Chapter 9: Muslim
Innovations and
Adaptations
Guiding Question: What important innovations and
adaptations did medieval Muslims make?
Name:
Due Date:
Period:
Complete
Sentences!
Vocabulary
Complete the chart below for the vocabulary terms for this chapter.
Term
Definition
Adaptation
a change made to an existing object or way
of doing things
Innovation
something new; an improvement
Cultural Diffusion
the spread of cultural elements from one
society to another
Philosopher
a scholar, teacher, or thinker who seeks
knowledge
Immortal
Evolution
able to live forever
the slow process of change in plants and
animals from simpler forms to more complex
forms
Section 9.2: The Flowering of Islamic Civilization
1. Why did Islamic culture flourish, despite the fact that the Muslim empire did not
lasts?
Muslim rulers built great cities where scholars and artists made great
innovations and adaptions and cultural diffusion could take place.
2. Look at the map of medieval trade routes, below. How did the location of the
Islamic lands make cultural diffusion possible?
Muslim lands were located at the crossroads of important trade routes from
Asia, North Africa, and Europe
3. How did trade help to spread and connect ideas from different cultures? List at
least two ideas that may have traveled along the trade routes on the map.
Wherever people travel to trade goods, they also exchange elements of their
culture. Examples
Sample answers of this in Muslim lands include:
•
the compass from China
•
the astrolabe from Greece
•
The concept of zero from India
•
paper making from China.
As you visit each station, determine the section of your book that corresponds with what is
shown on the placard. Write the placard letter in Question 1 for that section and give
details that show how it relates to the section category. You do NOT need to use
complete sentences for Question 1 in sections 3-11. Then complete reading notes.
Section 9.3 Building and Architecture
1. Record two details from Placard
C
1. city with different styles of buildings
2. minaret (at mosque)
3. thick wall surrounding the city
that show how it relates to this category.
2. List three important details about the city of Baghdad.
Answers may include: new Abbasid capital at the crossroads of trade
routes, connecting distant parts of the empire;
took 100,000 architects, workers, and craftspeople four years to build
the new capital;
“round city”—caliph’s palace and the grand mosque at the center, city
spread around it;
many bridges,
3. Describes how mosques are designed.
usually have a minaret for the call to prayer; a walled courtyard outside with a
fountain for washing before prayers; inside is the prayer room; many design styles
reflect diversity of Muslim lands
Section 9.4: Scholarship and Learning
1. Record two details from Placard
E
that show how it relates to this category.
Men reading and possibly discussing books
Many books in background on shelves
Globe on floor
2. What factors combined to promote learning in Muslim lands?
A shared (Arabic) language and a love of learning allowed Muslim scholars in Europe,
North Africa, and the Middle East to exchange ideas and build on one another’s work.
At the same time, Muslim rulers built schools, colleges, libraries, and other centers of
learning where scholars could research and work together
3. How did Muslim philosophers follow the example of Greek scholars?
They used reason and logic to try to prove important truths. They also tried to make
reason and logical proof agree with their religious faith.
Section 9.5: Science and Technology
1. Record two details from Placard
A
that show how it relates to this category.
Ariel view of animal (cow); diagram of animal’s bones; Arabic annotations around
animal’s body
2. Describe two contributions made by Muslims scholars in these two categories:
Zoology
•
Astronomy
Wrote books
describing the
structure of
animals’ bodies
3. What technological advancements did Muslims make to take advantage of scarce
water resources?
Section 9.6: Geography and Navigation
1. Record two details from Placard _________ that show how it relates to this category.
2. List two accomplishments of Muslims in this category.
3. Describe the purpose of the two navigational instruments adapted and perfected by
Muslims.
Section 9.7: Mathematics
1. Record two details from Placard _________ that show how it relates to this category.
2. What are two reasons why al-Khwarizmi’s books were
important to the field of mathematics?
3. Why is the Indian concept of zero, which Muslims helped
spread, significant?
Section 9.8: Medicine
1. Record two details from Placard _________ that show how it relates to this category.
2. In the chart, list one example of Muslim contributions in each area of medicine:
Hospitals
Medication
Surgery
Disease
3. What role did Ibn Sina’s book, The Canon of Medicine, play in the medieval world?
Section 9.9: Bookmaking and Literature
1. Record two details from Placard _________ that show how it relates to this category.
2. List two ways Muslims adapted and expanded bookmaking.
3. List one example of famous Muslim literature. Where did these stories originate, and
where did they spread?
Section 9.10: Art and Music
1. Record two details from Placard _________ that show how it relates to this category.
2. Find the section on the wall labeled “Islamic Art.” Write down the styles of Islamic art
below that match the definitions. Then write down the letter of the photograph that
shows an example of that style:
Style
Definition
Uses Arabic script as the focal point of the
design
Curving lines and human/animal figures, as
well as flowers/vines
Uses mathematical shapes to create a design
Central image that is more important than
other elements of the design
3. What was unique about the music that developed in Cordoba, Spain?
Photo
Letter
Section 9.11: Recreation
1. Record two details from Placard _________ that show how it relates to this category.
2. For each favorite pastime below, write one sentence
explaining what the pastime involves and another
sentence explaining why it became popular with
medieval Muslims.
Polo
Chess
What it involves?
Why popular?
Processing
In the space below (or on a separate sheet of paper), write a paragraph about which
Muslim innovation or adaptation is the most significant to our society today. State your
choice, provide evidence from the text to support it, and then analyze and explain your
choice and how the evidence shows that.