Reflection
The Arabic culture is a culture based mainly on religion. They believe in Islam, which is the belief of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad. They follow the Five Pillars of Islam: shahadah, salat, zakat, sawm, and hajj. These five rules tell Muslims how to live their lives. Arabs later fought “holy wars” in the name of Allah to gain land and spread the word of Allah and Islam. During the time of “holy wars” after the death of Muhammad, the Arabs gained land from Persia all the way across southern Europe into Spain and across Africa into Egypt. Through the conquered lands, they established significant trade routes on both land and sea, becoming a powerful part in the Mediterranean trade. Increased trade and wealth lead to the “Golden Age,” during which many Muslims became scholars and the first school was built, called The House of Wisdom. Literature was where their largest contributions were made. The Arabs figured out how to translate Greek to Arabic. This enabled contributions in other fields to be made such as math and science because they could use Greek philosopher ideas to help them develop their own theories and concepts. In the medical field, Arabs developed and documented herbal medications and created the first eye surgery tools. They also made significant advances in the study of the human body and how it functions. In mathematics, scholars helped invent geometry. The arts were also perfected in this time period with the help of Persian influence. Calligraphy, geometric patterns, and vegetal patterns in art became popular and became the foundation of art patterns used in Arabic art. Architecture mostly flourished in mosques, which were becoming more beautiful with not only its artsy interior decorations, but its exterior with its pointed domes that can be seen almost anywhere in the middle east. The Arabic culture has continued to thrive and remains an important culture in present day.
The images that were picked for this scrapbook were significant pieces to the Arab civilization. I chose Muhammad as a page because he was the prophet of the Islamic religion, which changed the Arab civilization forever. The second page is all about religion and the holy cities of Islam. Interestingly enough, the two most holy cities are where Muhammad preached and lived in. The most intriguing picture was definitely the prayer rugs, because they show how to make an item that Muslims use daily when praying. The next page is about Arab literature. This was extremely important because they recognized the need to understand the Greek language in order to advance their society. In developing a tool to translate Greek to Arabic, they could use the Greek knowledge to increase their own. This important development lead to their “Golden Age”. Image B on the my Arab literature page captures the influence and use of other cultures’ developments in advancing Arabic society. The fourth page in the scrapbook shows the scientific and mathematical achievements that were made by the Arabs. From the translated texts, they gained knowledge and thus accomplished many great things in the scientific and mathematical fields. A very striking picture on this page is the image showing surgical tools developed by the ancient civilization, surgery is not exactly what people would think of when they imagine life in an ancient civilization they are more likely to wonder if there were running water and bathrooms. The final page of pictures is the Arabic art, which capture the fundamental patterns used throughout history. An unusual image on this page is the calligraphy saying, “Muhammad,” because writing someone’s name is not usually thought of as art. These scrapbook images capture the most important elements of Arab religion, literature, science and art to provide insight into Arabic culture and the civilization itself.
From all of the research I have done, I am really surprised by the Arabs. For starters, I got to understand in more depth how a religion forms and how it can be something that really unites people. I also understand how a religion takes over a whole civilization, and can drive a group of people to do so much. I want to experience this culture because I think it would be great to see what a Muslim’s life is like. Religion and prayer are the centerpiece of day to day living, just think about what it must be like to be in the middle of doing something and then instantly stopping and getting down on the ground wherever you are because it is time to pray. Another thing that interests me about their culture is that respect and kindness towards everyone are mandated by their laws. This I thought was very interesting and is definitely something I would like to witness firsthand. I also want to study how Muslims created their mosques and how, even long ago, they were able to get up high enough to pattern the top of the mosque. Finally, I would like to experience what it was like when the Arabs figured out how to translate Greek to Arabic and the many significant scientific and mathematical ideas subsequently developed that changed their lives. Overall, I would love to experience my culture because it would help me understand not only the ancient culture and their beliefs, but the alterations from ancient to modern culture.
The images that were picked for this scrapbook were significant pieces to the Arab civilization. I chose Muhammad as a page because he was the prophet of the Islamic religion, which changed the Arab civilization forever. The second page is all about religion and the holy cities of Islam. Interestingly enough, the two most holy cities are where Muhammad preached and lived in. The most intriguing picture was definitely the prayer rugs, because they show how to make an item that Muslims use daily when praying. The next page is about Arab literature. This was extremely important because they recognized the need to understand the Greek language in order to advance their society. In developing a tool to translate Greek to Arabic, they could use the Greek knowledge to increase their own. This important development lead to their “Golden Age”. Image B on the my Arab literature page captures the influence and use of other cultures’ developments in advancing Arabic society. The fourth page in the scrapbook shows the scientific and mathematical achievements that were made by the Arabs. From the translated texts, they gained knowledge and thus accomplished many great things in the scientific and mathematical fields. A very striking picture on this page is the image showing surgical tools developed by the ancient civilization, surgery is not exactly what people would think of when they imagine life in an ancient civilization they are more likely to wonder if there were running water and bathrooms. The final page of pictures is the Arabic art, which capture the fundamental patterns used throughout history. An unusual image on this page is the calligraphy saying, “Muhammad,” because writing someone’s name is not usually thought of as art. These scrapbook images capture the most important elements of Arab religion, literature, science and art to provide insight into Arabic culture and the civilization itself.
From all of the research I have done, I am really surprised by the Arabs. For starters, I got to understand in more depth how a religion forms and how it can be something that really unites people. I also understand how a religion takes over a whole civilization, and can drive a group of people to do so much. I want to experience this culture because I think it would be great to see what a Muslim’s life is like. Religion and prayer are the centerpiece of day to day living, just think about what it must be like to be in the middle of doing something and then instantly stopping and getting down on the ground wherever you are because it is time to pray. Another thing that interests me about their culture is that respect and kindness towards everyone are mandated by their laws. This I thought was very interesting and is definitely something I would like to witness firsthand. I also want to study how Muslims created their mosques and how, even long ago, they were able to get up high enough to pattern the top of the mosque. Finally, I would like to experience what it was like when the Arabs figured out how to translate Greek to Arabic and the many significant scientific and mathematical ideas subsequently developed that changed their lives. Overall, I would love to experience my culture because it would help me understand not only the ancient culture and their beliefs, but the alterations from ancient to modern culture.