1. Islamic Culture and Art

2. House of Wisdom in Baghdad – library for Muslim Scholars; housed new knowledge and Greek translations

3. Upper Right = Ibn-Rushd
He was a philosopher in Cordoba who wrote commentary on Aristotle
ARABIC NUMERALS
ASTROLABE = instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing the positions of the stars and planets – EXPLORATION in Europe!
Ibn Kaldun = Historian; wrote the Introduction to History or Muqaddimah – birth, growth, and decay of civilizations and wanted to use science to figure out the course of history

4. The 1001 Nights; the Arabian Nights
Anonymous stories; folktales, fables and romances that blend the natural and supernatural
Aladdin and the magic lamp, Sinbad, etc.

5. Dome of the Rock
The plot of land on the elevated stone platform known as Haram Ash-Sharif on Temple Mount upon which sits the Dome of the Rock is sacred to three of the world's major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The site was first consecrated by the Israelites of Exodus. Later, according to Jewish tradition, Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac upon a rock that protruded from the centre of the platform. Later still, upon the same platform, Solomon erected his temple.
       For Christians, in addition to the Old Testament Jewish associations, the Temple Mount was revered because of its place in the life and ministries of Jesus Christ. For Moslems, the rock was sanctified by the story of the Prophet Mohammed's Miraaj or Night Journey to Jerusalem and back to Makkah [Mecca] (Qur'an 17:1). From the top of the rock, Mohammed began his ascent to Heaven.

6. The octagonal, domed Dome of the Rock was constructed by Moslems in the 7th century. Conquering crusaders reconsecrated the building as a Christian church, but with the crusaders' defeat, it soon reverted back to Islam.

7. Jerusalem became known as Al-Quds, The Holy
Jerusalem became known as Al-Quds, The Holy. Many of the Prophet's Companions traveled to worship at the blessed spot to which Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was brought by night and from which he ascended through the heavens. According to the authenticated tradition of the Prophet, travel for the sake of worship is undertaken to only three mosques; the Sacred Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, and the Furthest Mosque in Jerusalem.
In 685AD the Umayyad Khalif, 'Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, commenced work on the Dome of the Rock. Essentially unchanged for more than thirteen centuries, the Dome of the Rock remains one of the world's most beautiful and enduring architectural treasures. The gold dome stretches 20 meters across the Noble Rock, rising to an apex more than 35 meters above it. The Qur'anic verse 'Ya Sin' is inscribed across the top in the dazzling tile work commissioned in the 16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent.
'Ya Sin. By the wise Qur'an. Surely you are among those sent on a straight path. A revelation of the Mighty, the Compassionate. That you might warn a people whose fathers were never warned, so they are heedless.' Qur'an, 36:1-6
The Noble Rock is the focus of the interior of the Dome of the Rock, situated directly beneath the lofty dome and surrounded by the highly ornate inner circular and outer octagonal arcades. The mosque is octagonal in shape, having 8 sides. Each side has a door and 7 windows, with rock crystal carving. The dome is made of gold. Right in the middle, the mosque hosts the honored rock on which the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) stood on, before he was raised to heaven. Quranic mosaic used for inside out decoration of the Dome of the Rock walls. First part of verse 10 of Surat Yasin (surah 36) is shown. Since 1967, Al-Aqsa mosque has been the target of several attempts by the occupation authorities to destroy or burn it, including several attempts to bring about its collapse through underground excavations. The Jerusalem Islamic Supreme Council had repeatedly warned against such activities. On August 21, 1969, an attempt was made to burn Al-Aqsa mosque. The U.N. has passed a resolution, Number 1512, condemning Israel for the attempt and calling for preserving Jerusalem's entity and its holy sites. Zionists believe Al-Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques should be dismantled to build the temple mount instead.

10. Great Mosque at Samarra

11. Minaret – tower from which the MUEZZIN or crier calls the prayer 5 times a day

13. Because of the Islamic depiction ban, calligraphy is the most important pillar of Arabic art, which is the reason for the fact, that Arabs make great demands on the aesthetic quality of writing. Calligraphy is an indispensible element of each Arabic advertising agency, because ads which ignore the aesthetic importance of calligraphy, are not likely to reach the Arabic customer.

14. Illustrated Quran

16. Even though the geometric patterns, consisted of, or were generated from, such simple forms as the circle and the square, they were combined, duplicated, interlaced, and arranged in intricate combinations, becoming one of the most distinguishing features of Islamic art. However, these complex patterns seem to embody a refusal to adhere strictly to the rules of geometry. As a matter of fact, geometric ornamentation in Islamic art suggests a remarkable amount of freedom; in its repetition and complexity, it offers the possibility of infinite growth and can accommodate the incorporation of other types of ornamentation as well. In terms of their abstractness, repetitive motifs, and symmetry, geometric patterns have much in common with the so-called arabesque style seen in many vegetal designs. Calligraphic ornamentation also appears in conjunction with geometric patterns.

18. On the right (black and white) = This photo of Ibn Sina's Statue based on a study that was done to the remains of his skull.
Ibn Sina was born in 980 in Central Asia and traveled widely in the eastern Islamic lands, composing nearly 270 different treatises. According to his autobiography, Ibn Sina was already practicing as a doctor at the age of 16. By the time he died in 1037 he was known as one of the greatest philosophers in Islam and, in medicine, was so highly regarded that he was compared to Galen. WROTE CANON ON MEDICINE.
This book was well before its time in describing some concepts that are still adhered to today. For example, it advised surgeons to treat cancer in its earliest stages, ensuring the removal of all the diseased tissue; it discusses the surgical use of oral anaesthetics; it recommended the testing of a new drug on animals and humans prior to general use.
The Canon was known to Europeans through the Latin translations of Gerard of Cremona and Andrea Alpago and remained in use in medical schools at Louvain and Montpellier until the 17th century. In the words of Sir William Osler, the Canon has remained "a medical bible for a longer time than any other work".

19. Canon on Medicine

20. Canon on Medicine