Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Bayt al-Hikma
(House of Wisdom)
By:
Grant J. Brill
For:
Dr. Said Ennahid
HUM 3302 – Islamic Civilization
23 April 2009
Brill 2 of 8
Around 762 CE the Abbasids, after defeating the Persians, established the city of
Baghdad as the new capital for the empire and soon as the pinnacle for Sunni intellectual thought
and innovation. At the heart of this intellectual movement was the Bayt al-Hikma (House of
Wisdom) that was founded by the caliphate of al-Ma’mun (813-833). This institutions’ history
and greatness goes far beyond the Abbasid Dynasty and to a certain extent, it still effects us
today. Therefore this paper’s aim is to introduce the Bayt al-Hikma’s origins and foundations,
identify its prominent scholars and their respective innovations, and to recall its disbandment
Although the Bayt al-Hikma never existed until the reign of al-Ma’mun, some institutes
that were established during the reign of caliph al-Rashid (786-809) served as precursors to its
formation and have been referred to as Khizanat al-Hikma, a general term also used when
referring to any library of science.1 Under the leadership and support of al-Rashid the Barmakids,
a group of Zoroastrian converts from Buddhism, were allowed to pursue their passion for
translating Greek and Syriac scientific works predominantly from areas of the former Sassanid
Empire as it is where they also trace their origins.2 Endorsed by al-Rashid, the Barmakids
collected and studied works predominantly from the Sassanid Academy of Djundaysabur, also
known as Gundishapur, which is located in present day Iran. The Academy of Djundaysabur was
known for its prestige in Greek medicine and the Barmakids endeavored to bring back and
translate any works they could. Soon Persian scholars and physicians from Djundaysabur began
to travel to Baghdad and take up residence there.3 Recognizing that the study and translation of
foreign works would directly help to advance the empire, al-Rashid encouraged scholars to
study, copy, and translate foreign works. While al-Rashid may have been a key facilitator in this
new intellectual movement it was his son, al-Ma’mun who served as the catalyst for the
movement. Becoming caliph in 813, al-Ma’mun soon involved the state completely in the
collection, translation, and study of foreign works. At the heart of this policy, that was in favor of
the intellectual movement, was the adoption of Mutazilite theology, which is viewed as a “highly
towards collecting Greek texts to a dream he had in which Aristotle appeared and discussed with
him the importance of reason.5 In either case to facilitate state expenditure for the movement the
Bayt al-Hikma was created, based on the model of Djundaysabur, as an epicenter of intellectual
thought. Official missions were sent to Byzantium to collect manuscripts in both Greek and
Syriac. Of these manuscripts, works of Aristotle, Galen and the Hippocrates, Plato, Eucid,
Pythagoras, and others were included. The institution also included a staff of leading scientists
and translators, who for the first time would receive a fixed income in return for scholarly work.
observatory in Damascus. All of this aided in the transformation of intellectual thought from the
reign of al-Rashid, where during his reign scholarly works had been limited to the translation and
studying of foreign works. Later, under al-Ma’mun the institutional name, Bayt al-Hikma, was
personified as scholars were given ample money, time, and resources to no longer just translate
but interpret, modify, and innovate their own works, which allowed them to become a vanguard
in the scientific world. This achievement was originally made possible by the increase in literacy
and the import of paper from China, but was further enhanced in the eighth century by the
establishment of a paper mill in Baghdad that soon allowed for papyrus and parchment in the
While the Bayt al-Hikma survived the reign of al-Ma’mun (813-833), al-Mu’tasim (833-
842), and al-Wathiq (842-847), the staff of scholars appears to have fluctuated with each
succession in the caliphate. This likely occurred because the most prominent scholars were
appointed by the caliph and held close relationships to the caliph who often summoned them
personally to embark on new fields of study. The lack of continuity combined with the lack of
information on the specific details on the institution, forces a narrow look on some of the
prominent scholars and their research that emerged from the institution. Its also important to note
here that scholars, then, did not carry specific specializations as they do now. Rather they saw
science as an all encompassing field of study where astronomy, astrology, and medicine for
example were interconnected and thus all studied equally.7 During the reign of al-Ma’mun, the
Bayt al-Hikma was headed by Sahl b. Harun (d. 830) who was appointed director of the
institution by al-Ma’mun. Harun, once a vizier to al-Rashid, was a prominent Persian author,
translator, and poet.8 Though his appointment should signify a central authority within the
institution, authority was also shared with the Banu Musa brothers. In charge of collecting
foreign manuscripts and representatives to the general staff of scientists were the Banu Musa
brothers (Muhammad, Aḥmad, and al-Ḥasan). The Banu Musa brothers personally oversaw
missions to the Byzantine Empire and paid scientists and translators a wage of 500 dinars a
month. Their efforts contributed greatly in the translation of works originally in Greek and
6 (Whitaker 2004)
7 (Hill 1993, 9-10)
8 (“Sahl b. Harun.” Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition 2009)
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Syriac.9 Their most important work was as advisors to the caliph, as their ingenuity and
innovation were clearly expressed in their Kitāb al-Ḥiyal,10 speculated to be the result of
inspiration from works of Byzantium and Alexandria.11 The Banu Musa brothers also recruited
Thabit b. Qurra (d. 901) from the Sabea religion,12 who impressed Muhamad b. Musa and was
invited to study at the institution. After studying mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy he
succeeded the Banu Musa as the leading mathematician, with an emphasis in astronomy as well
as geometrical algebra,13 and later translated a critical edition to Euclid’s Elements.14 Prior to the
arrival of Qurra, a prominent mathematician, astronomer, and geographer by the name of Al-
Khawarizmi was of prominence during first half of the 9th century.15 While he is still known for
his stylistic approach to solving algebraic linear equations, it was his critical approach to Greek
theoretical mathematics that helped to serve the practical needs of the people that made him well
known in the 9th century.16 Another major mathematical advancement was the introduction of
“Arabic” numerals based on works from India.17 In the Bayt al-Hikma, the field of medicine was
overseen by the physician Masawayh (d. 857), who by virtue of working under al-Rashid became
the prominent physician for the institution until the reign of al-Mutawaikil. An avid translator of
the Greek sciences, Masawayh soon adopted the principles of medical astrology where
discovering a cure or an answer to issues that involved body parts or medical symptoms could be
and the sun goddess, Shamsh. They are also a self proclaimed abrahamic faith, claiming Abraham as their
founder.
13 (“Musa,Banu.” Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition 2009)
14 (Islam and Islamic History in Arabia and The Middle East: The Legacy n.d.)
15 (“al- Ḵh̲ W Ārazmī (often written al-Ḵh̲uwārizmī), Abū Ḏj̲aʿfar Muḥammad b. Mūsā.” Encyclopaedia of Islam,
found in studying the stars, an idea that was originally conceived by the Roman scholar Ptolemy.
Masawayh’s failure, though, was his unwillingness to think critically about his own work, as is
evidenced by the adoption of Christian scholar, Hunayn b. Ishaq (d. 873) as his disciple. As an
apprentice to Masawayh, Ishaq soon incurred the anger of his master when he asked too many
technical questions. After he was banned from the Bayt al-Hikma, Ishaq resolved to learn the
Greek language and came back so fluent and well-versed that amends were made with
Masawayh, and he later went on to translate the medical works of Hippocrates and Galen.18
Perhaps the most influential scholar in terms of advancements in the Bayt al-Hikma was Yaḥya
(d. 817), an astronomer who was appointed by al-Ma’mun to embark on several scientific
endeavors. The most prominent endeavor was the establishment of the astronomical
observatories produced the “Verified Tables” which was the crowning achievement of the
institution’s astronomers. The Verified Tables was the product of the observations conducted in
Baghdad to verify the fundamental elements of the Almagest.20 These observations were then
sent to the observatory in Damascus for confirmation, and the findings were recorded in the
“Verified Tables.” 21
The glory of the Bayt al-Hikma had reached its peak during the reign of al-Ma’mun who
had an invested a vast amount of resources into its existence. The institution was able to retain its
prestige as a center for translation and innovation even under the caliphates of al-Mu’tasim (833-
842) and al-Wathiq (842-847) The al-Mutawakkil Caliphate (847-861) signaled the decline of
the institution as al-Mutawakkil reinstated orthodox Islam. Since al-Ma’mun, the institute had
been able to adhere to Mutazilite theology and retain its status as a secular university. The idea
that Islam could be reconciled with Greek philosophy was now viewed as heretical in Muslim
dogmatic theology.22 Therefore, al-Mutawakkil’s first action was to stop the incorporation and
translation of Greek works and to once again make the Bayt al-Hikma an Islamic institution. The
Bayt al-Hikma was essentially disbanded, only to be succeeded by a group of scholars under the
leadership of the physician Hunayn b. Ishaq. However, Islamic progression in the sciences was
slow and problematic due to the erratic behavior of al-Mutawakkil.23 Since then it appears that
the physical evidence to support this once flourishing academic center has regrettably been lost
BIBLIOGRAPHY
al-Hassan, Ahmad Y, and Donald Hill. IslamicTechnology: An illustrated history. Paris: United Nations
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P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis , C.E. Bosworth , E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, ed. Encyclopaedia
of Islam, Second Edition. Brill Online. 2009. http://www.brillonline.nl/ (accessed April 20, 2009).
Hill, Donald R. Islamic Science and Engineering. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1993.
Islam and Islamic History in Arabia and The Middle East: The Legacy.
http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/ihame/Sec12.htm (accessed April 22, 2009).
Mackensen S, Ruth. "Background of the History of Moslem Libraries." The American Journal of
Semitic Languages and Literatures, 1935: 114-125.
Mackensen S, Ruth. "Four Great Libraries of Medieval Baghdad." The Library Quarterly, 1932: 279-
299.
Whitaker, Brian. "Centuries in the House of Wisdom: Iraq's golden age of science, brought us
algebra, optics, windmills and much more." Guardian Science, 2004: 5.
ILLUSTRATIONS