FEB. 21:  THE RISE OF ISLAM

Jerusalem, again:  now three religions lay claim to the Holy City

Geographical perspective:  the power of the desert

Arabia and its Neighbors at the Time of the Prophet:

Arabian landscape:

The Kaaba:  holiest shrine of Islam

The Qur'an:  the Word of God revealed to Muhammad

The Night Journey:  Muhammad taken by angels to Jerusalem.    Note that the Prophet's face is not represented.

The Word as Art:  Islamic Calligraphy

Bilal, the first Muezzin, leads the faithful in the Call to Prayer

The great mosque of Damascus:

The Dome of the Rock, built on the Temple Mount in the late seventh century

The inscription inside the Dome:  "There is no God but God; Muhammad is his Prophet; Jesus is also his Prophet, but God has no Son:  He neither Begets nor is Begotten."

Maps:  The Downsizing of the Roman Empire and the Rise of the Caliphate

AD600                                                   AD700

AD 800