Islamic Achievements

Muslim Learning The development of paper and creation of a paper mill in Baghdad Libraries and academies were established for study and exchange of ideas “House of Wisdom” in Baghdad – works from Greece, Persia, and India were collected and translated

Medicine Islamic hospitals were built in all major cities. They had separate wards, or rooms, for people with different diseases. Doctors were skilled at surgery , including cancer and brain operations. Doctors had to pass a test and carry a license to practice medicine Ibn Sina, the greatest Muslim doctor, wrote a medical encyclopedia, The Canon of Medicine, which covered every known disease and treatment known at the time. It became the standard medical text in Europe for hundreds of years.

Make a prediction… What do you think these are illustrations of? What might they be used for?

Philosophy Like the Greeks, they believed in an orderly universe based on the laws of nature Two of the greatest philosophers were al-Kindi and Ibn Rushd who studied the works of Aristotle

Science and Math Decimal system based on Hindu numerals and the zero Advances also made in geometry, algebra, and trigonometry Astronomers built observatories and measured the Earth. They also used the astrolabe, an instrument designed to measure and plot the position of stars..

Geography and History Ibn Khaldun wrote a history of the world that explained the rise and fall of dynasties. Ibn Battuta, a well-known traveler, wrote about his 30 year journey across much of Asia and Africa, and describes what he saw

Art and Architecture Popular designs were displayed on finely woven carpets, colorful tiles, and palace walls. Arabesque, a pattern of curved shapes and lines resembling flowers or vines, was a décor found throughout the empire The Dome of the Rock, a mosque in Jerusalem, is the oldest building in the Muslim world. (Islam discourages the illustration of humans or animals in paintings, because it was considered a form of idol worship.)

Calligraphy Calligraphy, artful handwriting, was the most sacred of all Muslim arts.

Literature and Poetry Muslim writers wrote charming stories and folk tales. Many of these tales were collected in a book called The Thousand and one Nights (where the story of Aladdin comes from) Islamic Poetry was based on oral tradition. The Sufis, a deeply spiritual Muslim group, emphasized the importance of love and unity of all faiths. " Don't look at your form, however ugly or beautiful. Look at love and at the aim of your quest. ... O you whose lips are parched, keep looking for water. Those parched lips are proof that eventually you will reach the source." by: Rumi