Media

[Map that shows the expansion of the Islamic Empire; taken from: http://www.islamicspain.tv/For-Teachers/maps/Islamic%20Empire%203%20Color.jpg]

This page provides resources from three different media: video, interactive maps and timelines, and literature.

VIDEO

CrashCourse World History #14: "The Dark Ages: How Dark Were They, Really?

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV7CanyzhZg]

CrashCourse World History is a video series narrated and co-written by bestselling author John Green and a history teacher. They are thoughtful, ask big questions, engaging, and cover quite a bit of information. This particular video discusses the term "the Dark Ages," and its obvious Euro-centrism. It goes on to cover a few basics of Islamic society under the Abbasids, stuffing quite a bit of content into that short amount of time. Episode #14 is the most relevant to the Islamic Empire, though the series addresses Islam in other videos. Since this video is short (only twelve minutes) and could easily be watched by students for homework to begin a unit and frame the conversation for the unit.

CrashCourse World History #13: "Islam, the Quran, and the Five Pillars all Without a Flamewar"

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpcbfxtdoI8]

Another episode of the CrashCourse series that discusses the development of Islam, its values, and its beliefs and practice. This video is informative and confronts a number of misconceptions many Western, non-Muslims have of Islam. Understanding Islam is an important beginning to learning about the Islamic Empire, and this is a good way to introduce the religion to students, and could be assigned as homework.

"Islam - Baghdad House of Wisdom"

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kl4vXMWfqM]

This is a short video (6 minutes) about the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, which attracted scholars from all over the known world and introduced innovations in translation, philosophy, mathematics, medicine, and many other fields. This video could also be assigned as homework to jumpstart a conversation about the importance of Islamic scholarship.

INTERACTIVE MEDIA

The Silk Road

[http://virtuallabs.stanford.edu/silkroad/SilkRoad.html]

This website provides interactive maps and timelines that provide information about the Silk Road, an essential trade route that connected the Islamic Empire with China, India, and Central Asia. It provides images from locations along the Silk Road and even has a music feature: "Music of the Silk Road." This could be a source for student investigation or research; it could also be a homework assignment, for which students have to use the site to answer questions.

LITERATURE

One Thousand and One Nights

[http://www.bartleby.com/16/]

One Thousand and One Nights includes countless stories that students can enjoy. It endures as a popular collection of very human stories, and is the source of well-known characters, such as Aladdin, Sinbad, and Ali Baba. Choosing a selection from this book could be a creative way to engage students with the topic, and could provide an interesting discussion.

[Map showing the expansion of the Islamic Empire; 

taken from: http://www.historiasiglo20.org/MEC-BC/2-5-4.htm]