Analysis of the Impact of Urbanization During the Samanid Dynasty on the Expansion of Natural Sciences Based on Ibn Khaldun’s Theory of Civilization

The Samanid dynasty is known for the expansion of urban life, the growth of religious and civil institutions in Transoxiana and Khorasan, and its support for scholars and the development of natural sciences. It seems possible to establish a meaningful relationship between the expansion of urbanization under the Samanid rule and the growth of natural sciences during this period, as research shows that Iranian Islamic cities, as centers of commerce, culture, and education, played a significant role in the scientific developments of the Islamic era. Ibn Khaldun, in a part of his theory of civilization that deals with the factors influencing the diversity, growth, and decline of civility in societies, provides a theoretical explanation of the relationship between urbanization and its economic and cultural consequences, and its impact on the expansion of industries, crafts, arts, and natural sciences in the city. The problem of this article is to examine this relationship in that era using the concepts of Ibn Khaldun's theory. This theory also serves as an explanatory model within Islamic civilization and has not been considered by researchers concerning the topic and subject of this article. The question is: how can the relationship between the expansion of natural sciences and the Samanid urbanization policy be explained using Ibn Khaldun's theory? According to Ibn Khaldun's theory of civilization, states build cities by gaining power, and by creating security for urban life, wealth, prosperity, and leisure expand in cities. Consequently, support for industries, crafts, and natural sciences grows in response to the desire for luxury in urban civilization, along with the establishment and expansion of scientific and educational institutions, which also plays a role in the growth of natural sciences. The findings of the article show that this explanatory model of Ibn Khaldun elucidates the relationship between the development of urbanization under the Samanids and the growth of natural sciences during that period.