Anatolia - most of the area that is present day Turkey, or specifically the Asian portion of Turkey. It was bordered on the east by the Armenian Highlands, the north by the Black Sea, the south by the Mediterranean and on the west by the Aegean Sea. This area was an intersection of people and cultures from east to west.
Assyria and Assyrians - Assyria was a civilization and nation state in the area we know today as Iraq, parts of Iran, Kuwait, Syria and Turkey. The Assyrians are the indigenous people of this region.
Arabian Peninsula - The Arabian Peninsula is located in west Asia and to the northeast of Africa. It is the largest peninsula in the world. Today, several countries occupy this region: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Byzantine - Empire - The Byzantine Empire was the eastern part of the Roman Empire with it’s capital in Constantinople.
Caliph - the ruler or leader in the Muslim community
Caliphate - the political-religious state of the Muslim community and the lands and peoples under its control following the death of the Muhammad. It is ruled by a Caliph.
Fertile crescent - a crescent-shaped area of land that in the past was fertile and agriculturally productive. It is located between what today is the Nile valley in Egypt and along the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers of modern day Turkey, Syria and Iraq.
Gaul - The Battle of Tours - region today that is made up of France, Belgium, parts of Germany and Italy. The Gauls were descendents of Celtic people who lived in an agricultural society and were divided into different tribes. The Battle of Tours - Battle in 732 where Frankish leader Charles Martel defeated the Moors and stopping the spread of Islam in Western Europe. Because of this victory, Charles Martel solidifies his rule of the Franks and his son Pepin becomes the first king of the Carolingian dynasty in France. His grandson is the celebrated Charlemagne.
Geneva Convention - are rules and/or protocols that apply only in times of armed conflict and seek to protect people who are not or are no longer taking part in hostilities.
Levant - The Levant refers to the geographical area of the eastern Mediterranean (east of Venice, Italy). It would include Cyprus, Syria, Isreal, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and parts of Turkey. Most importantly, the Levant represents the land bridge between Africa and Europe (Eurasia).
Medina or Medinah - the capital of the Medina Province in western Saudi Arabia. It is one of the most sacred cities in Islam. Medina is considered to be the “cradle of Islamic culture and civilization. It is the second of the holiest cities along with Mecca and Jerusalem. The prophet Muhammad is buried in Medina.
Muslims - people who adhere to the Islamic faith. They follow the teachings of the prophet Muhammad as written in the Quran.
Pyrénées - mountain range creating the border between present day France and Spain
Rashidun (Caliphate) - The Rashidun Caliphate was the first caliphate after the death of the prophet Muhammad. It was ruled by the first four successive caliphs of Muhammad after his death in 632 AD . During its existence, the empire was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in West Asia and Northeast Africa. The first four caliphs were Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali.
Souk - a market or bazaar
Tropaia - or trophy, a monument built to represent a military victory. Usually these trophies were constructed of wood, though sometimes of bronze, and they were often decorated with captured weapons.
Umayyads - The Umayyads were the first Muslim dynasty, established in 661 in Damascus. It was the second dynasty (661-750 AD) that succeeded the first four caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali.