I am seeking a skilled writer with expertise in late antique history to write a 12-15 page academic essay for a university-level History 404 course. The essay must focus on how Islamic expansion in th

Samual Cohen History 404 10 April 2025 How Islamic Expansion Changed Trade in the Mediterranean in the 17th and 18th century The history of Islam and how it influenced the world, particularly in regions like the Mediterranean that are so close to me, has always captivated me as a first generation Moroccan American student. For this reason, I decided to examine how the spread of Islam in the seventh and eighth centuries changed the Mediterranean region, focusing on how it impacted trade in the eastern Mediterranean. Since the original question covers political, cultural, and economic changes, I'm concentrating only on the economic aspects of it, particularly how markets and trade routes changed following the Islamic Caliphates' invasion of Egypt and Syria. I'll look at how the Caliphates created new economic centers and how their main Christian neighbor, the Byzantine Empire, responded to these developments. I'm interested in learning how the spread of Islam af fected the area where my ancestors lived. Trade was the energy of the time, so this topic excites me. I want to begin by using texts that describe the Mediterranean economy to explain how trade operated prior to the spread of Islam. After that, I'll discuss how the Islamic conquests upended the system and gave cities like Damascus greater significance than more ancient Byzantine ones like Alexandria. I'll highlight the new trade networks the Caliphates established using a primary source from an Islamic writer, Ibn Khordadbeh, and demonstrate how Christians responded to losing their trading centers using a primary source from a Byzantine authorthat caught my eye, Theophanes. Additionally, by concentrating on Constantinople, I hope to investigate how the Byzantines maintained their economy.

My secondary sources are going to help me in somewhat understanding in a larger context, such as the reasons behind the growth of Islamic cities and the evolution of trade routes. Since the Caliphates and Byzantines had direct contact in the eastern Mediterranean, which helps comparisons, I'm sticking with that region. The Islamic expansion, in my opinion, increased trade by connecting the Mediterranean to faraway places like India, but it also had a negative impact on the Byzantine economy by replacing important cities. I'll use the opinions of historians today as my sources to support this claim.

2 Annotated Bibliography Secondary Sources 1. Kennedy , Hugh. The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In . Da Capo Press, 2007. This book explains how the Islamic conquests changed the Mediterranean, including how they affected trade and cities. It gives a clear overview of why trade routes moved to places like Damascus I’ll use it to understand the economic impact of Islam’s spread. It’s a great source for my essay’s focus on trade. 2. Hoyland, Robert G. In God’s Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empir e . Oxford University Press, 2015. This book talks about how the Islamic conquests affected both Islamic and Christian areas, including trade. It’s useful for comparing what happened to the Caliphates economy versus the Byzantines. I’ll use it to show how the Byzantines lost some trade power .

It helps me see the bigger picture of economic changes. 3. Wickham, Chris. Framing the Early Middle Ages: Europe and the Mediterranean, 400-800 . Oxford University Press, 2005. This book looks at how the Mediterranean economy worked during this time, including trade and cities. It’s great for explaining how things changed after the Islamic conquests which I’m interested in. I’ll use it to describe the growth of Islamic cities like Baghdad. It’s a good source for understanding economic shiftsback then. 4. Donner , Fred. Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam . Harvard University Press, 2010. This book explains how the early Islamic community was organized including how they handled trade. It’s helpful for understanding why the Caliphates were good at building trade network. ll use it to show how Islamic policies helped their economy grow.

Primary Sources 1. Theophanes Confessor.

Chronicle . Translated by Cyril Mango and Roger Scott, Oxford University Press, 1997. This is a Byzantine history that talks about how Islamic conquests hurt trade like losing Alexandria. It’s useful because it shows what Christians thought at the time which I find interesting. I’ll use it to describe the Byzantine side of the story.

It’s a main source i want 3 to use for the essa. 2. Ibn Khordadbeh. Kitāb al-Masālik wa’l-Mamālik . Translated by M. Hadj-Sadok, 1949. This Islamic text describes trade routes and markets in the Caliphates. It’s important because it shows how the Islamic economy worked from their perspective I’ll use it to explain how new trade routes were set up. It’s a great source for the Islamic side of the essay .