Due to differences in history, culture and circumstances, the ancient Muslim world and the Byzantine empire developed with very different scientific objectives and achievements. Muslims worked with a wide variety of mathematical and scientific work, while the Byzantine Empire focused on architecture. These different directions will affect both the inhabitants of the empires themselves and those in their surrounding areas in the years to come. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe ancient Muslim Empire made great advances, mainly in the fields of astronomy, mathematics and medicine, thanks to Islam, their capital, Baghdad, and the House of Wisdom. . The reason why Islam helped turn the population toward the sciences begins with its prophet Mohammad, who personally supported learning in these fields (Beck, 274). However, a more important advancement in astronomy was specifically the need to know this area to fulfill 3/5 of the pillars of Islam: fasting during the month of Ramadan, performing the hajj, and praying towards Mecca (Beck, 275 ). The religious need to measure time and position eventually created the Astrolabe, consisting of a fixed plate containing a map of the sky and a rotating "rete" simulating the movement of the Earth (Beck, 275). Later, the House of Wisdom was opened in Baghdad as a library, academy, and translation center for scholars of all faiths and cultures (Beck, 276). Texts on everything from philosophy to medicine would be translated from Greek, Indian, and Persian languages ​​into Arabic (Beck, 276). The House of Wisdom has given birth to many great scholars. For example, Muslim scholars believed that mathematics was “the basis of all knowledge,” which led the mathematician Al-Khwarizmi to study Indian sources (Beck, 278). He then wrote about al-jabr, or “the art of putting unknowns together to correspond to a known quantity,” known today as Algebra (Beck, 278). Another mathematician, Ibn al-Haytham, wrote Optics on vision, going against common belief by saying that rays go from objects to eyes instead of the other way around (Beck, 278). This knowledge was used in the manufacture of telescope lenses and microscopes (Beck, 278). Another important science studied in Baghdad was medicine, studied notably by the Persian al-Razi, probably the best physician of his time (Beck, 278). His comprehensive book was an encyclopedia of knowledge from Greek, Syrian, Arabic, Indian, and personal sources (Beck, 278). This shows the positive effects of the cultural diversity of the House of Wisdom. The Byzantine Empire focused its scientific studies on architectural achievements, strongly influenced by history and religion. Byzantine architecture was inspired by that of its predecessor, Rome (Greenfield). However, the Byzantines developed many aspects of Roman architecture. For example, commonly used pendants were four curved, indented triangles used to construct large domes (Trachtenberg, Hersey). They were often seen in churches, which played a large role in Byzantine architecture and culture (Trachtenberg, Hersey). One of these churches was Hagia Sofia, known as “the most splendid church in the Christian world” (Beck, 303). This was rebuilt on the orders of Justinian, who considered the churches the most visible sign of his empire's link between Church and State (Beck, 303). Justinian had.