On this page: General Resources | Islam | Byzantine Empire | Crusades | Ottoman Empire | Timbuktu

general resources

📖 The African and Middle Eastern World, 600–1500 from Oxford University Press. Here’s an excellent spine for a Middle School study: “The cast of characters in this story is fascinating: from the Prophet himself to Abu Bakr Muhammad ar-Razi, a Persian physician who compiled a multivolume medical encyclopedia; Mehmed II, an Ottomon sultan who conquered Constantinople and brought the Byzantine Empire to an end; Mansa Musa, a West African emperor who distributed gifts of gold all along the route to Mecca; and Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan Berber whose travels through the Islamic world in the 14th century covered 75,000 miles.” – Middle

đź“– Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta 1325–1354 by James Rumford. Living in the 14th century, the Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta was the “traveler of his age,” traversing the known world from Tanzania to Russia to China. This is a lovely, poetic retelling of his adventures, perfect for younger students. Highly recommended. – Elementary

đź“– The Genius of Islam: How Muslims Made the Modern World by Bryn Barnard. “The Muslim world has often been a bridge between East and West, but many of Islam's crucial innovations are hidden within the folds of history.” This book seeks to reclaim for the Islamic world some of the inventions and advances that shaped Western society. Illustrated two-page spreads touch on the history of Islam and highlight a number of key innovations, including the adoption of Arabic numerals, the development of a unique architectural style, and the preservation and translation of the writings of the ancient world. A fascinating read. – Elementary • Middle

đź”— Content Connection: Ancient China. Learn about the Silk Road connecting the Middle East to China.

Islam

đź“– Mosque by David Macaulay. Using his trademark pen-and-ink illustration style, Macaulay depicts the building of a fictional mosque in 16th century Ottoman Turkey.  Packed with detailed illustrations and information about the importance, design, and construction of the mosque, this is a wonderful accompaniment to any study of the Islamic world. – All

đź“– No god but God: The Origins and Evolution of Islam by Reza Aslan. In this young readers’ adaptation of his adult bestseller, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, Reza Aslan lays out the history of Islam in nine brief chapters. Chapter titles include Religion in Pre-Islamic Arabia, The Meaning of Jihad, Muslim-Jewish Relations, and Women in Islam. This fascinating and highly readable history of the religion is highly recommended. – Middle • High

đź“– Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story by Hena Khan. Here’s a nice picture book introduction to the Muslim holidays of Ramadan, which were first observed in the 7th century. The story follows Yasmeen, a modern day young Pakistani-American girl who is excited to celebrate the Muslim Holy Month. Also along these lines, see Reem Faruqi’s Lailah’s Lunchbox, which tells the story of Lailah, an Arab-American girl who is participating in the fasting for her first time. ­– Elementary

đź“– Growing Up Muslim: Understanding the Beliefs and Practices of Islam by Sumbul Ali-Karamali. This short chapter book gives a nice account of the history and current practices of Islam. Part I explains what it’s like to grow up Muslim today—at least in Southern California, where author Sumbul Ali-Karamali was raised—while Part II dives into the historical origins and early development of the religion (it’s this section that earns Growing Up Muslim a spot on this page). Finally, Part III discusses modern Muslim Demographics. – Middle • High

▶️ Islam, the Quran, and the Five Pillars from Crash Course. “In which John Green teaches you the history of Islam, including the revelation of the Qu'ran to Muhammad, the five pillars of Islam, how the Islamic empire got its start, the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and more.” – Middle • High

▶️ Mansa Musa and Islam in Africa from Crash Course. “In which John Green teaches you about Sub-Saharan Africa! So, what exactly was going on there? It turns out, it was a lot of trade, converting to Islam, visits from Ibn Battuta, trade, beautiful women, trade, some impressive architecture, and several empires. John not only cover the the West African Malian Empire, which is the one Mansa Musa ruled, but he discusses the Ghana Empire, and even gets over to East Africa as well to discuss the trade-based city-states of Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Zanzibar.” – Middle • High

byzantine empire

đź”— Content Connection: Ancient Rome. The Byzantine Empire carried on the cultural legacy of the Roman Empire.

💻 12 Byzantine Rulers: The History of the Byzantine Empire. In this fascinating podcast series, educator Lars Brownworth explores the history of the Byzantine Empire by focusing on 12 notable Byzantine rulers —among them Constantine, Julian, and Justinian. – Middle • High

▶️ The rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire from TED-Ed. “Most history books will tell you that the Roman Empire fell in the fifth century CE, but this would’ve come as a surprise to the millions who lived in the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages. This Medieval Roman Empire, today called the Byzantine Empire, began when Constantine, the first Christian emperor, moved Rome's capital.” – All

▶️ The Fall of Rome from Crash Course. “In which John Green teaches you about the fall of the Roman Empire, which happened considerably later than you may have been told. While the Western Roman Empire fell to barbarians in 476 CE, the Byzantines in Constantinople continued the Eastern Empire nicely, calling themselves Romans for a further 1000 years. Find out what Justinian and the rest of the Byzantine emperors were up to over there, and how the Roman Empire dragged out its famous Decline well into medieval times.” – Middle • High

▶️ The city of walls: Constantinople from TED-Ed. “The world owes much of its cultural legacy to Constantinople’s walls. When Constantinople was under siege by neighboring enemies, the Roman city’s elaborate system of moats, outer walls, and inner walls stood tall. Surviving numerous fire attacks, the walls were eventually brought down by more modern tools of warfare, but, thankfully, classical culture survived.” – All

▶️ It’s a church. It’s a mosque. It’s Hagia Sophia from TED-Ed.“If walls could talk, Turkey's Hagia Sophia would have an abundance of stories to tell. Once a church, then a mosque, and now a museum, this world marvel has stood the test of time and war, surviving centuries of conquest by some of history’s greatest empires. Kelly Wall takes us through the history of each layer of this great jewel of human desire.” – All

crusades

📖 You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Crusader: A War You’d Rather Not Fight! by Fiona Macdonald and David Salariya. This You Wouldn’t Want to … book asks readers to imagine themselves as Christian knights traveling thousands of miles from home to defend their faiths as Crusaders. This is a good, if irreverent, resource for learning more about the Crusades. – Elementary • Middle

đź“– Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam by Diane Stanley. Read this picture book biography to understand those who fought on the other side of the Crusades: “The time was the twelfth century; the barbarian horde was the armies of the First Crusade; the great warrior was Richard the Lionhearted; and the leader was Saladin. This is more than the other side of a familiar Western story, the Crusades. It is the tale of an extraordinary man, remarkable for his generous and chivalrous ways, a warrior who longed for peace.” – Elementary • Middle

đź”— Content Connection: Medieval Europe. Learn about Europe in the Middle Ages.

▶️ The Crusades from Crash Course. “In which John Green teaches you about the Crusades embarked upon by European Christians in the 12th and 13th centuries. Our traditional perception of the Crusades as European Colonization thinly veiled in religion isn't quite right. John covers the First through the Fourth Crusades, telling you which were successful, which were well-intentioned yet ultimately destructive, and which were just plain crazy.” – Middle • High

Ottoman Empire

▶️ NEW • The Rise of the Ottoman Empire from TED-Ed. In the late 13th century, Osman I established a small principality sandwiched between a crumbling Byzantine Empire and a weakened Sultanate of the Seljuk of Rum, in what is now Turkey. In just a few generations, this territory had outmaneuvered more powerful neighbors to become the vast Ottoman Empire. What enabled its rapid rise? – All

▶️ Venice and the Ottomans from Crash Course. “In which John Green discusses the strange and mutually beneficial relationship between a republic, the citystate of Venice, and an Empire, the Ottomans . . . Together, the Ottoman Empire and Venice grew wealthy by facilitating trade: The Venetians had ships and nautical expertise; the Ottomans had access to many of the most valuable goods in the world, especially pepper and grain. Working together across cultural and religious divides, they both become very rich, and the Ottomans became one of the most powerful political entities in the world. We also discuss how economic realities can overcome religious and political differences (in this case between Muslims and Christians)…” – Middle • High

timbuktu

▶️ NEW • The hidden treasures of Timbuktu from TED-Ed. “On the edge of the vast Sahara desert, citizens snuck out of the city of Timbuktu and took to the wilderness. They buried chests in the desert sand, hid them in caves, and sealed them in secret rooms. Inside these chests was a treasure more valuable than gold: the city’s ancient books. Why were they hiding these priceless manuscripts?” – All

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