Category Archives: Muslim Empire (old series)

Amir Timur, 1370-1400: Tamerlane the terror

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Ruth

We know little about the early life of Timur, until he stepped into world history in 1370. That’s when he became the ruler of Balkh, in Afghanistan, and began to prosecute a new “Mongol” war of conquest. He wasn’t a … Continue reading →

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Bayezid and the Child Tax: 1362-1402

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Ruth

The Ottoman Empire was growing east and south of Constantinople. It pushed against other Turkish beyliks, absorbing land as they were conquered. Orhan, son of Osman, defeated the Karası beylik and his son Murad married one of the captured widows. … Continue reading →

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Ibn Khaldun asks tough questions, 1377

Posted on February 10, 2018 by Ruth

The Ibn Khaldun family were descended from a Bedouin, Khaldun, who settled near Seville in the early years of Muslim conquest. Under Reconquista pressure in the 13th century, they moved to Tunis, where they were among the educated governing elite. … Continue reading →

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Ibn Battuta Sees the World and Meets Hermits, 1325-55

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Ruth

The Muslim world had grown so large that it was very hard for them to know all parts of their own lands, let alone the rest of the world. Around 1355, a Moroccan named Ibn Battuta dictated and published his … Continue reading →

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The Plague on the Silk Road, 1330-1350

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Ruth

Some time during a world history survey course in high school, or perhaps in a good documentary on the History Channel, you learned that medieval Europeans didn’t realize that rats carried fleas that carried Yersinia pestis bacteria. They were used … Continue reading →

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North Africa in the 14th century

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Ruth

North Africa’s Muslim story in the 14th century mostly stars a Moroccan dynasty we call the Marinids, after their founder whose first name was Marin. They were Berbers of the Zenata tribe, locked in long rivalry and conflict with other … Continue reading →

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The Alhambra Palace, 1333

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Ruth

In 1333, Emir Yusuf began to build the splendid palace that came to be known as The Red Fort, Qalat al-Hamra: the Alhambra. His reign and his son’s spanned most of the 1300s and established the palace that we tour … Continue reading →

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Game of Mamluk Thrones, 1290-1330

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Ruth

The Mamluks governed based on competence, in a time when governance was always based on inheritance. They didn’t come up with a framework for peaceful transfers of power or group selection of the leader. Instead, they functioned like a monarchy … Continue reading →

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The First Ottomans and the Last Ilkhan, 1302-1337

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Ruth

In 1280, a Turk named Osman became the Bey of Söğüt, Turkey, and over the next 20 years, he took control of neighboring tribes and towns. His son Orhan named the new group the “Osmanlı,” or as we would say … Continue reading →

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Mamluks vs. Mongols, 1299

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Ruth

I have it marked down as an important battle: the Third Battle of Homs in 1299, when the Mongols defeated the Mamluks after two previous losses at the same place. But when I look at it more closely, I’m not … Continue reading →

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