A MENTALITY TRANSFORMATION IN THE ISLAMIC THOUGHT (The House of Wisdom in the Context of Orientalism and Occidentalism)

The House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikma) was a library and translation institute in Abbasid-era Baghdad. It is considered to have been a major intellectual center of the Islamic Golden Age. Under the sponsorship of caliph al-Ma’mun (reigned 813 - 833), it seems that the House of Wisdom took on new functions related to mathematics and astrology. The focus also shifted from Persian to Greek science. The Muslims were greatly interested in Greek culture and science, collecting and translating many ancient Greek works in the fields of philosophy. Bayt al-Hikmah reached the peak under Al-Ma'mun reign, and it became the gathering place for scientists and scholars, and particularly for a group of translators who would be responsible for the translation of the entire canon of Greek scientific and philosophical works into Arabic. Al-Ma'mun was responsible for a large scale translation project of as many ancient works as could be found. Greek manuscripts were obtained through treaties. By the end of the century, the major works of the Greeks had been translated. In addition, they learned the mathematics of the Babylonnians and the Hindus. Through these efforts, the foundations for Islamic scholarship for the following centuries were established.

“İslâm Düşüncesinde Bir Zihniyet Dönüşümü (Oryantalizm ve Oksidantalizm Bağlamında Beytü’l-Hikme) adlı bu makalede, Beytü’l-Hikme’nin Abbasîler döneminde Bağdat’ta yabancı kültürlere ait eserlerle ilgilenen bir tercüme evi ve kütüphane olarak ortaya çıkması ve İslâm düşüncesinde entelektüel bir birikimin oluşmasında oynadığı rol ile İslâm dünyasında meydana getirmiş olduğu zihniyet dönüşümü, oryantalizm ve oksidantalizm ile ilişkilendirilerek ele alınmaktadır