Dig Into History

14

A

ccording to Islamic

beliefs, Prophet

Muhammad was born

in 570C.E. (see image at right),

in the city of Mecca (also spelled

Makkah) in the Arabian

Peninsula. He died in the city of

Medina (also spelled Madinah)

in 632. Although remote and

surrounded by desert, both cities

lay on important trade routes

between the Indian Ocean and

the Mediterranean Sea. Arabic-

speaking merchant caravans

crisscrossed these routes carrying

precious goods imported from

Indian Ocean ports, such as

incense, spices, and silks. The

goods arrived in ships that were

carried to southern Arabia by

the monsoon winds. These

luxury goods were in high

demand in the lands on the

Mediterranean coast that were

part of the Byzantine Empire.

In direct competition with

the Byzantines were traders

from the neighboring Sassanian

Empire. Both empires had

interests on the edges of the

Arabian Peninsula. Neither,

however, carried out much

trade in or had much influence

on communities in the harsh

interior. Rather, they had to rely

on Arab trading caravans.

The rise and spread of Islam

during and after the life of

Muhammad began with the

message that Muslims believe

was revealed by the angel

Gabriel to Muhammad from

by Susan Douglass

This 16th-century painting

illustrates the birth of the Prophet

Muhammad. His followers, Muslims,

do not ever draw his face — hence,

the veil covering his face.

The

Path

of

Islam