For much of the 20th century, it was widely assumed that early modern Arabic-Islamic civilisation had been in an advanced state of 'decadence' or 'sclerosis'. The 'golden' or 'classical' age of... Show moreFor much of the 20th century, it was widely assumed that early modern Arabic-Islamic civilisation had been in an advanced state of 'decadence' or 'sclerosis'. The 'golden' or 'classical' age of Arabic-Islamic civilisation had, it was believed, come to an end in the 13th or 14th century, giving way to a 'dark age' of intellectual stagnation - an age of 'imitation and compilation' - that lasted until the 19th century 'renaissance' (nahda). This sad intellectual state of affairs was also thought to mirror an imagined economic and demographic decline attributed to Ottoman (mis)rule and/or shifts in international trade routes. Show less