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# 4.5 The contribution of Arab: Muslim scholars to different science fields

The influence of the Arabic language was not only confined to some words that other languages borrowed from Arabic, but the Arabic-speaking scholars made great scientific contributions, and their impact can still be felt today.

Figure 3 Map of the Arabian Peninsula

## Activity 9

15 minutes

The Guardian has named six amazing inventions from between the 9th and 15th centuries by Arab - Muslim scholars. Read this article and answer the questions next.

Who is the scholar who has a crater on the moon named after him?

Al-Zahrawi
Ibn Firnas
Al-Idrisi

What does Al-Idrisi’s world map contain?

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### Answer

It contained detailed descriptions of the Christian north as well as the Islamic world, Africa and the Far East.

In the following video, you will see a condensed summary about ‘The rise and fall of the medieval Islamic Empire’. This will give you an idea of the civilization that used Arabic as an official language. Watch the video and then answer the questions.

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The rise and fall of the medieval Islamic Empire: Petra Sijpesteijn & Birte Kristiansen

What is the capital of the Umayyad state? Does this city still exist or has it disappeared?

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### Answer

Damascus, it is the capital of Syria currently.

The Abbasids built a new capital for their state, Baghdad. In which Arab country is this city currently located?

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### Answer

Iraq

◄Contents►Next: 5 This week’s quiz

OpenLearn - Week 1: Introduction to the Arabic alphabet
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