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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.