ISLAMIC
ACHIEVEMENTS
■Essential Question:
–What were the important
contributions of Muslim scholars
during the Islamic Empire?
■Warm-Up Question:
–What are the Five Pillars of Islam?
–What is a “caliph”?
–Why did the division between the
Sunni and Shi’a Muslims occur?
Islamic Achievements
Muslims during the
Islamic Empire developed
innovations that are still
used today
The lands and people of
the Islamic Empire were
diverse, rich, and
creative; Greeks, Chinese,
Hindus, Arabs, Persians,
Turks and others all
contributed to the culture
of the Islamic Empire
Islamic Achievements
Muslims helped spread ideas
as well as goods along their
trade routes that connected
Asia, Europe, and Africa
Islamic Achievements
Scholars studied and preserved
Greek and Roman ideas
City Building and Architecture
Many large cities developed in Muslim lands that
inspired new kinds of architecture
City Building and Architecture
The city of Baghdad was the
Abbasids’ capital and one of the
most glorious cities in the world
It took 100,000 workers and architects
four years to build Baghdad
City Building and Architecture
They built mosques (Muslim places of worship),
markets, homes, and shops
City Building and Architecture
Mosques usually had towers, courtyards, and prayer
rooms; the designs reflected the diversity of the Empire
Study and Learning
Scholars from around
the world met in
Baghdad to research
and translate texts
from Greece, Persia,
India, and China
The common use of
the Arabic language
helped promote
learning
Study and Learning
Ibn Sina, a Persian,
became Islam’s most
famous philosopher;
like the Greeks, he
used logic and his
writings were widely
translated and studied
Science and Technology
Muslim scholars made great advances in astronomy,
improving upon Greek ideas
THE ASTROLABE: AN EARLY VERSION OF A GPS SYSTEM
For example,
compasses and
astrolabes (a
device that
positions objects
in the sky to
figure out one’s
location) could
be used to find
the direction to
Mecca
Science and Technology
Muslims restored old irrigation systems,
built dams and aqueducts, and used
waterwheels to help the water supply
Geography and Navigation
Muslim scholars
examined plants
and animals in
different regions
and divided the
world into
climate zones
They created extremely
accurate maps that
included trade routes
and information about
land under Muslim rule
Geography and Navigation
Travelers, like Ibn
Battuta, recorded
information (and in
Ibn’s case, wrote a
book) about their
journeys to the
Muslim lands and
beyond
Mathematics
Muslims based their work in math in part on the
ideas from India and Classical Greece
One scholar, Al-Khwarizmi, is called the “father of algebra”,
which is used to solve problems with unknown numbers
Mathematics
Algebra helped make Arabic numerals popular in
Europe and spread the Indian concept of zero
The word “zero” comes from
the Arabic word that means
“something empty”
Medicine
Muslims
established the
world’s first
hospitals and
based their
medical
knowledge on
that of
Mesopotamia,
Egypt, and
Greece
Doctors treated ailments through drugs, diet, and exercise;
they also used stitches after performing surgeries
Medicine
The Persian philosopher Ibn Sina
was also a doctor who wrote a book
about the treatment of diseases
Bookmaking and Literature
Muslims learned how to make paper from
the Chinese and began producing books;
Baghdad had over 100 bookshops
Bookmaking and Literature
Arab and Persian stories
and poetry were
collected in books, such
as “A Thousand and One
Arabian Nights”
In this book, a wife tells her
husband a new tale each
night, including the story of
Aladdin and the magic
lamp, Ali Baba and the
Forty Thieves, and Sinbad
the Sailor; these stories are
well known today
The Arts
Muslims
developed a type
of art known as
“arabesque”; it
used ornate
drawings and
geometric
patterns to
decorate objects
and books
The Arts
Calligraphy, the art of
beautiful handwriting,
was considered to be the
best art form of its day
Textiles and music were
two other influential art
forms that Muslims
developed during the
time of the Islamic Empire
Recreation
Fun and recreation were also part of the Islamic culture
The sport of polo was borrowed from the Persians and
made popular by the Muslims; teams on horseback use
wooden mallets to strike a ball through a goal
Recreation
Chess was invented in India and borrowed by the Persians, but this
board game (which requires much thought, smarts, & skill to play
well) was spread across Muslim territory and introduced to Europe
Historians refer to this era of the
Abbasids’ rule over the Islamic
Empire as a “golden age”