Achievements of Islam Achievements of the Muslims in the Middle East during the Middle Ages….They were waaaaaaay more advanced than Europe

The basics The knowledge and achievements of the Greeks and Romans didn’t’ disappear after Rome fell Greek and Roman knowledge survived in the Middle East with the Muslims Not only did the Muslims know all this ancient stuff…..they built on that knowledge

Art Muslim art is unique Calligraphy It is forbidden by Islam to create human figures or to depict Allah (God) Lots of animals as subjects Lots of geometric decorations Calligraphy

Architecture We see lots of Domes and Arches just like the Greeks and the Romans Buildings are decorated with geometric or abstract patterns (Remember no human figures) Muslim Mosques are the best examples of their architecture Domes Arches Minarets (Towers)

Poetry Long tradition of oral poetry…Telling Stories Explored Religious and Worldly Themes Muslim writers were also good at gathering and adapting stories from other groups of people The Best known of these collections of stories (YES YOU KNOW AT LEAST ONE OF THESE STORIES) is “The Thousand and One Arabian Nights”

Philosophy Baghdad (Iraq) becomes a center of learning…with schools, universities, and libraries Preserved the knowledge of the past (Greeks and Romans) Advanced and built upon previous knowledge Combined Greek ideas about reason and logic, with religious beliefs Translated works from other cultures Developed ways to test logic and reason Set standards for the scientific and logical study of things like history

Math and Science Al-Khwarizmi develops Algebra and a textbook to teach it Using Algebra, Muslims figure out…. The circumference of the Earth The Earth’s rotation and orbit around the sun Orbits of the other planets and astronomical predictions

Medicine Muslims were building Hospitals in the Middle East Start to require education and tests for doctors and pharmacists Start to examine the idea of infection (Good Air vs Bad Air) Begin to perform surgery on the eye to remove cataracts Start specializing in different type of medicine and dividing people up based on there disease or injury