1. Section II: Islamic Achievements (Pages 180-185)
This section is about:
How the values of Islam affected both secular and religious activities.
How urban areas became centers of scientific and cultural achievements.
Persian and Spanish influences on Islam. C

2. Muslims brought many ideas to a lot of people with a variety of backgrounds.
One thing that unified them: Islam (“Salem” in Arabic: means peace).
Another: Arabic (the language of Allah and the Koran). C

3. The Koran is full of instruction on how society should be organized and how people should live. (kindness, generosity, honesty, tolerance…)
All Muslims are supposed to be equal.
But, some Muslims had slaves.
If they converted to Islam, they had to be freed.
They then might become soldiers, servants, artisans, or maybe even bureaucrats (government officials).
Muhammad told people they should either treat their slaves fairly, or set them free.
But, if all people are equal, where do women fit in?
So, this isn’t just a religious book, it’s also a “Constitution” for their government’s laws C

4. The Koran says women … 1 C should be educated.
should be allowed to earn a living.
should be able to inherit property.
could be teachers and prayer leaders (for other women).
could study astronomy, medicine, law, philosophy, history, literature, philosophy, etc…
But – they did have arranged marriages.
And, men could have more than one wife – as long as they were all treated equally. 1 C

5. Great cities arose in the Islamic Empire
Caliphs built great palaces and gardens for themselves.
Tax monies financed mosques, schools, libraries, hospitals, and bazaars (marketplaces).
Taxes supported the army and public needs.
Cities were centers of power, business, and learning. 2 C

6. C A Muslim church is a mosque. Every city has one.
Mecca has the Kaaba.
Jerusalem has the Dome of the Rock. C

7. 3 C The bazaar was the main marketplace in each Muslim town/city.
Food, cloth, spices, furniture…
Each had their own sections.
Prices were fixed and inspectors made sure everything was fair. 3
Muslim Bazaar (but in Malaysia) C

8. Muslims in Baghdad had “The House of Wisdom”
A main center of Muslim Learning.
It was a great time of scientific learning and artistic achievements.
Ancient texts were translated into Arabic.
They could now read the works of great thinkers of the past, such as Plato, Aristotle, and read/study the Koran.
It also had a large library and observatory.
They needed to study the stars to know when Ramadan would occur. Muslim months occur according to the phases and position of the… 4 C

9. In ancient times, sickness and disease was a big part of everyone’s life, but Muslims had it better than most others.
They had clean hospitals (with skilled doctors) that were free to the public.
Muslim doctors were the first to figure out how many diseases were spread.
Muslims doctors had to pass tough tests to become a doctor.
Some Muslim doctors became famous.
Some wrote books so others could learn what they already knew.
Muslims opened up the first “drugstores” (herbs, tonics, and ointments). C

10. Lets read: Page 185: History and Medicine

11. Some of the many famous Islamic writers and poets:
A Thousand and One Nights / The Arabian Nights: with stories of “Aladdin” and “Sinbad the Sailor” (the greatest stories in Muslim literature).
Omar Khayyam: wrote poems about nature and love.
Caliphs: wrote heroic tales of great warriors who conquered land for the Muslims.
Ibn Khaldun: wrote history books of the time (and how empires rise and fall in cycles). But: he warned people to trust sources “only after a thorough investigation had been conducted.”
Ibn Sina: wrote medical encyclopedias, philosophy books, astronomy books, and math books (and also memorized the whole Koran when he was 10). 5 C

12. Muslim buildings were often designed to glorify Allah
A Mosque - in 4 minutes
(not a vocab. Word)
Muslims decorated with wooden carvings, carpets, glass lamps, tiles, and mosaics.
No humans or animals though - ?????
Artists also developed calligraphy (elegant writing) – especially to write the words of the Koran (the words of Allah).
Muslims/Arabs/The Middle east are still known for their carpets and designs.
Muslims used some of the style of the Byzantines and Persians, but also their own styles.
The most important building – always a mosque –a Muslim church…………
Only Allah can create life 8 6 7 C

13. C

14. It’s easy to confuse Persians, Arabs, and Muslims (but they are all different cultures)10
The Persians had a big influence on Muslims (literature, court manners, government, traditions, architecture, and crafts).
Until 1492, Spain was also a center of Islamic culture.
Caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III encouraged scholars, poets, philosophers, historians, and musicians to move to Spain (and he paid them well).
He hired book buyers to find books in Alexandria, Damascus, and Baghdad and built a library of 400,000 books.
By the late 1200’s, the only part of Spain that was strongly Islamic was Granada. 9 C
Top 10 Muslim inventions

15. Make sure page "C" is completed