Muslim Achievement Chapter 10 Section 3 Page 242

Muslim Society Riches were flowing into empire from Africa, Asia and Europe This allowed Muslim rulers to build luxurious cities There, scholars preserved existing knowledge and produced enormous amounts of learning

Urban centers symbolized the strength of the dynasty The centers were very impressive

Sophisticated Culture Centers of learning were located throughout the Muslim empire in Syria, Persia, Spain, and Egypt Many cultural traditions combined with Arabic culture to create an international flavor Muslim society was one of the most sophisticated society in the world

Baghdad Baghdad had a circular design formed by 3 protective walls The caliph’s palace was made of stone and marble and was in the center circle along with a grand mosque A market place was outside the walls Population was 1 million at its peak

The Round City of Baghdad

4 Social Classes Upper class- born Muslim 2nd class- Converts to Islam -paid higher tax than upper class, but lower than non- Muslim 3rd class- “protected” people like Jews and Christians Lowest class- slaves who were prisoners of war or non-Muslims

Women According to the Qur’an, “men are the managers of the affairs of women” Also declares that men and women who are believers are equal Muslim women had more rights than European women in ancient times

Power of Knowledge Rulers wanted the best doctors treating their sick and injured Relied on mathematicians and astronomers to calculate times for prayer and direction of Mecca Had a desire for truth and knowledge Muhammad himself believed in the power of learning

House of Wisdom After the fall of Rome, Europe had a period where scholarship suffered Muslim leaders preserved and expanded scientific knowledge In the 800s a combination library, academy and translation center opened in Baghdad Was called the House of Wisdom where scholars would translate Greek, Indian and Persian texts in Arabic

Remains of House of Wisdom

Arts and Sciences in Muslim World Scholars at House of Wisdom included researchers, editors, linguists and technical advisors Developed standards for research that exist even today Muslim contributions most recognizable in medicine, math and astronomy

Medical Advances Persian scholar al-Razi (Rhazes) was the greatest physician of Muslim world Wrote several books including Treatise on Smallpox and Measles Al-Razi believed that patients would recover more quickly if breathing in clean air Based theory on experiment of hanging shreds of meat around Baghdad and observed which ones spoiled slowly due to clean air

An ancient diagram of the human muscle system

An illustration indicating where scalp incisions should be made

Muslim scientists preferred to solve problems by conducting experiments in laboratories 20 Greatest Inventions by Muslim Scientists http://www.doodhpattiblogs.com/20-greatest-inventions-by-muslim-scientists/

Muslim Mathematicians Believed mathematics was the basis of all knowledge Mathematician Al- Khwarizmi wrote textbook in the 800s explaining ‘art of bringing together unknowns to match an unknown quantity” calling this technique al-jabr….or algebra

Astronomy Muslim observatories charted stars, comets and planets This is an armillary sphere By aligning the top rings with various stars, astronomers could calculate the time of day or year

Philosophy Scholars translated works of Aristotle and Plato at the House of Wisdom into Arabic Muslim philosopher Ibn Rushd argued that Greek philosophy and Islam both had the same goal: to find the truth, but was attacked for many of his ideas

Literature Literature was a strong tradition in Arabia before Islam Bedouin poets composed poems celebrating ideals such as bravery, love, generosity, and hospitality Popular literature included A Thousand and One Nights, a collection of fairy tales and legends

A Thousand and One Nights The premise of the collection is that a king who has killed his unfaithful wife and is determined to marry and kill a new wife everyday A daughter of the kings vizier (government official) has a plan to end his madness She marries the king and begins telling a story every evening Hoping to hear the end of the story the next day, the king keeps delaying her execution and finally gives up his murderous ways

Art Art styles were appreciated but tweaked because it was not ok to draw living beings Based this idea that only Allah creates life Many artists turned to calligraphy, the art of beautiful handwriting Much of the Muslim calligraphy incorporates verses from the Qur’an

Architecture Greatest example of cultural blending of the Muslim world Location of the building reflected the culture of the people there Used features popular to each area like arches, domes and heating systems

Lasting Effects Though the unified Muslim state broke up, Muslim culture continued Three Muslim empires, The Ottoman, the Safavid, and the Mughal would emerge and reflect the blended culture of this time