Document 2
. . . Wherever they went, the Moslems brought with them their love of art, beauty, and learning.
From about the eighth to the eleventh century, their culture was superior in many ways to that
of western Christendom.
Some of the finest centers of Moslem life were established in Spain. In Cordova, the streets
were solidly paved, while at the same time in Paris people waded ankle-deep in mud after a rain.
Cordovan public lamps lighted roads for as far as ten miles; yet seven hundred years later there
was still not a single public lamp in London!
Some Spanish Moslems had homes with marble balconies and courts with lovely waterfalls.
Bedrooms were vaulted with stained glass and speckled with gold. And metal pipes carried water
into marble baths.
Nearly every mosque had a public school in which the children of the poor were taught. Many
Moslem libraries were excellent; the catalogue of one caliph’s library filled forty volumes. In
addition, the followers of Mohammed achieved much in science, particularly in chemistry,
astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. . . .
Source: Daniel Roselle, A World History: A Cultural Approach, Ginn and Company (adapted)
According to Daniel Roselle, what are two ways Islam improved the lives of people in Spain?
