Show:
Early History & Invasion
Benjamin of Tudela
Mongol Rule
Literature & Plague
Reaction to Invasion
100
These were the rulers of the Jewish community during the period of Islamic rule.
Who were the exilarch and the geonim?
100
This was where Benjamin of Tudela came from and how old he was when he set out.
What was Sepharad and 29 years old?
100
This decision by Ghazan Khan, later during the Mongol rule, made life more difficult for Jews because of this.
What was his decision to convert to Islam and the consequent return of the status of dhimmi and the jizya?
100
In the literature of the Persian Jews, this story is central.
What is the story of Esther and Mordecai?
100
This was the impact of the invasion of the Mongols and the Black Death on Persian society.
What was destruction and political instability?
200
These were three important responsibilities of the rulers of the Jewish community.
What was the responsibility for education and the selection of judges and rabbis?
200
He was the man described by Tudela who wanted to overthrow the Persian rulers and then do this.
Who was David Al Roy who wanted Jews to retake Jerusalem?
200
Mongols preferred these people to help them in the running of their government for this reason.
Who were minorities like Jews and Christians because they would be more likely to be loyal, since they had benefited in some ways and not lost power, like the Persian Muslims?
200
The Black Death reached Persia in this year and killed this percent of the population.
What is 1347 and a third of the population?
200
This was a common reaction by many groups to problematic social and political situations.
What was turning to spirituality?
300
This was one consequences for the Jews of the new ideas unleashed by Islam and one sect that was influenced by Islam.
What was false messiahs?
300
This was the name of the book that Benjamin wrote about his travels and how long he traveled.
What is the Itinerary and nine years?
300
He was Arghun Khan's vizier and this is what happened to him.
Who was Sa'ad al-Daula and what was being killed by his enemies when Arghun became ill?
300
Persian Jews were translating this and writing these as far back as the 9th century.
What is translating the Bible and writing dictionaries?
300
None
None
400
This was the religious perspective of the Mongols and the consequence of that perspective.
What was polytheism and the consequent ending of the rules of dhimmi and jizya?
400
Benjamin visited this city and described which Jewish leaders and the way they were treated.
What is Baghdad and the Exilarch and geonim being treated with honor.
400
These were three achievements of Arghun Khan's Jewish vizier.
What was establishing a fixed tax, not allowing special taxes, and opening diplomatic relations with Europe?
400
The highest literary achievement of the Persian Jews was this, particularly this kind of rendition of Torah and Tanakh.
What is poetry and the poetic paraphrasing of Torah and Tanakh?
400
This was a pattern that emerged with regard to the successive foreign invaders and these were three ways that these conquerors were affected.
What was conversion to Islam and the adoption of Persian clothing, Persian artistic and literary styles, Persian architecture, and the Persian language (only three of the latter required)?
500
This was how many were killed by the Mongols when they invaded Persia and what they called this new section of the Mongol empire.
What is 10-15 million dead and an Il-Khanate?
500
These are three major Jewish communities in Persia that Benjamin visited, his population estimate for ONE, and how accurate his estimates were.
What are Hamadan (30,000), Isfahan (15,000), Shiraz (10,000), and Samarkand (50,000) (three out of the court cities and only one population estimate needed) though population estimates were probably exaggerated?
500
These are three things that happened when the Mongol khans converted to Islam.
What was the destruction of synagogues and churches, forced conversion, and the return of dhimmi and jizya?
500
These were two of the surviving works of the Jewish Persian literature related to Torah and Tanakh (not counting Esther and Mordecai).
What were poetic versions of the story of the rebuilding of the Temple and Ezra, Joseph and Potiphar's wife, or the story of Moses? (two of these three)
500
One successful reaction to the destruction and instability of this time was this, led by this man, whose descendants would go on to do this.
What was the establishment of a Sufi brotherhood led by Safi al-Din, whose descendants would found the next Persian dynasty?