This course provides students with an introduction to the Classical period of Islamic history, from the birth of the Prophet Muhammad in about 570 to the fall of Baghdad to the Mongols in 1258. The course will consider not only political history but also intellectual and religious developments during the period. Particular issues addressed will include the challenges faced by Muhammad in both Mecca and Medina; the assimilation of foreign cultures during the Muslim conquests of the seventh and eighth centuries; the transition of power from the Umayyads to the 'Abbasids; the fragmentation of the 'Abbasid caliphate and the domination of the caliphs by their subordinates; the impact of European invasions on the lands of Islam; the eventual fall of the caliphate to the Mongols; and the evolution of religious and judicial institutions, literature, science, and philosophy. Consideration will also be given to the alternative visions of Islamic theology and practice embodied in Shi'ism and Sufism.