World history concepts · AP World History: Modern
Dar al-Islam
Dar al-Islam: Arabic for 'house of Islam'; the regions where Muslim rulers governed or Islam was the dominant faith, connected by trade, law and scholarship.
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What it means
By 1200, Dar al-Islam stretched from West Africa and Spain to South and Southeast Asia. Shared religion, Arabic learning and legal traditions helped connect merchants and scholars across diverse states, from the Mali Empire to the Delhi Sultanate.
Centers of learning preserved and advanced knowledge in mathematics, medicine and astronomy.
Example
Ibn Battuta's fourteenth-century travels across Dar al-Islam, from Morocco to India and beyond, show the networks connecting Muslim societies.
On the exam
Dar al-Islam is a Unit 1 topic and appears in questions on state building, trade and cultural diffusion.