Two Arab Centers Of Learning And Culture

Two Arab Centers of Learning and Culture

Cordoba Baghdad

When people think of the cultural Perhaps, you know that the European and intellectual center of Europe, Renaissance was a time of great they often think of Paris. But, in the learning. But do you know how Arab Middle Ages, the greatest city of civilization helped the Renaissance to Europe was in fact in Cordoba, which begin. was an Arab city in Spain. Before 1100 A.D., Arab civilization, In fact, most Arab scholars which was situated in the Middle East considered Europe to be a dirty and and around the Mediterranean, was a unimportant place. They thought place of great learning. There were Cordoba was a much more cultured many libraries, writers and scholars. city. The center of this great civilization At around the tenth century, Paris was the city of Baghdad. In the 800s had a population of about 40,000, A.D., the great Caliph Al-Mamun whereas about half a million people created a school of translation in lived in Cordoba. Baghdad.

A typical library in European cities This school translated most of the would contain a few hundred books, Ancient Greek books on philosophy, but the libraries of Cordoba medicine, and mathematics. This was contained over 400,000 works. very fortunate for Europeans because most of these books were destroyed Cordoba was a very tolerant city, in Europe. When the Europeans got where Christians, Muslims, and Jews these books from Arabs, a new age of all lived together. It also, had some learning began in Europe. of the greatest architecture in Europe. Cordoba was famous for its But the Arabs did not just translate; mosques and public baths. they also created many great works themselves. In fact, algebra, which is But Cordoba is not an Arab city a very important part of math, was today. In 1236, Cordoba was founded by an Arab scientist called captured by the Christian Kings of Al-Khwarizmi. Spain. And to this day it remains a Spanish city. Cordoba Baghdad

What do people usually think is the What was the time of great learning intellectual center of Europe? in Europe called?

What was the greatest city in Europe Where was Arab civilization located? in the Middle Ages? What was it like before 1100 A.D.? Where is Cordoba located? What was the center of Arab What did Arab scholars think of civilization? Europe in the Middle Ages? When did the great Caliph Al-Mamun How many people lived in Paris? live?

How many people lived in Cordoba? What did he create?

How many books did a typical library What did the school translate? have in Europe? Why was this fortunate for the How many books were in the libraries Europeans? of Cordoba? What did the Arab scholars do Who lived in Cordoba? besides translating?

What architecture is famous in Who founded algebra? Cordoba?

When was Cordoba captured?

Who captured Cordoba?

www.bogglesworldesl.com Timbuktu Timbuktu

In Western minds, the city Timbuktu What is Timbuktu synonymous with in is synonymous with ‘far away’ and Western minds? ‘mysterious’. This comes from the time when Timbuktu was a thriving What was Timbuktu in the past? trade city in the middle of Africa. When was the golden age of During its golden age in the 15th and Timbuktu? 16th centuries, Timbuktu controlled the trade between East and West What trade routes did Timbuktu Africa and North and South Africa. control? Many things were traded in Timbuktu but the gold-salt trade was the most What was the most important trade important. Slaves were also traded route? heavily in Timbuktu. What else was traded there? There were also an important place of learning in Timbuktu, including the Why else was Timbuktu important? Sankore mosque, which is still standing today. The great families of What famous mosque still stands Timbuktu kept over 100,000 today? manuscripts, some of which dated back to the 12th century. How many manuscripts have the great families kept? Timbuktu was also important for spreading Islamic culture. There is an How old are some of the manuscripts? African proverb that says, “Salt comes from the north, gold from the What is another reason why Timbuktu south, but the word of God and the was important? treasures of wisdom come from Timbuktu.” What proverb do West Africans have about God? However, as the Portuguese explored West Africa, new trade routes Why id Timbuktu decline in opened going over the ocean and the importance? importance of Timbuktu declined. Today, Timbuktu is an impoverished What is Timbuktu like today? town and is being threatened by the advancing desert. www.bogglesworldesl.com