The Christians believed Christ lived in the holy land, Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem and they went on pilgrimages to these places. Muslims also believed Jerusalem to be holy as Muhammad went to heaven from there, but when he was alive Christians ruled the Holy Land. When Muhammad died, Muslims took over. The Muslim Caliphs said Christians could still go there, but in 1055 the Turks took control and ill-treated the Christians. Then in 1095 the Christian leader in Europe, Pope Urban declared war with the Muslims. The Christians went to the Holy Land led by Robert of Normandy. The reason they went was to protect Christianity but also to become rich. After much fighting the Christians won Jerusalem and killed all it’s Muslims who were known as Saracens. For the next 200 years Christians ruled the Holy Lands and during this time they learned lots from the Muslims, such as medicine, architecture, new foods and how to defend castles. The Muslims gained little from the Crusaders other than more trade. In 1144 Muslims recaptured some of the Holy Land, which led to the second crusade. Then in 1187 a new Muslim leader named Saladin captured more cities. Saladin was not as aggressive towards the Christians as they had been to the Muslims. The later Crusades failed because Saladin’s armies were too strong. In 1192 a truce with Saladin was made. During the next hundred years Muslims recaptured the remaining cites leading most people to believe that the crusades were a failure.
Before Muhammad there were no schools. He said education from the Koran was important. The Muslims needed a strong army so children had to learn horse riding and archery. When Muslims conquered land they set up schools. It was an idea that was noted and in some ways copied by other countries. They saw that education was the basis of success. Mosques set up boys only schools called Kuttabs. Along with Islamic studies they also taught poetry and maths. Girls sometimes went to school but only to learn about Islam. Islam was always the most important subject. More schools were opened because the Arabs needed law and business officials. After teenage years only rich children could carry on with studies and in 978 Egypt built the first university. The whole idea of having buildings for learning was thought of by early Islamic people.
One of the biggest affects Islam has had on the rest of the world was its use of Mathematics. On their travels Arabs learned and improved a number system that was originally used by Indians. This new number system was much better than the one used by the Romans and was so good it is still used by everyone today. The most important branches of mathematics used in building, construction and engineering are algebra and geometry and Arab Muslims developed both. These are vital in the building of ships which was one of the reasons Muslims were so successful in conquering other lands and travelling to so many different, far away places. Geometry is useful in measuring land and algebra has formed the basis of the types of mathematics used in modern technology. Having a good number system meant that currencies could be developed which meant trading and businesses could grow. Trade was a very important thing in making the Muslim empire powerful, bigger and more successful.
Mathematics and science often mix and being good at both meant Muslims could achieve more than other people at that time. Muslim scientists copied the designs of windmills and wheelbarrows from the Chinese. These were labour saving devices that made the jobs of grinding wheat and carrying heavy things a lot easier, so more time and energy could be spent on other jobs. These new efficient methods helped Muslims to feed themselves and build more mosques that brought everyone together. This also meant that the Islamic religion became more popular and widespread. Learning how to make paper was seen as very important, as it helped Muslims in their worship by printing the Koran and other religious writings in books. These could be given to many people, and so Islam could spread further and the religion would grow.
New subjects were also discovered by early Islamic scholars, such as the science of optics. This lead to the development of telescopes and microscopes, which gave them more knowledge about diseases. One of the Arabs favourite subjects was astronomy, which was vital for travellers who needed to find their way at night. Astronomy also helped Muslims to work out time and direction, which were needed for prayer. As in so many other things, Muslims were very good at adapting other people’s ideas and they did this with the Greeks astrolabe. This was an instrument for measuring the height and positions of stars. It greatly helped in Islamic expansion to other lands, as it directed them to other countries where they saw new things and learnt from different peoples. From the astrolabe, travelling maps were created that helped to navigate ships and showed that the world was round.
Other discoveries which improved people’s lives were made in medicine. New drugs were developed from herbs and potions as well as using chemicals to treat people. Opium was used as an anesthetic and as a sleeping potion. Education and medicine were mixed together when university scholars translated medical books from other countries. During Muhammad’s time Arabs believed illnesses were caused by gods but when they conquered Syria they found books with better ideas. Just as with other types of science a lot was learnt from the Greeks. Muslim doctors set up hospitals with trained doctors who had to pass exams. Surgery was also improved, eyes could be healed, cancers removed, stomachs drained and limbs amputated.
Before Muhammad, Arabs were nomadic and all their travelling about with no fixed place to live meant it was difficult for them to create their own art. However as their rule expanded, Arabs settled down and developed their own art. Much of it was copied from the people and places where they eventually settled. So as in so many other things like medicine, mathematics and the sciences they took bits of other peoples art, added a few of their own things and ended up with something new. One of the main themes of Islamic art is nature. A lot of their patterns were full of leaves, plants and animals. Mathematics also affected their art, as their patterns were very ordered and symmetrical. Mosaics are pictures made from tiny pieces of stones or tiles and have been copied regularly in western art and decoration. Much of the designs seen in tiling and stonework nowadays are similar to Islamic design. Window grills made from metal, wood or marble have also had an affect on house design throughout the world. The patterns seen in many carpets today were first thought of by Muslims who used designs like those in their mosaics. Probably the most recognized of Islamic art is the arabesque, a design of flowers and leaves. It is now seen regularly in clothes, materials and other fabrics all over the world. Another influential type of Islamic art is calligraphy. The beautiful, complicated pattern on books, pottery and mosaics has led to a similar writing styles being used by other countries. Many old scrolls written using quill and ink have a style which looks very similar.
A major reason for the expansion and success of the Islam was trade, and this was at it’s most during the rule of the Abbasids. Baghdad became the centre of world trade with people coming from all over to sell or swap things like currencies, land, livestock, perfume, carpets, grain, leather, gold, silver, glass, pottery and much more. Many traders would often be attacked and robbed so small fortresses were built called Caravansaries. These gave traders somewhere safe to rest overnight. With the development of the astrolabe, Arab traders learned to sail and went to the Mediterranean where they could trade even more. As Europe did not trade with Africa and the Far East it relied on Arabs for all their goods and that made Arab traders very rich. Later, other countries copied the Arabs new methods and instruments for sailing.
The impact of Islam on the world has been huge. What began in Arabia at around 610 has spread all over the world to become a major religion with over a billion followers. Muslims knew from the beginning that education in science and other subjects was very important as well as learning about Islam. Through this knowledge about lots of other things, Islam would become more popular and expand into other lands. A key to the success of early Islam was that it took the work and knowledge of other people, such as Greeks, Indians and Chinese, and added to it. Learning helped to make Muslims into better farmers, traders, teachers, officials, travellers and soldiers. All these led to the Muslim religion becoming stronger and spreading to different people and lands. It was only until 1300 that Europe began to learn things from Muslims and the effect it had can still be seen today. Science, medicine, business, warfare, art and even architecture all come from old Islamic ideas. A vital part of Islam’s success was that it had great religious unity. All Muslims believed in the same one god, Allah, the same rules, the Five Pillars and the same book, the Koran. This meant Muslims trusted each other and thought of each other as brothers. All achievements were seen as a way to help Islam to become bigger and stronger.
