Islamicate Knowledge and Science

The video explores the significant influence of Islam on knowledge-making in the Mediterranean and western Asia. It highlights the rapid expansion of Islamicate power, the establishment of the House of Wisdom, and the Translation Movement, which brought Greek, Persian, and other texts into Arabic. The video also discusses the role of madrasas, scientific advancements in astronomy and geography, and contributions to mathematics and engineering. It concludes with a look at mechanical innovations and the cosmopolitan nature of early Islamicate science.

Which term is NOT derived from Islamicate scholars?

• Azimuth

• Algorithm

• Calculus

• Algebra

What was the capital of the western sphere of political influence after the Prophet Muhammad’s death?

• Cairo

• Damascus

• Córdoba

• Baghdad

Who founded the House of Wisdom in Baghdad?

• Caliph al-Mu'tasim

• Caliph al-Maʾmūn

• Caliph al-Rashid

• Caliph al-Mansur

What was the primary focus of the Translation Movement?

• Translating literary works

• Translating scientific and philosophical texts

• Translating religious texts

• Translating legal documents

Which school of thought believed in using rationalism to understand both the physical world and God?

• Ash'arism

• Kalam

• Sufism

• Mu'tazilism

What was a key feature of madrasas in the Abbasid Caliphate?

• They focused only on Greek natural philosophy

• They were only for noble men

• They were exclusively religious centers

• They had libraries full of paper books

Which field did Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi contribute to significantly?

• Optics

• Astronomy

• Algebra

• Medicine

What was the purpose of the astronomical handbooks called zīj?

• To fix prayer times

• To study the human body

• To navigate the seas

• To predict weather patterns

Who wrote 'The Book of Ingenious Devices'?

• Al-Jazarī

• The Banū Mūsā brothers

• Al-Khwarizmi

• Al-Razi

What was one of al-Jazarī's most notable inventions?

• A heliocentric model

• A mechanical astrolabe

• A water clock

• A programmable machine