II.

History

Arabia was the site of a flourishing civilization long before the Christian era (see Arabia: Ancient Kingdoms). In the centuries following the death of the Prophet Muhammad in ad632, Arab influence spread throughout the Middle East, to parts of Europe, particularly Sicily and Spain, to sub-Saharan Africa, to the subcontinent of India, and to Madagascar and the Malay Archipelago. The cultural and scientific contributions of the Arabs to Western civilization during the Middle Ages was highly significant, especially in astronomy, mathematics, medicine, and philosophy.