Rise of Islam
I’m the holy city where Muhammad was born and where Muslims face when they pray.
What is Mecca?
I’m the Muslim holy book, believed to contain the word of God.
What is the Qur’an?
I’m the capital of Byzantium, built by Constantine and protected by walls.
What is Constantinople?
I was the shared legacy of Rome that both Byzantium and Islam sought to preserve.
What is Roman law and culture?
I’m the system of numbers the Islamic world shared with Europe — we still use them today.
What are Arabic numerals?
I’m the journey Muhammad made from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE — the first year of the Islamic calendar.
What is the Hegira (Hijra)?
I’m one of the Five Pillars — during my month, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset.
What is Ramadan (Fasting)?
I was the emperor who tried to restore the old Roman Empire and created a famous law code.
Who is Justinian I?
My empire used Greek as its official language, while my rival preferred Arabic.
What is the Byzantine Empire?
I’m the branch of math invented by Muslim scholars — my name comes from Arabic.
What is algebra?
I was the angel who delivered God’s message to Muhammad in the Cave of Hira.
Who is Gabriel?
I’m the pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim must try to make once in their lifetime.
What is the Hajj?
I’m the event in 1054 that split Christianity into Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic branches.
What is the Great Schism?
I’m the city that replaced Damascus as the capital during the Abbasid Caliphate.
What is Baghdad?
I’m the art form of tiny colored tiles that decorated Byzantine churches and palaces.
What are mosaics?
After Muhammad’s death, I was the title given to the political and religious leader of the Muslim community.
What is Caliph?
I’m the system of government officials — from viziers to emirs — who served under the caliph.
What is the Islamic administrative hierarchy? (Accept “government structure of the caliphate”)
I was the debate over whether religious images should be banned or venerated.
What is Iconoclasm?
When Muslim forces conquered Byzantine lands, many locals accepted their rule — perhaps because of this financial reason.
What is lower taxes (compared to Byzantine rule)?
I’m the scientific tool and skill that helped Muslims navigate the desert and the sea by studying the stars.
What is astronomy (or the astrolabe)?
I’m the battle where Charles Martel stopped the Muslim advance into Europe in 732 CE.
What is the Battle of Poitiers (or Tours)?
I’m the group of non-Muslims who paid a tax but were allowed to keep their religion.
Who are the dhimmi (Jews and Christians)?
I’m the massive church built in Constantinople with a dome so grand it seemed to float on air.
What is the Hagia Sophia?
I’m the year both worlds changed — Muslims were rising under the Abbasids, and Byzantium faced decline. My number is the fall of Baghdad to the Mongols.
What is 1258 CE?
I’m the “fear of empty space” in Byzantine art, where every surface is filled with detail.
What is horror vacui?