1. Muslim Culture

2. Four Social Classes Upper class – Muslim at birth
Second class – Islamic converts
Third class – “protected people”
Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians
Lowest class – slaves
Many slaves were prisoners of war
All slaves were non-Muslim
Performed household work
Fought in the military

3. Women Men and women equal as believers and in the eyes of God
Muslim women had more economic and property rights than European, Indian, and Chinese women in the time period
Still expected to submit to men
Had access to education
Some women were poets and scholars

4. Responsibilities of Women
Vary depending on husband’s income
Poor – women works in the fields
Wealthier – women supervises the household and servants
Raising the children
Early days of Islam, women could participate in public life and gain an education
Over time, Muslim women were forced to live increasingly isolated lives and be veiled in public

5. Hijab Head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women
Islamic dress code that prescribes modesty for both sexes and requires women to reveal only their face, hands and feet

6. Astronomy
Interest developed from the need to fulfill 3 of the Five Pillars of Islam
Fasting during Ramadan
Hajj
Prayer
Studying the skies helped fix the location of cities so that worshippers could face Mecca when they prayed
Extensive knowledge of the stars guided Muslim traders to the different trading cities

7. Astrolabe Has a plate which simulates the sky
Rotating sphere on top representing the movement of the earth in relation to the stars
Allows for calculation of time, relative position, and religious events

8. House of Wisdom
Both Umayyads and Abbasids encouraged scholars to collect and translate scientific and philosophical texts
Caliph al-Ma’mun opens the House of Wisdom
Consists of a library, academy, and translation center
Scholars translate works from Greece, India, Persia, etc. into Arabic

9. Art
Muslims believe that only Allah can create life, so images of living beings are discouraged
Expressed themselves through decorative arts, such as woodwork, glass, ceramics, or textiles

10. Calligraphy
Art of beautiful handwriting

11. Arabesque
Complex, ornate design, which usually incorporates flowers, leaves, and geometric patterns

12. Great Mosque of Damascus
Built on the site of a Christian Church
Huge dome and vaulted ceiling

13. Al-Razi Considered the greatest physician up until the 16th century
Wrote an encyclopedia called the Comprehensive Book
Wrote the Treatise on Smallpox and Measles
Patients would recover more quickly if they breathed in cleaner air

14. Al-Khwarizmi
Scholars believed that math was the basis of all knowledge
Wrote a textbook on “the art of bringing together unknowns to match a known quality”
Calls this al-jabr
Today this is algebra

15. Ibn al-Haytham Wrote Optics
Used in developing lenses for telescopes and microscopes

16. Philosophers Ibn Rushd – tries to blend Greek and Islamic philosophy
Argues that the goal of both is to find the truth
Moses Ben Maimon – wrote The Guide for the Perplexed
Blends philosophy, science, and religion

17. Literature
Poems celebrating bravery, love, generosity, and hospitality
Qur’an – basis for literature and poetry
During the Abbasid caliphate, poetry was expanded to include themes of nature and the pleasures of life and love
The Thousand and One Nights – collection of fairy tales and legends
Linked to India and Persia
Muslim Empire adds stories and arranges them