What does Al-Sham mean?
Al-Sham can be translated variously as “the Levant”, “Greater Syria”, “Syria” or even “Damascus”. The term al-Sham was commonly used during the rule of the Muslim Caliphs from the 7th Century to describe the area between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates, Anatolia (in present day Turkey) and Egypt.
Which countries are sham?
Arabic use
- Al-Sham, endonym of the region bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, usually known as the Levant or the regions of Syria: Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Cyprus and the Turkish Hatay Province.
- Sham el-Nessim, Egyptian holiday marking the beginning of spring.
Who was the conqueror of sham?
Abu Bakr
The conquest of Bilad al-Sham was initiated under Abu Bakr, his first successor, and completed during the reign of ‘Umar b. al-Khattab.
What is sham Islam?
In the early centuries of Islam, “Sham” meant Damascus and surrounding territories, from which some of the early caliphs ruled their enormous Islamic empire.
What is Syria called in Arabic?
al-Sham
The name “Syria” historically referred to a wider region, broadly synonymous with the Levant, and known in Arabic as al-Sham.
Who formed the Islamic empire?
Muhammad
In 622, a few years after losing protection with the death of his influential uncle Abu Talib, Muhammad migrated to the city of Yathrib (subsequently called Medina) where he was joined by his followers. Later generations would count this event, known as the hijra, as the start of the Islamic era.