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The glory of Baghdad with its mosques and palaces, its temples of learning, its fragrant gardens, was reproduced.. in Basra, in Bokhara, in Granada and Cordoba. It is written of the last-named city that.. it contained more than 20,000 houses and more than a million inhabitants and that a man after sunset might walk in a straight line for ten miles along paved and illuminated streets-- yet in Europe centuries later there was not a paved street in Paris nor a public lamp in London. (47:1) Cordoba was the first University founded in Europe, and in its halls multitudes of Christian scholars received instruction, among them being Gilbert who afterwards became Sylvester Ii, the brilliant Pope of Rome. (47:2) Inevitably.. this advanced civilization influenced the course of life and thought in Europe. Through the Muslim outpost in Sicily and the scintillating brilliance of Muslim Spain, through.. scholars.. Muslim universities.. traders.. diplomats.. travellers.. soldiers.. sailors and reconquered peasants, new ideas, techniques, and attitudes passed from Islam to Western Europe. (47:3) Then.. in 1094.. the Pope.. called.. the faithful.. to drive the Saracen hosts out of the sacred Christian shrine.. Europe lept up at his word and for well-nigh two hundred years.. this.. war.. continued.. The Christians ultimately withdrew in ignominious and complete defeat and Islam remained in possession of all the Holy Places she had owned before.
(47:4)
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