1. Abbasid Culture

2. 743 – Civil War amongst Umayyads Non-Arab Muslims (in Persia) feel egalitarian promises are unfulfilled? Sunni and Shia divisions manifest 750, Umayyads deposed Caliph Abu'l Abbas Early followers of Mohammed Took few risks Shiite support for 'salvationist' promise Return to holier Islam

3. Abbasid Move capital from Damascus Splendor of Baghdad 30 miles from Persian capital of Ctesiphon Persianisation of the Caliphate Orients Caliphate, locus of authority to the east

4. Unites empires, cultures India, Persia, Rome Doesn't break from Umayyad tradition as thought, metropolitan empire, less Mediterranean emphasis Begins as Shia victory, monarchy stamps out egalitarianism

5. No more great conquests 717, Siege of Constantinople broken 733, Tours and Charles Martel

6. Spanish Umayyad Umayyad massacre and the leather tablecloth Abdar Raman to Spain following banquet First Islamic ruler to defy Caliph Independent Islamic Province, Emir 929, Córdova

8. Al Andalus Umayyad dynasty in Córdova Almohad Dynasty, Berbers Las Navas de Tolosa, 1212 Critical Victory in the Reconquista 722, Battle of Covadonga Nasrid Dynasty and construction of Granada

13. Abbasid Administration Wealth from taxation, central army Nobility not local potentates or warlords Complex administration with civilian bureaucracy Taxes still assess at double rates for non-Muslims Baghdad wealthiest and most important city in the world Governorship entrusted to bureaucrats

14. Cultural Programme Planned and centrally funded Translations of science, geography, math, philosophy and medicine from Greek and Persian 830, House of Wisdom Conducted research Greek scientific works Treaty with Constantinople, lend Ptolemy Almagest

15. Classical Science, Philosophy Persian and Arabian poetic tradition Interest in Euclid, Dioscourides Aristotle, all of it…and he wrote on everything Comprehensive understanding of encyclopedic philosophy, understanding of material world/nature Rationality – all things can be understood…even God – prime mover theory. Root of deists. Influence to Islam, Judaism, and Christianity Averroes, Maimonides, Aquinas – all Aristotelian Arabic translated into Latin for Aquinas

16. Assimilation of Conquered Cultures Great success in Abbasid Caliphate Expansion of science, too Quick conquest and painless Not religious war Elimination of old frontiers – Persian and Greek astronomy, Arabic numerals (which are from India). Chess, from India also. Elimination of linguistic boundaries – Arabic the language of science (Maimonides and Mozarabic Spain) Attitude of conquerors and conquered 'Garden protected by our spears' Confidence in Islam, no need to convert people, also to accept new ideas Islamic conquest seemed beneficial to locals. Martyrs of Córdoba

17. Mathematics Arabic numbers (India) and the concept of 0 Trigonometry and sine function (India) All the others developed by Arabs House of Wisdom, The Book of Addition and Subtraction According to the Hindu Calculation Decimals, square roots, pi, algebra (al jabr - balance), star tables, time and navigation. Omar Kyayaam – non-Euclidian geometry, poetry, astronomy, medicine.

18. Geography Fascination for travel, navigation, anthropologies Circumference of the world, interest in the scope of water Ptolmey's Almagest highly valued Al-Idrisi, Geography for the King of Sicily Ibn Khaldun 1332-1406 Tunis to Indonesia and China

19. Medicine Primary authority is Galen Transmission of the four humors Four essential fluids to determine health and attitude Correspond to the four elements, climates Earth, air, fire, water Bile yellow – fire, blood – air, phlegm – water, black bile - earth Sickness comes when something out of whack Avicenna 980-1037, Persian physician Cannon Based on observation