The Golden Age of Islam Umayyad Abbasid Caliphates

The Golden Age of Islam Umayyad & Abbasid Caliphates ~700 -1258 CE

Golden Age=a time of peace, prosperity, and great cultural achievements.

Islam spread through trade and conquest. The Abbasid dynasty ruled a vast empire that laid the foundation for much of the Arab world.

Terminology Note: Muslim=a follower or practitioner of Islam Arab=an ethnic and cultural identity encompassing much of the Middle East & North Africa (may or may NOT be Muslim)

Manufacturing and Agriculture Most manufacturing was done by skilled wage workers. Slavery was practiced, but largely in the domestic realm & slaves were generally not Muslims. Swords from Damascus, Persian carpets, leathers from Spain, and cotton textiles from Dar al Islam were valuable commodities. Cereal grain agriculture was still practiced esp. in the Fertile Crescent and the Nile River Valley. Massive irrigation systems (water wheel & qanats) increased agricultural production.

Islamic Art The Quran strictly banned idol worship-can’t depict the divine. Islamic art consisted of elaborate, geometric patterns, organic or floral shapes, and medallion motifs. Calligraphy used extensively and phrases of the Quran.

Architecture Muslim architecture borrowed techniques such as the arch and dome from Greek and Roman structures, but added own aesthetic. Around 690 CE Muslims built a great mosque in Jerusalem called the Dome of the Rock.

Literature The standard for much of Arabic literature is the Quran itself. Poetry & story telling had also been a valued tradition among Arabs even before the time of Muhammad. Many of the Arab stories & characters are still familiar: One Thousand & One Nights. Aladdin, Ali Baba, Sinbad

Philosophy Arab & Muslim scholars preserved & translated the works of Greek philosophers (ex. Aristotle) as well as Hindu and Buddhist texts. They put a strong emphasis on combining ideas of reason/logic with religious beliefs of divine revelationthe two areas were not in conflict.

Mathematics Muslim & Arab scholars got their foundation in math from studying Indian and Greek texts. The Arabic number system was developed and spread throughout the Islamic empire and is used to this day. (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) One Muslim scholar also developed al-jabr (algebra) which literally means, “restoring what is missing” Al-Khwarizmi

Medicine & Science Public health in Dar al Islam reached an astonishing height (cataract surgery!) Physicians had to pass medical exams before they could practice & they built hospitals in major cities They had departments for quick treatment much like our modern-day emergency rooms.

Muslim Physicians Muhammad Al-Razi was one of the most renown and respected Muslim doctors in Baghdad around 900 A. D. He wrote texts that pioneered the study of measles and smallpox and developed the idea of treating the mind, not only the body. Equally famous was Ibn Sina, who wrote a text called Canon on Medicine which combined Arab and Greek knowledge about treating disease and had more than 4, 000 prescriptions. Muhammad Al-Razi

Education & Scholarship Morocco’s University of al. Karaouine founded in 859 CE Cairo’s Al Azhar University founded ~970 CE Promoted literacy, scientific inquiry, and intellectualism Construction of libraries

Islamic Golden Age Continued… Islam: Empire of Faith -The Awakening