Baghdad's connections to the West

One reason Al-Mansur planned Baghdad as a circle was his love of the Ancient Greek science of mathematics. In the House of Wisdom, scholars translated Euclid’s book ‘The Elements’ and copies spread this knowledge in Europe. In the late 8th century CE the Anglo Saxon King of Mercia, Offa either had a gold coin made, or it was made for him. The coin, complete with Arabic script, is a copy of the golden dinars produced by Al Mansur, Offa’s contemporary. It shows how important the golden dinar had become in the Mediterranean world due to the Abbasid domination of trade.