The Making of Today: The 1757 Hajj Raid, October-December 1757

One of the Five Pillars of Islam is the hajj, the annual pilgrimage for Muslims to the Holy City of Mecca, and is a major logistical challenge for states since the founding of Islam. The arrival of railways in the late-1800s made hajj so much easier for millions of pilgrims throughout history, made even easier

World History: The Middle East and Imperialism

Egyptian Revolution of 1919 As we have seen in previous World History posts, the nineteenth and early-twentieth century saw European states becoming powerful and proceeding to colonise the rest of the world. The Middle East is often overlooked in this narrative, largely as formal European colonies, outside of North Africa that is, were not formed

World History: West African Jihadist Movements

A sketch of one of Sokoto’s cities, Kano Around the beginning of the nineteenth century in West Africa a series of movements, inspired by jihad, establishing several Jihadi states. These states were integral in forming a strong sense of Islamic, and ethnic, identity in the region which exists to this day. Just before the formal

World History: The Mughals

Today we are looking at the last of the so-called ‘Gunpowder Empires’: the Mughals. The Mughals are perhaps one of the most influential of India’s empires with many aspects and images of India which the West has originating from the Mughal Empire. Since the 1990s India’s Hindu right has been on the rise, currently the

World History: The Safavids

A depiction of the court of Abbas I The last time on World History we looked at the first of the ‘Gunpowder Empires’ with the Ottomans and today we’ll be looking at the second of these empires and the enemy of the Ottomans: the Safavids of Iran. Safavid rule was established in 1501 and lasted until the

World History: The Ottoman Empire

The famous sultan Suleiman For the next three World History posts we’ll be looking at what Marshall Hodgson and William McNeill described as the ‘Gunpowder Empires’: the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal Empires. These three empires utilized gunpowder, dominated their respective regions and were Islamic. They were the some of the most powerful states during their

History in Focus: The Partition of India

Muslim Refugees Fleeing India As of writing this week has seen the 70th anniversary of the Partition of the British Raj forming the new states of India and Pakistan. The Partition is the single most important event in the modern history of the Indian subcontinent which still continues to greatly shape the lives of those

World History: Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Trades

Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean One thing in history which is often overlooked is the importance of trade. Trade brought cultures together, spread ideas, and even shaped governments. Today we shall be looking at two key centers of trade: the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. These two bodies of water are very similar but simultaneously

World History: Mali and Songhai

The Mosque of Djenne African history is often overlooked by people. Larger than Europe, China, and the continental United States in terms of geography Africa over the centuries has been home to thousands of unique cultures. Last time we visited Africa on World History we looked at the impressive archaeological site of Great Zimbabwe (please

World History: The Rise of Islam

Muhammad meets Gabriel Islam is the second largest religion in the world, having around 1.3 billion followers, but, it is one of the most misunderstood religions in the west. Originating in the Arab peninsula around 610 CE when the Prophet Muhammad received a revelation from the angel Gabriel, (the angel which appeared to the Virgin