Age of Arabic
Halls of learning
Wander libraries and observatories where scholars once translated the world's knowledge.
A first-person quest through the Golden Age
Step into the Age of Arabic.
Wake in the streets of a Golden Age city. Every scholar, merchant and riddle you meet speaks Arabic, and the only way forward is to learn it.
A world to discover
Bustling souks
Bargain with merchants, read their signs and pick up the words you need to trade.
Scripts and secrets
Decode letters, calligraphy and inscriptions to unlock doors and hidden paths.
Culture and journeys
Travel caravan routes and discover the art, science and stories of the era.
Featured quest
The Merchant's Path
مِنَ السُّوقِ إِلَى العَالَم
Carry a copy of al-Dimashqī's guide to the merits of commerce into the great souk. Learn to tell good goods from bad, spot a dishonest trader, and haggle your way from a single sample to a caravan bound for distant ports, all in Arabic.
- بَحْثResearch
- مُقَارَنَةCompare
- مُسَاوَمَةHaggle
- عَيِّنَةSample
- جُمْلَةBuy in bulk
- شَحْنShip
بِكَمْ هٰذَا؟How much is this?
هَلْ لِي أَنْ أَرَى عَيِّنَةً؟May I see a sample?
مَا آخِرُ سِعْرٍ؟What's your final price?
وَإِنْ أَخَذْتُ كَمِّيَّةً؟And if I take a quantity?
Unlock a stall of your own: serve customers behind the counter for an hour, and keep a merchant's ledger of every sale.
Choose your path
Every quest is guided by a real book from the Golden Age. Master one craft, then cross into the next.
العُلُومSciences of the stars and the flask
عِلْمُ الفَلَك
Astronomy
Climb the observatory, wield an astrolabe and learn the Arabic names that still shine in our star maps.
Guide: al-Ṣūfī, Book of the Fixed Stars · al-Farghānī
الكِيمِيَاء
الكِيمِيَاء
Alchemy
Weigh, filter and distil in al-Rāzī's laboratory, turning matter and words into meaning.
Guide: al-Rāzī, The Book of Secrets
العِطْر
Perfumery
Gather jasmine, musk and amber and blend them by al-Kindī's own recipes, from flower to flask.
Guide: al-Kindī, The Chemistry of Perfume and Distillations
الفَلْسَفَة
الفَلْسَفَة
The Philosophers' Road
Follow young Ibn Sīnā from al-Kindī to al-Fārābī as he unlocks the secrets of Aristotle.
Guide: al-Kindī · al-Fārābī · Ibn Sīnā
الفُنُونArts of the pen, the oud and the heart
الخَطّ
Calligraphy
Cut a reed pen, measure letters by the dot and the alif, and copy like the masters of Baghdad.
Guide: Ibn al-Bawwāb, Ode on Calligraphy · Ibn Muqla
المُوسِيقَى
المُوسِيقَى
Music
Tune the oud, find the maqām and learn the language of rhythm in a lamplit majlis.
Guide: al-Fārābī, The Great Book of Music
الرَّقْص وَالحَرَكَة
Dance and Movement
Move to the daff at a celebration and learn the words of rhythm, ritual and joy.
Guide: Ibn al-Ṭaḥḥān, Ḥāwī al-Funūn
الحُبّ وَالشِّعْر
الحُبّ وَالشِّعْر
Love and Poetry
Trade verses and letters at court and learn the refined customs of affection and gifts.
Guide: Ibn Ḥazm, The Ring of the Dove · Ibn Dāwūd · al-Washshāʾ
الفُرُوسِيَّةWays of the knight
الرَّمْي
Archery
String the bow, nock, draw and release on command, with focus and discipline.
Guide: Ṭaybughā, The Sufficiency of Students in Archery
▶ Play this quest
المُبَارَزَة
Swordsmanship
Learn stance, distance and courtesy of the blade through Arabic command and response.
Guide: Ibn Hudhayl, Adornment of Horsemen
▶ Play this quest
الخَيْل
Horsemanship
Groom, saddle and ride, and win the trust of your horse in its own vocabulary.
Guide: Ibn Akhī Ḥizām, Book of Horsemanship
الفُتُوَّة
الفُتُوَّة
Futuwwa
Join a brotherhood of noble craftsmen and traders, where generosity and honour are the rules.
Guide: al-Sulamī, Kitāb al-Futuwwa
المَدِينَةLife in the city
التِّجَارَة
التِّجَارَة
Trade
Haggle in the souk and send your caravan to distant ports. See The Merchant's Path above.
Guide: al-Dimashqī, The Merits of Commerce
التَّفَاوُض
Negotiation and Diplomacy
Carry letters between rulers and find the words that turn rivals into allies.
Guide: al-Qalqashandī, Ṣubḥ al-Aʿshā · Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ
الطَّبْخ
الطَّبْخ
Cooking
Shop the market, cook from Baghdad's oldest cookbook and serve your guests with grace.
Guide: Ibn Sayyār al-Warrāq, The Book of Dishes
▶ Play this questHow you play
- ١Enter the city. Explore in first person, no Arabic needed to begin.
- ٢Learn by doing. Each quest teaches letters, words and phrases you use straight away to talk, read and solve puzzles.
- ٣Rise through the ages. Your Arabic grows as you go, opening new places, characters and stories.
Join the quest
The first chapter is ready to play now. Email us to hear first when new quests open.