NELC3410 - Age of Sultans, 1100-1500

In this course, we will examine the social and political history of the Islamic Near East in its medieval centuries, from the coming of the Saljuq Turks to the rise of the Ottoman and Safavid Empires. Special topics include: the Eleventh-Century Transformation; Crusades and Jihads, the Mamluk Institution; Knowledge and Power; The Mongol Invasions; Timur and His Legacy; Gunpowder Empires. This course requires basic prior knowledge of Islam and the Near East, such as prior enrollment in NELC 102 or equivalent. Note that undergraduates must register for the course as NELC 338; graduate students must register for the course as NELC 638. Undergraduates are not permitted to register under the graduate number.