Islamic Golden Age Achievements
During the Abbasid Caliphate, the Islamic Empire greatly contributed to advancements in many fields; including literature, philosophy, science, medicine, mathematics, and art. This period is known as the Islamic Golden Age and lasted from 790-1258.
During this period, Islamic culture placed high importance on education. The first public universities were founded in Baghdad, where philosophy and literature were studied.
Arab storytellers collected works from diverse sources and wrote many forms of literature such as poetry, history, theology, philosophy, and fables. The most famous of these works was the collection of Arab folktales known as One Thousand and One Nights.
Muslim scholars also translated and preserved the work of Ancient Greek philosophers. Two major philosophies came out of this period; Falsafah which was logic based on Greek philosophy, mathematics, and physics, and Kalam which is the explanation and rationale of Islamic religious beliefs.
Doctors studied Greek and Indian works and added to their ideas about medicine. There were hospitals in all of the major Islamic cities. Islamic medicine developed important medical treatments, including a way to surgically treat eye cataracts.
Their ancient book of medicine is called “The Canon of Medicine” which was used as a reference throughout the Islamic Empire and Europe for centuries.
Islamic scientists built on the work of their Greek and Indian counterparts. Observatories were built during this period to study the sky.
They invented the astrolabe and quadrant. The astrolabe is similar to a handheld model of the universe that can help astronomers identify planets and stars. It was also used by explorers to determine latitude on the seas.
They also used astronomy for navigation, creating a calendar, and for religious practices like finding the direction of Mecca for prayer.
Greek, Indian, and Chinese mathematics were also studied, including geometry and trigonometry. Islamic mathematicians pioneered the study of Algebra and helped establish it as a separate field of mathematics.
Indian numerals were adopted and popularized by the Persian mathematician Al-Khwārizmī. They became known as the Arabic numeral system and subsequently spread across the globe through trade. Further innovations included the use of a forerunner to the modern bank check.
Religious leaders forbade artists from depicting God or human figures in religious art. Instead of using these figures, Islamic artists created intricate patterns and designs such as arabesque (leaves and flowers), tessellations (geometric patterns), and calligraphy (the art of beautiful handwriting). These can be seen on different forms of art such as ceramics, paintings and mosaics. Persian, Arab, and Indian artists even excelled at painting miniature works for book illustrations.