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Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula in the early 7th century CE.  It quickly spread throughout the Middle East before moving across North Africa, and into Spain and Sicily.  By the 13th century, Islam had spread across India and Southeast Asia.  The reasons for the success of Islam, and the expansion of its empire, can be attributed to the strength of the Arab armies, the use of a common language, and fair treatment of conquered peoples

Golden Age of Islam

Background
Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula in the early 7th century CE.  It quickly spread throughout the Middle East before moving across North Africa, and into Spain and Sicily.  By the 13th century, Islam had spread across India and Southeast Asia.  The reasons for the success of Islam, and the expansion of its empire, can be attributed to the strength of the Arab armies, the use of a common language, and fair treatment of conquered peoples
Arab armies were able to quickly conquer territory through the use of advanced tactics and the employment of horse and camel cavalry.  Islamic rulers were very tolerant of conquered peoples, and welcomed conversion to the Islamic faith.  All Muslims must learn Arabic, so they can read the Qur'an, the Islamic holy book.  This common language helped to unite many different ethnic groups within the Islamic empire.  It also made possible the easy exchange of knowledge and ideas.

Golden Age
Islamic civilization experienced a golden age under the Abbassid Dynasty, which ruled from the mid 8th century until the mid 13th century. Under the Abbassids, Islamic culture became a blending of Arab, Persian, Egyptian, and European traditions.  The result was an era of stunning intellectual and cultural achievements.

Arts & Literature
According to the teachings of the Qur'an, Islamic artists were forbidden from using  human figures in religious art. Therefore, they developed a style of geometric shapes and patterns that were used to decorate religious buildings called Mosques.  These geometric patterns usually contained verses from the Qur'an written in a stylized form of decorative handwriting called calligraphy.

Non-religious artists were allowed to use human figures.  This type of work most often appears in scholarly works of science or literature, which were lavishly illustrated.

Islamic architects borrowed heavily from the Byzantine Empire which used domes and arches extensively throughout their cities. An example of this use can be seen in the Dome of the Rock, a famous mosque in Jerusalem.



There were many different styles of Islamic literature.  Most works were based on the Qur'an, but some Islamic artists wrote poetry about the joys and sorrows of love. Also, stories from other cultures were adapted and rewritten for Islamic civilization.  The most famous collection is called The Thousand and One Nights, which is a collection of tales that includes such well known stories as Aladdin and His Magic Lamp.

Philosophy
Islamic scholars translated philosophic texts from a variety of cultures.  These include works from China, India, and Ancient Greece.  Scholarly commentary written about these texts influenced a variety of cultures, including European civilizations.

Math & Science
Islamic scholars studied both Greek and Indian mathematics before making important contributions of their own. The most well known Islamic mathematician was al-Khwarizimi, who pioneered the study of algebra.  His textbook on the subject became a standard in European universities for centuries.

Islamic scholars were also skilled in astronomy.  They studied eclipses, the rotation of the planets, and calculated the circumference of the earth to within a few thousand feet.

Medicine
Many advances were also made in the field of medicine.  Physicians and pharmacists were required to pass exams before treating patients.  They setup hospitals that had separate areas for trauma cases, this is the basis for today's emergency rooms.  Physicians developed treatments for cataracts, used a variety of herbal remedies, and were adept at treating a variety of injuries. Islamic pharmacists were the first to mix sweet tasting syrups with medicine, ensuring that they would be taken.  

Ibn Sina, a famous Islamic physician, wrote a book called Canon on Medicine, which was an encyclopedia of Greek, Arabic, and his own knowledge of medicine. This book became the standard medical text in Europe for over five hundred years.

Economic Achievements
Under the Abbassids, a vast trading network was created which helped to spread religion, culture, and technology among the different peoples of the empire.  New business practices such as, partnerships, the use of credit, and banks to exchange currency, were developed to handle the increase in trade.  The establishment of such vast trading networks made the many nations within the Islamic Empire very wealthy, and helped to stimulate many of their cultural and intellectual achievements

Law
Islam developed a system of law based on the Qur'an.  This system was created to help people apply the Qur'an to everyday life and situations. The book of laws, called the Sharia, regulates all aspects of life including, moral behavior, family life, business dealings, and government.

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The Islamic Empire spread throughout North Africa, Spain and Sicily. By the 13th century Islam took over India and South East Asia. Some reasons that Islam was able to take over those countries was the strength of the Arab Army, they have a common language, and didn't treat the prisoners as slaves. They treated them more as equal. Another reason they were able to take over these countries was because the horse and the camels for faster transportation. All Muslims must learn Arabic, so they can read the Quran, the Islamic holy book. Thanks to the common language everyone shared they were able to communicate with different ethnic groups, Which also made it easy for everyone to share new ideas and such. This resulted in a golden age under the  Abbassid Dynasty, which ruled from the mid 8th century until the mid 13th century. The Islam culture became a mixture of Arab, Persian, Egyptian, and European traditions. Islam did not lose power in Spain until the end of the 15th century during the Reconquista. Since Abbassid's disappeared, the faith of Islam, and government and society still exist till this day.

The Islamic Empire began in the early 7th century. It took place in the Arabian Peninsula. The Islamic Empire quickly spread like wildfire throughout the Middle East before moving across North Africa. It also spread to Spain and Sicily. By the 13th century the Islamic Empire spread to Southeast Asia and India. The Empire had a strong army. The Arab army were able to quickly conquer territory through the use of advanced tactics and the employment of horse and camel cavalry. Both the camel and the horse had an advantage in the Empire. Both the horse and the camels could run very quick so they could catch up to fleeing enemies and slay/capture them. The horse however had a disadvantage. Horses could run quick but it would get tired quickly and become thirsty and would not be good for spying missions while camels could travel long distances without eating or drinking because food is stored in the hump and they do not drink that much. So the Arabs used camels for trade routes. The rulers were tolerant of their captives. All they had to do was convert their captives to the Muslim heritage and teach them Arabic(the common language in the Islam religion) in order for the captives to read the holy book(Qu'ran or Quran). Under the Abbassids, Islamic culture became a blending of Arab, Persian, Egyptian, and European traditions. Islam did not lose it's power in Spain until the end of the 15th century. The Islamic Empire disappeared. However  the faith of Islam, and government and society based thereon remain to this day.

           Islam began in the Arabian peninsula as early as the 7th century. It quickly soread throughtout the middle east before moving across north africa and into spain and sicily. By the 13th century islam had spread across India and South East Asia. The reasons that islam had success and growth of it's empire can be qualified to the strength of the arab armies, a the use of a common language, And fair treatment  of captured people.
          The Arab armies were able to capture territories quickly through the use of horse and camel calvery. Islamic rulers were very tolerant with the people that were captured. All muslims must learn how to speak arabic so they can read the islamic holy book. The islamic holy book is called the Quran.
          This common language helped unite many different cultural groups within the islamic empire this also made it possible to easily exchange ideas. This resulted in a golden age under the abbasidd dynasty. His family ruled from the mid 8th century until the mid 13th century.                                                              

The Islamic Empire is located in the Arabian Peninsula. The religion Islam was also began in the Arabian Peninsula. The religion Islam started in the early 7th century CE. The Islamic Empire spread quickly through the Middle East, Africa, Spain, and sicily. In the 13th century, it spread across India and South East Asia. Islamic rulers were tolerant with conquered people and welcomed the Islamic Faith. Muslims learned  Arabic. They learned Arabic so they can read the Quran. The language helped write different groups with the Islamic empire. The Islams did not lose power in the country. In the teachings of the Quran, Islam artist were not allowed to make human figures in religous art. Islamic architecture were borrowed from the Byzantine Empire. They used dome and arches throughout their cities.

        The Islamic Empire began in Arabian Peninsula early 7th  century CE. It spread through middle east.The reason for there big expansion was because of there Arab armies.All Muslims would have learn Arabic, so they can read the   Quran, the Islamic holy book.This languge helped to unite other ethnic groups within the Islamic empire.