The Government founded wherein thirty marvelous schools...

The Government founded wherein thirty marvelous schools; the most famous of them was al-Nizāmiya. [3] Moreover it established therein public libraries the most important of which is: The Depository of Wisdom Hārūn al-Rashid brought to it his personal library and added to it the books which were collected by his father al-Mahdi and his grandfather al-Mansūr. Then al-Mamūn asked the Emir of Siqliya for some philosophical and scientific books.

He added these books to the Depository of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikma) after he had received them as well as he brought to it may books form Khurasān. Wherever he heard of a book, he brought the book to it. [4] [1] Al-A'lām, vol. 5, p. 29. [2] Ibn Khullakān, Wafayāt al-A'yān, vol. 2, p. 426. [3] Rihlat Ibn Jubayr, p. 208. [4] Hayāt al-Imām Mohammed al-Jawād, p. 197. Sahl b. Hārūn b.

Rāhbūn was a scribe in the Depository of Wisdom, and then he was appointed by al-Mamūn as a keeper of the philosophical books which were brought from the Island of Cyprus. When al-Mamūn made peace with the leader of the Island, he asked him to send him the books which were collected by the Greeks in a house and which none came to know except them.

So the leader of the Island gathered his retinues and men of opinion and counseled with them about carrying the books to al-Mamūn, and they advised him not to carry them to him except one archbishop who said to him: I think that you should be quick in sending the books to him, for if these sciences enter a state, they will corrupt it and sow division among its scholars; therefore, send them to al-Mamūn. Al-Mamūn became delighted at them and appointed Sahl as a keeper over them.

[1] It is worth mentioning that Ghaylān al-Fārisi was the general keeper of the library and was scribe of al-Rashid and al-Mamūn. This library continued supplying researchers and scholars with various kinds of science. When Hulagu, the Mongol shedder of blood, occupied Baghdad, he destroyed the library, and hence Islam world lost its most important heritage.

The Translation of Books Among the aspects of the development of the cultural and scientific life in that time was translating books from foreign languages into Arabic including medical, mathematical, astronomical books as well as philosophical and political sciences. In his book al-Fihrast, Ibn al-Nadim has mentioned many names of these books. Hanin b. Ishāq was the head of the Translation Department. Ibn al-Nadim narrated: Al-Mamūn exchanged letters with the Romanian King.