Reading Packet: The Golden Age of Islam
Name: __________________________
Instructions:
Read each section about The Golden Age of Islam and answer all questions that
follow. You will be using this packet to complete an alternative assessment (an
assignment that allows you to demonstrate mastery in addition to the unit test), so
you may find it helpful to annotate.
Introduction to The Golden Age of Islam
Early Islam spread rapidly from the Arabian Peninsula to the west through
Cairo (Egypt), across North Africa and into southern Spain, and to the east through
Persia (now Iran) towards Asia. The period of approximately 750 to 1050 AD was a
“golden age” for the Islamic world. Muslim scholars and scientists made great
developments and discoveries, building on the achievements of previous
civilizations including ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. This scholarship and
entrepreneurship influenced the Scientific Revolution in Europe centuries later.
In this packet, you will read about Muslim achievements in scholarship and
learning, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, geometric designs, and calligraphy.
1. Why do you think this era was named, “The Golden Age?”
2. Predict: How did this era contribute to cultural diffusion?
Scholarship and Learning
Scholarship and learning were very highly valued in
Islamic culture. Muhammad is reported to have said, “The ink
of scholars is holier than the blood of martyrs.” Islamic
scholars increased their writing and book-making in the 700s
when they learned to make paper from the Chinese, replacing
the more cumbersome1 and expensive papyrus, parchment,
and leather.
Beginning in the 8th century, Arabic became the
language of scholarship and science throughout the Islamic
lands. Muslims rulers built schools, colleges, libraries, and other centers of learning
such as, “The House of Wisdom” in Baghdad (city in modern day Iraq) and “The Hall
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Cumbersome: hard to handle or manage due to size or weight
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Reading Packet: The Golden Age of Islam
Name: __________________________
of Wisdom” in Cairo (city in modern day Egypt). Scholars at these education centers
translated many important works from the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians.
Among the texts studied were works by Plato and Aristotle, which influenced
Muslim philosophers to use reason and logic to try to prove important truths. This
scholarship helped to preserve important philosophical and scientific works from
the ancient world and also to transmit this learning to schools in other regions such
as Europe and Africa.
Arabic Words That Entered the Western Vocabulary:
AL-JABR = ALGEBRA
AL-KEMIA = CHEMISTRY
GHOL = GHOUL
LAYMUN = LEMON
NARANJ = ORANGE
QAHWAH = COFFEE, CAFE
QANAH = CANE
QITAR = GUITAR
SAFARA = SAFARI
SUKKAR = SUGAR = ASUKAR (Spanish)
TAFRIK = TRAFFIC
ZIRAFAH = GIRAFFE
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Early Islamic teaching encourage the pursuit of all knowledge that
helped to improve people’s lives
Arabic became the international language of scholarship
Muslims translated important works from ancient Greece and Egypt
Huge libraries were established in big cities like Baghdad, Cairo and
Damascus
3. Argue against the following statement: Early Muslim scholars were only
interested in promoting Islamic works.
Astronomy
Muslims conducted much work in the field of astronomy, the study of objects in the
universe. Astronomy had many practical uses for Muslims. For example,
navigational tools were improved to locate the direction of Mecca. These
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Reading Packet: The Golden Age of Islam
Name: __________________________
instruments allowed worshippers far from the holy city to pray facing the right
direction. Astronomers also figured out exact times for prayer and the length of the
month of Ramadan.
Beyond such practical matters, Muslim astronomers simply wanted to learn
about the universe. Astronomers such as Al-Tusi and Al-Farghani, as distinguished
astronomer of the House of Wisdom, wrote significant
books on astronomy, which were later translated into
Latin and influenced European astronomers such as
Copernicus and Galileo. Some Muslim astronomers
realized that Earth rotates, or turns, like a spinning top.
Many questioned the accepted idea that Earth was the
center or the universe. In fact, as later astronomers
proved with measurements and evidence, Earth is not
the center, but rather travels around the sun as the
third planet from it.
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Astronomy was important to Muslims for practical reasons
Astronomy contributed to navigation
Observations of the sun and moon were used to determine prayer
times and an accurate calendar
4. Why was it important to Muslims to have an accurate calendar?
Mathematics
Muslims greatly advanced the study of mathematics. They based their work
in part on ideas from ancient Babylon (located on the Arabian Peninsula), India, and
Greece. They adapted what they learned from the ancient texts and added their own
contributions.
One of these Muslim scholars was astronomer and mathematician alKhwarizmi (al- KWAR-iz-mee), who worked in the Hall
of Wisdom in Cairo in the 800s. He is best known as “the
father of algebra.” The word algebra comes form an
Arabic word “al-jabr” which means “restoring balance.”
Algebra is used to solve problems involving unknown
numbers. An example is the equation 7X + 4 = 25. Using
algebra, we can figure solve for X. The idea is to get x all
by itself. First, subtract 4 from each side which gives
7X =21. Then divide each side by 7 which gives X = 3.
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Reading Packet: The Golden Age of Islam
Name: __________________________
Al-Khwarizmi’s book of algebra was translated into Latin and became the
most important mathematics textbook used in the European universities during the
High Middle Ages.
Muslims also spread the Indian concept of zero. In fact, the word zero comes
from an Arabic word meaning, “something empty.” Zeros also made it easier to write
large numbers. For example, zero allows people to distinguish between 123 and
1,230.
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Islamic mathematicians built on the work of Greek, Indian, and
Persian mathematicians
Islamic mathematicians were interested in different number systems
Developed algebra
5. Solve for X.
2X + 4 = 12
Medicine
Muslims made some of their most important innovations in the field of
medicine. Muslim doctors established the world’s first hospitals. By the 900s, most
Islamic cities had one or two hospitals, many of which served as teaching centers for
doctors in training. They gave patients remedies made from herbs and other plants,
animals, and minerals. Pharmacists made hundreds of
medications, some to dull pain, others to fight infection
(called antiseptics), as well as ointments to heal wounds.
For some problems, surgeons performed delicate
operations as a last resort. Drugs, such as opium and
hemlock, put patients to sleep before operations. Muslim
surgeons removed limbs, took out tumors, and cleared
cataracts (cloudy spots) from the eye. After surgery,
doctors used thread made from animal intestine to stitch
the wound.
Ibn Sina, a Muslim doctor, wrote a medical book
entitled, The Canon of Medicine, which explored the
treatment of diseases. Europeans later translated this book
and my other Muslims works into Latin. Medical schools
used these texts to teach their students for centuries in both Europe and the Middle
East.
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Reading Packet: The Golden Age of Islam
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Name: __________________________
Muslim doctors established the world’s first hospitals
Doctors treated patients with herbal remedies
Muslims doctors performed surgery as a last resort
Muslim medicine textbooks were used in European medical schools
6. Why do you think Muslim doctors chose surgery as a last resort?
Geometric and Floral Design
Muslims earned fame for their decorative arts. Early in the history of Islam,
Muslims rejected the use of images of humans or animals in their visual art,
especially religious art. Only God, they said, can create something that is alive.
Instead, artists turned to shapes and patterns found in nature and geometry to
create ornate designs and decorations. Artists applied these designs to plates,
glassware, and decorative walls in mosques and palaces.
A type of design called arabesque took its beauty
from the natural world. In arabesque, artists crafted
stems, leaves, flowers, and tendrils (threadlike parts of
plants) into elegant patterns that were repeated over and
over. Many designs used simple shapes such as circles,
triangles, and squares that then became complex through
repetition.
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Early Muslims refused to depict living things
in their art
 Muslim artists used shapes found in nature to
create ornate designs
 Arabesque designs used shapes found in
nature and repeated them
7. Why did early Muslim artists refuse to depict humans or animals in their
art?
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Reading Packet: The Golden Age of Islam
Name: __________________________
Calligraphy
For Muslims, the highest form of decorative art was calligraphy, the art of
beautiful writing. When Muslims began copying the Qur’an, they felt the only
calligraphy was worthy to record the words of God. For this reason, they honored
calligraphers above other artists.
Calligraphers used sharpened reeds or bamboo dipped in ink to write on
paper. Most forms of calligraphy featured round letters and cursive writing, in
which the script flowed, and letters within words were connected.
In addition to copying the Qur’an, artists used calligraphy to decorate
everyday items. They put elegantly written lines of poetry on pottery, tiles, and
swords. Bands of calligraphy trimmed the borders of fabric. Calligraphy even
adorned coins, which often featured verses from the Qur’an.
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Highest form of decorative art was calligraphy
Calligraphy was used to write the Qur’an
Calligraphy decorated pottery, swords, and fabric borders
8. Why was calligraphy so highly valued in the Islamic culture?
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