What is the proper terminology to reference the time period between 600 A.D. (roughly the emergence of Islam) and 1100 A.D. with regards to the Muslim world? The timeline that roughly coincides with the rise of Islam and the beginning of the Crusades. Also, is using these two events considered a correct approximate historical division?
The Ottoman Empire began in 1299 so I believe it would be incorrect to refer to the centuries of Islamic rule throughout the Middle East prior to this as "Ottoman". Plus for reasons of history I'm not super clear on, I'm fairly certain "lumping" Turks with Arabs is historically inaccurate [and probably really p*ss both groups off ?]. I understand that the Islamic world wasn't united, you have the various dynasties and Caliphates throughout the Levant and greater Middle East (i.e., Egypt, Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Persia).
If someone with a deeper understanding of this subject would be so kind as to clarify or reply with a link to any useful papers on this subject. I would greatly appreciate it!
Why I want to know this or "Context": I'm writing about the technological advancements in distilling and utilizing hydrocarbons during this period which is during the "golden age" of achievement and advancement by Islamic scientists.
I'm not trying to cause any offense and if in asking this question I unintentionally/unknowingly used controversial phrasing I apologize, please bring any mistake to my attention. I am aware that this might be a dumb question I'm asking. My background is in engineering and my intent is to be historically correct. I'm writing for an international audience. Writing about history, even in a technical context, can be touchy.
I fully admit to being lacking in my history of this time period/region. When it comes to writing about European scholars/writers/monks, this research has been easy. When finding something some guy Thomas of Benersi wrote in ~800 A.D. in France, I can place that easily. When it comes to Arab writers, it's harder: If I find something written by Ibn-Quar in Syria in ~800 A.D., I don't track it as well. If you've read this far into my post, may a recommendation for a good history to read?
The terms I have seen used most often are "Classical Islam" & "Medieval Islam". You may also like to use the "Islamic Golden Age", which you mentioned. Classical Islam refers to the period prior to the Mongol conquests in the 13th century. This period can itself be divided about in two, with Medieval Islam referring to the second half from about the 10th century onwards.
The first was the period where Islam was essentially an Arab Empire with the Caliph exercising ultimate control (more or less) from Egypt to Persia. This lasted from the 630s until around the 10th century. During that time the majority of the Muslim world, what we would consider the modern Middle East, was ruled by a Caliph centered first on Damascus and then later on Baghdad. It's tough to put an end point on this period because the Caliphate didn't exactly collapse - the power of Baghdad just kind of disintegrated throughout the 9th & 10th centuries as various regions like Egypt, Khorasan, and Syria slipped from the effective control of Baghdad. In fact the Caliphate would officially linger on in Baghdad until the 13th century but it had little practical political power past the 10th century.
This ended the period of Arab rule over the whole of the Middle East. In the 11th century Turkish tribes which originated in Central Asia begin to dominate the area, culminating in the Seljuks briefly establishing control over most of the Middle East in by the turn of the 12th century. Regarding the Crusades, they are not considered really major epoch changing events from the point of view of Islamic historical traditions. During the 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries the 'central' Middle East - Syria, Palestine, and Iraq - was politically chaotic. It was a frontier zone between the Fatimids (based in Egypt), Byzantines, and the Sejulks. The Sejulks had the most luck dominating the area, but they were not as well organised a state as either the Fatimids or the Byzantines, so the degree of their practical control could fluctuate wildly between the decades. The insertion of Western Christians into this environment was certainly important and had a profound impact on the politics of the area & ideology of those living in it, but they were never a threat to actually conquer all of the Middle East. In this way we can see them as one more faction vying for control of a fractious region.
What really was the epoch changing event for Islam is the arrival of the Mongols in the 13th century, culminating in the sack of Baghdad in 1258. This was an incredible shock to the Islamic world - it was also kind of a 'reset' for the geopolitics of the Middle East, as new states sprung up to replace those destroyed by the Mongols. This is also why you see new states like the Ottomans with their beginnings in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. If you do want to use the term "Golden Age of Islam", this is also where it ends.
The only term used for all Islamic World and a long period during european Middle Age (not exactly which you cited, but VIII-XIII centuries) is Islamic Golden Age, a cultural term mostly, analogous to Spanish or Dutch Golden Age. The succesive 4 big islamic caliphates after Muhammad death, Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid Caliphate, governed most islamic lands during this period, however only during 2 first periods (631-750) muslim lands were united under a single realm, while Abbasid and specially Fatimid Caliphate only dominated a portion of islamic lands. Other realms with great cultural relevance during Islamic Golden Age were Al-Andalus (specially under Caliphate of Cordoba 929-1030) or the Samanid Emirate (Iran-Afganistan, central Asia, 810-999).
The XIII century marked the decline of the Islamic World (with regional and proportionally much smaller exceptions) and the final of the Golde Age, with the terrible mongol invasions on Central Asia, Persia or Iraq and the definitive loss of most Al-Andalus.