MOOC: The Cosmopolitan Medieval Arabic World

The Cosmopolitan Medieval Arabic World. A Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on Medieval Abbasid Baghdad. To access the course it is necessary to register on the platform Coursera, registration and participation are free. "The intended audience is BA-students and/ or an interested general audience.

"In this online course we will focus on the fascinating history of the Medieval Arabic world. We will take you on a journey through the Middle Ages starting off in eighth-century Baghdad. Along the old pilgrim trails we will go to places like Mecca, Jerusalem and Najaf. We will visit the Abbasid court, the Harem of the caliph, and the palace of the Mamluk Sultan.

We will show you some beautiful medieval manuscripts that live on as the silent witnesses of the impressive achievements of scientists and medical doctors of this forgotten era. European scholarship in the Renaissance leaned heavily on the texts and inventions from the Middle East, which were the outcome of this sophisticated advanced society.

All along we will present you with historiographical debates and dilemma’s, reflecting on the way we look at and interpret history. And while taking you on this journey, we will travel back and forth in time explaining to you how events of the past affected and shaped the world as we know it today. Join us for the MOOC on The Cosmopolitan Medieval Arabic World!