Bellwork

• Much like Alexandria, the Muslim Empire also has a mix of people within it. Because of this, both Alexandria and the Muslim Empire made great strides in the fields of science and technology. Now, consider the United States. The U.S. is also a breadbasket of cultures. Has America made great strides in the fields of science and technology? Why do you think having so many different groups within one place allows a country/empire to make such achievements?

World History

Section 4, Unit 1Muslim Achievement pt. 3

Objectives

• Examine Muslim society• Discuss Muslim achievements in

several different fields of study• Identify the legacy of Muslim

scholars on the ancient and modern world

• Study and define different types of Muslim art

Review

• In the last lesson, who helped cause the spread of Islam?

• Why did was there a schism in Islam?• Why was the center of the empire moved to

Baghdad?• What were the Five Pillars of Islam?• Who was Muhammad?• What were the “Ka'ba” and the “Qur'an”?

Muslim Society

• The Abbasids governed during a time of great wealth in Muslim history.

• Due to the Muslim empire being strategically located, it became the center of trade and culture between the European, African, and Asian continents.

Muslim Society (cont.)

• Overtime, the influence of Muslim society grew as the empire encompassed people from a variety of lands.

• Jobs in government and in the army were available to many different groups and centers of learning spread across the empire, from Persia all the way to Spain.

Urban Centers• Throughout the empire,

market towns were turning into cities.

• Migrants from the countryside and new converts came to cities looking for opportunities.

• Cities, such as Baghdad, Damascus, Cordoba, and Cairo, became symbols of strength of the empire.– These cities grew to be

extremely impressive.

Baghdad

• The Abbasid capital, Baghdad, impressed all who saw it.

• Caliph al-Mansur chose the site for his capital to be on the west bank of the Tigris River, in 762.

Baghdad

• Extensive planning went into the city distinctive circular design, which was formed by three protective walls.

• The caliphs palace was made of marble and sat in the innermost circle, along with the grand mosque.

Baghdad

• Originally, the main streets in Baghdad between the middle wall and palace were lined with shops. Later, the market place was moved outside the walls.

• At it’s peak, Ancient Baghdad reached one million in population.

Four Social Classes

• Baghdad’s population, made up of different cultures and social classes, was typical for a large Muslim city in the eighth and ninth centuries.

• Muslim society was made up of four social classes that would define their culture.

Four Social ClassesUpper Class

• Included those who were Muslim at birth.

Second Class

• Converts to Islam. • This class paid higher taxes than the upper class, but lower than the classes of non-Muslims.

Third Class

• Non-Muslims, such as Christians and Jews. • Paid higher taxes than the two upper classes.

Low Class

• Slaves• Slaves often worked in the household or performed military services

Muslim Women• The Qur’an states,

“Men are the managers of the affairs of women,” and “righteous women are therefore obedient.”

• However, the Qur’an also states that men and women- as believers- are equal.

Muslim Women

• The shari’a gave Muslim women specific legal rights concerning marriage, family, and property.

• As well, Muslim women also had more rights and privileges than European women of the same time period.

Muslim Women

• The Qur’an provided for the care of widows and orphans, allowed divorce, and protected the woman’s share of an inheritance.

• Responsibilities of Muslim women varied based on the income of their husbands. – The wife of a poor man, for example, would

often work in the fields.– Wealthier women supervised the household

and its’ servants.

Muslim Women (cont.)

• Muslim women, however, had access to education and among them were scholars and poets.

• However, a woman was responsible for raising the children, regardless of whether or not they were rich or poor.

• Finally, women also, in the early days of Islam, participated in public life.

Muslim Scholarship

• Muslims had a practical reason for supporting the advancement of science. Rulers wanted qualified physicians treating them.

• The faithful throughout the empire relied on mathematicians and astronomers to calculate times for prayer and the direction of Mecca.

• However, the energy Muslim’s devoted to preserving and extending knowledge went beyond practical concerns.

Muslim Scholarship• Muslim attitudes

towards learning reflected a deep seated curiosity about the world and the quest for truth that reached as far back as Muhammad. – In fact, Muhammad

himself emphasized study and scholarship, which led to strong support of places of learning by Muslim leaders.

Preservation• In the early 800’s,

the Caliph and other Muslim leaders and scholars preserved scholarship that was lost after the fall of Rome. – Muslims preserved

much of the literature and scientific works from the Greco-Roman period.

While Muslims preserved almost any Greek or Roman text, they mostly focused their efforts on translating and disseminating scientific texts.

House of Wisdom

• To protect Greco-Roman works– and to prove a place of study-- Caliph al-Ma’mun opened the House of Wisdom in Baghdad– a place that was a library, academy, and translation center

Art and Sciences

• Scholars at the House of Wisdom, and across much of the Muslim sphere, developed standards and new thinking that are still part of today’s research. Muslims made contributions primarily in the areas of:– Medicine– Math and Science– Philosophy– Literature– Art and Architecture

Medicine

• A scholar named al-Razi was the greatest physician of the Muslim world, due to his works, and probably the most influential up until the 1500s.

• He wrote an encyclopedia called the Comprehensive Book that drew on knowledge from Greek, Syrian, Arabic, and Indian sources as well as his own.

Medicine (cont.)

• Al-Razi was highly influential and is credited for several findings including:– Alcohol (ethyl alcohol, primarily)• The word “alcohol” comes from Arabic.

– Clean air may help patients heal better– Sulfuric Acid

Question

What are these?

Where did they come from?

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Muslim scholars in India developed the modern numeral system that is still used today by the majority of the world. They are often referred to as “Arabic Numerals”.

Mathematics

• Muslim’s heavily influenced mathematics, and many of their contributions are still in use today.

• Many Muslim scholars believed that math could solve odd problems and that it was the basis of all knowledge.

Mathematic Contributions

• The Islamic world provided the following contributions to math:– Al-Khwarizmi wrote a textbook in the

800s explaining that math could bring together “unknowns to match a known quantity”. He called this technique al-jabr--- or algebra.

– The creation of the concept of zero (0).– Step-by-step procedure for math–

algorithms

Science • With their gains in mathematics, Muslim scholars were able to expand their understanding of the sciences.

• Muslims, unlike their Greek counterparts, did not believe that logic alone could solve problems. – They believed that

one can solve problems through experiments.

Muslim gains in Science• Muslims saw many advances in the

fields of science, primarily astronomy. –Muslim observatories charted stars,

comets, and planets.

• Because of their use of optic technology to see these bodies in space, one scholar– Ibn al-Haytham– proved in an experiment that people see objects because rays pass from the objects to the eyes, not the other way around.

Muslim gain in Science

• At the time, people believed that the eyes emitted the “rays” to see. Although Ibn al-Haytham proved this wrong, he did not know what reflected off the objects.

• Al-Haythams’ works in optics would be used in the future to develop lenses for telescopes and microscopes

Muslim Contributions• Muslims made several contributions to

the field of science:– Furthering the understanding of astronomy– Emphasizing experimentation rather than

simply guessing using logic– Setting the foundation of optical studies– Using alchemy (another Arabic word and a

protoscience) to discover chemicals such as: alcohol, sulfuric and nitric acids, and more. • The use of alchemy helped set standards for

laboratory techniques and helped develop modern chemistry.

Philosophy

• Many Muslim scholars translated works of major Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle, into Arabic.

• Some connected the Greek thought of the time to Islam believing that both shared a common goal: to find truth.

• Some philosophers, like Moses Ben Maimon, produced works that blended Greek philosophy with religion and science.

Literature

• Literature was strong in Arabia long before the rise of Islam and continued to prosper during this golden age.

• The Qur’an was held as a standard for all Arabic writing. Early Muslim poets sang praises of the Prophet, of Islam, and of those Caliphs or patrons who supported their work.

• During the Abbasid caliphate, literary works included poems that expanded to discuss nature and the pleasures of life and love.

Question

Who is this?

Where does he come from?

Although this is a Disney rendition, the original Aladdin story comes from an Arabic text.

One Thousand and One Nights• One Thousand and One

Nights is the main story. • Set in Persia, the story

concerns a Persian king who marries a new bride, only to plan to execute her the next day. To survive, she tells him a half of a story– such as “Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp”--each night, so that he’ll be so curious that he wont kill her to hear the rest of the story the next day.

• According to the story, this goes on for 1,001 nights.

One Thousand and One Nights

• One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of stories that includes fairy tales, parables, and legends. – The new bride is set up as a framing device, a

person who tells the story.

• The core of the collection of stories are linked to Persia and India, but many more stories have been added, beginning around the 10th century.– There are currently 16 volumes of stories in the

collection.

Muslim Art

• As the Muslim empire expanded, the Arab’s entered regions that had rich artistic traditions.

• The Muslims allowed the traditions to continue and they, too, began to be inspired by it.

Calligraphy• Islam forbids the

depiction of living beings, based on the belief that only Allah can create life.

• This belief lead artists to practice calligraphy– art of beautiful handwriting.

• Instead of directly drawing living beings, artists would instead create beautiful imagery with their language, such as this tiger to the right.

Architecture

• The architecture in the Muslim world may be the greatest cultural blending of the empire.

• To some extent, the location and design of a building reflected the culture of the people that lived there.

Great Mosque of Damascus

For example, the Great Mosque of Damascus was built on the site of a Christian Church and, although a Mosque, still has Christian influences.

Other Examples• In Syrian areas, the

architecture uses very Roman features, such as baths using Roman heating system.

• In Cordoba, Spain, the Great Mosque there (see right) incorporated a multi-lobed interwoven arch never seen before. – The design was based on

earlier mosques and may have been blended from European influences.

Muslim Legacy

• The Muslim empire during the Abbasid rule would have major effects on the world to come. – Their influence on mathematics,

sciences, and the arts would prove to be inspirational for later Renaissance and Enlightenment thinkers of Europe.

Fall of the Muslim Empire

• In time, the once unified Muslim empire would break up to form the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires.

• Despite this, Muslim culture would continue to grow.

Questions

• If you have any questions, please ask now.

Review1. Pick one (1) of the following areas and describe the

Muslim influence or legacy:a) Medicine, Math, Science, Philosophy, Art, Literature

2. What was the role of women in Muslim life? What rights did they have in comparison to their European counterparts?

3. After Rome fell, what happened to academia in Europe? How did the Muslim empire attempt to save what might be lost?

4. What were the four main social classes of Muslim culture? Describe each one.

5. Why did Muslim artists turn to using calligraphy?6. How did the location of the Muslim Empire affect

the culture of the area?

Next lesson

• In the next lesson, we are going to visit the African Continent and discuss African kingdoms of the time.