What if Greek becomes the language of the Ummayad Caliphate?
A scenario in which the Sassanids or some other Persian dynasty survives in Iran, might work. Without the Arab conquest of Persia, Greek culture instead of Persian culture stages the Abbasid revolution around 750. Within a generation Greek administrators dominate court and intellectual life.
As it was, Greek Neoplatonist ideas were hugely popular and influential, to the extent that the caliph al Mamun made Mutazilism (a fusion of Greek rationalism with Islam) the official religion of the empire. In our timeline, the Mutazila eventually fell out of favour. But in this timeline, I see opportunities for a greater continuation of Greek culture in the region. Especially if parts of the empire break away in a similar manner to the disintegration of the Abbasid caliphate, we could see native Greek Islamic dynasties emerge across the near East.
A scenario in which the Sassanids or some other Persian dynasty survives in Iran, might work. Without the Arab conquest of Persia, Greek culture instead of Persian culture stages the Abbasid revolution around 750. Within a generation Greek administrators dominate court and intellectual life.
As it was, Greek Neoplatonist ideas were hugely popular and influential, to the extent that the caliph al Mamun made Mutazilism (a fusion of Greek rationalism with Islam) the official religion of the empire. In our timeline, the Mutazila eventually fell out of favour. But in this timeline, I see opportunities for a greater continuation of Greek culture in the region. Especially if parts of the empire break away in a similar manner to the disintegration of the Abbasid caliphate, we could see native Greek Islamic dynasties emerge across the near East.