| A | B |
|---|
| Iberian Peninsula | The southwestern tip of Europe where modern Portugal and Spain are located. |
| bureaucracy | A system of departments and agencies that carry out the work of the government |
| Abd al-Malik | He became caliph in 685, declared Arabic the official language, and introduced a common coinage around 700. |
| Abd al-Rahman | The lone Umayyad leader who escaped to Spain and re-established the Umayyad dynasty in the West once the Abassids had taken power in the East. |
| Abassid Dynasty | Gained support from other Muslims who opposed the Umayyads, they regined the Muslim Empire from 750 to 1258 AD. |
| standing army | a fighting force that is maintained in times of peace as well as in times of war and are stationed throughout the empire |
| Bahgdad | The capital of the Muslim Empire under the Abassid rule |
| Damascus | Capital of the Muslim Empire under Umayyad rule |
| golden age | a period during which a society or culture is at its peak. For the Muslim Empire, this was in the years after 800. |
| calligraphy | the art of fine handwriting often used by Muslims for decorative purposes |
| arabesque | Design form that shows the intertwined stem, leavesm and flowers of plant used widely by Muslim artists |
| House of Wisdom | great library and center of learning in Baghdad opened in the 830s |
| Omar Khayyam | a Persian born Muslim poet and writer |
| factions | opposing groups |
