Teacher's Notes for the Al-Qatta'i Unit

Teacher's Notes for the Al-Qatta'i Unit

This unit introduces the city of al-Qatta'i, which was built by the Muslim general Ahmed Ibn Tulun, who was sent to Egypt as governor by the Abbassid Caliph in Baghdad. The main purpose of this unit is to use the mosque built by Ibn Tulun as a framework for studying the main features of a mosque.

Teachers should note that, although tradition has placed many of these features into a mosque, none of them are actually required by religious law. In fact, a mosque can simply be a large open space where Muslims gather to pray the noon prayer on Friday. Culturally, mosques serve a much more important role, as the mosque is the collector and provider of social services for the less fortunate, a place of meeting, a place where the main holidays are celebrated, etc. The mosque is also a place of religious instruction. Until recently, the mosque was an institution of higher learning, since the study of law, accounting, and medicine was all conducted within a religious setting. In many parts of the Islamic world, these fields are still studied in a religious setting, since secular law is often based on Islamic law, and religious courts still operate even in secular countries.

For all ages:

Make a list of the main features of a mosque (mihrab, minbar, etc.) and what each feature is used for. Then, have your students come up with features of a church or synagogue that serve a similar function. For example, mosques have minarets which serve the function of making it easier to let people know that it's time to pray. Many churches have bell towers, which serve the same function. What other similarities can be drawn? What features can be found in a church or synagogue that are not found in a mosque? Are any of the features of any of the houses of worship actually required by religious law?

Have your students team up to examine other famous mosques, such as the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the King Hassan Mosque in Casablanca, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha in Cairo, or mosques from different regions, such as southeast Asia, China, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, or a local mosque. Have them identify the main features in each mosque. How does each mosque differ? How is each the same? (Note that students should not research the Dome of the Rock or the Ka'aba, as both have special designs that will not work properly for this assignment).

Go on a field trip to a local mosque, and identify the main features of that mosque. Mosques in the United States are often built in a contemporary style that appears different from the traditional style. How are the key features of a mosque incorporated into the one in your neighborhood?

For advanced students:

Talk about the sources of Islamic law - where do the laws come from? What kinds of sources are used in determining law? What provisions exist for making decisions about current practices that would have been unknown in the days of the prophet Muhammad? Have students compare the development of the Islamic legal tradition with that of the European legal tradition that grew out of the Enlightenment.

Have your students perform the second exercise listed above, only this time paying attention to what era each mosque was built in. What architectural features or styles can be identified from each period? Which features or styles are determined by era? By place? By other factors? Have your students prepare a mural or chart illustrating the various styles and innovations that they find.

Have your students research and write a paper that supports or refutes the following statement:

The Abbasid Empire was never really a true Empire, since the Caliph had, at best, nominal and weak power over the governors of the various provinces of his Empire, which allowed those governors to act as independent leaders.

Have your students look into the institution of military slavery, such as the kind that made the Turks prominent at the Abbassid court. Students will be familiar with the institution of slavery from their studies of the plantation slavery system in the southern United States. Slavery in Islam was a very different institution, in which the slave had personal rights. What other kinds of slavery existed in history? How did Islam provide for the rights of slaves? What differences are there between the system of slavery practiced in the southern United States and the Islamic system of slavery?

This unit can be applied to the following standards:

National Standards for World History

Era 4: Expanding Zones of Exchange and Encounter: 300-1000 CE

2B: The student understands the significance of the Abbassid Caliphate as a center of cultural innovation and hub of interregional trade in the 8^th-10^th centuries.

Therefore the student is able to:

Analyze the sources and development of Islamic law and the influence of law and religious practice on such areas as family life, moral behavior, marriage, inheritance and slavery (5-12)

TEKS

Culture. The student understands the relationship between the arts and the times during which they were created.

The student is expected to:

(A) identify significant examples of art and architecture that demonstrate an artistic ideal or visual principle from selected cultures;

(B) analyze examples of how art, architecture, literature, music, and drama reflect the history of cultures in which they are produced; and

(C) identify examples of art, music, and literature that transcend the cultures in which they were created and convey universal themes.

Geography. The student understands the types and patterns of settlement, the factors that affect where people settle, and processes of settlement development over time.

The student is expected to:

(A) locate settlements and observe patterns in the size and distribution of cities using maps, graphics, and other information; and

(B) explain the processes that have caused cities to grow such as location along transportation routes, availability of resources that have attracted settlers and economic activities, and continued access to other cities and resources.