1. Aim: What were the greatest achievements of the Islamic Golden Age?
Do Now: Can a scientist be religious?
NY Standards 2
Common Core R.S. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, WS 1, 2

2. I Islam Divides
A) After the death of Muhammad in 632 CE, Muslims couldn’t agree who should be the caliph (Muslim leader). This led to a split within Islam. B) Shiites believe caliphs have to be descended from Muhammad’s daughter Fatima and her husband Ali. C) Sunnis believe any worthy man can be caliph.
D) Sufis developed separately from Shiites and Sunnis. Through meditation they try to have a spiritual connection to Allah.

3. II The Spread of Islam

4. III Islamic Dynasties Umayyad Empire (661-750 CE)
Conquered North Africa and Spain. Capital at Damascus.
Allowed freedom of religion to Jews & Christians “people of the book” if they paid a tax
Abbasid Dynasty ( CE)
Conquered the Umayyad Empire. Moved the capital to Baghdad.
Tamerlane’s Empire (1398 – 1405)
Tamerlane conquered India. Capital at Samarkand (a major stop along the Silk Road).
Ottoman Empire (1299 – 1922)
1453 the Ottomans captured Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul. Janissaries were Christian boy-slaves who were converted to Islam and served in the army. Suleiman the Magnificent beautified Istanbul, and created a law code.
Mughal Dynasty (1526 – 1707)
Akbar the Great ended a tax on Hindus and allowed them to advance in the empire.
Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum for his late wife.
Safavid Dynasty (1501 – 1722)
United Persia (modern day Iran)

5. The Umayyad Muslim Dynasty
The Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain

6. The Abbasid Muslim Dynasty
Abbasid Palace, Baghdad, Iraq

7. The Mughal Muslim Dynasty, India
The Taj Mahal

8. Tamerlane’s Capital at Samarkand

9. The Blue Mosque, Istanbul
The Ottoman Empire
The Blue Mosque, Istanbul

10. IV International Muslim Trade
After the Roman Empire fell in Western Europe in 476 CE, trade in Western Europe had fallen. However..
During the same time, Muslim traders were crossing the Sahara Desert and the Silk Road, leading to a strong economy and cultural diffusion!
A Muslim Arab trader with a camel caravan
Spices from a modern Arab spice bazaar!

12. V Achievements in Muslin Manufacturing
A) Steel swords from Spain
B) Leather from Spain
C) Egyptian cotton textiles (fabric)
D) Persian carpets

13. VI Muslim Achievements in the Arts
As Muslims are forbidden from creating images of people or animals, they developed a new style of art known as arabesque; geometric patterns that resemble floral shapes.
For the same reason, Muslims also developed a form of calligraphy (an artistic style of writing).
Islamic architects built beautiful mosques, featuring domes and minarets.
An arabesque design
The Blue Mosque, Istanbul
Arabic calligraphy

14. VI Islamic Literature
One of the most famous works of Islamic literature is 1001 Nights, author unknown, written approximately in the 10th century CE.
The Plot of The 1001 Nights: King Shahryar discovered his wife was unfaithful and had her killed. Angered, proceeds to marry and kill a new wife each night onward. Shahrazad, a daughter of the King’s vizier (advisor), insisted on marrying him so to end his terror. She told the king a tale, leaving it incomplete at the end of the night…which she continued to do until she has given birth to his children, when he finally abandoned his plan. Some of the stories she told the King to save her life included Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad the Sailor!

15. VII Muslim Achievements in Math and Science
A) Muslim scholars translated Greek, Roman, and Hindu texts, preserving them. *Recall that this was before the invention of the printing press of the internet! B) Muslims spread the Hindu number system (Arabic numerals) to Europe C) Al-Khwārizmī invented algebra. D) Arab Muslims built astronomical observatories!
Persian Telescope, 13th century
Did you know that algebra was not invented to torture students, but to help improve trading and engineering!

16. Muslim Achievements in Math and Science Continued…
E) While medieval European doctors used leeches to bleed their patients for almost every illness, Muslim doctors were performing cataracts surgery and providing small pox vaccinations! F) Ibn Sina wrote the Canon on Medicine; an encyclopedia of medical knowledge.
“Therefore in medicine we ought to know the causes of sickness and health.” – Ibn Sina
A Muslim doctor performing cataracts surgery

17. Summary Questions
What led to the split within Islam? What is the difference between Sunnis and Shiites?
What allowed for the Arab Muslims to be successful traders? Where and what did they trade?
Choose any 2 Islamic dynasties/empires [Umayyads, Abbasids, Tamerlane, Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals]. Where were they? What did they accomplish?
Choose any 4 achievements of the Islamic Golden Age. Describe them and explain why they were an achievement.
Why do you think that medieval Muslims achieved a golden age, while most of western Europe did not? (Recall the collapse of the Roman empire in western Europe)

18. Key Vocabulary 1001 Nights Safavid Empire Abbasid Dynasty Shah Jahan
Akbar the Great
Shiite
Al-Khwārizmī
Ibn Sina
Arabesque
Small pox vaccine
Arabic numerals
Sufi
Caliph
Suleiman the Magnificent
Calligraphy
Sunni
Camel Caravan
Taj Mahal
Cataracts Surgery
Tamerlane’s Empire
Janissaries
Umayyad Dynasty
Mughal Empire
Ottoman Empire