Abstract
The expansion in Islam was a long process, occurring through centuries. The conquests were led in the name of the Prophet Muhammad. However, these victories were also the expression of the triumph of a people over the first Empires dominating the Middle East. From the seventh century and the rise of Islam, to the nineteenth century, the "Arab world" or "Islamic World" was one of the major cultural regions. These expressions refer to the Muslim civilization, sharing an Islamic identity which is a "vast network of interacting people and groups, with considerable diversity and some sufficiently common elements so that it is possible to speak of these diverse communities as being part of the Islamic world" . For many westerners, this conception of the Middle East is really new. As Julia Clancy-Smith points out, the West has to "de-exoticize" its perception of the Eastern culture and history . The issue is to understand how it has been possible for this culture to endure such a long time? To answer this question, this paper will further examine the idea announced by Voll in the previous quotation.
