House of Wisdom
History: KS3, topic 3.3.2
House of Wisdom
The House of Wisdom was established in the 9th century. It acted as a centre for learning and stored knowledge from different societies.
Previous wisdom
- The great library of Alexandria tried to capture all the knowledge of the world in Ancient Greece.
- While much ancient knowledge has been lost, some books had survived in the Byzantine Empire.
- The Byzantine Emperor sent Al-Mansur a book on geometry by Euclid, who had written about the mathematical concept in the 3rd century BC.
- The book was translated and kept in the Baghdad House of Wisdom.
Purpose of the House of Wisdom
- The House of Wisdom was the largest library in the early 800s. Different religious and ethnic groups came to study here.
- The caliphs collected books from the Byzantine Empire, Persia, North Africa, India, and China.
- They paid scholars from all over the Islamic world to study in the House of Wisdom.
- The study and translation of ancient knowledge, alongside the creation of new knowledge, was partly driven by the caliphs.
Diversity in thought
- The House of Wisdom boasted an immense diversity in its collected materials. Many different cultures and ideas were represented in its walls.
- This reflects the diversity of the Muslim world.
- Scholars translated books and made new knowledge about maths, science, geography, and technology.
Test yourself on House of Wisdom
In what century was the House of Wisdom established?