ISLAMIC
GOLDEN AGE
THE ISLAMIC
GOLDEN AGE
The Islamic golden age is a historical period that lasted from around 750 to 1257, the Age of Abbasids, characterised by the great influence that philosophers and scientists from the Islamic world had in the fields of art, science, civilisation, medicine and architecture during this time.
In 749, the caliphate of the Umayyads was overthrown and replaced by the caliphate of the Abbasids. This caliphate brought a long period of peace to the empire. Stable political structures were established and trade flourished.
With the end of the Arab conquests, a period of war came to an end and the cultural divisions gradually gave way to a new civilisation in which Arabic became the language of trade, administration and culture. During this period, the great religious and cultural works that originated in the now Muslim areas were translated. The population began to understand and speak Arabic and adopted Islam as their religion.
The area's cultural heritage included strong Hellenistic, Indian, Assyrian and Persian influences. Greek intellectual traditions were recognised, translated and studied extensively.An era of high culture and innovation followed, in which these diverse influences found their place.
HOUSE OF WISDOM
The House of Wisdom was an academy for research and education in medieval Baghdad.
The house was founded by Caliph Harun ar-Rashid as his library, and Caliph Al-Ma'mun opened it in 825 or 830 to several scholars and philosophers. This House of Wisdom was the forerunner of Western European universities.
The House initiated the translation movement in which translations were made of works by classical Greek philosophers and mathematicians and later works from Persia and India. Many of these translations were made by Christians and Jews.
Besides making translations, mathematics, astronomy and astrology, medicine and physics were also practised.
LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY
Through the Chinese, the Abbasids learn about 'paper': much easier to make than parchment and much less fragile than papyrus. Moreover, it allows for easier and more 'writings'.
The caliphs encourage to translate as many works of the Greek philosophers from Greek into Arabic as possible in order to accumulate a source of knowledge.
In Andalusia, the Islamic philosopher Averroes (or better known as Ibn Rushd) was, like the Persian physician Avicenna, translating and editing the philosophies of Aristotle. Thus, ancient Greek philosophies and ideas entered both the Islamic and Christian worlds.
They also took ideas from China and India, and added them to the knowledge gained from their own studies, so philosophy and 'thinking' suddenly became very international, across the borders of different religions.
It was not all philosophy that rang the bell. Literature and great stories were also ubiquitous. The most famous 'book' is the story collection of 1000 and 1 nights - a collection of stories written from 1000 AD and only fully finished about 400 years later.
The book tells the story of princess Sheherazada who threatens to be killed, but asks for a reprieve every time she can delight the prince with a story. Thus she tells as many as 1001, one every night.
Some of them have been preserved to this day and can be found in the Efteling fairytale forest. But you know them: Ali Baba and the 40 robbers, the story of the flying carpet, Alladin and the magic lamp....
Leenwoorden uit het Arabisch
rabarber - alcohol - admiraal - cijfer
fanfare - caravan - katoen - koffie
suiker - algebra - tarief - gitaar
kaliber - luit - papegaai - magazijn
almanak - douane - ...
Mathematics, astornomy and geography
One of the first great Islamic mathematicians was Muhammad ibn Moesa al-Chwarizmi. He was of Persian origin and lived between 780 and 850. One of his greatest contributions was the spread of the Indian numerical system. He introduced the number zero into mathematics four centuries before this happened in Western Europe.
Another mathematician, Al-Battani, used triangulation to calculate a person's exact position on earth. This was of great importance for Muslims to pray in the direction of Mecca. The calculations developed during this period still form the basis for contemporary GPS systems.
Developments in astronomy came from advances in mathematics. Astronomy was central during the Islamic 'Golden Ages', both in the field of observation and in the creation of navigation instruments.
The scientist Al-Biruni wrote many influential astronomical works in the 10th century and is known for insights into the earth's rotation. He improved on Ptolemy's results, which were widely accepted at the time, and was able to make better measurements. Geographers working in the Abbasid Caliphate calculated, via trigonometry and spherometry, the diameter of the earth remarkably precisely as 12,728 km - only 37 km different from current calculations.
Maps of ancient Greeks were expanded and improved. The atlas of Muhammad al Idrisi, for example, who lived in Sicily in the 12th century, served as a benchmark for other maps centuries later.
Atlas of Muhammad Idrisi - 1154
astrolabium: an instrument to determine your location at sea or on land from the position of the stars
Astronomy and calculations of lunar eclipses by Al'Khwarizmi (780-850). Incidentally, he is the originator of the term 'Algebra' for mathematics dealing with quantities. Incidentally, his name was bastardised into the term 'algorithm'.
Ibn Battuta (1304 - 1369) was an explorer from Morocco who travelled from Tangier to China in the 14th century, living as a merchant, minister and explorer along the way. Considered one of the greatest travellers ever, he visited almost the entire Islamic world and areas beyond.
Physics, chemistry and
MEDICINE
The Elephant Clock was a medieval invention by Al-Jazari (1136-1206), a water clock in the shape of an elephant, containing all aspects of the cultures known at the time (from India to Africa)
One of the first scientists to contribute to the intellectual tradition in physics was Ibn Al Haytham (965-1040). After years of experimentation and research, he wrote a book rejecting Ptolemy's accepted idea that light is emitted from the eye to an object. He built a camera obscura, and argued that light consists of rays moving in a straight line. New inventions and improvements on old devices took place, from improved water clocks to chemical laboratory equipment.
Alchemy, originating in the Arab world, was very important for further development in the field of chemistry. During the 8th century, paraffin was first distilled from crude oil. By the mid-ninth century, Islamic chemists were already aware of the chemical processes of distillation, crystallisation, oxidation, evaporation and filtration.
The greatest developments in medicine took place in Islamic Spain. Through research of hundreds of patients, Ibn Zakariya Al Razi developed effective treatment methods for ailments such as coughs and headaches. His gigantic medical encyclopaedia was used as a standard text throughout Europe for centuries. He is also considered the greatest Islamic surgeon as he devised new methods and instruments to improve operations.
The eye according to Hunayn ibn Ishaq
Adulation as in a 13th century manuscript
Crusaders testify to strength of Muslim surgeons - 15th century manuscript
Ibn Al-Haytam described in 1021 how, with the right optics and light, he could project an image onto a wall, as if the first photograph was taken.
Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi wrote his Medicine Summary in 1250, which would serve as the basis for many medical courses in Europe for centuries to come.
ABBAS IBN FIRNAS (810-877)
Ibn Firnas was a black Berber Moor from Spain and must have lived between 810 and 877 AD. Ibn Firnas was not only an engineer, he was also a musician and poet. As an engineer, he was particularly concerned with the possibilities offered by glass in various applications. For instance, he made colourless glass and was one of the first to develop lenses. Furthermore, he created - long before Leonardo Da Vinci - the basic structure for the first glider.
The story goes that while working at the court in Cordoba, Ibn Firnas saw one Armen Firman jump from the top of the minaret of the great mosque with a kind of rudimentary parachute. Inspired by this event, Ibn Firnas would thereafter decide to focus solely on flight mechanics. When Ibn Firnas was already past sixty, he thought he had invented the perfect gliding construction. Together with several friends and other interested parties, he therefore went to the Sierra Morena, a ridge near Cordoba, to test his invention. With his homemade glider, Ibn Firnas managed to stay in the air for at least 10 minutes, but without a take-off structure he proved unable to land. Despite the heavy fall, he did survive the crash.
