Islamic Achievements

1. Islamic Achievements Standard 7.2

2. Muslim Learning • All knowledge is sacred • The development of paper and creation of a paper mill in Baghdad • The development of Arabic into the language of international scholarship • Libraries and academies were established for study and exchange of ideas • “House of Wisdom” in Baghdad – works from Greece, Persia, and India were collected and translated

3. Medicine • Muslim doctors made improvements on Greek medicine • Islamic hospitals were built in all major cities. They had separate wards, or rooms, for people with different diseases. Doctors were skilled at surgery , including cancer and brain operations. • Doctors had to pass a test and carry a license to practice medicine • Ibn Sina, the greatest Muslim doctor, wrote a medical encyclopedia, The Canon of Medicine, which covered every known disease and treatment known at the time. It became the standard medical text in Europe for hundreds of years.

4. Philosophy • Like the Greeks, they believed in an orderly universe based on the laws of nature • Two of the greatest philosophers were al-Kindi and Ibn Rushd who studied the works of Aristotle

5. Science and Math • Decimal system based on Hindu numerals and the zero • Advances also made in geometry, algebra, and trigonometry • Astronomers built observatories and measured the Earth. They also used the astrolabe, an instrument designed to measure and plot the position of stars. It was created mainly to find the Qibla, the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays.

6. Geography and History • Ibn Khaldun wrote a history of the world that explained the rise and fall of dynasties. • Ibn Battuta, a well-known traveler, wrote about his 30 year journey across much of Asia and Africa, and describes what he saw

7. The Arts and Literature • The words of the Hadith, the written record of the Sunnnah, inspired the creation of beautiful works of art and architecture, which continues its influence

8. Art and Architecture • Popular designs were displayed on finely woven carpets, colorful tiles, and palace walls. • Arabesque, a pattern of curved shapes and lines resembling flowers or vines, was a décor found throughout the empire • Muslim architects built mosques with minarets, shrines, and palaces. • The Dome of the Rock, a mosque in Jerusalem, is the oldest building in the Muslim world. The Taj Mahal, a monument in India, is another fine example. • Islam discourages the illustration of humans or animals in paintings, because it was considered a form of idol worship.

9. Calligraphy • Calligraphy, artful handwriting, was the most sacred of all Muslim arts.

10. Literature and Poetry • Muslim writers wrote charming stories and folk tales. • Many of these tales were collected in a book called The Thousand and one Nights • Islamic Poetry was based on oral tradition. The Sufis, a deeply spiritual Muslim group, emphasized the importance of love and unity of all faiths. " Don't look at your form, however ugly or beautiful. Look at love and at the aim of your quest. ...O you whose lips are parched, keep looking for water. Those parched lips are proof that eventually you will reach the source." by: Rumi