1. The Golden Age of Muslim Civilization

2. Islam Spreads  Arab merchants spread Islam Asia, North Africa, and Mediterranean Coast  Arab armies conquered new lands 717AD attacked Constantinople ○ Failed Went into Spain in early 700s ○ Lost the Battle of Tours France Halted Islamic movement into Europe

3. Map of the Spread of Islam

4. Reasons for Success  Roman, Byzantine, and Persian empires had previously made Arab advances impossible Each of these empires was now gone or weak  Shared religion of Islam united Arabs  Tolerance of other faiths Byzantine Empire didn’t accept other religions Muslim rulers allowed Christians and Jews to practice own religions, businesses ○ They couldn’t carry weapons ○ Couldn’t serve in the military ○ Special tax

5. The Golden Age of Islam  800-1100AD  Caliphs (Muslim rulers) ruled the empire The Caliph was considered to be Muhammad’s successor Baghdad = Capital ○ Natural center of trade  Arab world was very wealthy Conquer and trade

6. Harun ar-Rashid  Caliph of Baghdad 786AD Ruled in luxury for 23 years  Patron of the arts Paid skilled writers, musicians, dancers, and artists to live in Baghdad ○ Gave one musician 100,000 silver pieces for 1 song

7. Achievements of the Golden Age  Studied history and other cultures Made advances in math, science, and poetry  Medicine First to organize separate pharmacies Ibn Sina (980-1037AD) ○ AKA Avicenna ○ Organized medical knowledge of Arabs/Greeks Canon of Medicine  Mathematics Learned about the idea of zero from Indian scholars Also borrowed the “Arabic numbers” we use today al-Khwarizme ○ Wrote a book explaining Indian arithmetic ○ Added to the development of algebra “al-jabr”

8. Literature in the Golden Age  Omar Khayyam Astronomer, mathematician, poet  Poet were as popular as modern musicians  Sufis used poetry to teach Islamic beliefs Sufis = mystics who believed that they could draw near God through prayer, fasting, simplicity Spread Islam  Rumi Most famous Sufi poet Founded a religious group: “Whirling Dervishes” ○ Used music and dance to communicate with God