Islamic Golden Age
Abbasid intellectual zenith
The Islamic Golden Age refers to a period roughly from the 8th to 14th centuries when the Islamic world experienced extraordinary flourishing in science, medicine, mathematics, philosophy, and the arts.
Centered in Baghdad, Cordoba, and other great cities, scholars preserved Greek and Roman texts while advancing knowledge in astronomy, algebra, and optics.
The works of Avicenna and Averroes shaped medieval European thought.
Medieval Baghdad intellectual institution
- madrasaMuslim religious school
- manuscriptOriginal text before publication
- treatiseFormal scholarly composition
- encyclopediaComprehensive subject-matter collection
commentary · lexicography · libraries · bookbinding · papermaking · parchment · scribes · patronage
Islamic successor-led government
- BaghdadIraqi seat of government
- Al-AndalusMedieval Islamic Spain
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
- Silk RoadHistoric transcontinental trade network
trade routes · dynasty · sultanate · minaret · mosque · arabesque · flourishing · patronage
Medieval Persian physician-philosopher
- AristotelianismPhilosophy derived from Stagira's sage
- NeoplatonismPlotinus's systematic mystical metaphysics
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
- metaphysicsPhilosophy of existence's nature
epistemology · logic · dialectics · ontology · theology · Sufism · commentaries · reason
Math using symbols
- algorithmFinite problem-solving procedure
- opticsScience of illumination
- chemistryStudy of substances' interactions
- alchemyMystical metal transformation
medicine · anatomy · pharmacology · botany · zoology · geography · hydraulics · physics
Metrical literary composition
- One Thousand and One NightsClassic frame-tale collection
- proseUnversified language
- fablesDidactic animal stories
- manuscriptsHandwritten or typed originals
calligraphy · historiography · anthology · Arabic · Persian · Rumi · Omar Khayyam
Ancient altitude-measuring instrument
- observatoryFacility for celestial study
- almanacYearly data compilation
- celestialOf the sky above
- quadrantFourth of a circle
eclipses · constellations · planisphere · sundial · sidereal · spherical · orbits · cosmology
House of Wisdom
Medieval Baghdad intellectual institution
- madrasaMuslim religious school
- manuscriptOriginal text before publication
- treatiseFormal scholarly composition
encyclopedia · commentary · lexicography · libraries · bookbinding · papermaking · parchment · scribes · patronage · Greek texts
caliphate
Islamic successor-led government
- BaghdadIraqi seat of government
- Al-AndalusMedieval Islamic Spain
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
Silk Road · trade routes · dynasty · sultanate · minaret · mosque · arabesque · flourishing · patronage · cosmopolitan
Avicenna
Medieval Persian physician-philosopher
- AristotelianismPhilosophy derived from Stagira's sage
- NeoplatonismPlotinus's systematic mystical metaphysics
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
metaphysics · epistemology · logic · dialectics · ontology · theology · Sufism · commentaries · reason
algebra
Math using symbols
- algorithmFinite problem-solving procedure
- opticsScience of illumination
- chemistryStudy of substances' interactions
alchemy · medicine · anatomy · pharmacology · botany · zoology · geography · hydraulics · physics · geometry
poetry
Metrical literary composition
- One Thousand and One NightsClassic frame-tale collection
- proseUnversified language
- fablesDidactic animal stories
manuscripts · calligraphy · historiography · anthology · Arabic · Persian · Rumi · Omar Khayyam
astrolabe
Ancient altitude-measuring instrument
- observatoryFacility for celestial study
- almanacYearly data compilation
- celestialOf the sky above
quadrant · eclipses · constellations · planisphere · sundial · sidereal · spherical · orbits · cosmology · armillary sphere