TOUR GUIDE OF MUSLIM CIVILIZATION AND CULTURE

1. SOCIAL CLASSES OF ISLAM

• The most powerful were the Muslims by conversion and Muslims by birth
• The less powerful were the protected people and they had to pay special taxes
• Christians & Jews could not preach their religion to others but could practice it
• Slavery was not very hereditary in the Islamic civilization
• Some slaves were actually specialized warriors called mamelukes.

2. LIVING CONDITIONS IN MAJOR CITIES

• In Córdoba and Baghdad, the people who had jobs had a good life
• The working people had houses and usually had a wife and kids and owned riches
• There wasn't much water because of draught in the desert and it was hard to grow food
• The poor people didn't have much food or water and they lived in horrific conditions
• The wealthier people had enough money to buy food and items from markets to support their families

3. KEY SCIENTIFIC DISCOVIERIES

• Khwarizmi invented a math that used known variables to find unknowns
• What Khwarizmi invented was called al-jabr. Today we call it algebra
• Muslim astronomers discovered many constellations and made trigonometry
• Ibn al-Haythem studied how light was produced by objects like sun and flames
• He proved that rays of light were taken to the eye from light producing objects

4. MUSLIM ART & ARCHITECTURE

• Muslim art avoided using actual human depictions because they thought it would lead to idolatry
• Muslim architecture was created with geometric patterns and used the arch in a new way
• Muslims built beautiful mosques and palaces that contributed to todays architecture
• The Great Mosque of Córdoba is a great example of Muslim architecture
• The Alhambra Palace in Southern Spain is another great example of a Muslim architecture