For links on the abolition of the slave trade click here.

Where would we be without Islamic history?

The Great Mosque at Cordoba
An Islamic map of the world

In the Middle Ages between the 8th and 15th centuries Islamic lands spread right into Western and Eastern Europe.

Muslim societies were rich in science, technology, art, poetry, architecture and medicine.

Today the West seems to have the most advanced technology.

However, we learned much of our mathematics, medicine and architecture from the Arab Muslims.

They passed on and developed what they learnt from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians.

Do we have the Arab Muslims to thank for our number systems, for the beauty of churches and cathedrals, for fine arts?

What were the great cities like Cordoba in the west (modern Spain) and Baghdad in the east (modern Iraq) really like?

If you could travel back in time to medieval Cordoba and Baghdad what would you find? Would you see great advanced civilisations and how much do we now owe to them?

The textbooks Islamic Empires (pages 14-29) and SHP History Year 7 (pages 160-165) are excellent starting points. Then follow these links:

Medieval Islam
BBC: What the Islamic World did for us.

1001 inventions exhibition
1001 inventions film

Here are links to videos on Islamic inventions. They are all YouTube sites and will lead you to others:


the elephant clock
optics
medicine
home comforts
The Library of Secrets
list of inventions