Baghdad and the House of Wisdom: the cards as text
History. Draft written with AI help: awaiting scholar review.
- Card 1
Algebra and algorithm come from one Baghdad scholar.
- Card 2
The Umayyads in Damascus: caliphs who became kings
The Umayyads made Damascus their capital and ruled from Spain to Central Asia. They made Arabic the language of government, minted Islamic coins, and built the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Many resented them as kings, not caliphs.
- Card 3
Lesson: Mu'awiyah named his son as heir, and the caliphate became hereditary.
- Card 4
The Abbasids build a round city
After the Umayyads came the Abbasids, descended from the Prophet's uncle al-'Abbas. In 762 they built Baghdad as a round city on the Tigris. It grew into one of the largest cities in the world, with paper mills, hospitals and markets.
- Card 5
Lesson: Cheap paper made cheap books, and books spread ideas.
- Card 6
The House of Wisdom
In Baghdad, caliphs like al-Ma'mun funded translation of Greek, Persian and Indian works into Arabic. Then scholars went further: al-Khwarizmi's algebra, Ibn al-Haytham's optics, Ibn Sina's medicine, taught in Europe for centuries.
- Card 7
Qur'an 3:190
إِنَّ فِي خَلۡقِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱخۡتِلَٰفِ ٱلَّيۡلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ لَأٓيَٰتࣲ لِّأُوْلِي ٱلۡأَلۡبَٰبِ ١٩٠
190 Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and earth and the alternation of the night and day are signs for people of understanding,
- Card 8
Lesson: Algebra and algorithm both come from one Baghdad scholar, al-Khwarizmi.
- Card 9
The fall of Baghdad, 1258
Over time the Abbasids lost real power to local dynasties. Then, in 1258, the Mongols sacked Baghdad and killed the caliph. But learning moved on, to Cairo, Damascus, Persia and beyond.
- Card 10
Lesson: Baghdad fell in 1258, but its learning moved on.
- Card 11
Reflect: Which word comes from the name of the Baghdad scholar al-Khwarizmi?
Answer: Algorithm. Algorithm. His book also gave us the word algebra.
- Card 12
The end of Baghdad and the House of Wisdom.