Harun al-Rashid & the House of Wisdom
786–809 CE · The Abbasid Caliphate & Golden Age
The Abbasid caliphate reaches its cultural peak under Harun al-Rashid and his son al-Ma'mun. The Bayt al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom) is established — a library, translation bureau, and research institute. Scholars translate Greek, Persian, Indian, and Syriac texts into Arabic. Letters are exchanged with Charlemagne; Baghdad and the Frankish court share astronomical observations.