Legal status of the Christian churches in the Muslim states in the middle ages

An important aspect of community life for non-Muslim religions in the states with Sharia form of government was always the legal status of their religious buildings. While not interfering with the internal issues of the Christian worship, Islamic law imposed certain restrictions on their outward appearance and their possible places of location, to a greater or lesser degree by regulating the conditions their renovation, and deciding the fate of church buildings in the event of their dilapidation. The article presents an overview of the main stages in the formulation of the relevant requirements of Islamic law in the Arab Caliphate, and the main factors that determined the position of the Christian churches in the Arab States and the Ottoman Empire in the period of Middle Ages.