Starter quiz
- What was the Silk Road?
- a single paved highway connecting China directly to Europe
- a network of trade routes connecting Asia with Europe and the Middle East ✓
- a road built by the Romans to Asia
- an ancient sea route used primarily for the transportation of silk
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- What is meant by 'the Golden Age of Islam'?
- a period of time when gold was the most valuable currency in the Islamic world
- a time when Islamic rulers wore golden crowns as a symbol of their power
- an era when people in the Islamic world did not have to follow rules
- a time of incredible learning, success and wealth in the Islamic world ✓
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- A renowned school and library in Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age was called the ______.
- House of Wisdom ✓
- Baghdad library
- House of Learning
- Baghdad school
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- Place these Muslim caliphates in the correct historical order.
- 1⇔Rashidun
- 2⇔Umayyad
- 3⇔Abbasid
- Baghdad was the centre of the ______ Caliphate.
- Rashidun
- Umayyad
- Abassid ✓
- Ottoman
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- Which words best describe Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate?
- wealthy ✓
- poor
- populous ✓
- deserted
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Exit quiz
- Muslim merchants often travelled in caravans overland through Central Asia. What is a caravan in this context?
- a group of camels used for racing in the desert
- a large truck used for transporting goods across long distances
- a group of travellers and traders journeying together for safety and support ✓
- a fortified city along the trade routes for protection
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- Match the word to its meaning.
- astronomer⇔a scientist who studies the stars and planets ✓
- observatory⇔a building designed for studying the moon, stars and planets ✓
- Siddhanta⇔a book from India with a collection of important ideas and teachings ✓
- In 771 CE, an astronomer named Kanaka travelled from ______ to Baghdad.
- 'India' ✓
- The base-10 number system is also known as the ______ system.
- Roman
- decimal ✓
- binary
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- What is an astrolabe?
- a tool astronomers used to measure the positions of the stars and planets ✓
- a type of spacecraft sent to explore the outer reaches of the solar system
- a tool used for cooking in ancient civilizations
- a musical instrument popular in Baghdad
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- Match the word to its meaning.
- jade⇔a beautiful and valuable stone used in jewellery and art ✓
- silk⇔luxurious fabric that was highly prized in the Middle East and Baghdad ✓
- ceramics⇔pottery and porcelain ✓
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Baghdad was connected to Asia and the East through trade and exchanges of knowledge.
- In 771 CE, the Indian astronomer Kanaka came to Baghdad, bringing the Siddhanta, a book about maths and astronomy.
- Translating this text led to Arabic mathematicians adopting decimal numbers which spread across the medieval world.
- Muslim scholars used Greek ideas and the influence of the Siddhanta to build observatories and invent the astrolabe.
- Baghdad merchants traded with the Tang, making long journeys to Guangzhou to trade incense for jade, silk and ceramics.
Common misconception
Baghdad was only connected to the East through trade.
Baghdad was also a centre for cultural, scientific, and intellectual exchange. It housed the House of Wisdom where scholars translated and studied works from other cultures and facilitated an exchange of ideas and knowledge, not just goods.
Keywords
Astronomer - an astronomer is a scientist who studies astronomy - the science about space, stars, planets, and everything beyond Earth
Siddhanta - the Siddhanta was a book with a collection of important ideas and teachings in various fields like mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy
Decimal - decimal refers to a system of numbers based on the number 10, e.g. there are ten ones in a ten, there are ten tens in a hundred, there are ten hundreds in a thousand
Observatory - an observatory is a building specially designed for studying the moons, planets, stars and galaxies
Incense - incense is a material, typically in the form of small pieces or sticks, that produces a pleasant smell when burned