TELEVISION

History and Achievements of the Islamic Golden Age

Series: Great Courses
4.1
(40)
sign up
Episodes
24
Rating
TVPG
Year
2017
Language
English
Publisher
The Great Courses

About

It is nearly impossible to overstate the power and importance of the crucial 500-year history of the Abbasid Empire. This is your opportunity to get to know the story and the accomplishments of this great period in human civilization. Taught by acclaimed lecturer Eamonn Gearon, these 24 remarkable lectures offer brilliant insights into an era too often overlooked.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 24

1. From Camels to Stars in the Middle East

30m

sign up
Step back to one of the most important yet overlooked periods in human history. Your tour of the Golden Age of Islamic Civilization begins with the who, what, why, where, when, and how of this great period and its impact. Explore the Abbasid Empire and see how it bridged the ancient world and the Renaissance.

2. Ibn Battuta's Search for Knowledge

30m

sign up
As a truly international, intercultural, interracial, and even intercontinental era, great travelers abound. Here, you will meet the Moroccan wayfarer Ibn Battuta and trace his journey across Northern Africa and the Middle East in the century after the Mongol sack of Baghdad. Gain new insights into the era - including whether it ever truly come to an end.

3. Arabian Nights Caliph: Harun al-Rashid

30m

sign up
Get to know the great Caliph Harun al-Rashid and Baghdad's House of Wisdom, which was the largest depository of books in the world at that time - and served as the engine that drove much of the Golden Age. Then shift your attention to the Arabian Nights collection of stories and legends to discover the source of al-Rashid's enduring fame.

4. The Arab World's Greatest Writer: al-Jahiz

30m

sign up
Considered by many scholars to be the finest writer of Arabic prose who ever lived, al-Jahiz was a brilliant stylist and author of more than 200 works, many of which survive today. In this lecture, you will uncover the origins of Arabic writing before turning to the life and works of al-Jahiz.

5. Algebra, Algorithms, and al-Khwarizmi

30m

sign up
The field of mathematics owes a tremendous debt to the Islamic Golden Age. Mathematicians such as Omar Khayyam (who is perhaps better known today as a poet) and al-Khwarizmi built on the work of Babylonian, Greek, and Indian mathematicians to systematize and explain algebra and symbolic algorithms. Survey this critical period of mathematics history.

6. Baghdad's House of Wisdom

30m

sign up
During the Abbasid Empire, Baghdad's House of Wisdom was the world's preeminent center for translation and original research. Find out why translation flourished in this era, and meet two of the Golden Age's most important translators: Hunayan Ibn Ishaq and al-Kindi. Then consider the intellectual legacy of the Arabic translation movement.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

Eamonn Gearonwriter
Eamonn Gearonactor

Similar Artists