The Islamic conquests that swept across the Near East, North Africa, and Central Asia in the seventh and eighth centuries CE created the largest empire in terms of land area that the world had yet seen, and the conquests remain one of history’s most transformative events. But what was it like to witness, experience, and participate in the early Islamic conquests? How did the Muslim conquerors justify their newfound rule and how did their imperial ambitions shape the trajectory of early Islam and its diverse expressions?
Utilizing new historical methods for reading and interpreting the sparse contemporary and near-contemporary testimonies for this historical period, Dr. Sean W. Anthony’s “The Early Islamic Conquests” will explore how these testimonies, both Muslim and non-Muslim, continue to challenge historians to revise the history of the Islamic conquests. In this course, a strong focus is placed on reading primary source materials in translation.
Students at Rutgers University and Ohio State University can register for “The Early Islamic Conquests” by enrolling in ISLAM/HIST 3555 at OSU and 508:391 at Rutgers. For more information on “The Early Islamic Conquests” and other Fall 21 DISC Islamic Studies CourseShares, please visit our upcoming courses page.