Table Of Content
It was in 1258 that the accomplishments of the House of Wisdom and the Islamic Golden Age were brought to a cruel halt. During the Mongol invasion of Baghdad under Hulegn, grandson of Genghis Khan, the mosques, libraries, homes and hospitals of the great city were all destroyed. The family of the last Abbasid Caliph Al-Musta’sim, as well as thousands of the city’s inhabitants, were slaughtered, and the extensive collection of books and manuscripts at the House of Wisdom were thrown into the Tigris. It is said that for days afterwards the river ran black with the ink of books and red with the blood of scholars.
Does science owe its development to 9th-century Baghdad? - The New Arab
Does science owe its development to 9th-century Baghdad?.
Posted: Thu, 13 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Monuments, memorials and public art
Many Muslims revere it as the seat of the last legitimate caliphate and others as the cosmopolitan centre of the Arab and Islamic worlds when they were at the height of their grandeur. Still others—including many in the West—know it primarily through print and film as the scene of many tales of The Thousand and One Nights adventures and other accounts found in a rich tradition of Middle Eastern storytelling. In more peaceful times, modern Baghdad has been a prosperous and sophisticated city whose rich cultural life can be measured by its many museums, universities, and institutes and by the myriad scholars and literati who traveled there and made it their home. Throughout the 4th to 7th centuries, scholarly work in the Arabic languages was either newly initiated, or carried on from the Hellenistic period.
War timeline
Baghdad is Iraq’s largest city and one of the most populous urban agglomerations of the Middle East. The city was founded in 762 as the capital of the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, and for the next 500 years it was the most significant cultural centre of Arab and Islamic civilization and one of the greatest cities of the world. It was conquered by the Mongol leader Hülegü in 1258, after which its importance waned. A provincial capital under the Ottoman Empire, Baghdad regained prominence only when it became the capital of Iraq in 1920; over the next half century, the city grew prodigiously and took on all the characteristics of a modern metropolis. For about 500 years the city boasted rich cultural activity, particularly in the ninth century. They also brought together scholars to create one of the great intellectual centres in history, called the House of Wisdom.
The end of the center of knowledge
He created an intellectual ambience by encouraging mathematicians, astronomers, scientists, and philosophers. His son, Caliph al-Mamoon went a step further by establishing the House of Wisdom in, an academic institute devoted to translations, research, and education. It quickly became one of the most famous centers of learning, attracting scholars from all over the world, from many cultures and religions. The House of Wisdom was originally created in order to house translators and preserve their works but it soon included additional research activities in the areas of medicine, science and astronomy.
The Golden Age of Arab Civilization: How Baghdad Led the World in Learning
Even if ties evolve to a more normal bilateral relationship not primarily focused on the security realm, armed groups could still choose to attack U.S. interests in Iraq. It is plausible that armed groups are working to reduce the multilateral presence in Iraq — including ending U.N. Missions — as a way to more easily apply pressure on the U.S. and other international actors and reduce external presence that undermines their interests. In his public remarks when meeting al-Sudani, Biden affirmed U.S. commitment to protecting U.S. personnel and partners, including Iraq. The easiest way to stay safe in Baghdad is not to go there in the first place, except for official reasons. Most expats and business travellers to Iraq hire a security detail which constantly monitors the security situation within Iraq and around Baghdad.
How One Resident of the Ravaged City of Mosul Is Working to Rebuild its Once Lauded Library
Additionally, he imported manuscripts of important texts that were not accessible to the Islamic countries from Byzantium to the library. The House of Wisdom was much more than a library, and a considerable amount of original scientific and philosophical work was produced by scholars and intellectuals related to it. This allowed Muslim scholars to verify astronomical information that was handed down from past scholars. Later, al-Mamun added numerous other study center and an observatory in 829 CE to allow more scholars to pursue their research. Translators, scientists, scribes, authors, copyists and others met every day in the House of Wisdom to ply their trade and to contribute to discourse, dialogue and discussion.
Bayt al-Hikmah had its own system but sources have not stated a precise description that bind the system that the house of wisdom used to function. The current conducted research has a very original contribution since previous studies on the House of wisdom have only dealt with historical backgrounds of some libraries. The paper contributes in highlighting the extent of creativity for authors that had flourished due to the House of wisdom in which book authoring took a very progressive trend. It also adds new historical and factual contribution to studies on the administrative and managerial aspects and the way they function in the House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikmah) that was later assimilated by several libraries in the Muslim world.
Center of learning (8th–9th centuries)
Founded in 762 CE by caliph al-Mansur as the Round City, Baghdad became the seat of the Abbasid Caliphate and grew into one of the largest scientific centres in the Islamic world during the Golden Age of Islam. Five centuries of peace came to an end in 1258 when the city was destroyed by the Mongols who advanced westwards. After a period of Ottoman rule, Baghdad became the capital of Iraq under a British protectorate and as an independent state. Since then, Baghdad has been subject to war, terrorist attacks and attempts at reconstruction. Its location, on the Tigris River about 330 miles (530 km) from the headwaters of the Persian Gulf, is in the heart of ancient Mesopotamia.
Astronomical observatories
It should be pointed out that the Arabic term Khizanat Kutub, meaning literally a bookstore, is an old name meaning a present day library. At Ancient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there exist countless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts that have yet to be discovered and explained. Compared to its surroundings, Baghdad was a major center for the spreading knowledge in the areas of Arts, Science and Philosophy. This created a path to facilitate the sharing of ideas and wealth necessary in order to invest in the continuous expansion of this institution. Foreseeing the impending tragedy, the Persian astronomer Nasir al-Din al-Tusi ( ) saved several thousand manuscripts by moving them to the Maragheh Observatory in northwestern Iran, built by Mongol ruler Hulagu in 1259.
One must also mention that in some of the cities of the Eastern Provinces of the Islamic World, several “Houses of Science” (Dour Al-‘Ilm, singular Dar Al-‘Ilm), or more accurately “Houses of Knowledge”, were established in the 9th and 10th Centuries to emulate that of Dar Al-Hikma in Baghdad. (MJ & AS, pp. 254 & 255; NM, p. 129) Such cities included Mosul, Basra, Shiraz, Rayy, etc. (Encycl. of Islam). The House of Wisdom also housed an observatory which facilitated astronomical advancements, leading to refinements of such scientific tools as the astrolabe.
In his book, al-Jahith argued that animals like dogs, foxes, and wolves must have descended from a common ancestor because they shared similar characteristics and features such as four legs, fur, tail, and so on. Whenever you look at a map, gaze at the stars or take down a phone number, think of Baghdad. Long ago, brilliant scholars in this booming city studied geography, astronomy and mathematics-and made advances that are still relevant today. Great minds from many lands gathered at a Baghdad library called the House of Wisdom, one of many centers of learning in an era know as the Islamic Golden Age.
Persons with military experience or who are fluent in Arabic are especially sought after. Between May and September the average daily maximum temperature reaches the low 100s F (low 40s C), and the high may reach the low 120s F (high 40s C) at midday in July and August. Intense daytime heat is mitigated by low relative humidity (10 to 50 percent) and a temperature decline of 30 °F (17 °C) or more at night. In winter the average daytime temperature is in the mid-50s F (low 10s C), and the temperature occasionally drops below freezing.
Al-Ma’mun was personally involved in the daily life of the House of Wisdom, regularly visiting its scholars and inquiring about their activities. Inspired by Aristotle, al-Mamun regularly initiated regular discussion sessions and seminars among experts in kalām. Kalām is the art of philosophical debate that al-Mamun carried on from his Persian tutor, Ja’far. During debate, scholars would discuss their fundamental Islamic beliefs and doctrines in an open intellectual atmosphere. Furthermore, he would often organize groups of sages from the Bayt al-Hikma into major research projects to satisfy his own intellectual needs.
The University of Baghdad and a fashionable residential area are located on Al-Jādriyyah, a peninsula formed by a bend in the Tigris. However, the Iran–Iraq War of the 1980s was a difficult time for the city, as money flowed into the army and thousands of residents were killed. Iran launched a number of missile attacks against Baghdad, although they caused relatively little damage and few casualties. Nevertheless, the city remained one of the cultural and commercial hubs of the Islamic world until February 10, 1258, when it was sacked by the Mongols under Hulagu Khan.
Two of the most important Caliphs, al-Rashid and al-Ma’mun, had personal interests in scientific works. This library was remarkably well organized, having separate rooms for copiers, binders, librarians, and an astronomical observatory. The House of Wisdom has played a distinguished role in the history of the Middle Ages for it was a bridge that transmitted the ancient civilizations including the Islamic one to the west, as it was the departure of modern sciences. Historians have a major consent that thanks to the house of wisdom and other similar schools and libraries, the continuity of human civilization was preserved after the fall of Greek and Roman civilizations. Hulagu has ruined almost all books that have been translated or authored by distinguished scholars and scientists, the works that were used to spread culture and knowledge and wisdom among the Muslims and non-Muslims were gone into dust. As a result the world witnessed the fall of one the preserving libraries of human intellect and human civilization of that time which has had a calamitous impact on the Islamic civilizational heritage.
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