The Abbasid Caliphate reached its so-called golden age during the eighth and tenth centuries CE, that is, under the Caliphate of Hārūn al-Rashīd and his sons. One of the most important and prominent elements of this era was the establishment of the House of Wisdom in the Abbasid capital, Baghdad. This school was a meeting place for thinkers and scholars of different religions and denominations of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. It was here that knowledge of philosophy, mathematics, medicine, history, Kalam and theology was exchanged, studied, and developed, passing from one generation to another. The works of Aristotle were translated into Arabic in Baghdad, and a circle of Aristotelian philosophers flourished in the city. In this lecture we will highlight this moment in history, focusing on the House of Wisdom and its most important scholars, as well as their role in the development of Arab civilization. We will examine some of their works on philosophy, theology, ethics, and other sciences. The lecture will conclude with the reading of selected paragraphs from two texts, the first on wisdom and the second on mysticism.

The Abbasid Caliphate reached its so-called golden age during the eighth and tenth centuries CE, that is, under the Caliphate of Hārūn al-Rashīd and his sons. One of the most important and prominent elements of this era was the establishment of the House of Wisdom in the Abbasid capital, Baghdad. This school was a meeting place for thinkers and scholars of different religions and denominations of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. It was here that knowledge of philosophy, mathematics, medicine, history, Kalam and theology was exchanged, studied, and developed, passing from one generation to another. The works of Aristotle were translated into Arabic in Baghdad, and a circle of Aristotelian philosophers flourished in the city. In this lecture we will highlight this moment in history, focusing on the House of Wisdom and its most important scholars, as well as their role in the development of Arab civilization. We will examine some of their works on philosophy, theology, ethics, and other sciences. The lecture will conclude with the reading of selected paragraphs from two texts, the first on wisdom and the second on mysticism.