How did the 5 topics contribute to

the gain or loss of knowledge and

education in the Muslim world in
the middle ages?
Geography- The Muslims conquered parts of Eastern Europe, creating a larger
empire than any others before them. When the Arabs attacked China they learned
how to make paper from the prisoners of war. Papermaking helped advance learning
throughout the Muslim World through books.

Religion- The new Muslim religion brought culture to the barbarian Arabs. It also
helped the people feel a sense of unity and gave faith to them to ease their minds
after the collapse of Rome. The Arabs created several dynasties based on religion
and their love of learning. Their sacred writings greatly influenced Muslims with its
emphasis on the importance of acquiring knowledge.

Advancements Technology and Military- Although Romans were the only ones
that conquered all of the lands that were surrounding the sea, Muslims triangular
shaped sail ships seized the Mediterranean just as completely. These could move
around easier than Christians square shaped sails. Some of the technological
advancements around this time include things such as they built the first
astronomical observatory, they translated ancient Greed texts into Arabic, perfected
and spread the Arabic alphabet and numerals, developed the astrolabe for
navigation, developed a body of Arab literature and history, made advances in
agriculture and livestock breeding, and spread cotton from east to west.

Political Systems and Economy- The Abbasids developed a sophisticated

economy fueled by international trade. The Muslim government treated scholars
very highly. Making others want to become scholars too

Society and Culture- The Arab Muslims were the most cultured empire of the
medieval era. Muslim culture was devoted to art, poetry, architecture, gardens and

the greatest science and mathematicians of this age. Muslims wanted to acquire all
of the cultural artifacts which had been lost. They translated many artifacts from
other civilizations that otherwise wouldve been lost into Turkish, Hebrew, and Latin.

How did advances or decline of the

5 topics during the middle ages in
the Muslim World impact the
further development of modern
societies?
Geography- The Silk Road was maintained by Muslim rulers and although it was
purposely used for the trade of silk, they traded cultural and technological
advancements and ideas.

Religion- Religious freedom, though society was still controlled under Islamic
values, helped create cross-cultural networks by attracting Muslim, Christian and
Jewish thinkers and helped generate the greatest period of philosophical creativity
in the Middle Ages. They gave everyone a chance which created more opportunities
for ideas to come together and create new things.

Advancements Technology and Military- Advancements such as medicine were

preserved in textbooks and helped our understanding of things like the human eye,
medical uses of plants and much more. These helped Muslim doctors perform
surgeries and the idea of the first healing centers in the form of hospitals arrived.
That idea spread to many Islamic cities and eventually Europe. Developments of
many math and science skills were brought about such as chemical compounds,
medicines, classified material such as minerals, and algorithms. The Byzantine
scholars impacted the Europe renaissance by bringing new ideas, technologies and
techniques that would further impact the future of classical art and learning

Political Systems and Economy- During the Islamic golden age, contact
between Muslim traders/explorers and people from previously isolated regions
greatly contributed to the globalization of the Muslim empire. Knowledge, trade, and
economies integrated with one another throughout the trade networks.

Society and Culture- The Islamic empires preserved knowledge in the form of
books and kept the scientific and mathematic advance alive. Because the Muslim
world was the center of philosophy, science, mathematics and other areas for most
of the medieval period, many Arabic ideas and concepts were spread across Europe,
and trade and travel through the region made understanding Arabic an necessary
skill for merchants and travelers alike. As a result, modern English includes Arabicbased words such as "admiral" from "amir-ar-ahl," meaning chief of the transport;
"sequin" derived from "sikkah," a die used for coinmaking; and "jar" from "jarrah," a
large earthen vase.