Baghdad's connections to the East

Baghdad was connected to Asia and the East through trade and exchanges of knowledge. In 771 CE, the Indian astronomer Kanaka came to Baghdad, bringing the Siddhanta, a book about maths and astronomy. Translating this text led to Arabic mathematicians adopting decimal numbers which spread across the medieval world. Muslim scholars used Greek ideas and the influence of the Siddhanta to build observatories and invent the astrolabe. Baghdad merchants traded with the Tang, making long journeys to Guangzhou to trade incense for jade, silk and ceramics.