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W History - Topic 8
W History - Topic 8 Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| hijra | Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina in 622 |
| mosque | Muslim house of worship |
| Quran | sacred text of Islam |
| hajj | one of the Five Pillars of Islam, the pilgrimage that all Muslims are expected to make at least once in their lifetime |
| Sharia | body of Islamic law that includes interpretation of the Quran and applies Islamic principles to everyday life |
| caliph | successor to Muhammad as political and religious leader of the Muslims |
| Sufi | Muslim mystic who seeks communion with God through meditation, fasting, and other rituals |
| minaret | slender tower of a mosque, from which Muslims are called to prayer |
| sultan | Muslim ruler |
| social mobility | the ability to move in social class |
| calligraphy | the art of producing beautiful handwriting |
| janizary | a member of the elite forces of the Ottoman army |
| shah | king |
| savanna | grassy plain with irregular patterns of rainfall |
| cataract | waterfall |
| desertification | process by which fertile or semi-fertile land becomes desert |
| surplus | an amount that is more than needed; excess |
| commodity | valuable product |
| Swahili | an East African culture that emerged about A.D 1000; also a Bantu-based language, blending Arabic words and written in Arabic script. |
| nuclear family | family unit consisting of parents and children |
| patrilineal | kinship ties that are passed on through the father’s side of the family |
| matrilineal | kinship ties that are passed on through the mother’s side of the family |
| lineage | a group claiming a common ancestor |
| consensus | widespread agreement among all members of a group |
| griot | professional storyteller in early West Africa |