Category Archives: Literature

Ibn Khaldun Asks Tough Questions about History, 1377

Posted on January 7, 2024 by Ruth

The Ibn Khaldun family were descended from a Bedouin, Khaldun, who settled near Seville in the early years of Muslim conquest. Under Reconquista pressure in the 13th century, they moved to Tunis, where they were among the educated governing elite. … Continue reading →

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Ibn Battuta Sees the World, 1325-55

Posted on January 7, 2024 by Ruth

The Muslim world had grown so large that it was very hard for them to know all parts of their own lands, let alone the rest of the world. Around 1355, a Moroccan named Ibn Battuta dictated and published his … Continue reading →

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At the Close of the 13th Century

Posted on October 16, 2023 by Ruth

Before going on to the momentous events of the 14th Century, let’s look at what Europe and Asia were like in the late 13th. Life was soon to change. Climate: First, and at the largest scale, a climatic maximum—-a warm … Continue reading →

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Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes, 1244

Posted on August 4, 2023 by Ruth

Jalal ad-Din Mohammed al-Rumi was born in Balkh, Afghanistan in 1207. Balkh was one of the cities in Genghis Khan’s early sweep of eastern Islam. When Jalal was born, the Mongols were mopping up the eastern Silk Road cities of … Continue reading →

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Arabic Numerals in the 9th Century

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Ruth

Our digital numeral system came first from India, but spent a long time as the dominant system in the Arabic kingdoms before entering Latin and Europe. The numbers are Arabic by adoption, Indian by birth. The Jain sect in India … Continue reading →

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The Book of Ingenious Devices, 850

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Ruth

Baghdad’s House of Wisdom produced a collection of all of the mechanical engineering devices known at that time. These devices were collected from China, India, Persia and Greece. We aren’t sure if the pictures in “The Book of Tricks” (or … Continue reading →

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Baghdad: the House of Wisdom

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Ruth

Baghdad’s Round City featured a large building that was called, at first, The Bookstore. It was modeled after the Persian Empire’s library in Ctesiphon, but its chief purpose was to transfer civilization into the Arabic script of the recently-literate nomads. … Continue reading →

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Charlemagne’s Actual Trip to Spain, 777-8

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Ruth

In the “Song of Roland,” the first premise is that Charlemagne has spent seven years campaigning across Spanish Andalusia, taking back territory from the perfidious Saracens. The famous battle in which Roland loses his life takes place in the mountain … Continue reading →

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The Song of Roland, 950

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Ruth

We’re jumping ahead by two centuries just for a moment, to touch on literature. The “Song of Roland” was the most popular epic of its time. Composed by a Frankish minstrel named Turoldus, the poem first appeared in written form … Continue reading →

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The pageant of Bible history

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Ruth

The most famous trend in medieval theater, the grand pageant of Biblical history, began with a 6th century sermon attributed to St. Augustine (probably authored by someone else?). During the Middle Ages, this sermon grew into a typical presentation made … Continue reading →

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