Early World Baghdad

During the time of the Islamic movement, Baghdad was not close to the Baghdad we see today. In 762, the Abbasid dynasty moved the Capital of the Muslim World to Baghdad. Over the next five centuries, the city became the world's cent of education and culture. The area housed many of the great scholars and they contributed in both the sciences and humanities. Some common theories that derived from them area were common medicine, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry and literature. The city was filled with museums, hospitals, libraries and mosques and most importantly the famous learning center known as Bayt al-Hikmah (the House of Wisdom).



Construction on the House of Wisdom began in the ninth century under the the Caliph Harun ar-Rashid. It was originally founded to house the works from Arun ar-Rashid's grand father, his father, and himself. While his son invited translators to purse a project which involved the translating into Arabic of essential texts written in a variety of languages. The House of Wisdom was divided into departments for each of the sciences and scholars from all disciplines who met and worked within the walls. The building allowed for many different people to work under the roof. On a given day you would see Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Zoroastrian scholars working.





Information from:
http://islam.about.com/cs/history/a/aa040703a.htm
http://hubpages.com/hub/House-of-Wisdom-in-Medieval-Baghdad