Science in Medieval Islam adapted from

What is Islam? A religion that began with the prophet Muhammad in the 7th century Muhammad believed he was a messenger sent by God Muslims follow the teachings of the holy book, the Qur’an Muslims pray in the direction of Mecca, the centre for Islamic worship Islam spread rapidly throughout the Middle East and beyond

Mecca

The “Golden Age” of Medieval Islam Islam spread rapidly with the conquests of the first caliphs, or Muslim rulers AD was a “Golden Age” for the Islamic world Arabia was at the crossroads of trade between Asia, Africa and Europe Trade and conquest led to cultural exchange and the spread of knowledge Cities like Baghdad and Alexandria became great centres of scholarship

Science and Learning in Medieval Islam Early Islamic teaching encouraged the pursuit of all knowledge that helped to improve people’s lives Arabic became the international language of scholarship Muslims translated important works from ancient Greece and Egypt Huge libraries were established in big cities like Baghdad, Cairo and Damascus

Astronomy Astronomy was important to Muslims for practical reasons Astronomy contributed to navigation Observations of the sun and moon were used to determine prayer times and an accurate calendar Large observatories were established and new instruments such as the astrolabe were developed

Islamic observatory

Chemistry and Alchemy Chemistry was not seen as a separate science, but was an important part of other industries and crafts Islamic scientists developed new experimental techniques and methods such as distillation (the separation of liquids by boiling) Alchemy (the attempt by scientists to turn metals into gold) was important as a science of the cosmos and the soul

Figures of some Alchemical Processes in Arabic Manuscript from an Ottoman manuscript, two doctors telling the pharmacist how to make different medicines

Mathematics Islamic mathematicians built on the work of Greek, Indian, Persian and Chinese mathematicians Islamic mathematicians were interested in different number systems Developed algebra and geometry which was important in architecture and other technologies

Islamic tile patterns used to decorate buildings

Medicine and Surgery Islamic medicine is a little more complicated. First we must go back in time to the early ideas of the Greeks. The four humour theory was based on the idea that the body was composed of four fluids or humours of blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile. When these humours were out of balance the patient would be unwell. Greek doctors believed that people were made out of four substances, or humours. o BLOOD – related to the element air and the heart and responsible for courage, hope and love o BLACK BILE – related to the element earth and the spleen and responsible for sleeplessness and irritation o YELLOW BILE – related to the element fire and the gall bladder and responsible for bad temper and anger o PHLEGM – related to the element water and the brain and responsible for thought and the emotions

Manuscript of the four humours as illustrated by the Greeks. An Islamic manuscript.

The Greeks were great philosophers, or thinkers, and made these suggestions: All things on earth were made up of the four elements: earth, fire, air and water. A healthy body is one in perfect balance. An imbalance of hot, cold, wet or dry elements is a sign of ill health The ancient practice of “bloodletting” was attempt to keep the blood in balance.

Medicine and surgery Islamic medicine was based on the Greek model of the four elements and ‘humours’ They preserved and translated Greek books and wrote ideas themselves A doctor called Avicenna stressed that medicine was a science and wrote about the 4 humours. His book called The Canon of Medicine spread these ideas in Western Europe in the 12 th century. Disease was thought of as an imbalance of these ‘humours’ Pharmacy, combining herbal medicine and alchemy, was important Islamic law forbade dissections

Illustration from a Persian anatomical work

Technology Arab lands were often dry and harsh environments Improvements in water technology were important for agriculture Other industries included manufacture of paper, machinery and scientific instruments

Water raising machine from Al-Jazari manuscript

Why did the “Golden Age” come to an end? Religious divisions caused problems by the end of the 11th century Conservative theologians imposed a return to orthodox beliefs and rejected ‘foreign sciences’ The European crusades and attacks by the Mongols weakened the empire

Crusaders besieging Damascus

Time for the ARTIFACT WALK View the gallery of pictures showing different ancient artifacts from the Golden Age of Islamic Science VIEW ALL 7 OF THE ARTIFACT PICTURES and complete the page of questions related to that artifact in your packet