The Abbasid Caliphate or the period they ruled is considered a "Golden Age of Islamic History". All in all, culture, technology and study flourished during the period.
They were influenced by quotes from the Quran and Hadith like : "the ink of a scholar is more holy than the blood of a martyr" leading to a more religious focus on increasing knowledge.
The "House of Wisdom" was established in Baghdad. It allowed Chistians, Muslims and Jewish scholars all to come together and resulted in a large amount of translation work being done. [1]
"In virtually every field of endeavor — in astronomy, alchemy, mathematics, medicine, optics and so forth — the Caliphate's scientists were in the forefront of scientific advance." [2]
Nestorian Christians were translating Greek works to Syriac and then Arabic leading to a resurgence of Alexandrian mathematical, geometric and astronomical knowledge, such as that of Euclid and Claudius Ptolemy. [3] Nestorains actually played a fairly large part in the formation of the Arab culture at time. Around 8 generations of the Nestorian Bukhtishu family served as private doctors to caliphs and sultans. [4]
Algebra was developed by Persian scientist al-Khwarizmi during this time in his landmark text, Kitab al-Jabr wa-l-Muqabala. [5] The word Algorithm is derived from his name. He also introduced the concept of zero from the indian subcontinent to the wider world.
Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) developed an early scientific method in his Book of Optics (1021). He is often stated to be the first true scientist. [6]
Famous Persian scientist Ibn Sina (known to the West as Avicenna) produced treatises and works that summarized the vast amount of knowledge and was very influential through his encyclopedias, The Canon of Medicine and The Book of Healing.
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of fantastical folk tales, legends and parables was compiled during the Abbassid era. [7] Various characters from this epic have themselves become cultural icons in Western culture, such as Aladdin, Sinbad and Ali Baba.
Cities enlarged as planned capital. First with Baghdad and then Raqqa. Baghdad was planned to be a walled city with 4 gates, a palace and a mosque in the centre. al-Mu'tasim later moved the capital to a new site that he created along the Tigris, called Samarra. This city saw 60 years of work, with race-courses and game preserves to add to the atmosphere. [8]
The Abbasid's also adopted paper-making from China later spreading to Europe. [9] The knowledge of gunpowder was also transmitted through Abbasid's.
Advances were made in irrigation and farming, using new technology such as the windmill. Crops such as almonds and citrus fruit were brought to Europe through al-Andalus, and sugar cultivation was gradually adopted by the Europeans. Apart from the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates, navigable rivers were uncommon, so transport by sea was very important. The Silk Road passed through the Caliphate.
Arabic naturally spread across the empire and this unique Islamic identity began to form that fused previous cultures with Arab culture, creating a level of civilization and knowledge that was considered a marvel in Europe. [10]
Islam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith. pp. 26–38.
The Rise of Early Modern Science: Islam, China, and the West
Islamic Science and Engineering. Hill, Donald Routledge
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=zBp3y5lWz58C&pg=PA97&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
African Fractals: Modern Computing and Indigenous Design.
"The Encyclopedia of Fantasy", Grant, John
"Abbasid Architecture", Wilber, Donald
"Industrial Milling in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds: A Survey of the Evidence for an Industrial Revolution in Medieval Europe"
The Middle East: A History , Ochsenwald, William; Fisher, Sydney Nettleton