Golden Age of Islam 700s-1258

Do Now: 11/15/2013 What is a “Golden Age”? What Golden Ages have your learned about? What circumstances and developments characterize a Golden Age? A period of peace, harmony, stability, and prosperity. Greece, Rome… Great gains in art, architecture and academia.

Golden Age of Islam- Overview 750-1250 The Abbasid Caliphate Moved the Islamic capital from Mecca to Baghdad. United the Arab tribes into one empire. Stressed the value of knowledge. Preserved and built upon Roman, Greek, Chinese, Indian, Egyptian and Persian knowledge.

Islamic Caliphate- 760 Europe Byzantine Empire Italy Spain Asia Constantinople Italy Spain Asia Greece Arabian Peninsula Africa Egypt Mecca

Islamic Caliphs The caliphs were chosen to govern the land and the religion of Islam. Caliph means “successor to the Prophet”. The lands ruled by the caliph were called the caliphate. By 760 CE, the caliphate extended from Arabia to the borders of India and China in the East, to North Africa and Spain in the West.

New Islamic Capital In 762 the Muslim Ruler al Mansur built a capital city along the Tigris River in present-day Iraq. Baghdad quickly became the center of Muslim civilizations greatest achievements in science, art and architecture.

New Islamic Capital Baghdad was the capital of the caliphate from the late 700s to the 1200s. It had about one million residents. The Caliphs palace stood at the center of the city. Next to the palace was a grand mosque.

Ancient Baghdad

Trade in the New capital There were four main roads that went from Baghdad to all other parts of the caliphate. Traders used these roads to bring goods from all over the caliphate. They traded Arabian perfumes, Indian pepper, African ivory, Russian furs and Chinese dishware and paper.

Chinese paper & dishware Islamic Caliphate- 760 Russian furs Chinese paper & dishware Baghdad Arabian Perfumes Indian pepper African Ivory

Do now: 11/20/2013 How do geography and trade contribute to a city’s prosperity and power? Can religion influence government? The profits from trade bring wealth to a city or state and allow it to fund a strong military. Yes, for example… - The caliph (ruler) was in charge of the government AND the religion. - Non-Muslims in the caliphate were forced to pay the government special taxes and did not have the same rights as Muslim citizens.

Do Now: Yes, for example… Can religion have an influence on the government? Yes, for example… - The caliph (ruler) was in charge of the government AND the religion. - Non-Muslims in the caliphate were forced to pay the government special taxes and did not have the same rights as Muslim citizens.

House of Wisdom Baghdad’s caliphs valued education. There was a large library in Baghdad called the House of Wisdom. It housed Greek, Roman, and Indian works that were translated into Arabic.

Medicine In Baghdad, the first pharmacies were established in 754. They had the first trained pharmacists who sold herbs, spices and medicines to the public. There were many doctors that worked in traveling hospitals to give free treatment to people throughout the caliphate.

Medicine Avicenna – Described how diseases spread through air and water. Stress causes stomach problems. Cancer can be cured through surgery.

Medicine- Discussion Who was Avicenna? What books did Avicenna write? Do his medical theories still hold true today? Which ones? An academic who organized the medical knowledge of the Greeks & Arabs into the Cannon of Medicine.

Mathematics Al Kwarizmi was born in 780 in Baghdad. He is considered the founder of algebra based on books he wrote about algebra and geometry. Al Kwarizmi also: A scholar in the House of Wisdom He wrote a book about geography and used latitude and longitude more accurately than anyone before him.

Mathematics Muslim cartographers used math to help make their maps more accurate. Their maps had lines, like latitude and longitude, to help determine climate regions and locations.

Astronomy Astronomy was very important because the Islamic calendar is based on the moon’s movements. Stars helped people determine direction. Muslims improved the astrolabe, which was used to help determine direction. It was very useful to sailors to find their way at sea.

Astrolabe

http://www. ted. com/talks/tom_wujec_demos_the_13th_century_astrolabe http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_demos_the_13th_century_astrolabe.html

Do now: 11/19/2013 What earlier empire did the Ottomans conquer? How might control of this earlier empire, including its capital city, have increased the power of the Ottomans? The Ottomans conquered the Byzantine Empire and its capital, Constantinople (Istanbul). This allowed the Ottomans to benefit from existing trade routes, port facilities, markets and institutions.

Sultan Mehmed Conquers Constantinople

Islamic Expansion & Halt How did Muslim Empires feel about other religions? Islamic leaders were tolerant of other religions in their territories. People of other religions were made to pay a special tax, could not carry weapons, or serve in the army.

Islamic Expansion & Halt How did religious tolerance enable the caliphate to grow? After they conquered an area, there was little resistance because people were not forced to give up their religions.

The Battle of TOurs What occurred at the Battle of Tours? In 732, Arab forces were defeated by European soldiers at the Battle of Tours, in present-day France. What was significant about this battle? This stopped Islam from spreading into Christian Europe.

Battle of Tours The Muslim army under the leadership of Abd-er Rahman pushed over the Pyrenees Mountains from Spain into France in search of new land. The Muslim forces reached the Loire River outside of the city Tours before encountering Charles Martell’s Christian forces.

Charles Martel

Battle of Tours Sources differ on how long the battle lasted, Christian records report 7 days while Arab records state the battle only lasted 2 days. The loss at Tours halted Muslim expansion. Arab forces retreated to Spain.

History Channel: The Dark Age Battle of Tours History Channel: The Dark Age http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvSbBEoBePg

Influence on Europe What is the effect of the Battle of Tours & Islam’s halt? The religion of Islam does not penetrate into Christian Europe. European battle field techniques are proven accurate, and will be used during the Crusades.

Influence on Europe Despite heavy animosity, did Islamic ideas influence Christian Europe? How? Provide evidence. Trade between the Islamic Caliphate and Europe spread goods & ideas! Islamic developments in the fields of science, math, engineering and medicine spread into Europe. Traditional Arab goods became luxury items in Europe and were used by the wealthy and powerful.