Discover a rich and varied corpus of Muslim literature, compiled specifically with teachers in mind. Genres represented include historical writing, travel literature, scientific writing, folktales, and poetry, among others. Selections are accompanied by critical-thinking questions and suggestions for student activities. - Let African scholar al-Jahiz tell why paper is better than parchment, written just when that Chinese innovation was being adopted in Abbasid Baghdad. - Read a page from Ibn Rushd’s (Averroes) commentary on Aristotle, a work that Thomas Aquinas read by candlelight, and get medical advice from al-Razi. - Let al-Khwarizmi introduce the new branch of mathematics called al-jabr (algebra), with formulas and word problems written in the 9th century, and learn why al-Biruni studied shadows. - Read beautiful lyric poems from Spain that became part of the romantic, chivalric tradition of medieval songs, and get plans for building a mechanical lamp and water fountain. - Laugh as you learn the simple wisdom of Goha, the universal "Charlie Chaplin" figure known across the Muslim world, and ponder deep questions raised by Muslim philosophers. - Follow Muslim geographers, scientists and travelers as they introduce chess and backgammon, make a pilgrimage to Makkah, and take a tour of 10th century Baghdad with one of its famous residents. - Find out what Egyptian scholar al-Jabarti thought of Napoleon’s invasion, and how the Syrian knight Usama viewed the Frankish crusaders. This resource is on the California Department of Education’s "Instructional Material Approved for Legal Compliance" list. 150 pages.