| Contents |
Part I. Baghdad and the Rise of Interest in Foreign Sciences -- A. Revisiting the Abbasid House of Wisdom -- B. Short Note on the Proposed Origins of the House of Wisdom -- Part II. Creating a Myth -- Part III. Dissecting the Myth -- A. Bayt al-Hikma and Translation Movement -- B. Bayt al-Hikma as a University -- Part IV. What to Call a Library in Arabic? -- Part V. What was the Abbasid Caliph's Library Called? -- Part VI. Was the House of Science an Arena for Debates? -- Part VII. What was the Reality? -- A. The Origin of Book Collections -- B. Patronage Associated with the Library -- C. The Library and Greek Books -- D. Abbasid Caliphal Library and Persian Royal Libraries -- Part VIII. What Happened to the House of Wisdom? -- Part IX. The Impact -- Part X. Concluding Remarks. |
| Abstract |
"This volume examines the library of the Abbasid caliphs, known as 'The House of Wisdom' ('Bayt al-Hikma'), exploring how this important institution has been misconceived by scholars'. This book places the palace library within the framework of the multifaceted cultural and scientific activities in the era of the caliphs, Harun al-Rashid and al-Ma'mun, generally regarded as the Golden Age of Islamic civilization. The author studies the first references to the House of Wisdom in European sources and shows how misconceptions arose because of incorrect translations of Arabic manuscripts and also because of how scholars overlooked the historical context of the library in ways that reflected their own cultural and national ambitions. The Abbasid House of Wisdom is perfect for scholars, students and the wider public interested in the scientific and cultural activities of the Islamic Golden Age"-- Provided by publisher. |
| General note | "Routledge Focus"--Cover. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Issued in other form | Online version: ̐uIhsano̐uglu, Ekmeleddin. Abbasid House of Wisdom Milton, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2023 9781003323679 |
| Genre/form | History. |
| LCCN | 2022018135 |
| ISBN | 9781032347455 |
| ISBN | 1032347457 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 9781032347486 (paperback) |
| ISBN | 1032347481 (paperback) |
| ISBN | (ebook) |
