Daily Life in the Medieval Islamic World

by James E. Lindsay

From the time of its birth in Mecca in the 7th century C.E., Islam and the Islamic world rapidly expanded outward, extending to Spain and West Africa in the west, and to Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent in the east. An examination of the daily life in these Islamic regions provides insight into a civilized, powerful, and economically stable culture, where large metropolitan centers such as Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo thrived in many areas, including intellectual and scientific inquiry. In contrast with medieval Europe, there is little common knowledge in the West of the culture and history of this vibrant world, as different from our own in terms of the political, religious, and social values it possessed, as it is similar in terms of the underlying human situation that supports such values. This book provides an intimate look into the daily life of the medieval Islamic world, and is thus an invaluable resource for students and general readers alike interested in understanding this world, so different, and yet so connected, to our own.



Chapters include discussions the major themes of medieval Islamic history; Arabia, the world of Islamic origins; warfare and politics; the major cities of Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo; religious rituals and worship; and a section on curious and entertaining information. Author James E. Lindsay further provides a focused look at the daily lives of urban Muslims during this time period, and of their interactions with Jews, Christians and other Muslims. Timelines, tables (including a calendar conversion to align the Islamic lunar and the Christian solar dates, and a dynastic table highlighting the major genealogies of the ancient ruling families), a bibliography, and a glossary of important dates and technical terms are also provided to assist the reader.

Genres: History, Islam, Nonfiction, Religion, Middle East, Research, Medieval

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2005

Reviews

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense, informative, and fascinating - I probably took more detailed notes on this book than on any of the other academic histories I've read (which is why this took me months to read). Covers topics from early Islamic history to religious practices, the role and status of women, education, marriage laws, warfare, trade, dwellings, and so much more. Indispensable whether you're writing with a focus on the Islamic Middle Ages, or non-Islamic minorities of the period.

[Vaishali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read the title, because the next time you'll see anything resembling it is on page 88 :) Lindsay gives precious few details on actual day-to-day activities ... and he had 800 years spanning 3 continents to do it.

Factoids sparsed out :
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"Yemen - the Arabia Felix or 'Happy Arabia' of classical geographers - was exceptional in just about everything. Unlike the Bedouin who lived in tents or the residents of the oasis settlements of Hadiz... Yemen built dams in the valleys in order to catch annual monsoon rains... produced an agricultural bounty ... simply impossible elsewhere in the peninsula."

"Paper production exploded ... the first paper mill in the Islamic world was established in Baghdad in 794-95... its many uses spread from Baghdad throughout the region and ultimately via Muslim Spain to Europe."

"Medieval Islamic rulers minted three types of coins... a gold coin was called a dinar, a silver coin was called a dirham and a base metal coin (usually copper) was generally called a fals."

"Since at any given time one could find merchants from... a host of Afro-Eurasian cities in the markets of the medieval Islamic world, one of the most important men in any market was the sayrafi, usually translated as money-changer."

"Because weighing individual coins was a rather tedious and time-consuming affair, it was standard practice for coins to be bought and sold in purses that were sealed by the government assaying office... with the exact weight indicated on the outside."

"Like the sayrafi, the muhtasib or market inspector was essential to the smooth functioning of markets... that public morality in the very public space of the market was upheld."

"The diet of even the lowliest peasant in the medieval Islamic world was generally varied and quite healthy, certainly far healthier than what most classes had access to in Europe."

"In the countryside women generally ground the flour. In the cities there were mills that ground flour for sale. Some urban marriage contracts have survived that specify that the bride (usually from a wealthy family) was to be exempt from grinding flour. Since only the wealthiest individuals could afford to have an oven built into their residences, foods prepared at home had to be taken to a local bake-house."

"... There were shops that sold breads, pastries, and sweetmeats, as well as restaurants where one could purchase all sorts of prepared dishes."

"Ancient Greek, Persian, and Sanskrit works on philosophy, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, geography, and other sciences were translated into Arabic between the 8th and 10th centuries..."

"The 9th century mathematician al-Khwarazmi played a major role in the introduction of 'Hindu numerals' into the Islamic world. This numbering system was later adopted and modified in the west in what are now known as 'Arabic numerals'."

"... Cheetahs were often used when hunting larger game such as gazelles, antelopes, deer, wild donkeys, and wild boar."

"As sharia developed, the Quranic punishment of lashing was changed to death by stoning, a punishment that parallels the Biblical practice..."


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[Jasmine Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it! I used this book for research/worldbuilding purposes for my YA epic fantasy book. It's frustrating how there doesn't seem to be a lot of accessible books on Medieval Middle Eastern daily life. Some stuff is ridiculously expensive (hardbacks for $75). I appreciate the level of detail in this book, but would've wanted even more daily living details like meals, home interior design, etc (as opposed to the whole section on the end on religion).

[Azzoz2001 · Rating 2 out of 5]

قبل ان أتكلم عن الكتاب أود أن أوضح عدة أشياء

أولا الكتاب موجه للجمعور الغربي وليس العربي. لهذا لن تجد الكثير من المعلومات الجديدة

ثانيا الكاتب كان يدرس التاريخ حسب التفكير الناقد الغربي الذي كان يزعجني بشكل كبير فهم لا يعترفون ببعض المناهج الإسلامية في الإستدلال مثل السند بل يستندون إلى شيئين بشكل أساسي الأول هو الكتب القديمة. ومشكلتها لديهم أن التاريخ الإسلام و الحديث النبوي بدأ تدوينه بعد موت النبي بأكثر من مئة سنة ونفس الشيء بالنسبة للأثار.

الهدف الأساسي الذي جعلني أود قراءة هذا الكتاب هو رغبتي في أمور تحدث كل يوم في حياتني لدرجة أننا اصبحنا لا نراها. مثل نظام التسمية العربي ولكني لم أرفق لذلك فتقريبا لم أقرأ نصف صفحات الكتاب لعدم رؤيتي لمعلومة شيقة أو جديدة بل كنت أنزعج من بعض تحليلات الكاتب التي أيضا لم يوفق فيها وأنا أرى هذا طبيعي فالكاتب أتى من بيئة مختلفة إختلافا شديدا عن العالم الإسلام .

أكثر فصل إستمتعت بقراءته هو فصل يتحدث عن الحياة اليومية للإنسان العربي في العصور القديمة وحال المدن العظمى مثل بغداد و دمشق وهذا دفعني إلى ضع نجمتين بدل نجمة لهذا الشي

[Abdurrahman · Rating 3 out of 5]

its a decent read. I wouldn't recommend it as your first entry to Islamic history.
I've read multiple books from the "Daily Life in History" series. this one is a bit different, huge parts of the book are not about daily life. they are just about Islam politics or beliefs.

you will find many interesting info here. there are some mistakes; but the Arabic version is better I think. the translator did a really great job pointing out mistakes.

there are some unnecessary (in my opinion) parts where the writer would compare the Islamic culture in the middle ages, to the current American culture. and it would have been more interesting to compare it to other cultures at the time.

all in all, if you want 'extra' history. this is a good book.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Daily Life" is a little more scholarly than I was hoping for, but that comes out sounding like a bad thing. Since my ulterior motive was research for my novel, I'd hoped for "daily living" gems that couldn't be found in other scholarly works. There are a few of those in this book - no tea! no coffee! - but I think I would've been better off reading this book earlier in my research rather than later.

[Roweena M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read but I hadn't learned much. Everything written I already had some idea and I was hoping I would learn something entirely different. But if you are completely ignorant of this time period and of Arab culture, I strongly recommend you read. I couldn't help but notice a slightly bias tone in the author's writing, disliked that greatly but it can be easily ignored.

[Zakaria Zalt · Rating 3 out of 5]

يصلح للقارئ الغربي بالنسبة لنا كعرب الكتاب عبارة عن معلومات بديهية.

[Hamza · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a person who loves history, who always wants to learn more about other religions, this is the best book for you. The book talks about more than what the titles says. It compares (islam) with other religions which gives you more information not just about the Islamic medieval world, but also about other religions in that time. One of the best part about the book is that the author is not biased. The author doesn’t states its opinion anywhere in the book. The reason why it gets 4 star from me is because I love history and I am always eager to learn about different religions. However if you aren't a history person and doesn’t enjoy learning about religions, this is the last book you want to pick up. That doesn’t mean you can't benefit from it. It is very well written and information in the book is from very reliable sources. If you are looking to learn about religions and old period, this is the book to read.

[Marina Pacheco · Rating 3 out of 5]

A relatively short but comprehensive overview of life in the Medieval Islamic World. I learned a lot, including many fascinating bits on naming conventions, food and the role of women. A little too focussed on the differences between modern day American life and this historical era, which might be interesting for an American reader but lacked relevance to me.

[Anas Taleb · Rating 2 out of 5]

الكتاب موجه للقارئ الغربي و اغلب ما فيه معلومات بديهية لشخص من المجتمع الاسلامي. كنت اتمنى ان يتكلم الكاتب عن الحياة اليومية فعلا و لكن طبق النصوص الدينية على الواقع و كانك اذا اردت فهل المسلمين فاقرأ نصوصهم و هذه نظرة استشراقية جلية عند الكاتب بنسبة لي

[داليا روئيل]

ربما على الجميع اعادة النظر في تراثهم القديم

[Leanne Albillar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read! I wish that it went more in depth on the daily life topics, but it can be tough to find anything written about this time period so I appreciate it being collected here.

[Koby · Rating 3 out of 5]

information PACKED, boring and poorly written

4/10.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book by James Lindsay effectively and informatively summarises daily life in the Medieval Islamic world. He begins by first explaining key topics of the Islamic culture and religion, such as a brief overview of the prophet Mohammed, his key battles, the different branches of Islam, etc. The book then moves on to more specific topics, such as life in the cities, etc.

The first chapter is very much an historiographical summary of Lindsay's sources. It is quite detailed, so if this kind of thing isn't really for you, you may at first wonder what you have bought or whether or not the rest of the book is worth reading. As soon as chapter 2 begins, the book takes on a more traditional History book feel.

I found it a very informative book and I think it would be very useful to Islamic-History-Beginners wanting a brief but detailed introduction to how the ancestors of present day Muslims lived. I also think it would be a good tool for revision. The reason I give it 3 stars and no more is because I personally found Lindsay's style very hard-going. The History itself is very interesting and not at all hard to take in, but for my taste, the style leaves quite a lot to be desired.

[Abdullah Al-Suairy · Rating 2 out of 5]

يقدم أستاذ التاريخ ليندزي صورة عن الحياة اليومية في العالم الإسلامي خلال القرون الوسطى، ويقارن بين المجتمع الإسلامي وقتها والمجتمع الأمريكي الحديث، وهي مقارنة لم استسغها، وهناك تلك النظرة الإستعلائية من المؤلف كقوله عن كتَّاب السيرة أنهم: ”ظلوا مدة طويلة يبحثون عن نسبه - أي الرسول - وسلالته التي تعود لإبراهيم عن طريق إسماعيل، لكي يظهروا أن محمدا لا يتحدر من عائلة شريفة فحسب، بل إنه يتحدر من سلالة نبوية كغيره من الأنبياء.“ وغيرها كثير.
يعيب على الكاتب تقديمه معلومات مغلوطة ومشوهة في بعض الأحيان، لا تصدر عن خبير بالتاريخ الإسلامي، ولا سيما كشخص مسؤول عن تقديم صورة هذه المجتمعات للشعوب الغربية والمتحدثة بالإنكليزية، فائدة الكتاب للقارئ - العربي بالخصوص - هي وفرة المصادر التي يوفرها المؤلف، سواء كانت إسلامية - وهي قليلة - أو غربية.

[Mark Blackham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denny writes a very thorough summary of Islam. Although often criticized as a non-Muslim writing on Islam, there can be little doubt about his comprehensive and refreshingly objective knowledge of the subject. It is probably one of the best resources for reaching western academics and students whose focus is on the Middle East. My only critique is the cost of the book.

[A. Michael Shumate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I certainly had good details but I was hoping for more: bathing, taxes, education, etc. I had found out most details through my own amateurish research.

[Mishari · Rating 2 out of 5]

لا جديد، حس استشراقي وتنميطات غريبة ويتناول منطقة جغرافية واسعة وفترة زمنية طويلة دون القدرة على الإحاطة باتساع وطول هذا الموضوع، إضافة لذلك الحس الديني المسيحي للكاتب .
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