Abbasid Caliphate

The Abbasid Caliphate was the great Islamic empire centered on Baghdad that presided over the height of the Islamic Golden Age of science and learning.

Key Takeaways

• The Abbasid Caliphate made Baghdad the world's center of learning.
• It sponsored the House of Wisdom and the great translation movement.
• It nurtured pioneers of algebra, medicine and astronomy.
• It fell to the Mongols in 1258.

Founded in 750 AD, the Abbasid Caliphate made Baghdad the intellectual capital of the world, sponsoring the translation of ancient texts and pioneering advances in mathematics, medicine and astronomy.

The Abbasid Caliphate made Baghdad the beating heart of world learning. From its founding in 750 AD, the Abbasids gathered scholars of every faith into the House of Wisdom, where the works of Greece, Persia and India were translated and transformed.

It was under Abbasid patronage that Al-Khwarizmi developed algebra and that medicine, astronomy and optics advanced beyond anything in the contemporary world — until the empire fell to the Mongols in 1258.

Key Achievements

• Founded the House of Wisdom in Baghdad.
• Led the world in mathematics, medicine and astronomy.

Notable Figures of Abbasid Caliphate

Al-Khwarizmi

89

Mathematician · 780 – 850

Al-Khwarizmi was a Persian mathematician and scholar of the Islamic Golden Age, the "father of algebra", whose name gave us the word "algorithm".

• Founding algebra
• The word 'algorithm'

Al-Khwarizmi

89

Mathematician · 780 – 850

Al-Khwarizmi was a Persian mathematician and scholar of the Islamic Golden Age, the "father of algebra", whose name gave us the word "algorithm".

• Founding algebra
• The word 'algorithm'

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Abbasid Caliphate known for?

It is known for making Baghdad the intellectual capital of the world during the Islamic Golden Age, sponsoring science, translation and learning until its fall to the Mongols in 1258.