Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition

"As the seventh century began, vast territories extending from Syria to Egypt and across North Africa were ruled by the Byzantine Empire from its capital, Constantinople (modern Istanbul). Critical to the wealth and power of the empire, these southern provinces, long influenced by Greco-Roman traditions, were home to Orthodox, Coptic, and Syriac Christians, Jewish communities, and others. Great pilgrimage centers attracted the faithful from as far away as Yemen in the east and Scandinavia in the west. Major trade routes reached eastward down the Red Sea past Jordan to India in the south, bringing silks and ivories to the imperial territories."
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Blog
amazon: Byzantium and Islam
NYT: Ornate Links Tethering Cultures in Flux
YouTube: Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition—The Red Monastery