Architecture

Scholarship

Learning

Science

Technology

Geography

AcceptanceoftheArabiclanguagehelpedpromotelearning.Inthe8thcentury,ArabicbecamethelanguageofscholarshipandsciencethroughoutIslamiclands.AsharedlanguageandloveoflearningallowedscholarsinEurope,NorthAfrica,andtheMiddleEasttoexchangeideasandbuildononeanother'swork. Muslimrulersbuiltschools,colleges,libraries,andothercentersoflearning.Fromasmallvillage,Baghdadgrewintooneoftheworld'slargestcities.Othercitiesalsobecamegreatcentersoflearning.Forexample,inthe10thcentury,theFatimiddynastyinEgyptbuiltacapital,Cairo.ItsuniversitybecamethemostadvancedintheMuslimworld.InSpain,theMuslimcapital,Cordoba,flourishedandbecamealargeandwealthycity.

Muhammadisreportedtohavesaid,“Theinkofscholarsismorepreciousthanthebloodofmartyrs.”LikethinkersinEurope,thinkersintheIslamicworldsometimeswonderedhowtomakereasonandlogicalproofagreewiththeirfaith. Al-Kindi,a9th-centuryArabphilosopher,triedtoresolvethisissue.Humans,hesaid,hadtwosourcesofknowledge:reasonandrevelationbyGod.Peoplecouldusereasontobetterunderstandtheteachingsoffaith. IbnSina(i-benSEE-na),aPersianMuslimPhilosopher,believedthatallknowledgecouldbeknownthroughrevelationandreason.Forexample,hepresentedanargumentthatthesoulwasimmortal.HiswritingswerewidelytranslatedandinfluencedmanyEuropeanthinkers.

ManylargecitiesdevelopedinMuslimlands,andthisgrowthencouragednewkindsofarchitecture.Thousandsofworkerslaboredtobuildpalaces,schools,orphanages,hospitals,mosques,andotherbuildings. BaghdadwasoneofthemostgloriousMuslimcities.Ittook100,000architects,workers,andcraftspeoplefouryearstobuildthenewcapital.Bridges,palaces,andgardensalladdedtoitssplendor. Aparticularlyimportanttypeofbuildingwasthemosque,theMuslimhouseofworship.Manydesignstylesandmaterialswentintobuildingmosques,reflectingthegreatdiversityofMuslimlands.LikethecathedralsofEurope,mosquesexpressthereligiousfaithandtheartisticheritageoftheirbuilders.

Muslimgeographersexaminedplantsandanimalsindifferentregions,aswellasdividedtheworldintoclimatezones.Aswithallscholarship,someMuslimsstudiedgeographysimplyoutofcuriosity,butithadpracticaluses,too.Forexample,Muslimswereabletocreateextremelyaccuratemapsduetothestudyofgeography.AscholarinMuslimSpainevenproducedaworldatlas,withdozensofmapsoflandsinEurope,Africa,andAsia.AworkcalledTheBookofRoadsandProvincesprovidedmapsanddescriptionsofthemajorMuslimtraderoutes.TheBookofCountrieslistedusefulfactsaboutthelandsunderMuslimrule.Fromthisbook,travelerscouldgetinformationaboutaregion'slocation.

Muslimsmadetechnologicaladvancestomakethemostofscarcewaterresources,sincemuchofthelandunderMuslimrulewashotanddry.Muslimsrestoredoldirrigationsystemsanddesignednewones.Theybuiltdamsandaqueductstoprovidewaterforhouseholds,mills,andfields.Theyimprovedexistingsystemsofcanalsandundergroundwells.Muslimsalsousedwaterwheelstobringwaterupfromcanalsandreservoirs.

Muslimsdemonstratedanendlesscuriosityabouttheworld.AnumberofMuslimscholarsbecameinterestedinzoology,thescientificstudyofanimals.Somewrotebooksdescribingthestructureofanimals'bodies,whileothersexplainedhowtomakemedicinesfromanimalparts.Inthe800s,ascholarnamedal-Jahiz(AHL-jay-HEEZ)evenpresentedtheoriesabouttheevolutionofanimals. Muslimscholarsdidmuchworkinthefieldofastronomy,thestudyofobjectsintheuniverse.AstronomyhadmanypracticalusesforMuslims.Forexample,navigationaltoolswereimprovedtolocatethedirectionofMecca.Thisallowedworshipperstoprayfacinginthecorrectdirection,andattheexacttimesforprayer.

Navigation

Mathematics

Medicine

Bookmaking

Literature

Art

Muslimsmadesomeoftheirmostimportantinnovationsinthefieldofmedicine.TheylearnedagreatdealfromtheworkofancientGreeksandIndians,andthenimproveduponthisearlierknowledge.

Muslimdoctorsestablishedhospitalsthatwereopentoallpeople.Doctorstreatedailmentswithdrugs,diet,andexercise.Theygavepatientsremediesmadefromherbsandotherplants,animals,andminerals.

Muslimdoctorsmademanydiscoveriesandhelpedspreadmedicalknowledge.Forexample,al-Razi,aPersiandoctor,realizedthatinfectionswerecausedbybacteria.Healsostudiedsmallpoxandmeasles.Hisworkhelpedotherdoctorsdiagnoseandtreatthesedeadlydiseases.

Muslimsgreatlyadvancedthestudyofmathematics.TheybasedtheirworkinpartonideasfromancientBabylon,India,andGreece.Theyadaptedwhattheylearnedandaddedtheirowncontributions.

OneoftheseMuslimscholarswastheastronomerandmathematicianal-Khwarizmi(ahlKWAR-iz-mee).Al-Khwarizmiisbestknownas“thefatherofalgebra.”Infact,thewordalgebracomesfromthetitleofoneofhisbooks.ItoriginatedinanArabicphrase,al-jabr,meaning“thereunionofbrokenparts.”Algebraisusedtosolveproblemsinvolvingunknownnumbers.Anexampleistheequation7x+4=25.

MuslimsalsospreadtheIndianconceptofzero.Infact,thewordzerocomesfromanArabicwordmeaning“somethingempty.”

Travelerswereanothersourceofknowledge.SometravelerswroteguidebookstohelppilgrimsmakethejourneytoMeccatofulfillthehajj.Othersexploredanddescribedforeignlands,suchasChinaandScandinavia.

Asaidstotravel,Muslimsusednavigationalinstruments.Muslimscientistsadaptedandperfectedthecompassandastrolabe.Muslimsprobablylearnedaboutthecompass,adevicethatallowspeopletoidentifythedirectioninwhichtheyaretraveling,fromtheChinese.Withtheastrolabe,sailorsatseacouldusethepositionofobjectsinthesky,suchasthesunorstars,topinpointtheirlocationbyknowinghowfartheyhadtraveled.

Artistsandcraftspeopledecoratedthewallsandotherfeaturesofmosquesandpalaceswithintricatedesigns.Atypeofdesigncalledarabesquetookitsbeautyfromthenaturalworld.Inarabesque,artistscraftedstems,leaves,andflowersintoelegantpatternsthatwererepeatedoverandover.Artistsusedsimpletools—rulersandcompasses—tocreateabstractdesignsfromtheseshapes.

CalligraphyforMuslims,thehighestformofdecorativeartwascalligraphy,theartofbeautifulhandwriting.Calligraphersusedsharpenedreedsorbamboodippedininktowriteonparchmentandpaper.

Muslimsinmedievaltimesbroughtgreatartistrytomakingtextiles.Weaverswovewool,linen,silk,andcottonintocloth.

MuslimliteraturewasenrichedbySufism,orIslamicmysticism.ThistypeofreligiouspracticeinvolvesintensepersonalexperiencesofGod,inadditiontotheregularperformanceofrituals.Onewaytoexpresstheirloveanddevotionwasthroughpoetryfilledwithvividimagesandbeautifullanguage.

Inthe8thcentury,MuslimslearnedtheartofmakingpaperfromtheChineseandsoonwerecreatingboundbooksoftheirown.Craftspeopleusedtheirtalentstoproducebeautifulbooks.Theyilluminatedthebindingsandpageswithdesignsingold,aswellaswithminiaturepaintings.

Arabshadarichheritageofstorytellingandpoetry.OnefamouscollectionofstoriesiscalledAThousandandOneNights.AlsoknownasArabianNights,thisbookgatheredstoriesthatoriginallycamefrommanyplaces,includingIndiaandPersia,aswellaselsewhereintheMiddleEast.AmongtheseaddedtalesarethoseaboutAladdin'smagiclamp,AliBaba,andSinbadtheSailor,whichremainwell-knowntoday.

Music

Recreation

RecreationwasalsopartofmedievalIslamicculture.TwofavoritepastimesthatMuslimshelpedpopularizewerepoloandchess.

MuslimsfirstlearnedaboutthegameofpolofromthePersians.Poloisasportinwhichteamsonhorsebackuselongwoodenhammerstostrikeaballthroughagoal.Muslimslookedathorsesasstatussymbols,andpoloquicklybecamepopularamongthewealthy.

Caliphsinvitedchesschampionstotheirpalacestoplayinmatches.Playersenjoyedtheintellectualchallengethatchesspresented.Chessisabattleofwitsinwhichplayersmovepiecesonaboardaccordingtoasetofcomplexrules.Aswithpolo,MuslimsadaptedandimprovedthegameofchessandspreaditacrossMuslimlands.

TherewereseveralcentersofmusicintheIslamicworld,includingBaghdadandDamascus.Persianmusicalstyleswereveryinfluential.ButinCordoba,Spain,auniquestyledevelopedthatblendedelementsofArabandnativeSpanishcultures.

SingingwasanessentialpartofMuslimSpain'smusicalculture.Musiciansandpoetsworkedtogethertocreatesongsaboutlove,nature,andthegloryoftheempire.Vocalistsperformedthesongsaccompaniedbysuchinstrumentsasdrums,flutes,andlutes.Althoughthismusicislosttoday,itundoubtedlyinfluencedlatermusicalformsinEuropeandNorthAfrica.