Book 1 - Everyday Life in Fatimid Times
I am water used for trading and am connected to the Mediterranean Sea. Who am I?
The Nile River
Why did Mawlana Shah Karim create AKDN? What is one of the goals of AKDN?
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is dedicated to:
1. Improve the quality of life of those in need.
2. Provide service irrespective of their origin, faith or gender.
3. Help communities and individuals become self-reliant.
What does AKDN stand for?
Aga Khan Development Network
What festivals were celebrated during the Fatimid Times and are still celebrated today by Ismailis?
Eid al-fitr, Eid al-azha, Navroz, Eid al-Ghadir, and Milad al-Nabi
Give the definition of astronomy and provide an example of how it relates to our faith.
Astronomy is the science of studying stars, planets, and other celestial bodies. Allah has created the heavens and earth and has said that He has created everything for a purpose and to explore His creations is to become closer to Him.
The Fatimid Empire was established by ____________ in North Africa.
A) Imam Moez
B) Imam Al-Mehdi
C) Imam Shah Karim
Imam Al-Mehdi, the 11th Imam of the Ismailis
What kinds of things do the Imamat institutions build around the world to improve people's quality of life?
Schools, hospitals, Jamatkhanas, and parks
The Aga Khan University trains people in which type of professions to help communities in different parts of the world?
Doctors, nurses, and teachers
True or False: Astrology is the practice of studying rainfall and how it affects life on earth.
False. Astrology is the practice of studying stars to see how they affect life on earth.
Telling time was one of the problems which astronomers in Muslim lands worked on. What is one way they used to tell time?
Sundial, Sun Shadows, & Water Clock. Sundials were used to determine the daily prayer times.
Name 3 types of goods that could be found at the bazaar.
Perfumes, spices, jewelry, silk, fruits, vegetables, porcelain, glass, linen, wool, paper, wheat, barely, rice, nuts, and books
True or False: While the Fatimid Empire was ruled by Ismaili Imams, this empire was home to Muslims, Christians, and Jews.
True. The Fatimid Caliphs (also the Imams of the Ismailis) encouraged people of different faiths to live in peace with one another.
How did the Imamat institutions help Badakhshan when they didn't have food to survive?
The Imamat institutions taught farmers to group crops using better methods of farming and provided the people with new seeds and fertilizer to improve their crops.
What took place to get to the books we have today? How were books invented?
It took sharing of knowledge to get to the book we have today. Many inventions required members of different groups to share their knowledge. Someone had to invent writing (Sumerians of Mesopotamia), then ink (Ancient Egypt & China), then paper (China), the printing press (China & Germany), and then eventually we got to the bound and colorful book we have today.
Muslim astronomers improved the design of the astrolabe. What is this instrument?
The astrolabe was one of the most important tools of the astronomer. It was like a modern calculator. It made difficult calculations much easier, such as finding the time of sunrise on a particular day or the position of a star.
Identify one place of learning that was built to enhance the quality of life for the people of the Fatimid Empire.
Al-Azhar Mosque
Dar al-Ilm (House of Knowledge)
Why were the Ismaili Imams who ruled as the Fatimid Caliphs in North Africa and Egypt known as the Fatimids?
Because they were the direct descendants of Hazrat Fatimah, the Prophet's daughter
Name one of the AKDN institutions, what it stands for, and how it helps people.
Aga Khan Health Services, Aga Khan Academies, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Aga Khan Foundation, Aga Khan Education Services, Aga Khan University, University of Central Asia, Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance, Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development
What invention was designed by Fatimid caliph, Imam al-Muizz?
Fountain pen
Which number system developed into our present-day numerals?
Arabic numerals
List one role that the Imam Caliph played in the growth of civilization during Fatimid times.
- Ensured welfare of the people
- Built cities, mosques, places of learning
- Built new dams and canals
- Listen to the petitions of people when they were treated fairly
- Assisted pilgrims to travel to Makkah
Jawhar al-Siqilli discovered a large rectangular area, north-east of Fustat. This city is called _____ today and was the geographic location of the Fatimid Empire.
Cairo
What is the difference between Institution of Imamat and Imamat Institution?
Imamat Institution – institutions that the Imam has set up to help people in various countries; most of these have the words “Aga Khan” as part of their name
Institution of Imamat – the lineage of Imamat with Hazrat Ali being the first Imam after the Prophet’s death
The first book on algebra was written by the great Muslim mathematician Muhammad al-Khwarizmi. The word Algebra comes from which Arabic root word and what does it mean?
Al-Jabr, meaning bringing back order.
Muslim scholars learned a great deal from the works of earlier civilizations and advanced this knowledge by adding new ideas. Name one civilization they learned from.
Indians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Babylonians