The House of Wisdom and the Scientific Revolution in Islamic Civilization: The Beginning of a Golden Chapter in Baghdad, the Capital of Knowledge.

The House of Wisdom and the Scientific Revolution in Islamic Civilization: The Beginning of a Golden Chapter in Baghdad, the Capital of Knowledge

There are some periods in history that are remembered not only for their military or political power, but also for their knowledge, thought, and scientific advancement. One such outstanding period in Islamic history was the Golden Age of the Abbasid Caliphate—especially the revolutionary intellectual movement centered around the House of Wisdom, the center of knowledge in the heart of Baghdad, which not only preserved the gems of the East but also laid the foundation for the future Renaissance of the West.

The House of Wisdom was not just a library; it was also a research center, a translation institution, a forum for knowledge exchange, a forum for philosophical debate, and a platform for scientific innovation. It began during the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid (786–809 AD), but reached its peak during the reign of his son al-Ma'mun (813–833 AD). Al-Ma'mun was an exceptional caliph, who himself was deeply interested in science and philosophy, and out of that interest he made Baghdad the greatest city of knowledge in the world at that time.

On the one hand, this institution translated the works of ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Hippocrates, Euclid, etc.; on the other hand, Indian works on mathematics, medicine and astronomy also reached here. Numerous gems of Persian, Sanskrit, Syriac and Greek were translated into Arabic, and through these translations, a global scientific practice began.

This translation effort was led by the Syrian Christian scholar Hunayn ibn Ishaq, who translated more than 100 important works from Greek. His work was so thorough that even the translations into European languages ​​were based not on the original Greek but on his Arabic translations. The mathematician Thabit ibn Qurra, the astronomer al-Battani, and the physician al-Razi—all of whom emerged from this center and are immortalized in the pages of history.

Mathematics was one of the main fields of study at the Bait al-Hikma. It was here that the Indian decimal number system and the concept of zero (0) were spread through Arabic. The word 'Algebra' comes from the book "Kitab al-Jabr wal-Majjad" written by al-Khwarizmi, the originator of the modern concept of "algorithm". This book was the main textbook for mathematics education not only in the Muslim world, but also in medieval Europe.

The contribution of Baitul Hikma to astronomy is outstanding. A large astronomical observatory was built under the orders of Al-Ma'mun, where measurements were made about the sun, moon, planets, stars, etc., using a combination of Greek and Persian methods. The standards determined by astronomers such as Al-Biruni, Al-Farghani, Al-Battani, etc.—such as the circumference of the earth, the length of day and night, etc.—were used as the standard in Europe until the invention of modern instruments.

This era was also groundbreaking in medicine. Al-Razi was the best physician of that era, who distinguished between smallpox and measles and established a complete hospital system. His "Kitab al-Hawi" was a ten-volume encyclopedia of medicine. Another physician, Ibn Sina's "Al-Qanun fit-Tib" was a text in European universities for many centuries.

The House of Wisdom also played a groundbreaking role in physics and engineering. Ibn Haytham was the father of optics, who proved that light does not emerge from the eye, but rather enters the eye by reflecting off objects. His "Kitab al-Manazir" or 'Book of Optics' laid the foundation for modern physics.

Behind these advances was an important aspect of the Abbasid Caliphate—they did not limit knowledge to religious boundaries. Rather, they believed that truth and knowledge were everywhere; it was man's responsibility to discover them. That is why Caliph al-Ma'mun said—"Wherever knowledge is found, it is like a lost treasure of a Muslim, which he must recover."

As a result of these achievements, Baghdad became a city where new horizons of thought were opened up every day. The House of Wisdom was a free arena for argument and logic. In the world of philosophy, the rationalist group called the Mu'tazila practiced the combination of religion and reason. Although their influence later waned and thinkers like al-Ash'ari and al-Ghazali established a new balance in the Sunni sphere, the House of Wisdom remained a center of ideological diversity and intellectual excellence.

However, all golden ages come to an end. In 1258, the Mongol army led by Hulagu Khan captured Baghdad, destroyed the city, and the manuscripts of the House of Wisdom were thrown into the Tigris River. It is said that the river's water was stained with ink and blood. But even in that destruction, an eternal ray of light remained, which planted the seeds of the European Renaissance.

The history of the House of Wisdom teaches us that when Muslim civilization was open-minded, inquisitive, and scientific, it became the greatest center of knowledge in the world. Today, when the Muslim world lags behind in many areas of science and technology, this history of the past reminds us—as Allah says in the Quran, “Are those who know and those who do not know equal?” (Surah Az-Zumar, 9)