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Position:Home>History> Arabs , Europeans and the Dark Age?Question: Arabs , Europeans and the Dark Age!? Hello all ,
Is it true that Arabs were in their Golden Age while Europeans were in their Dark Age !? also heard that Arabs translated and exported books to europe and they had many great inventors in that era!. Enlighten me pleaseWww@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: We must distinguish between Arabs and Muslims!. Most Arabs are Muslim, but only a minority of Muslims are Arabs!. It is quite true that in the dark and middle ages there was a strong Muslim, not specifically Arab, tradition of learning, based on (and in some cases developed from) that of the ancient Greeks!. This included philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and medicine!. A couple of examples: Avicenna was the outstanding medical writer, respected, read (in Latin translation) and quoted by physicians all over Europe!. Omar Khayyam, best known now as a freethinking and sensual poet, in his day job worked as mathematician and astronomer in the Caliphate of Baghdad!. In addition, the philosophy of Aristotle was known to Europeans through translations via Arabic and Latin!. There also was of course (and is!) a strand of bloody-minded puritanism in Islam!. The history of Muslim Spain shows one area where that and the more liberal tradition came into conflict!. So, in short, dark ages Islam was not all sweetness and light, nor all cruelty and repression!. Like most religions in most parts of the world, Islam sheltered and justified both of these tendencies!.Www@QuestionHome@Com No, because it is quite fashionable nowaydays to forget the Byzantine empire!. The WEST Europeans lived in the Dark Ages!. But not the Byzantine empire!. That was at that time the focal point of western civilisation!. A lot of inventions ascribed to the Arabs came from those they conquered!. For example, 'arab numerals' aren't Arabian at all, and the concept op zero was discovered in India!. The mosque is a direct copy of a Byzantine church!. Just do a google on a Byzantine (Greek Orthodox) church and a mosque and compare them!.Www@QuestionHome@Com You're talking about quite a long piece of history- the Arab invasions began around AD 680 and it is only after 1850 that the level of attacks was significantly reduced (even though Sicily was recovered by 750 and Spain was liberated in 1492) I am not so sure about Arabs as a vector of spreading literature- certainly their deliberate and systematic destruction of the Library of Alexandria would not suggest any such thing!. OTOH they did have several renowned philosophers so there might have been some mixed influence!. As to inventions- I am not aware of any specific tool or engine which is considered as an Arab invention!. OTOH maybe I am simply misinformed I do know however that the greatest impact on Europe was made by Arab slave traders- especially their custom of capturing children and turning them into brainwashed slave-soldiers (Mameluks, Janissaries, Saqualiba)!. BTW- Every village church I've seen on the Mediteranean is a fortified compound- specifically to provide shelter against Arab slavers!. But I've never seen an arab-built library or house of learning!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I think so, u can take a look at the city of edem ( petra) of jordan or Babylonia!? awhile the northern europe were still staying like the mountian ppl!. but most of the time civilization are come from the countries arounding meditteranean!.Www@QuestionHome@Com yup,they were better than any reigon in the world at that time,but due to their stupid leaders they made it hell (even up until now)Www@QuestionHome@Com They ate Pizza while Vikings were chasing rats!Www@QuestionHome@Com |