Chapter 11 Section 3

Trade Up to the age of exploration, Muslims were the world’s leading traders b/c of location. Trade routes over land were from Baghdad and China, over seas their ships carried spices, cloth, glass and carpets from India and Southeast Asia and brought back rubies, gold, ivory and slaves. Once the Europeans found new ways to bypass the Muslim traders, their economy started sliding downward.

Muslim cities look very much like cities in Europe in that there were houses of worship called, mosques, and marketplaces called, bazaars.

Discover Muslims invented algebra, borrowed the numerals 0-9 from Hindu scholars in India, later become known as Arabic numerals. Perfected the Greek astrolabe for sailors to determine their location at sea. Also used to measure around the Earth, realized the Earth is round. Arab doctors were the 1 st to discover how blood circulates and how diseases are spread.

Muslim art does not show images for fear the observer would worship the image and not Allah. The minarets around a mosque sound the time for Muslims to bow toward Mecca and pray. Taj Mahal in Agra, India is a tomb that was built in 1629 for the Mogul ruler’s wife is made of marble and precious stones.

The End