Lecture 2 translation history in the west and in the east. Plan: translation history in the west

2. TRANSLATION HISTORY IN THE EAST.
Translation of the antique period in the east
Writing about Central Asian history of translation activity and ideas, in general, in the period of antiquity is a too difficult task to research. Different conditions gave no reason to investigate or simply for the lack of information about the antique period of the East (we consider that in that period people did pay attention to translation, but mainly religious, political conditions didn’t allow to develop it - the authors). We may only highlight some information from sources like «Avesta» (Zaroastrian religion writings), Beruny’s «Asorul-Bakia» («Souvenirs left by ancient people»), ancient Iranian writings, and books of Greek and Chinese historians. English and French scientists pioneered to translate the texts of «Avesta» into their languages (1755-58).
Questions

1. 
   Why “Avesta”, “Asorul Bakia” and others play an important role to investigate about ancient culture?
   
2. 
   What reasons didn’t give a way to keep many books, works till our time?
   
3. 
   From what sources can we find information about ancient period of Asia?
   
4. 
   Into how many languages “Avesta” was translated?
   

Translation in the I-IX centuries
There were two great translation schools. 1) Baghdad translation school, which was busy with translating, commentating and copying out of classic Greek scientists' works in Arabian (the scientific center of Arabian Caliphate), 2) Toledo translation school, in Spain, which was busy with translating Arabic scientific literature into Western European languages. Both of them played great role in the development of World science.
Arab Caliph Harun Al-Rashid and his son Al-Ma’mun played a key-role. They gathered different scientists in the IX century and created scientific center there.
By the initiation of Al-Ma’mun “Baytul-Hikma” (“The house of Sages”) was founded in Baghdad which was very famous in the East. European scientists recognized this center in the XIX century. In this academy there were all conditions including scientific labs, conference hall, and madrasah for students, observatory, workshop for reconstruction and binding of manuscripts, a large library containing about 400 thousand books. Hundreds of scientists of the East worked in the Academy. Translators translated foreign books and manuscripts into Arabian. The scientists in “Baytul-Hikma” were from Turkistan, especially from Khorazm, Ferghana, Bukhara, Shash, Samarkand and Khurasan. The main activity of the academy was translation. The books and manuscripts in the library of the academy were the translations from ancient Babylonian, Greek, Hebrew, Egyptian, Indian, Persian and etc.
Questions

1. 
   What school of translation was founded by Al-Ma’mun in the East?
   
2. 
   What role this academy played?
   
3. 
   What kind of scientists worked in “Baytul Hikma”?
   
4. 
   What other scientific centers were existed?
   
5. 
   How scientists developed translation in Asia?
   
6. 
   Why western books works were so important for eastern scholars?