1. The Culture of Islam
Chapter 6-4

2. Preservation of Knowledge
During the first few centuries of the Arab Empire translations of Greek philosophy were being converted into Arabic & stored in the “House of Wisdom” in Baghdad
Here they were studied by Muslim scholars
It was through Muslim scholars that the works of Aristotle & Plato were recovered by the Europeans
It was this recovery & translation into Latin that allowed the western world to know the works of the great Greek philosophers

3. Islamic Advancements
When the translations of the great Greek philosophers arrived in the West they were also accompanied by the commentaries of the great Arabic philosophers as well
One such philosopher was Ibn-Rushd who wrote commentary on virtually all of Aristotle’s surviving works

4. Islamic Advancements
They also perfected an instrument called the astrolabe which was used by sailors to determine position based on the stars
This made European discovery of the Americas possible
In the area of medicine Ibn Sina wrote a medical encyclopedia stressing the contagious nature of certain diseases & how they could be spread by contaminated water supplies
After its translation Sina’s book became the text for university students in medieval Europe

5. Literature
In the area of literature the Muslims regard the Quran as their greatest literary work
Other great works include The 1001Nights, also called The Arabian Nights
This is a collection of anonymous folktales, fables, & romances that blend the natural with the supernatural
Aladdin and the Magic Lamp was one such story

6. Art & Architecture
Because Muslim religion unites spiritual & political power, palaces also reflect the glory of Islam
The finest example of this is the Alhambra located in Spain
Most decorations on Islamic art consist of natural plants & abstract figures which are repeated over & over called Arabesques
The Hadith, an early collection of Muhammad’s sayings, warns against imitating God by creating pictures of living beings
As a result, no representations of figures, including the prophet Muhammad, appear in Islamic religious art