original_query: What is the significance of Muslim scholars during the Umayyad period?
query: What is the significance of Muslim scholars during the Umayyad period?
answer: During the Umayyad era, Muslim scholars collected books in Damascus, forming a library called "Bayt al-Hikma."  They translated works from Greek, Latin, and Persian in fields like medicine, alchemy, and mathematics. They also adopted paper-making techniques from the Chinese and employed scholars from various backgrounds to translate and develop new knowledge, contributing significantly to the flourishing of scholarship in the Arab world.