(temple for pagan Arabs where they placed their idols and worshipped them)
—at center of Ka’aba, large black stone that fell from sky (probably meteor),
considered holy by pagan Arabs
—represented place of refuge b/c fighting forbidden in Ka’aba
—gathering place
—first temple on earth built by Adam (Adem), who was 90 feet tall
—later rebuilt by Abraham and Ishmael (Ibrahim, Ismail)
Epicenter of Islam religion
—”fifth pillar” of Islam
—in 628, Muhammad and followers peacefully marched to Mecca for pilgrimage
—both Muslims and Meccas entered Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
—Muslims and Quraysh would stop fighting and Muslims could be allowed to enter
the city in the next year
—2 years later, Quraysh violated the truce
—instead of fighting, Mecca surrendered to Muhammad,
who declared amnesty for the inhabitants
—Mecca cleansed of its idols and cult images in the Ka’aba,
declared holiest site in Islam by Muhammad
Area
—around Mecca completely barren
—Mecca was the wealthiest and most important Arabian settlement
—abundant water from Zamzam Well
—site of holiest shrine in Arabia: Ka’aba
—crossroads of major caravan routes
—harsh conditions in the Arabian peninsula
—constant conflict between tribes
—once a year truce was declared and they would go to Mecca for
pilgrimage
—religious journey
—pay homage to the shrine
—drink from Zamzam Well
—the time each year when:
—disputes arbitrated
—debts resolved
—trading at Mecca fairs
—gave tribes a common sense of identity (why Mecca so
important)
Literature
—Poetry in 8th century Arabia refined art; thought of as the ultimate
intellectual production within tribes
—Famous poems posted on walls of Ka’aba for people to read and enjoy
—Arabs developed high level of fidelity of literary works (especially
poetry)
—Most famous poems were Mu’allaqat (“The Suspended Odes,"
or "The Hanging Poems"
—7 renowned poets:
Imru' al-Qais
Labīd
Time in his lengthened chain of years has bound /
Our mortal race, nor e’er his conqueror found: / I've
seen him pass by day, I've seen by night, / And still,
unchanged, return with morning's light. / Time, like
Lebīd, grows older every day, / But waxes stronger,
while I waste away.
Tarafa
Zuhayr ibn Abi Sulma
Antara Ibn Shaddad
Amr ibn Kulthum
Harith ibn Hilliza
People
—polygamy
—patriarchal society
—infant females killed at birth (Islam prohibited this
later; called it barbaric)
—under Islam, both genders expected to travel to Mecca
in worship
—prayed in mosques unsegregated from men
—women’s full ‘personhood’ respected
—dowry to be paid to the woman and not her family
—women contributed to the canonization of the Qu’ran
—engaged in commercial transactions
—encouraged to seek knowledge
—both instructors
and pupils
—Aishah (born in Mecca), Muhammad’s last wife,
authority in medicine, history and rhetoric
—behaved relatively autonomously in
early Islam
—did not hold religious titles, but held
political power (some w/husbands, some
alone)
—Khayzuran governed Muslim Empire under
three Abbasid caliphs in 8th century
—traded in slaves (not
necessarily black
Africans—slaves no by race,
but by conquest)