The Golden Age of Islam

Vocabulary

merchant

a person involved in tradetrader, vendor, distributor, peddler, retailer, shopkeeper, storekeeperIn a very short time, Baghdad became one of the world’s major trading centers. Baghdad’s merchants visited not only lands in the Muslim Empire but also China, India, Northern Europe, and Africa.

precious

valuable, costly, expensiveThey brought back with them precious metals and stones, silk and other fabrics, ivory, spices, furs, and porcelain.

silk

a fine, strong, soft, shiny fiber produced by silkworms in making cocoons and collected to make thread and fabric.They brought back with them precious metals and stones, silk and other fabrics, ivory, spices, furs, and porcelain.

fabric

cloth, typically produced by weaving or knitting textile fibersThey brought back with them precious metals and stones, silk and other fabrics, ivory, spices, furs, and porcelain.

porcelain

a white ceramic; chinaThey brought back with them precious metals and stones, silk and other fabrics, ivory, spices, furs, and porcelain.

emphasize

give special importance to; focus attention onMuslim art emphasized plant life and geometric patterns.

stunning

remarkable, extraordinary, incredible, outstanding, amazing, astonishing, marvelous, phenomenal; beautifulArtists became famous for stunning designs using tile, pottery, and wood.

parchment

a stiff, flat, thin material made from the prepared skin of an animal and used as a writing surface in ancient and medieval times.Paper was much better for making books than the parchment used in the Middle East and Europe.

scholar

a person who is highly educated; a specialist in a particular branch of study, like a historianScholars translated into Arabic works by such ancient Greek thinkers as Aristotle and Plato.

literature

written works, creative writingMuslims soon developed literature of their own. The Thousand and One Nights quickly became a favorite with readers in Baghdad.

flourished

grow, thrive, prosper, do wellPoetry flourished during the Golden Age of Islam.

published

make known, make public, publicize, announce, report, communicate, broadcast, issue, put out, distribute, spreadMuslim scholars also published a set of mathematical calculations.

astronomy

the branch of science that deals with space, like planets and starsOmar Khayyam applied his knowledge of mathematics to astronomy to develop a very accurate calendar.