History Podcast: Why medieval Islam was much more modern than many think today

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Sky observers: In the Ottoman Empire, astronomers continued the work of their Arab colleagues (illustration around 1575)

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Robert Harding / IMAGO

Exactly 1400 years ago, a man named Mohammed left his hometown of Mecca for Medina, where he found protection from his opponents and followers of his revelation.

The Hijra, the Prophet's exodus from Mecca in 622, is a crucial event for early Islam - and for world history.

Because that was the beginning of Mohammed's career as a political leader and the rise of a new power: Islam, the youngest of the great world religions.

Within a few decades, the Islamic caliphate expanded from Arabia into a huge empire that reached as far as Sicily and Andalusia.

For the people of that time, this kingdom must have been extremely attractive and, for some, even magical.

Early globalization developed, with long-distance trade and growing prosperity in the caliphate, as well as a reliable legal system;

The capital Baghdad, newly founded in 762, became a magnet for scientists and artists, and the Muslims also brought new irrigation methods and previously unknown exotic fruits such as oranges to Europe.

At that time, the Islamic world was far superior to medieval Europe, and it was far more tolerant and modern than today's image of "medieval Islam" suggests: subjects were allowed to keep their religion, and women also had amazing opportunities.

In the SPIEGEL-HISTORY podcast, Islamic scholar Stefan Heidemann explains how the expansion of Islam affected Europe at the time, how the huge empire was governed and why Mohammed was so successful with his message.