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The Three Muslim Empires
Sunnite Ottoman Empire
One of the largest and longest-lasting empires of Islam was the Sunni ottoman dynasty. The empire was completely inspired and well sustained by the strict Islamic institutions. Ottoman Empire reigned for a long time ranging from 1299 to 1923 (Bentley and Herbert 453). The empire expanded gradually over time and at its peak, it was covering a vast area that included; turkey, Egypt, Greece, Bulgaria, Romani, Macedonia, Hungary, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, parts of Arabia and much of the coastal strip of North Africa (Dale 145).
Ottoman Empire governance was a centralized one; it had successful emperors who reigned thought its existence. The reference point of power was at any given time a single person (Dale 144). No divisions whatsoever occurred even with the rival princes. A single family successfully ruled this empire for seven continuous centuries. There existed an education system that was run by the central government-the state. Religion was integrated in the state structure and the sultan viewed as the protector of Islam (Bentley and Herbert 458).
This dynasty had a judicial system which solved cases and disputes; it was equally run by the state. The local leaders were not highly regarded and at time the state dealt ruthlessly with them. There existed several ranks of power in the empire and promotion from one level to a senior one was purely on merit. The dynasty had a number of alliances created across political and religious groups all which were united by Islamic ideology (Dale 147).
Territorial guard and expansion was achieved through the Islamic warriors termed as the jihad. Organizational and administrative structures were united by Islamic values. The dynasty was very resistant to any form of change in culture as it was viewed as a source of political instability (Bentley and Herbert 467).
In terms of economic activities to run the ever growing empire, the dynasty had become one of the best trade centers at the time. This was mainly promoted by its central and strategic location at the junction of Europe, Asia and Africa. Some goods traded included musk, rhubarb, porcelain, spices like paper, dye stuffs as indigo among others (Bentley and Herbert 465). The empire gained so much economic strength that the number of traders and artisans continuously raised over time. The state drafted and implemented the trade policies which were reviewed from time to time.
The main religion observed here was Islam. Ti dominated the dynasty and its leaders formed part of the administrative structure. In the later days and as the dynasty widened, new areas concurred encouraged the emergence of new religions. Non-Muslims were organized into millet system (Dale 148). This gave them a very small authority to regulate their own affairs. Such included the orthodox Christians.
According to Dale (145), the decline of this once mighty dynasty began around 1683. It was at this time that the empire had attempted to conquer new regions with no success. There was no more new source of wealth to gain the momentum needed to run the state. It then set into a slow decline. In a nut shell, the contributing factors to its decline included; the force encountered from European nations who also needed to expand, competition of trade from the Americans, competition from cheap products from India and the Far East, rising unemployment within the empire as well as the low quality of the sultans in 17th and 18th centuries (Bentley and Herbert 468-9).
Safavid Dynasty 1502
Safavid Empire was founded by Safavids. It began as a religious movement and later; an integration of both religious and grouping. It grew stronger and later became more military aggressive; waged jihad on neighboring territories to enhance her expansion (Bentley and Herbert 471). This dynasty has long been considered the beginning of modern Persian history. In terms of geographical coverage, it was established at what is present day Iran.
Politically, the Safavid dynasty had a single unitary central government. Her people changed from the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the previous times to a sedentary society (Bentley and Herbert 474-5). At this point in time they then relied on agriculture and trade to acquire revenue. Some of the administrative structures were adapted from earlier times while others were created during the Safavid period (Dale 150). The dynasty witnessed a frequent and sustained diplomatic relations with Europe. The capital was not a static one and kept on shifting; this relied on a place where shah (the ruler) his entourage happened to be or stay.
The religion and religious practices were based on Islam. New scholars were brought in from Shiite to form a new religious elite group. This was necessary as Islam was not an original religion and its practices were foreign to Iranian people. The religious leaders later became a very significant tool in the government. All other forms of religions were banned and the shrines vandalized. Educational pillars and or establishments were soon devoted to religion; it is during this period that philosophy and theology flourished well (Bentley and Herbert 474).
Economically, Safavid dynasty had a section of its population being nomads, they engaged in trade with Europe, grew crops for food (Dale 152-3). Military control was in the hands of ethnic Turks, they so dominated the areas of administration and culture. The military was significant in aiding conquering of neighbors and expansion of border.
The decline of this dynasty is attributed to corruption and decadence of their leaders, the passing of power to religious council to rule and the final conquest by the afghan group who destroyed the ruling dynasty (Bentley and Herbert 471).
Mughal Empire in India
This dynasty was also called Mughal. It reigned in the 17th century. Geographical coverage included most parts of India and Pakistan (Bentley and Herbert 482). They ruled the empire with large Hindu majority but allowed a number of the Hindus to reach senior government and military positions. This empire brought many changes to India. The changes did cut across all sectors beginning from administration through economic activities to culture (Dale 133).
They had a centralized government under which there were smaller kingdoms. Adopted Persian art and culture, observed and respected human rights; also practiced Persian culture. The system of education adopted here took account of learner’s needs and cultural practices. They spoke a mixture of Arabic and Hindi a language that became known as Urdu (Dale 132).
Mughal Empire had a military that defended it and conquered new territory. These military retained skills obtained from their Mongol ancestors (Dale 123). They are said to have been cunning as well. They were among the first military in the west to use guns.
Mughal dynasty had a great religious tolerance; Hindu, Christianity and Islam were all allowed in this dynasty. Mughal dynasty engaged in trading activities with Persia as well as Europe. The main cause of Mughal Empire decline was aggression from Hindu Maratha Empire (Bentley and Herbert 485). Scant spirit of enterprise, less vigor in economic growth, poor agriculture, poorly established trade and the unbearable cost of military campaigns all resulted to the decline of this once mighty dynasty.
Works Cited
Bentley, Jerry H, and Herbert F. Ziegler. Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
Dale, Stephen F. The Muslim Empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print.
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