711–1600 · Global · Faith
Muslim rule and belief expanded through conquest, diplomacy, scholarship, Sufi networks and maritime trade into West and East Africa, Central and South Asia, and island Southeast Asia.
Atlas dossier · Medieval WorldFree device narration · synchronized English captions · transcript available
Why it matters
Muslim rule and belief expanded through conquest, diplomacy, scholarship, Sufi networks and maritime trade into West and East Africa, Central and South Asia, and island Southeast Asia.
Scholars · Sufi teachers · merchants · African and Asian rulers · local converts
The varied pathways—from states to merchant ports—explain why Islam became deeply rooted from Senegal to Indonesia without a single uniform process.
Interpretation note
This dossier distinguishes the event’s basic chronology from later arguments about meaning, responsibility and legacy. When comparing religious, national, Indigenous or scholarly interpretations, consult the primary and institutional sources above alongside peer-reviewed historical work.
Elsewhere in the world
700–1900 · AfricaIndian Ocean and East African slave tradesInterconnected Red Sea and Indian Ocean systems moved commodities and enslaved people among East Africa, Arabia, Persia, India and island societies; Zanzibar became a major nineteenth-century hub.
650–1900 · AfricaTrans-Saharan trade and enslavementCaravan routes exchanged gold, salt, textiles, books and other goods between North and West Africa; enslaved Africans were also transported northward through Saharan networks over many centuries.
793–1066 · EuropeViking expansion and Scandinavian worldsNorse raiders, traders and settlers crossed the North Atlantic, entered river routes toward Byzantium and established communities from Ireland and Normandy to Iceland and Greenland.