A New Age (CRITICISM WELCOME!)

A NEW AGE

Alexandria, 645

They marched on and on through the sweltering heat of the desert, on and on past sand dune after sand dune. There were 30 000 of them, all natives of the desert, and all young men ready to fight for their religion. They were the First Scope of the Ummayad Army, ready to besiege the Byzantine-held Holy City of Alexandria and, thus, the whole of Egypt. In our timeline, they would have won, and Islam would have become, eventually, the predominant religion in the region and thus spread further west. However, in our timeline, they lose to the Romans thanks to a rather unfortunate fire in their camp, wiping out half of the men. It was a major blow to the Mohemmadens future, as it assured that Christian Europe had a stronghold in Africa blocking the Occident from them. Nevertheless, Islam was still the predominant religion in Libya for over three hundred years after that, and the religion continued to spread throughout the African Coast of the Red Sea, where Arabian Merchants had traded for millenia, all the way down the Sea up to the Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia. With this defeat in Alexandria still in mind, thought turned to the East, to the declining Sassanid Empire, the remnants of what had once been the only power rivalling the Romans, descended chiefly from the Macedonian Conquerors who had set out years before lead by Alexander the Great. This time, instead of forcing Islam into Persia, it simply nudged it. Through trade and commerce, and exchange of healthy relations, Islam reached the Western Persian Border with Arabia, although it could not breach the Zoroastrianism, that most ancient of the sacred beliefs, which prevailed there. The Arabs did have more luck to the North of Arabia. In the Lands of the Euphrates, where Mesopotamia once stood, Islam prevailed, and there too in Syria and even as far as Southern Anatolia, where the Constantines hadn't as much of a holding. At the end of what is now known as The Islamic Expansion, Islam was practised by as many as 35 000 000 people!

hgh.png


The extent of Islam during the Islamic Golden Age. Green is during Mohammed's lifetime and blue is the succeeding 100 years.


Anyway, things go along pretty normal in the rest of the world - if it wasn't to do with Muslims, then up to now it hasn't changed, but we will take a look soon at other events....

THANKYOU FOR READING! I really have no idea what to do, or even if it was good... Personally I thought it was crap but you know. I'm a noob, so any suggestions, criticisms or comments are really welcome! Just a note; I know this isn't realistic, but I couldn't really do a realistic first post, the second shall be more realistic, as-if-it-could-have-happened kind of thing, and much, much longer with more pictures and maps and everything...eeeeek!! But yea, thanks. Criticisms, Comments, Suggestions!!
 
Last edited:
Well, the borders of the Caliphate are a bit strange. And the Islamic Golden Age in OTL was not the period of expansion but the period after the Caliphate had already reached its height, so maybe it could have a different name ('expansion' in Arabic?). Of course, it being different ITTL could be intentional.

Good start though.
 
Well, the borders of the Caliphate are a bit strange. And the Islamic Golden Age in OTL was not the period of expansion but the period after the Caliphate had already reached its height, so maybe it could have a different name ('expansion' in Arabic?). Of course, it being different ITTL could be intentional.

Good start though.

Yea this isn't really my history period to be honest, I'm more 16/17/1800s really, just did this for a change, but I see what you mean about the borders, I think it's just that I'm not good at making maps?
But thankyou :)

EDIT: The borders are of the Muslim Faith, not of the Ummayadd Empire :p Just realised, been using them interchangingly.
 
A NEW AGE

Alexandria, 645

They marched on and on through the sweltering heat of the desert, on and on past sand dune after sand dune. There were 30 000 of them, all natives of the desert, and all young men ready to fight for their religion. They were the First Scope of the Ummayad Army, ready to besiege the Byzantine-held Holy City of Alexandria and, thus, the whole of Egypt. In our timeline, they would have won, and Islam would have become, eventually, the predominant religion in the region and thus spread further west. However, in our timeline, they lose to the Romans thanks to a rather unfortunate fire in their camp, wiping out half of the men. It was a major blow to the Mohemmadens future, as it assured that Christian Europe had a stronghold in Africa blocking the Occident from them. Nevertheless, Islam was still the predominant religion in Libya for over three hundred years after that, and the religion continued to spread throughout the African Coast of the Red Sea, where Arabian Merchants had traded for millenia, all the way down the Sea up to the Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia. With this defeat in Alexandria still in mind, thought turned to the East, to the declining Sassanid Empire, the remnants of what had once been the only power rivalling the Romans, descended chiefly from the Macedonian Conquerors who had set out years before lead by Alexander the Great. This time, instead of forcing Islam into Persia, it simply nudged it. Through trade and commerce, and exchange of healthy relations, Islam reached the Western Persian Border with Arabia, although it could not breach the Zoroastrianism, that most ancient of the sacred beliefs, which prevailed there. The Arabs did have more luck to the North of Arabia. In the Lands of the Euphrates, where Mesopotamia once stood, Islam prevailed, and there too in Syria and even as far as Southern Anatolia, where the Constantines hadn't as much of a holding. At the end of what is now known as The Islamic Expansion, Islam was practised by as many as 35 000 000 people!

This is very confusing. It is not clear what happened in OTL and what happens in the ATL. To wit:

"In our timeline, they would have won... However, in our timeline, they lose to the Romans"

It seems that the PoD is that the Moslem army doesn't take Alexandria; but how that happens and what the results are unclear.

You need to break up the first paragraph, and state the events clearly.

Also, I don't see how a fire in a tent camp is going to kill half the army. I've never heard of such an incident in real history, and it seems implausible.

Well, you said "Criticism Welcome".
 
Oops. I misinterpreted it and though the Romans wiped out half of them because of an indeterminate amount of casualties from a tent fire.

But yeah, Rich Rostrom is correct in saying that a tent fire killing half an army is ASB.
 
Top