OBJECTIVES
Student will demonstrate
knowledge of Islamic
civilization from about
600 to 1000 C.E. by
 Citing cultural and scientific
contributions and
achievements of Islamic
civilization
Essential Questions
 How did Islamic civilization
preserve and extend ancient
Greek, Persian, and Indian
learning?
 What were some
contributions of Islamic
civilization?
RISE OF MUSLIM URBAN CENTERS
Damascus
Cordoba
 Located in modern day
Syria
 Known for its fine cloth
called damask and for
outstanding steel and
armor
 Cultural center of Islamic
learning
 Located in modern-day
Spain
 Umayyad capital
 Population of over 500,000
 Mix of Muslims, Christians,
and Jews created a
cosmopolitan atmosphere
 Center of Muslim culture
 70 libraries, 700 mosques,
and 27 free schools
DAMASCUS
CORDOBA
CITY BUILDING AND ARCHITECTURE
Cairo
City of Baghdad
 Located in modern-day
Egypt
 Abbasid capital
 The Fatimid capital
 Selected in 762 C.E. along the Tigris
river
 100,000 architects, workers, etc.
to build the city
 At it’s peak a population of over 1
million
 Unique circular design call the
“round city”
 Three protective walls ringed the city
 Caliph’s palace located in inner most
circle along with grand mosque
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Muslim society was
made up of four social
classes
Role of women

Upper class






Born Muslim
Paid least amount of taxes
Second class

Converts to Islam
Paid a higher tax that upper
class, but lower than bottom
two classes

Protected people


Christians, Jews, and
Zoroastrians
Slaves



Prisoners of war, non-Muslims
Performed household work or
fought in military
As believers, men and
women are equal according
to the Qur’an
“Men are the managers of
women’s affairs” and “righteous
women are therefore obedient”
Shari’a law gave women
specific legal rights
concerning marriage, family,
and property

More rights than European
women of the time period
Could have access to
education
 Main responsibility was to
raise children

MUSLIM SCHOLARSHIP
Advancement of
scholarship
Practical concerns


Protection of European
knowledge

Relied on math and
astronomy to calculate
prayers times and the
direction of Mecca
Muslim leaders and scholars
helped to preserve and expand
ancient knowledge from
Europe, Persia, and India
Deep curiosity


Quest for truth that dated
back to Muhammad

Emphasis on study and
scholarship
Houses of Wisdom
First library/academy opened
in early 800s in Baghdad
 Translated works into Arabic
 1ST universities

Arabic language
 Became the language of
learning and scholarship
MEDICAL ADVANCES/ SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
al-Razi
Greatest physician of
the Muslim world
 Wrote encyclopedia
called the
Comprehensive book
 Believed patients
would recover better if
they were exposed to
clean air
 Hospital experiment

Astronomy
 Compasses used to locate the
direction of Mecca
 Figured out the exact times for
prayer and length of Ramadan
 Study of Optics
 Used to develop telescopes and
microscopes
Geography
Calculated Earth’s
circumference within 9 miles of
its correct value
 Produced a world atlas with
dozens of maps
 Compass

MATHEMATICS/ SCIENCE
Two major ideas
introduced by Muslim
Scholars


Reliance on scientific
observation and
experimentation
Mathematics as the
basis of all knowledge
Spread Indian concept of
zero
used Arabic numerals

Al- Khwarizmi
Born in Baghdad in late
700s C.E.
 Studied Indian sources
rather than Greek
 Wrote textbook explaining
Algebra


Al-jabr
PHILOSOPHY
Translated the works of
the Greek philosophers
into Arabic
Ibn Rushd
Tried to harmonize Greek
writings of Aristotle and
Plato with Islam
 Was attacked by some
religious thinkers
 Argued both beliefs had
the same goal- to find
truth

Ibn Sina
 Most famous philosopher
 All knowledge from God, had
proof that the soul was
immortal
MUSLIM LITERATURE
Strong tradition of
literature in Arabia
before arrival of Islam


Bedouin poets
Qur’an is the standard
for all Arabic literature
and poetry

The Sufis known for
their poetry
Poetry sang praises of
Muhammad and of
Islam
Focused on mystical
experiences with God
Popular literature

The Thousand and One
Nights

Collection of fairy tales,
parables, and legends
MUSLIM ART AND ARCHITECTURE
Arab rich artistic
traditions were
enhanced by Islam

Islam forbade depiction
of living things


based on the idea that only
Allah can create life
Led to development of
Calligraphy

Art of beautiful handwriting
Architecture


Greatest cultural blending
Blend of Byzantine,
Persian, and European
influences
Mosques
 Usually had a minaret (tower)
and a prayer room inside
 Variety of design styles that
reflected the diversity of
Muslim lands
ARCHITECTURE
DOME OF THE ROCK
T HE G R E AT M O S Q U E IN
MECCA
Muslim Cultural Achievements
Muslim Scientific Achievements
Architecture
Arabic numerals
Mosaics
Algebra
Arabic Alphabet
Medicine
Universities
Expansion of geographic knowledge
Translation of ancient texts to Arabic