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The Period oj Invasions 191 III. THE MOHAMMEDAN INVASION OF EUROPE 302. Mohammed. While the German barbarians were over- whelming the Empire from the north, a young camel driver in far-away Mecca was devising a religion in the name of which his followers invaded the eastern and southern portions of Europe. Before the time of Mohammed, the Arabs (a branch of the great Semitic people) had played no great part in the world's history. The scattered tribes were constantly at war with one another, and each tribe worshiped its own gods, when it wor- shiped at all. Mecca was considered a sacred spot, however, and the fighting was stopped four months each year so that all could peacefully visit the holy city. As Mohammed traveled back and forth across the desert with his trains of camels heavily laden with merchandise he became convinced that God was sending him messages which it was his duty to reveal to mankind. He met many Jews and Christians, of whom there were great numbers in Arabia, and from them he got some ideas of the Old and New Testaments. But when he tried to convince people that he was God's prophet, he was treated with scorn. Finally, he discovered that his enemies in Mecca were plan- ning to kill him, and he fled to the neighboring town of Medina, where he had friends. His flight, which took place in the year 622, is called the Hejira by the Arabs. It was taken by his fol- lowers as the beginning of a new era the year One, as the Mohammedans reckon time. 303. Islam and the Koran. It was eight years before his fol- lowers became numerous enough to enable him to march upon Mecca and take it with a victorious army. Before his death in 632 he had gained the support of all the Arab chiefs, and his new religion, which he called Islam (meaning "reconciliation," by which he meant reconciliation to Allah, the sole God), was ac- cepted throughout the whole Arabian peninsula. The new be- lievers he called Muslims (Moslems), meaning "the reconciled." By us they are often called Mohammedans, after their prophet.