Eman Sakina

The Golden Age of Islam, from the 8th to the 14th century, was a period of remarkable intellectual, cultural, and scientific advancement in the Islamic world. Centered in cities like Baghdad, Cordoba, Cairo, and Damascus, this era saw the flourishing of knowledge and innovation, with influences that shaped not only the Islamic civilization but also had a lasting impact on Europe and the world.

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While the period from roughly 700 to 1500 in Europe, especially 800 to 1200, is referred to as the Dark Ages, the Muslim world at the time was prosperous. Particularly, Al-Andalus, the Muslim state in Southern Europe, in the South of Spain, was very different from the rest of Europe regarding its technological achievements, science, medicine, and quality of life. Al-Andalus was a famous center of learning, and people would travel from all over the world to study in the city.

By the end of the Middle Ages, a wide range of inventions and products of the Muslim world had been introduced into the West. These inventions and products include cotton, paper, paper money, postage stamps, glass mirrors, street lamps, salt, pepper, cinnamon, deodorant, rose water, linen, silk, satin, fine furs, velvet, curtains, kerosene, clocks, ceramic tiles, soap, rulers, maps, globes, eyeglasses, almanacs, and encyclopedias. The modern world still benefits from what Muslims developed in the Golden Age of Islam.

Europeans picked up technological, cultural, and scientific achievements from Al-Andalus, and hese contributed to the Renaissance. One of the most prominent areas of the Renaissance, the Italian art, including fine arts, paintings, sculpture, architecture, and so on, was influenced by artisans who came from parts of Spain influenced by Muslims.

A particularly important area, in which Muslims significantly contributed during their Golden Age, is mathematics. The whole concept of algebra and the use of symbols and equations were developed by Muslims. The Arabic numeral system is still used throughout the world. The notion of the algorithm is also of Arabic origin, and even the word comes from Arabic, like many terms in mathematics and other sciences. Such an advanced mathematical concept as solving third-degree equations was also developed in the Muslim world, and the formula was found by Muslim scientists long before it was found by Western ones. Such areas of mathematics as calculus and trigonometry can be traced back to the works of Arabic mathematicians.

In physics, the fundamental knowledge of mechanics was produced by Muslim scientists, too. It can be argued that gravity as a phenomenon, its characteristics, and application had been described in the literature of the Muslim world long before Newton discovered gravity in the late 17th century. In the Golden Age, the technologies of the Muslims featured a hydrometer, aerometer, lever, balance, pendulum, springs, and wall clock. Also, impressive achievements were observed in chemistry. Muslims proposed the theory that all matter consisted of indivisible smallest portions of substance (atoms) and mastered the processes of crystallization, evaporation, filtration, and distillation, as well as their application to practical tasks.

Many technologies for working with metal and dying fabrics and glass were invented during the Golden Age. Muslims discovered many chemicals and developed methods of preparing them and working with them, including sulfuric and nitric acids, chlorides, and sulfides. This knowledge helped produce and actively use such things as soaps and perfumes, paints and gunpowder, glass, paper, and sugar.

Another area of outstanding achievements of the Muslim world during its Golden Age is geography and astronomy. Muslims invented astrolabes and celestial maps. They studied the shape of the Earth and suggested it was spherical, calculated the size (diameter and circumference) of the planet, and figured out the orbits of other planets and stars as well as the motion of the Earth around the Sun. For Muslims, the sense of direction was always important because they prayed towards Mecca. This fact was the driving force for the development of geography and navigation. For example, the compass was invented. Also, cartography was an important science boosting the creation of maps and promoting the studies of winds and other phenomena that assist in navigation. Another reason for the development in these areas is the pilgrimage to Mecca, which every Muslim should undertake in their lifetime. This fact contributed to the development of roads, maps, and navigation techniques.

Muslims gave many inventions and innovations in medicine. In Muslim countries, professional gynecologists and obstetricians appeared long before they did in the Western world. The patterns of blood circulation and pulmonary circulation were described in the Arabic medical literature of medieval times. Also, the mechanisms of communicable diseases and the spread of tuberculosis in particular by water and soil were described there, too, which is the origin of the branch of medicine called epidemiology. Muslims knew how to perform surgeries on teeth, eyes, ears, and other body parts. More than 200 surgical instruments and 143 types of medicines were described in Muslim medical and pharmacological books, which is much more than the European society used or was aware of in the Middle Ages.

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The Islamic Golden Age serves as a testament to the power of cultural exchange, intellectual curiosity, and the pursuit of knowledge. It reminds us that civilizations flourish when they invest in education, tolerance, and innovation.