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Firstly, Mecca has come up frequently in the class lectures and clearly has a lot of religious significance. I also have a lot of Muslim friends who want to make the pilgrimage to the Ka'ba (pictured), so I was interested in learning more about the city. The Ka'ba brought together the Quraysh tribes and served as a neutral zone where conflict did not occur and trade was encouraged.

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I chose Jerusalem due to its historical significance, as well as the role that it has played in the conflict between Israel and Palestine currently. I chose the Dome of the Rock as the image, similarly due to its significance as a sacred religious structure for both Muslim and Jewish citizens.

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In addition to having historical significance, I learned that Aleppo had an important role along the Silk Road and throughout history as a major hub for trade and commerce. The picture I selected shows a remaining structure from the ancient city, which would have played a large role in global trade.

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After visiting Egypt last year, I have been fascinated by the importance of the River since the first Egyptian civilizations and even today as a source of water, transportation, and, most importantly, trade. The illustration I used is intended to show the value of the Nile River when it came to trade and therefore commerce and economic prosperity in Egypt and the greater region.

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Kabul became the capital of the Mughal Empire in 1504, and was established by the emperor Babur partly due to its rugged landscape, which gave the empire a strategic advantage. More recently, it was the site of the First Anglo-Afghan War from 1838 to 1842, fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Afghanistan. This visual is a depiction of the conflict and shows the city as a battleground between the two parties.

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Historically, Marrakesh was a city that fostered cultural exchange and trade, especially in the 1000s and 1100s. It is also known for its architecture and its historical sites. One of these is the Jemaa el-Fnaa square (pictured), which is the main square of the city and has been used since the 1100s as a site of trade and exchange that held many markets.

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Medina has extreme Islamic significance, and was the city that Muhammad and his followers migrated to in order to escape religious persecution in 622, as we learned in the Week 3 Hypothesis Reading. The flight from Mecca to Medina was very important and is the reason that Medina is considered one of the most holy cities in Islam. The picture above exemplifies the religious architecture in Medina and the significance of the city in Islam in general.

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In 2014, ISIS captured the city and made it the capital of their organization. After this event, the Raqqa was marked by terrorism and violence for four years before being freed. The photograph illustrates ISIS's takeover of the city a decade ago and shows an important but devastating event in Raqqa's history.

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Constantinople, now Istanbul, was the capital of the Byzantine Empire for 1,100 years. The Byzantine Empire was Christian, and Constantinople was therefore the center of Christian civilization, before falling to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 and becoming an Islamic city. The attached picture shows Justinian, an important Byzantine Emperor, surrounded by religious clergy.

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The Red Sea was historically significant because it is one of the earliest recorded trade routes. It was used in ancient Egyptian trade and commerce, and also connected the Romans and India. These exchanges resulted in the introduction of Indian and Chinese goods to the region, which improved the quality of life for the citizens and facilitated the exchange of new ideas. The image I found highlights some of the various trade routes that existed between 250 BCE and 250 CE, and shows the exchanges that occurred across the Red Sea.

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The Dome of the Rock is an extremely significant monument in Jerusalem due to its religious significance for both Jewish and Muslim individuals, as well as its prior usage as a symbol of power and expansion of Islamic influence. The picture I added shows the land that the monument is on, which was where the Prophet Muhammad was taken up to heaven, as well as the architecture of the late 7th century period.

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I chose Baghdad because we had just read about it about a week ago. The old city of Baghdad was described as very ornate, with beautiful architecture and wealth around the city, especially according to The Porter and Three Girls story. I chose the picture specifically because it shows the wall structure of Baghdad which was extremely strategically important during the late antique period.

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Petra is significant due to its biblical importance as well as its architecture and heritage. It is still largely intact from when it was built, which has made it a world heritage site. The picture is of a very famous monument in Petra which has existed for centuries. It exemplifies the incredible blending of Islamic and Hellenistic architectural practices.

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Samarkand is known for its geographic importance, as it had a significant central location on the Silk Road and was therefore a hub of trade and communication between differing civilizations and regions. The picture attached reflects the vibrance of the architecture and the city, as well as the wealth and building knowledge that likely stemmed from the role of the city in the Silk Road. It is a place that reflects the mixing of people, cultures, and ideas, as well as physical items.

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I put this onto the map to represent the Battle of Badr in 624 that we covered in our midterm project. Badr was a significant location near Medina, where the Prophet Muhammad and his followers engaged in their first large-scale battle against the Quraysh forces and won by making them retreat. The image is one that I found on google that shows the forces involved in the battle and some of the important figures on each side of the event.

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I selected Egypt as a significant location to represent the rise of the Abbasid Caliphate and their rule, starting in 750 when they took over power from the Umayyads. One of the most significant cities during Abbasid leadership was Baghdad (already on the map), but Egypt was also a significant part of their empire. The Abbasids implemented complex administration systems and forms of bureaucracy and strong cities throughout their territory, and also made significant strides in increasing both education and piety by building colleges and mosques. The image I included shows the territory of the Abbasids, which includes Egypt as well as the majority of the Arabian Peninsula as a whole.

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Bukhara has historically been a large center for trade and the exchange of cultural and religious ideas. Apart from being a significant stop on the Silk Road, it was also an intellectual center in Islam. By 850, it became the capital of the Samanid Empire (initially under Abbasid authority) and therefore has critical religious and political significance. It is also known for its various mosques and other religious infrastructure and is today a World Heritage site. The picture I chose shows several of the monuments in the city, and it becomes very apparent that these were Muslim architectural projects given their appearance and religious significance.

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Similar to many of the other significant cities in the region, Isfahan was important due to its positioning at the center of many of the historical trade routes across Central Asia, largely due to its location. One thing relevant to our course is that it was the capital city of the Seljuk Empire after being founded in 1051 by Tugrul Beg. The city grew significantly during this time period with Persian-Muslim architecture including large mosques and palaces, as well as its role as a cultural center that attracted scholars and innovation. The art attached is of Seljuk origin and reflects the architecture associated with the empire.