, popularly known as the Whirling Dervishes due to their distinctive style of dance. The Mawlawi Tariqah conducted sama, ritual performances, in which sacred music was performed and Sufi dancers would whirl in graceful circles as a form of prayer and meditation, hence the name Whirling Dervishes.

Source: Benjamin Olson, History of Major World Religions

Compare and contrast Sufism to something else that you have learned:

The Commercial Revolution: the

beginning of Europe’s re-birth or

the beginning of Europe’s doom?

Reading Summary Questions:

Agricultural Revolution and a Growing Good Supply

Population growth in the Middle Ages after the tenth century resulted from decreases in Viking raids and improvements in agricultural methods for producing food. This agricultural surplus encouraged the growth of towns and of markets that could operate more frequently than just holidays. The need for more labor on the manors, gave serfs more bargaining power with lords. Because more food was able to be grown, populations boomed, until about 1300 when the climate began to significantly cool.

1) How did more efficient farming cause a rise in population?

The Commercial Revolution (Growth in Trade and Commerce)

As a result of the Crusades, cultural diffusion and trade increased between the Islamic world and Europe. A growing population and flourishing trade, partially along Silk Road routes, led to the growth of towns and cities. This fundamental change in European society became known as the Commercial Revolution. The Commercial Revolution led to a dramatic change in the economy of Europe at the end of the Middle Ages. No longer was the economy based around landing owning- like during feudalism. Instead, an economy based on money took hold. As a result, banks were developed a prospered throughout Europe and the Middle East. The social pyramid also began to change with growing middle class of shopkeepers, merchants, and craftspeople who profited from the increases in trade and growth of markets. This emerging middle class could purchase small land holdings without being tied to the nobility. Both the Crusades and the Commercial Revolution helped to bring an end to feudalism throughout much of

2) What were three positive effects of the Crusades and the Commercial Revolution?

A)

B)

C)

Europe. Growth of Guilds

Groups of skilled craftsmen in the same trade often created or joined guilds. Medieval guilds played an important role in growing towns and cities. Guilds ensured that products made by their members were of high quality and were sold for fair prices. Being a member of a guild was an honor. Members were known to be skilled workers who were respected in society. Guilds looked after their sick members and helped families of dead guild members. They also helped to train young people in their trade. Those guild members who were found to be cheating the public would be fined or punished. The worst punishment was to be expelled from a guild. This meant that a former member could no longer practice that skill in his town.

3) What could you compare guilds to?

5) Why were guilds important to in Medieval society? Explain at least 2 reasons.

Creating Your Own GuildFirst, select what trade your guild specializes in. Some options are…

- teaching/education - metal working - carpentry - cloth/textiles

- glass making - wood carving - painting

Next, each member of your guild has specific responsibilities.The journeymen and women will create a product within their guild. It is the job of each journeyman and woman to create the best version of this guild’s product. The guild-master: The master will oversee the progress of the journeymen and women and tell them how they can improve upon their product’s design or work. When everyone is finished, the master will choose the best design to be made and sold to the townspeople, and present it to the class, explaining what it is about and why it is useful.

Guild Trade: ______________________________________________________

Guild Trade Design

Please answer the following based on the History Revealed article, “The Black Death”:

What did you find most interesting? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What did you find most concerning?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What did you think was the most important takeaway? Explain why.

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THE BUBONIC PLAGUE: AKA “THE BLACK DEATH”

It started in Sicily in 1347. Citizens in the small seaport of Messina began to get headaches. Then came the fever, along with chills, nausea, and pain. Soon, red blotches appeared on their skin. Their lymph node in their necks, armpits and groins swelled to the size of eggs. The nodes grew hard until they turned black and oozed blood and pus. In most cases, death came soon afterward.

What caused this killer disease? No one knew. But within five years it would race west from China, and north through Europe and into Scandinavia and Russia. It claimed the lives of 25 million people, over one-third of Europe’s population. It became history’s deadliest epidemic (a rapidly spreading disease). At the plague’s height, some cities lost an estimated 7,000 people a day. As families crumbled, so did the structure of European society. People lived in fear and panic. Some thought that God was punishing the world for its sins. Many thought that this was the end of the world.

“Ring around the rosies,A pocket full of posies,

Achoo! Achoo!We all fall down.”

Based on the Bubonic Plague video segment from Mankind: A Story of All of Us:1. What caused the spread of the plague?

2. Where did the plague start?

3. What caused Jews to be persecuted?

4. What effects did the plague have on European populations?Economically:

As a result, trade __________________________________. Economies around the world were devastated. Prices ____________ Fewer people meant fewer _________________________.

Religiously:

The Church ____________ power because ________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________.

Socially:

People began to develop an attitude of, “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may die.”