1. Abbasid Empire Muslim Civilization’s Golden Age

2. Social and Economic Advances
Muslim leaders unite many diverse cultures
Egyptians
Europeans
Arabs
Persians
Turks
Africans
Mongols
Indians
Southeast Asians

3. International Trade Network built by the Muslims
Merchants were honored in the Muslim culture
They were seen as “God’s trusted servants on Earth.”
Camel caravans crossed the Sahara.
African, Muslim, Jewish and Christian traders traveled the Silk Road to China

4. Trade Spread products, technology, knowledge and culture.
Arabic numerals became well known and helped the global exchange grow and thrive.

5. New Business Practices for Muslims
Created partnerships
Bought and sold on credit
Formed banks for exchange of currency
Invented bank checks
New system of accounting

6. Highly valued manufactured goods
Manufacturing organized by guilds
Regulated prices, methods of production and the quality of the product.
Produced steel swords from Damascus
leather goods from Cordoba
cotton textiles from Egypt
carpets from Persia

7. Literature The greatest work of Islamic literature is the Quran.
The Quran banned the worship of idols so artists were not allowed to portray God/human figures in religious art.

8. Poetry
Poems encouraged the faithful to worship God selflessly without hope of reward. Poetry was the hightest form of litereture

9. Persian Muslim writers
Firdawsi- wrote Book of Kings which tells the history of Persia.
Omar Khayyam- Muslim scholar, astronomer and writer.
Later stories were about Aladdin and his Magic Lamp and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

10. Muslims seek knowledge
Boys and girls receive elementary education which emphasized reading and writing
Needed so everyone could read the Quran.

11. Center of learning Baghdad is the greatest Muslim center of learning.
Advances in philosophy, math and medicine.
They also translated older texts into Arabic.

12. Philosopher- Ibn Rushd
Put all knowledge, except the Quran, to the test of reason.
His writings were translated into Latin and would influence Christian scholars.

13. Arab thinker- Ibn Khaldun
Set standards for the scientific study of history
He stressed that economics and social structure were the causes of historical events.
Warned historians to watch for bias and exaggeration.

14. Math
Al-Khwarizmi-
pioneered algebra

15. Physicians and pharmacists had to pass tests to practice.
Medicine
Physicians and pharmacists had to pass tests to practice.
Governments set up hospitals.
Physicians traveled to the sick and visited jails.

16. Muhammad al-Razi Head physician at Baghdad’s hospital.
Researched measles and smallpox.
Wanted doctors to “treat the mind as well as the body.”

17. Persian physician- Ibn Sina
Wrote an encyclopedia of what the Greeks, Arabs and himself had learned about diagnosing and treating diseases.
Book includes many prescriptions.