Hello future people of the UK!
I’m going to show you what it’s like to live in the Islamic Golden Age.
But to see that you’ll have to travel back in time about 1000 years… Loads before the Victorians, before the Henry VIII, all the way to Dark Age Britain when the Vikings were at large…
Now, head South East, over Europe and stop just at the top of that big boot. Not that one, that’s Italy – the next one. In the Middle East. Where the country of Iraq will be one day.
You made it!
I’m Ali. I live here in Baghdad – a city of over a million people and the most advanced city in the world. We made the city completely round and we’ve put the important things in the middle:
Our mosque where we all pray 5 times a day and…
This building – the House of Wisdom which stores all the world’s knowledge.
I’m going in here to try to solve a puzzle. But servants aren’t allowed in.
I’d better tell you my story.
My master is the Great Caliph – that’s our king – he rules the whole Islamic empire, which stretches from Spain to India. And one night I overheard the Caliph dictating to a scribe – he was setting a puzzle to find the brightest minds in Baghdad.
And this was his riddle:
A man sends his servant to the market to buy some gifts for the Caliph’s daughter – flying carpets are 30 dirhams each and magic lanterns are 7 dirhams each. The servant must spend exactly 1001 dirhams - how many flying carpets can he buy?
If anyone can answer it then the Caliph will make them a scholar… I’m determined to find the answer. You see, I’m in the right place.
The world’s most important trade routes run straight through Baghdad… So people from everywhere come through here.
But they don’t just bring goods…
…They also bring books full of ideas & knowledge from overseas.
We copy every book we can, and store it in The House of Wisdom. And now we’ve started adding our own ideas too.
We’ve built the world’s first hospitals. We’ve set up universities, observatories and we’ve even built mechanical devices that tell you what time the sun will rise – and what time to pray.
In Europe, they’ve having the Dark Ages – well here it’s anything but! It’s the Islamic Golden Age!
And Baghdad is right at the centre of it all. So, somewhere in here I must be able to find the answer.
I’ve been to the market. But they say flying carpets are just a story. I’ve been to the universities – but they’re working on the riddle too. And of course the House of Wisdom won’t let me in.
I’m going to be a servant forever.
Shh – new development. Famous mathematician Al Khwarizmi has come to present the Caliph with his new book. It’s called “Al-gebra." So now you know where that word comes from.
It tells you about how to solve number problems by replacing Roman numerals with Arabic ones these are the origin of the numbers you use today.
Maybe I can use these methods to answer the riddle. Master about your riddle – the servant doesn’t buy any flying carpets just lanterns.
[Caliph laughs / claps]
Guess what - the Caliph has granted me 3 wishes. Firstly, I’m going to finally enter the House of Wisdom. Secondly, I’m going to be a scholar. And thirdly, as you know, I’m going to star in my own film!
I hope you liked it.
We carried on being a centre of knowledge for a few hundred years more, until, eventually, nomadic warriors calledMongols destroyed our city and threw all our books in the river.
And all this? Well, it’ll be History.
Video summary
We are taken back over 1,000 years, where a servant in Baghdad is trying to solve a riddle that will allow him to become a scholar.
Baghdad at the time was the largest city in the world, with a population of about 1 million.
It was a perfectly round city, with all the important buildings in the centre.
Situated between two rivers, it was also at the centre of the world's great trade routes and the caliph was therefore extremely wealthy.
We learn about how knowledge and learning was key to the success of the Golden Age of Islam.
This clip is from the series Lost Lands.
Teacher Notes
Could be used to compare the Golden Age of Islam with the Dark Ages in Europe.
Why were the situations in these places so different?
This could also be a starting point to compare Islam and Christianity.
What did they have in common, and what was so different?
Pupils could be given the opportunity to investigate both the House of Wisdom and the role of knowledge in the Arab world, and the part played by Islamic society in passing knowledge on from ancient civilisations to Europe.
Why were so many new discoveries made in the Islamic world?
This clip is relevant for teaching History at Key Stage 2 and Second Level.
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