KS2 / KS3 History: How Houses looked in Baghdad 900AD

Video summary

An ancient Islamic nomad is giving up his camel-hair tent and has designed his own ‘forever’ family home to settle in Baghdad.

He explains his reasons for a lifestyle change and why its facilities make Baghdad his city of choice.

He talks pupils through his design, his tools and the building’s sometimes ground-breaking features, such as its air cooling system.

Its size and exclusive family use place it in the mid-range of Islamic accommodation.

This short film is from the BBC series, History of Early Civilisations - Islam. Through parodies of reality TV shows, this series introduces different aspects of life in the Islamic Golden Age, circa AD900.

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Teacher Notes

Research a range of early Islamic buildings and homes and compare/contrast these with buildings in Britain in the same era.

Compile a class glossary of Islamic terms and create a crossword with definitions.

Create own house model with captions for display.

This short film is suitable for teaching History at Key Stages 2 and 3 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Second and Third Level in Scotland.

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Maya Civilisation

This entertaining reality TV parody gives an insight into traditional Maya jobs, social structure and career expectations.

Jobs in Maya civilisation

This entertaining reality TV parody shows traditional male and female Maya clothing, as well as fashion accessories and body decoration in different social groups.

Fashion in Maya civilisation

In this entertaining reality TV parody, a labourer designs, builds and furnishes his nah, or traditional Maya home.

What did Maya houses & buildings look like?

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This entertaining reality TV parody introduces traditional Maya diet, ingredients and food preparation.

What did the Maya eat?

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Islamic Golden Age, circa AD900

This entertaining reality TV parody introduces AD900 Baghdad and the typical occupations for both men and women, touching on how women were respected but lacked influence in early Islamic society.

Jobs in 900AD Baghdad

This entertaining reality TV parody shows traditional male and female Islamic clothing circa AD900, as two plainly clothed merchants prepare to visit the House of Wisdom.

Great Fashion in Baghdad 900AD

This entertaining reality TV parody introduces early Islamic diet, ingredients and food preparation circa AD900.

What food did they eat in Baghdad 900AD

Insight into Islamic innovations and inventions in a parody of a popular reality TV show.

Invention & Innovation in Baghdad 900AD

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