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Islamic Golden Age Facts & Worksheets

The term "Islamic Golden Age" refers to a time in Islam's history often dated from the 8th to the 13th centuries, when many parts of the historically Islamic world were governed by different caliphates and during which science, economic progress, and artistic creations thrived.

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The term “Islamic Golden Age” refers to a time in Islam’s history often dated from the 8th to the 13th centuries, when many parts of the historically Islamic world were governed by different caliphates and during which science, economic progress, and artistic creations thrived. During this period, Islamic scholars made significant contributions to various fields, including mathematics, astronomy, medicine, chemistry, geography, and philosophy.

See the fact file below for more information about the Islamic Golden Age, or you can download our 29-page Islamic Golden Age worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

OVERVIEW

  • The tremendous Islamic capital cities of Baghdad, Cairo, and Cordoba developed and became the primary intellectual hubs for science, philosophy, medicine, and education throughout the Golden Age. 
  • The top academics and well-known translators, like Hunayn ibn Ishaq, had heavy government support, and their pay was compared to that of modern-day professional sports.
  • Classical knowledge was taught and transmitted in the School of Nisibis and later the School of Edessa. Newly published works of literature may be found at the Imperial Library of Constantinople and the Library of Alexandria. 
  • At the same time, the House of Wisdom acted as an academy, translation facility, and library. Because of the prominence of the Jundishapur hospital and medical college throughout the late Sassanid, Umayyad, and early Abbasid periods, Nestorian Christians played a significant part in developing Arab civilization. 
  • Notably, from the 8th to the 11th centuries, eight generations of the Nestorian Bukhtishu family worked as private physicians for caliphs and sultans.
  • The end of the period is variously recorded as happening in 1258 with the Mongolian Sack of Baghdad or in 1492 with the culmination of the Emirate of Granada of the Christian Reconquista in Al-Andalus, Iberian Peninsula. 

LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY

  • Paper democratized information and enabled anybody to earn a career by merely authoring and selling books. 
  • In the eighth century, a form was used in Muslim countries; in the tenth century, it was used in Spain (and later, the rest of Europe). 
  • The paper could absorb ink, making it difficult to erase and perfect for maintaining records. It was easier to make than parchment and less prone to split than papyrus. 
  • Islamic paper producers developed assembly-line techniques for hand-copying texts to produce editions that were decades bigger than anything previously accessible in Europe. 
  • Although the quantity and kind of tales vary, the Book of One Thousand and One Nights is the best-known work of literature from the Islamic world. 
  • It began to take shape in the 10th century and was completed by the 14th century.
  • During the Ummayad and Abbasid eras, Christians (especially Nestorian Christians) contributed to Arab Islamic civilization by translating Greek thinkers’ writings into Syriac and later Arabic. 
  • Scholarly activity in the Syriac and Greek languages was either freshly started or continued from the fourth through seventh-century Hellenistic era.
  • If Arab academics had not translated many classical works of antiquity into Arabic and Persian and later into Turkish, Hebrew, and Latin, they could have been lost. 
  • Islamic academics also assimilated Chinese and Indian concepts, and Arabic philosophic literature later influenced modern European philosophy.

PHILOSOPHY

Ibn Rushd

  • Ibn Rushd (April 14, 1126–December 10, 1198), also known by his Latinized name Averroes, was an Al-Andalus Muslim polymath who was a master of Aristotelian philosophy, Islamic theology, Islamic philosophy, Maliki law and jurisprudence, logic, psychology, politics, and Andalusian classical music theory, as well as of medicine, astronomy, geography, mathematics, physics, and celestial mechanics. 
  • Averroes was born in Al-Andalus, modern-day Spain’s Córdoba, and died in modern-day Morocco’s Marrakesh.
  • Averroism refers to the 13th-century philosophical movement based on Averroes’ writings. 
  • The works of Aristotle, whose theories came to dominate the non-religious philosophy of the Christian and Muslim cultures, were primarily saved by Ibn Rushd and the philosopher Ibn Sina. 
  • Ibn Rushd, who attempted to harmonize Aristotle’s philosophical system with Islam, is the “founding father of secular thought in Western Europe.” 
  • He holds no opposition between philosophy and religion; they are two approaches to the same reality. He thought the cosmos was eternal. 
  • The individual soul is not immortal, but all people share the same divine soul at a fundamental level, according to Ibn Ruhd, who also believed that the soul is split into two pieces, one individual and one holy.

Science And Mathematics

  • The ancient Greek, Roman, Chinese, Persian, Indian, Egyptian, and Phoenician civilizations and those they had subdued and encountered had their scientific knowledge assimilated by the Arabs. 
  • Scientists have rediscovered Alexandrian’s expertise in geometry, mathematics, and astronomy, including that of Euclid and Claudius Ptolemy.
  • The name “algebra” is taken from the seminal work by the Persian scholar Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī, Kitab al-Jabr wa-l-Muqabala, which made fundamental contributions to the development of algebra. 
  • Al-Khwarizmi, a scholar who introduced Arabic numbers and the Hindu-Arabic numeral system outside of the Indian subcontinent, is where the word “algorithm” originates. 
  • The sum formula for the fourth power in calculus was created by the mathematician Alhazen using a method that can be readily adapted to obtain the sum for any integral control. He utilized this to calculate a paraboloid’s volume.

MEDICINE

  • Medieval Islamic civilization placed a strong emphasis on medicine. Islamic doctors and academics produced a vast and intricate body of medical literature that explored and synthesized medical philosophy and practice in response to the time and location. 
  • The theoretical and applied knowledge established in India, Greece, Persia, and Rome was the foundation for Islamic medicine. 
  • Islamic academics adapted Greek, Sanskrit, and Syriac works into Arabic and then created new medical knowledge based on them. 
  • Islamic scholars put the Greco-Roman medical knowledge into encyclopedias to make the Greek tradition easier to acquire, comprehend, and teach.

ART, ARABESQUE & CALLIGRAPHY

  • The Islamic Golden Age saw a boom in woodwork production, illuminated manuscripts, textiles, glass, metal, and ceramics.
  • In Persia, portrait miniature painting thrived, and manuscript illumination developed into a significant and well-respected art form. Arabic writing’s primary feature of calligraphy emerged in manuscripts and architectural ornamentation.
  • Islamic art typically—though not exclusively—depicts natural patterns and Arabic calligraphy rather than human forms since many Muslims believed that doing so would constitute idolatry, which is against the Quran’s prohibition against transgressing God.
  • Islamic art contains motifs that repeat, such as the arabesque, which is a repetition of geometric floral or vegetal forms. 
  • The arabesque in Islamic art frequently represents God’s transcendent, undivided, and endless character.
  • The main instrument used in Arabic calligraphy is the qalam, a pen composed of dried reed or bamboo. 
  • Qalam ink is frequently colored and selected so that its strength can fluctuate significantly, allowing the compositions’ larger strokes to have a dynamic impression. 
  • Other than paper, various ornamental objects, including tiles, dishes, rugs, and inscriptions, are decorated with Islamic calligraphy. Papyrus and parchment were used before the paper was invented for writing.
  • Coins served as yet additional calligraphy assistance. Beginning in 692, the Islamic caliphate changed the Near Eastern currency by substituting words for visual representation. This was particularly true with dinars, or valuable gold coins with Quranic verses engraved on them.
  • The Persians, who had embraced Islam by the 10th century, started weaving inscriptions on ornately patterned silks.
  • Because these textiles with calligraphic writing were so valuable, Crusaders transported them to Europe as valued gifts. 
  • The Suaire de Saint-Josse, which was used to encase St. Josse’s remains at the monastery of St. Josse-sur-Mer near Caen in northwest France, is a famous instance.

ARCHITECTURE

  • Building techniques were improved, and Byzantine and Persian styles influenced mosques, tombs, palaces, and forts. 
  • Principles of quasicrystalline geometry, which would not be found for another 500 years, were foreshadowed in Islamic mosaic paintings.
  • In this art, symmetric polygonal forms produced patterns that never repeat. Even at the atomic level, these patterns have aided current scientists in understanding quasicrystals.

TRADE AND COMMERCE

  • In the early Islamic world trade and commerce played a vital role in the early Islamic world, with expansive networks connecting regions such as China, Africa, and Europe. 
  • Islamic leaders utilized taxes from wealthy merchants to develop public infrastructure like schools, hospitals, dams, and bridges.
  • Money, including gold dinars and silver dirhams, was essential for trade, but large transactions often used letters of credit called “suftaja” for convenience.
  • Islamic merchants engaged in diverse trade goods, including sugar, salt, textiles, spices, enslaved people, gold, and horses, which led to their accumulation of wealth and power.
  • The vast trade routes, both by sea and land, facilitated connections between Europe, Northern Africa, and Asia, contributing to the spread of Islam.
  • Caravans were critical for overland trade, acting as mobile cities with doctors, entertainers, armed guards, and translators, ensuring safety and protection for merchants and their goods.
  • As a result of trade interactions, Islam spread to West Africa, the Far East (Malaysia and Indonesia), India, China, and Spain, giving rise to substantial Muslim populations in these regions.

Islamic Golden Age Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Islamic Golden Age across 29 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Islamic Golden Age. The term “Islamic Golden Age” refers to a time in Islam’s history often dated from the 8th to the 13th centuries, when many parts of the historically Islamic world were governed by different caliphates and during which science, economic progress, and artistic creations thrived.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Islamic Golden Age Facts
  2. Know the People
  3. Artifacts Display
  4. Read and Comprehend
  5. Impact of Islamic Golden Age
  6. Discover Medical Advancements
  7. Which Side Are You?
  8. Philosophy and Humanities
  9. Write With Me
  10. Take a Bite
  11. Golden Minds

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Islamic Golden Age?

The Islamic Golden Age was a historical period that roughly spanned from the 8th to the 13th century, during which Islamic civilization experienced a flourishing of knowledge, culture, and scientific advancements. It was characterized by significant achievements in various fields, including mathematics, astronomy, medicine, philosophy, and literature.

What were some of the key achievements during the Islamic Golden Age?

  • Advancements in Mathematics: Islamic scholars made substantial contributions to mathematics, including the development of algebra, the introduction of Arabic numerals, and the preservation and translation of classical Greek mathematical texts.
  • Astronomy: Innovations in astronomy included the work of astronomers like Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham, who made significant contributions to our understanding of optics and the scientific method.
  • Medicine: The Islamic Golden Age saw advancements in medicine with figures like Ibn Sina (Avicenna) producing influential medical texts and laying the foundations for modern medicine.
  • Philosophy: Islamic philosophers like Ibn Rushd (Averroes) and Ibn Sina engaged in critical thinking and integrated Greek philosophy into Islamic thought, contributing to the development of the broader philosophical tradition.

Where did the Islamic Golden Age take place?

The Islamic Golden Age primarily occurred in the various centers of the Islamic Caliphates, particularly in cities like Baghdad (under the Abbasid Caliphate), Cordoba (in Al-Andalus, modern-day Spain), and Cairo (under the Fatimid Caliphate). These cities were hubs of intellectual activity and attracted scholars and thinkers from diverse backgrounds.

What factors contributed to the decline of the Islamic Golden Age?

Several factors contributed to the decline of the Islamic Golden Age, including political instability, external invasions, and economic challenges. The sack of Baghdad by the Mongols in 1258 and the subsequent fragmentation of the Islamic world had a profound impact on the decline of this era. Additionally, shifts in religious and philosophical thought and the diminishing support for scientific inquiry in some quarters also played a role.

What is the lasting legacy of the Islamic Golden Age?

The legacy of the Islamic Golden Age is significant and enduring. It includes the preservation and translation of classical Greek and Roman texts, which later influenced the European Renaissance. The mathematical concepts and numerals developed during this era are the basis of modern mathematics. Additionally, the advancements in medicine and astronomy laid the groundwork for future scientific discoveries. The Islamic Golden Age also left a rich cultural and architectural legacy, with beautiful Islamic art and architecture that continues to inspire to this day.

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