Download The Golden Age of Islam

Islamic civilization experienced a golden age more than one thousand
years ago. The Golden Age refers to the period between 750 and 1250 CE
when Arab culture and influence were at a high point. By the middle of the
8th century, the Islamic Empire was very large. It extended from West Africa
across to West India and as far as South China. Muslim leaders during this
period were very interested in discovering new knowledge in the countries
which they now ruled. In addition, Arabic had become the standard
language of learning, and so it was widely used by scholars who were
studying the fields of arts and sciences. Through their work, these men
made some extremely important advances in areas such as literature,
philosophy
and
mathematics.
Furthermore,
many
discoveries
and
inventions of the Golden Age have also made a valuable contribution to
western civilization. This essay will describe some of the artistic
achievements of this era, particularly in the fields of architecture,
calligraphy and poetry.
The rapid expansion of the Islamic empire during the Golden Age led to
several new developments in architecture. Many beautiful palaces were
built to reflect the wealth of the sultans who lived in them. Moreover, Arab
architects began to use local styles and traditions in the buildings they
designed. We can see this quite clearly, for example, if we look at two very
different mosques (see Figs. 1 and 2). Furthermore, the importance of trade
in this age led to the building of many caravanserais or ‘khans’.
(Watkins,n.d.). These were built along the trade routes to receive
merchants, their animals, and their goods.
Calligraphy was another important form of artistic expression during the
Golden Age. The word ‘calligraphy’ means ‘beautiful writing’. Islamic artists
were forbidden from using human figures in their work, so they used
geometric shapes and written phrases to decorate their mosques, holy
books and everyday objects (Wikipedia, 2006). Moreoever, these texts were
often taken from the Qu’ran, and so they also represented the word of God.
Calligraphy was therefore not just an artistic expression; it was a religious
expression too.
During the Golden Age, poetry was extremely popular in Arabic society.
The first poems had been created by nomads who traveled the desert. Later
on, professional poets appeared in the towns. They wrote for rich citizens,
and often performed on the streets (Mann, 2003). One of the most famous
types of Arabic poems is the ‘ghazal’, which is a love poem. The ‘rob’ai’ is
another very well-known form of poetry. It is a 4-line verse in which the
first, second and fourth lines rhyme. The best-known example of ‘rob’ai’
was written in Persia, and is called the ‘Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam’.
Muslim culture reached a high point very early on in its history and
produced many works of great artistic beauty. This essay has looked at
only three areas of artistic expression. It has shown how architecture
developed, how buildings were decorated with Islamic calligraphy and how
poetry grew from being a simple form of expression used by nomads, to
becoming an art form. For more than 1,000 years Islamic civilization
remained the most advanced and progressive in the world. It is only
nowadays that the rest of the world has begun to remember this.
Reference List
Mann, H. (2003, January 11). Islamic literature. Retrieved March 15, 2006, from
http://
www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Literature,%20Poetry?Literature.html.
Watkins, J.(n.d.) Golden Age of Islam. Retrieved March 14, 2006, from
http://regentsprep.org/ Regents/global/themes/goldenages/islam.cfm.
Wikipedia. (2006, September 30). Islamic golden age. Retreived October 1,
2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Islam.