5th August 2003, 7:27 PM
For the less history-inclined, why not give some leeway when they refer to the various Islamic Empires in that region as the 'Ottomans'? Sure, its innacurate and completely wrong, but to me at least the idea came across...
Baghdad was absolutely the capitol of the Islamic world in the middle ages. It was the vital point for many years... the center of Islamic learning. It being sacked by the Mongols dealt a crippling blow to them... they recovered somewhat but it was never quite the same as before the Mongols.
As for the Crusades... 'the Europeans did the threatening'? 'slaughtering Arabs'? That almost sounds like the Crusades were successful... which of course they were not... sure, it was the Crusaders attacking the Middle East, but success-wise they ... didn't do too well ... and in a way the Moslem rulers had goaded Europe by blocking access to Jerusalem.
Baghdad was absolutely the capitol of the Islamic world in the middle ages. It was the vital point for many years... the center of Islamic learning. It being sacked by the Mongols dealt a crippling blow to them... they recovered somewhat but it was never quite the same as before the Mongols.
As for the Crusades... 'the Europeans did the threatening'? 'slaughtering Arabs'? That almost sounds like the Crusades were successful... which of course they were not... sure, it was the Crusaders attacking the Middle East, but success-wise they ... didn't do too well ... and in a way the Moslem rulers had goaded Europe by blocking access to Jerusalem.