Influence Of The Islamic Empire In The 20th Century

The Islamic Empire was an expansive territory that was vastly influential upon its surroundings, lasting from the 7th century to the 20th century. The Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates expanded into the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Southern Europe. These were large, quickly growing territories with expansive trade networks and roads. Because the Islamic Empire was on the Mediterranean coast, this provided effortless access to all areas of the Mediterranean basin; for example, the Islamic Empire spread to Spain, which was eventually controlled by the Umayyad Dynasty. In fact, Cordoba, the capital, became a principal cultural hub in Europe, emphasizing the influence of the Islamic Empire. Additionally, even though the Mediterranean Basin was

Religion was another impactful aspect of the Islamic Empire, as evidenced by the many North African countries that practice Islam. Furthermore, the Arabian Peninsula is relatively flat, so with a complex system of roads, similar to what the Islamic Empire had, Islam was able to spread extremely quickly. Religion had countless influences and helped spur the invention of paper mills as well as creating significance for calligraphic works. The Islamic Empire had a profound enduring significance throughout the world because of its contributions to science, like developing technological advancements that allowed paper to become increasingly common, and art, as in its use of calligraphy. Firstly, one of the main reasons the Islamic Empire had such a meaningful impact was because of the development of paper mills, enabling it to build off the developments of earlier civilizations. Not only did they acquire the technique of papermaking from Chinese craftsmen, but they also utilized knowledge from the Greeks to create a more productive method of crafting this paper. In order to produce paper that was cheaper and of better quality, “the Baghdad [paper] mill was

There are six main types of Islamic calligraphy, and Thuluth, a commonly used lettering, is considered one of, if not the most difficult, to master. It was commonly etched on various objects, as exhibited by a 14 cm by 12.7 cm turquoise jar from the 12th-13th century with a religious script, Thuluth calligraphy, inscribed upon it (Britannica ImageQuest). Calligraphy was and still is an important art form, and its implementation in religion, a prime aspect in several cultures, especially the Islamic Empire, reflects this. Artifacts or even everyday objects usually only have writing on them if the writing is significant, so the Thuluth inscription on this jar implies the importance of the calligraphy, as it was employed to convey the ideas and words of the Qur’an. Moreover, the categorization of calligraphy as its own distinct form of art also conveys the importance of the Arabic language, and this language and script continue to be practiced even today. For instance, the Saudi Arabian state and military flag design, a green cloth rectangle with white Thuluth inscriptions underlined by a white sword, has been utilized since 1973 and remains in use in modern times (Britannica ImageQuest). Although the Islamic Empire no longer exists, its art styles have long outlasted its fall, even influencing relatively modern-day art,