The rise and fall of the medieval Islamic Empire - Petra Sijpesteijn & Birte Kristiansen

Prevodilac: Milena Petrovic Lektor: Milenka Okuka

In the 7th century CE, one man started a chain of events

U sedmom veku naše ere, jedan čovek je započeo niz događaja

that would change the world order for good.

koji će promeniti svetski poredak zauvek.

The prophet Muhammad united the people of the Arabian Peninsula

Prorok Muhamed je ujedinio narode sa Arabijskog poluostrva

through the formation of Islam.

kroz stvaranje islama.

These people included both nomadic Bedouin tribes

Ovi narodi uključuju nomadska beduinska plemena

and the inhabitants of oasis cities like Mecca and Medina.

i stanovnike gradova oaza kao što su Meka i Medina.

Until Muhammad’s time, the region hadn’t been considered a serious match

Sve do Muhamedovog vremena, ova regija nije smatrana dostojnim protivnikom

for the powerful neighboring Persian and Byzantine empires.

za svoje moćne susede, Persijsko i Vizantijsko carstvo.

But the alliance Muhammad formed was political as well as religious,

Ali, savez koji je Muhamed oformio bio je politički koliko i religijski,

an empire with Medina as its political heart

carstvo sa Medinom kao svojim političkim srcem

and a force to be reckoned with.

i sila koja se ne može ignorisati.

Muhammad was a one-of-a-kind leader.

Muhamed je bio jedinstven vođa.

He had been a member of the Quraysh, the tribe that controlled Mecca.

Bio je član Kurejša, plemena koje je kontrolisalo Meku.

After Muhammad’s death,

Nakon Muhamedove smrti,

those close to him deliberated who should succeed him—

oni koji su bliski njemu su većali ko bi trebalo da ga nasledi—

a contentious question.

to je bilo sporno pitanje.

Abū Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law,

Abu Bakr, Muhamedov tast,

emerged victorious and became the new caliph, or successor.

je izašao kao pobednik i postao novi kalif, ili naslednik.

Over the next 30 years, four caliphs, all from Muhammad's tribe,

Tokom narednih 30 godina, četiri kalifa, svi iz Muhamedovog plemena,

conquered vast areas beyond Arabia,

pokorili su mnoge oblasti van Arabije,

including their mighty neighbors, the Persians and the Byzantines.

uključujući i svoje moćne susede, Persijance i Vizantince.

But as the empire expanded, dissent within it grew

Međutim, kako se carstvo širilo, unutrašnje neslaganje je raslo

and a civil war erupted.

i izbio je građanski rat.

The fourth caliph, Ali, was assassinated.

Četvrti kalif, Ali, je ubijen.

Afterwards, the Umayyad Dynasty came to power.

Zatim, Omejadska dinastija je došla na vlast.

The Umayyads were from the same tribe as Muhammad,

Omejadi su bili iz istog plemena kao i Muhamed,

but from a different, rival clan.

ali iz drugog, rivalskog klana.

They extended the empire’s reach from present-day Spain to India

Oni su proširili granice carstva od današnje Španije do Indije,

and made Damascus their capital.

i odredili Damask za glavni grad.

But an empire this vast, full of many different peoples,

Ali carstvo ovako prostrano, puno različitih naroda,

was at risk of conflict and fracture.

bilo je u opasnosti od konflikata i sloma.

The Umayyads stabilized it by replacing the ruling elite in conquered territories

Omejadi su ga stabilizovali zamenom vladajuće elite u pokorenim oblastima

with Muslim officials,

sa muslimanskim zvaničnicima,

while largely allowing the day-to-day customs of local populations—

omogućavajući svakodnevne običaje lokalnog stanovništva—

including their religious preferences— to continue.

uključujući i njihove verske sklonosti— da se nastave.

Arabic was used as the administrative language,

Arapski se koristio kao administrativni jezik,

unifying political affairs across the empire,

koji je ujedinio političke poslove širom carstva,

but people continued to speak and write local languages, too.

ali su ljudi nastavili da govore i pišu i lokalnim jezicima.

Still, many in the empire were dissatisfied with Umayyad rule

Ipak, mnogi u carstvu nisu bili zadovoljni omejadskom vladavinom

and questioned the dynasty's legitimacy.

i preispitivali su legitimitet dinastije.

The Abbasid family capitalized on these sentiments,

Abasidska porodica je iskoristila ove osećaje,

promoting themselves as more direct descendants of the prophet,

kako bi promovisala sebe kao direktnog potomka proroka,

though their actual relation to Muhammad was more tenuous than they claimed.

iako je njihova veza sa Muhamedom bila slabija nego što su tvrdili.

They overthrew the Umayyad caliphate in 750 CE,

Zbacili su s vlasti Omejadski kalifat 750. godine naše ere,

becoming the second great dynasty of the Islamic Empire.

i tako postali druga velika dinastija islamskog carstva.

To establish themselves as the new rulers,

Kako bi uspostavili svoju vladavinu,

they relocated the capital once more,

još jednom su prebacili svoj glavni grad,

this time building a new city: Baghdad.

ovog puta su izgradili novi grad: Bagdad.

Under Abbasid rule, the elite enjoyed a lifestyle of luxury,

Pod Abasidskom vladavinom, elita je uživala luksuzan stil života,

thanks to extensive trade networks that brought both products and people

zahvaljujući opsežnoj mreži trgovine koja je donela i proizvode i ljude

from all over the known world to Baghdad.

sa svih strana poznatog sveta u Bagdad.

Byzantine, Persian, Indian and Arab cultures and knowledge intermingled,

Vizantijska, persijska, indijska i arapska kultura i znanje su se isprepletali,

leading to artistic and scientific advancement.

što je dovelo do umetničkog i naučnog napretka.

The caliph was wealthy and powerful beyond imagination.

Kalif je bio bogat i moćan van svake zamisli.

But there was never a clear line of succession

Međutim, nikada nije bilo jasne linije nasleđivanja

dictating who would become the next caliph.

koja bi odredila ko će postati sledeći kalif.

Any male relative of the former caliph was eligible,

Bilo koji muški srodnik prethodnog kalifa je bio podesan,

so brothers, nephews, and uncles fought to gain power.

tako da su se braća, nećaci i ujaci borili za prevlast.

Within the court, army officers, wives, concubines, and government officials

Unutar suda, oficiri, žene, konkubine i vladini zvaničnici

all demanded their share of the treasury.

svi su zahtevali deo tog blaga.

Because the caliph depended on his entourage to stay in power,

Kako je kalif zavisio od svoje pratnje da ostane na vlasti,

each transition of rulership opened the doors for favoritism and corruption.

svaka promena vlasti otvarala je vrata favorizovanju i korupciji.

Outside the court,

Van suda,

many questioned the legitimacy of the caliph,

mnogi su preispitivali legimitet koji kalif ima,

noting that the caliph’s religious duty to moral excellence

zapažajući da je religijska dužnost kalifa prema moralnoj izvrsnosti

was at odds with the court’s decadent displays of wealth.

bila u suprotnosti sa raskalašnim pokazivanjem bogatstva suda.

In 1258 CE, the Mongols approached Baghdad.

Godine 1258. naše ere, Mongoli su se približili Bagdadu.

They encountered little resistance as they thoroughly destroyed the city.

Naišli su na mali otpor dok su u potpunosti uništavali grad.

Legend has it that they rolled the caliph in a rug

Legenda kaže da su kalifa umotali u tepih

and had horses trample him to death,

i pustili konje da ga gaze do smrti,

and that the Tigris River ran black from the ink of the manuscripts

i da je reka Tigar postala crna od mastila sa rukopisa

that were thrown into it.

koji su bili bačeni u nju.

The siege of Baghdad laid bare a longstanding reality:

Opsada Bagdada je otkrila dugogodišnju realnost:

for centuries, the caliphs had ruled mostly symbolically.

vekovima su kalifi vladali uglavnom simbolično.

Local leaders throughout the empire had grown more powerful,

Lokalne vođe širom carstva su postale moćnije

and they refused to pay taxes,

i odbili su da plaćaju porez,

spending the money on their own courts instead.

i umesto toga su trošili novac na sopstvene sudove.

The time of one united Islamic Empire was over,

Vreme jednog Islamskog carstva je prošlo,

but its influence through written and spoken Arabic,

ali njegov uticaj kroz pisani i govorni arapski,

Islam, and the ideas of its greatest intellectuals,

islam i ideje njegovih najvećih intelektualaca

left a lasting mark on the world.

je ostavilo trajni pečat na svet.