The diffusion of the Islamic faith throughout the eastern world occurred due to the presence of Muslim cities. Iba Jubayr, a Spanish Muslim traveler and geographer, glorifies the city of Damascus as the type of heaven on earth (Doc 1). Among many Muslim cities, Damascus is a center of the Islamic faith and greatly contributed to the diffusion of Islam. The Umayyad Caliphate based the Islam core in Damascus and the city’s power and …show more content…
As a result of exposure to so many ways of life, Jubayr’s opinion is invalid because a city that is very well of such as Damascus; can easily be viewed as a heaven on earth when compared to an extremely poor and suffering city. Even though Jubayr’s opinion is invalid, Damascus still remained a key element in the diffusion of the Islamic faith. Damascus, being for some time, the center of Islam, allowed for the people of that particular area to become more and more exposed to the Muslim faith. In addition, the establishment of Medina, as discussed in Doc 4, furthermore contributes to the spread of Islam. This city was the home of a mosque and possesses religious connections. Medina is the town in which Muhammad and his followers fled to around 622. After their arrival in Medina, Muhammad was able to help the resident there embrace the Muslim religion and thus contribute to the overall spread of Islam. As expressed in Doc 9, Muslim holy cities were scattered throughout the eastern world. The strategic locations of each city allow for a more …show more content…
The city of Tabriz in northwestern Iran is strategically located as a center of trade routes (Doc 5). Merchants from neighboring countries travel the distance to Tabriz in order to purchase and sell assorted goods. In the same fashion, the Abbasid Caliph, according to Al-Tabiri in Doc 6, relocated the center of Islam to a location near the west bank of the Tigris. This allowed for immediate access to the Persian Gulf, a place of major trade and interactions. Al-Tabiri is relied upon as one of the most important resources for early Muslim history. Indeed, his opinion may be bias due to his occupation as an Arab scholar, but he remains as a leading supply for Muslim history. Although, his work as a scholar allowed him to further analyze and examine the role of cities, his statement remains valid. Furthermore, Egypt lies at a point where trade is carried out in excess (Doc 7). According to Doc 8, numerous trade routes pass through the region therefore making Egypt a major center of trade and commerce. All of the previously listed cities allow for the wide performance of trade throughout the eastern world and therefore contribute to the significance of cities in the Muslim