Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Arabs
The Arab world is usually considered to be comprised of the following nineteen countries: Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Chad, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi...
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Tuareg
The Tuareg, a seminomadic, Islamic people who speak a Berber language, Tamacheq, live in the contemporary nation-states of Niger, Mali, Algeria, and Libya. They are believed to be descendants of the North African Berbers and to have...
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Syriacs
Syriac is a branch of the Aramaic family of languages and was the lingua franca of the eastern Roman Empire at the beginning of the Christian era. It is also spoken extensively in the regions farther east. It became the language of...
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Peripatetics of Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey
The data concerning Afghanistan and Iran refer to the period prior to the Saur and Islamic revolutions, respectively. It is not known whether such communities still exist in these two countries. Each existing community is primarily...
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Jews of Kurdistan
Kurdish Jews, a largely rural people, have lived in the mountains and plains of Kurdistan since time immemorial. They have been geographically isolated throughout much of their history and are thought to have retained some old Jewish...
Exploring Ancient World Cultures
Exploring Ancient World Cultures: Early Islam
This site provides basic information about Early Islam and its religions. There are also some selections from the Qur'an (Koran) and links to related topics in greater detail.
McGraw Hill
Glencoe World History: The World of Islam, 600 1500
This overview of a textbook chapter on "The World of Islam," gives information on the period from 600-1500 A.D. Information is given on the culture and civilization of the period, and the dynasties and rule during the period are given an...
Other
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
The Hermitage is home to vast collections of art and artifacts dating from paleolithic times and continuing forward into the present day. With a variety of search capabilities, zoom and panoramic features, analytical discussions, and...
BBC
Bbc: Islam
This elaborate site details the history of Islam, and includes a beginner's guide to the religion, a prayer calculator, views of mosques, and an explanation of pilgrimages to Mecca. Further information on Islamic customs, worship, books,...
Other
Cordoba Initiative
The Cordoba Initiative is a multi-national, multi-faith organization dedicated to improving understanding and building trust among people of all cultures and religions.
ArtLex
Art Lex: Islam and Islamic Art
A dictionary entry for Islam and Islamic art with numerous illustrations of representative works in all media, including architecture, ceramics, metalwork, textiles, and manuscripts. Includes useful cross-references to related terms and...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Islamic Middle East
The term Islamic is used here to define the art and material culture of those lands where the dominant religion is Islam, the religion revealed to the prophet Muhammad in seventh century Arabia. The Islamic lands have encompassed at...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Promoting Understanding: Islam Collection
Use this toolkit to promote understanding about Islam through study of the culture, traditions, and personal stories of Muslim Americans. Engaging videos, background essays, discussion questions, and teaching tips challenge students to...
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Islamic Art: Early Islamic Period: History
An excellent introduction to the earliest period of Islamic art (approximately A.D. 700 to A.D. 1000) that includes a historical overview of the rise of Islam. With informative descriptions and wonderful reproductions of art from the...
Read Works
Read Works: Islam
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the religion of Islam. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: An Islamic Journey Inside Europe
NPR takes a thorough look at the integration of Muslims into European society. How is Christian Europe handling this challenge of a new culture. Spain, Britain, France are some of the countries under scrutiny.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Visualizing Islam
Islam is the youngest of the three Semitic religions; however, it is the second largest religion in the world. The impact of Islam on national and international politics creates a need for students to discover how and why this religion...
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Islamic Art: Late Medieval Period: History
A solid introduction to Islamic art of the late medieval period (approximately A.D. 1250 to A.D. 1450) that relates historical events to the art production of the time. With informative descriptions and wonderful reproductions that...
New York Times
New York Times: Islam in Russia
An interesting look into the spread of Islam in Russia. After the fall of the Soviet Union Islam has become more and more influential in Russian life. Audio and pictures tell the story of the spread of Islam in Russia.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles Co. Museum of Art: Islamic Art Now: Contemporary Art of Middle East
In recent years, the parameters of Islamic art (particularly as defined by museums, commercial art galleries, and private collections) have expanded to include contemporary works by artists from or with roots in the Middle East. These...
PBS
Pbs: Jewels of Islamic Architecture
Photographs and filmed footage of five Islamic architectural masterpieces: Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, the Great Mosque of Damascus, the Alhambra in Granada, and the Mosque of Shaykh Lutfallah in...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Focus on Baghdad: The Golden Age of Islam
The resource from Khan Academy provides practice questions for a high school world history course. This section assesses students' knowledge of Baghdad during the Golden Age of Islam.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Key Concepts: Golden Age of Islam
This resource from Khan Academy provides practice questions for a high school or college level world history course. This section assesses students' knowledge about the Golden Age of Islam.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Introduction to Islam
This short introduction to Islam covers the origins and the life of Muhammad the Prophet, the Qur'an, and the four "rightly-guided" Caliphs.