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> The Pool of the Arches allows visitors to relive the city’s glorious past. Caliph Harun al Rashid, who commissioned the pool, ruled during the Golden Age of I

> The Pool of the Arches allows visitors to relive the city’s glorious past. Caliph Harun al Rashid, who commissioned the pool, ruled during the Golden Age of Islam, when economics, science and culture flourished from the western edge of the empire in Spain all the way into Asia. The significance and accomplishments of this period became clear as our boat glided through the dark water under the tall arches, still standing after more than 1,200 years. I know a cistern is a very neat thing to discover. I personally want to see it now. However, I can't help think that this is blown out of proportions. People were not idiots 1,000 years (and longer) ago. I'm glad the people of Ramla were able to build cisterns - but I fail to see how that confirms this shows "The significance and accomplishments of this period". edit: Thank you, the click-bait link title has been updated

dogma1138 10y ago
Yep last time I've checked the Roman aqueducts are still there and well the pyramids are also there (unless you think Stargate is an accurate historic account of events). People weren't stupid, and building big whilst labor intensive isn't particularly hard.
- rm_-rf_slash 10y ago
  It's plenty hard in an age before mechanization. You have to: -source materials and have them delivered -employ expert engineers and craftsmen -manage the financial needs of a project without electronic communication -ensure safety without the sophisticated techniques and supplies we take for granted in construction today (hard hats?) It's worth noting that the great pyramid of Giza was actually the third attempt, after the first pyramid collapsed under construction and the second had to be "bent" to avoid collapse as well. So I think it's fair to say that big building was actually quite difficult, even for seemingly simple projects.
- mkaziz 10y ago
  We marvel at those aqueducts and pyramids in the same way we marvel at this. WE shouldn't pooh-pah one accomplishment just because another exists that we're culturally more familiar with.
  - vilmosi 10y ago
    The aqueducts and pyramids are way older than this though.
trothamel 10y ago
Compare, for example, the Basilica Cistern. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_Cistern https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_Cistern It was built in Constantinople maybe 2 centuries earlier, and one would think that the technology persisted.
- yawz 10y ago
  My favorite historical place in Istanbul.
- 11thEarlOfMar 10y ago
  It's so obvious, I'm embarrassed to say it, but I can't help myself. The Mines of Moria.
  - Xeoncross 10y ago
    I don't remember anything in my history book about the Roman / Orc wars.
    - foota 10y ago
      Of course, the winners wrote the history books.
tmp12345 10y ago
I like this documentary if your are interested https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM8HnvuKbAo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM8HnvuKbAo
digikata 10y ago
I think it's representative of the ability of a civilization at that point in time, to think in the long term, having the capability to join knowledge with economic resources through the will to improve the lives of people. It brings the modern day into stark contrast, where we seem to have many critical areas where we are awash with knowledge that is not meeting up with the economic resources and the will to make progress. This seems to be a problem both at a grand scale, climate change, and more local scales like the Oroville dam. As a technology alone, the cistern is neat, but the building of it, and later abandonment has maybe more to tell us in the long run.
e40 10y ago
I didn't see it in a quick search: how did these people 1,000 years ago store water without it becoming contaminated?
aaron695 10y ago
We know how to build buildings kilometers tall, but we don't. We know how to go to the moon, and have gone to the moon, but we don't. We are not currently idiots, but I hope the future can be referred to as more 'significant and accomplished' It's not about the tech, it's about society getting together and doing stuff.

dogma1138 10y ago

Yep last time I've checked the Roman aqueducts are still there and well the pyramids are also there (unless you think Stargate is an accurate historic account of events). People weren't stupid, and building big whilst labor intensive isn't particularly hard.

rm_-rf_slash 10y ago
It's plenty hard in an age before mechanization. You have to: -source materials and have them delivered -employ expert engineers and craftsmen -manage the financial needs of a project without electronic communication -ensure safety without the sophisticated techniques and supplies we take for granted in construction today (hard hats?) It's worth noting that the great pyramid of Giza was actually the third attempt, after the first pyramid collapsed under construction and the second had to be "bent" to avoid collapse as well. So I think it's fair to say that big building was actually quite difficult, even for seemingly simple projects.
mkaziz 10y ago
We marvel at those aqueducts and pyramids in the same way we marvel at this. WE shouldn't pooh-pah one accomplishment just because another exists that we're culturally more familiar with.
- vilmosi 10y ago
  The aqueducts and pyramids are way older than this though.

trothamel 10y ago

Compare, for example, the Basilica Cistern. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_Cistern https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_Cistern It was built in Constantinople maybe 2 centuries earlier, and one would think that the technology persisted.

yawz 10y ago
My favorite historical place in Istanbul.
11thEarlOfMar 10y ago
It's so obvious, I'm embarrassed to say it, but I can't help myself. The Mines of Moria.
- Xeoncross 10y ago
  I don't remember anything in my history book about the Roman / Orc wars.
  - foota 10y ago
    Of course, the winners wrote the history books.

tmp12345 10y ago

I like this documentary if your are interested https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM8HnvuKbAo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM8HnvuKbAo

digikata 10y ago

I think it's representative of the ability of a civilization at that point in time, to think in the long term, having the capability to join knowledge with economic resources through the will to improve the lives of people. It brings the modern day into stark contrast, where we seem to have many critical areas where we are awash with knowledge that is not meeting up with the economic resources and the will to make progress. This seems to be a problem both at a grand scale, climate change, and more local scales like the Oroville dam. As a technology alone, the cistern is neat, but the building of it, and later abandonment has maybe more to tell us in the long run.

e40 10y ago

I didn't see it in a quick search: how did these people 1,000 years ago store water without it becoming contaminated?

aaron695 10y ago

We know how to build buildings kilometers tall, but we don't. We know how to go to the moon, and have gone to the moon, but we don't. We are not currently idiots, but I hope the future can be referred to as more 'significant and accomplished' It's not about the tech, it's about society getting together and doing stuff.