The Islamic Golden Age lasted from the 7th to 13rd centuries, during which the Islamic world made significant advances in art, science, engineering, and more. Under various caliphates, the Islamic empire spread across much of Asia, Africa, and Europe, bringing diverse populations together and establishing a universal civilization. This era of achievement was spurred by Islamic teachings that promoted education and knowledge, as well as tolerant governments that financed scholars. Notable contributions included major developments in areas like medicine, math, astronomy, and agriculture. The Golden Age declined due to later wars and conquests, but its influences on science, technology, and culture remain important today.

1. The Islamic Golden Age

2. Brief History
Islamic Golden Age traditionally dated from the mid-7th
century to the mid 13th century
Many scholars tend to think that the Golden Age came to an end around
the 16th to 17th century
Much of the Arabic-speaking world was under rule of various
Caliphates
Caliphates (Arabic: “khilāfa)-- refers to a
person or religious successor of the prophet
Muhammad that was a leader of the Muslim
community

3. What did the Islamic Golden Age Have to Offer?
➢Advancements in:
○ Artistry
○ Engineering
○ Architecture
○ Poetry
○ Philosophy
○ Agriculture
○ Economics
○ Literature
○ Navigation
○ Sciences
○ Sociology
○ Technology

4. The First “Truly Universal Civilization”
Brought together, for the
first time, a diverse
population consisting of
people from China, India,
people of the Middle-East
and North Africa, and the
Europeans

5. How the Islamic Golden Age Came About
● Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula in the early 7th century
● By the 13th century, Islam had spread across India and Southeast Asia
● Reasons for the success and expansion of Islam and its empire be
attributed to:
○ Strong Arab Army
○ Use and development of common language
○ Reasonable treatment of conquered peoples

6. Religion
Emphasis on religion proved to be one of the biggest influences for the Islamic
Golden Age
Various Quranic injunctions and Hadith placed values on education and
emphasize the importance of acquiring knowledge
Islamic rulers welcomed conversion to the Islamic faith
All muslims must learn Arabic, so that they can read the Qur’an, the Islamic
holy book

7. Cultural Influence
Being that the Islamic empire had such strong trade routes,
the cultural influence could be considered a melting pot
Science, more specifically, medicine, was a central focus
and one of the biggest influences left behind by the
Islamic Golden Age
built on the legacies left behind by Greek and Roman
physicians and scholars

8. Government
- Very Openminded
- Allowed Jews and Christians to Advance in society
- Heavily Financed Scholars and Innovators
- Hunavn ibn Ishaq was a scholar during the Golden Age of Islam. He was paid a salary by the
government that would make a pro football player pause.
- Established laws that favored scientific advancement
- Made it so that it was illegal to refuse to treat someone if they could not afford medical care.

9. Technologies
- New Medical Technologies
- Vaccines
- New Farming Techniques
- Crop Rotation
- Incorporating foreign plants
- Hydropower/Wind power
- Used to power mills and factories

10. Advancements in Science
- Scientific Method
- Astronomy
- Chemistry
- Medicine
- Many other areas of science including
Biology, earth sciences, psychology, and
social sciences.

11. - Public hospital
- Pyshiatric hospital
- Pubilc library
- Degree-granting universities
- Astronomical observatory
Institutions

12. Commerce and Trade
- Contributed to globalization
- Extensive trade networks
- Monetary economy
- Industrial growth
- Labor

13. Architecture
- Great Mosques
- Great Mosque of Uqba
- Great Mosque of Samarra
- Influence on other Spanish
mosques
- The Great Mosque of Cordoba,
Spain

14. Decline of the Golden Age
- Several Wars took their toll on the Islamic people
- The Crusades
- Mongol Empire’s conquest Westward
- Loss of Academic material
- Schools destroyed
- Books lost
- Anti-Rational schools established (Ash’ari Schools)
- Very strict and literal interpretation of the Qur’an and Hadith used.

15. Impact Today
- Many Technologies that originated in Islamic Golden Age persist today
- Farming techniques
- Vaccinations
- Islamic architecture used globally
- Spain
- Africa
- Trade Influcences world
- Asia