The House of Wisdom, also known as the Grand Library of Baghdad, was a prominent Abbasid-era public academy and intellectual center in Baghdad, pivotal during the Islamic Golden Age. Initially, it may have begun as a private collection by the second Abbasid caliph al-Mansur in the mid-8th century or as a library under Caliph Harun al-Rashid in the late 8th century, evolving into a public academy and library under Caliph al-Ma'mun in the early 9th century.

Al-Mansur founded a palace library modeled after the Sassanian Imperial Library, and provided economic and political support to the intellectuals working there. He also invited delegations of scholars from India and other places to share their knowledge of mathematics and astronomy with the new Abbasid court.

In the Abbasid Empire, many foreign works were translated into Arabic from Greek, Chinese, Sanskrit, Persian and Syriac. The Translation Movement gained great momentum during the reign of caliph al-Rashid, who, like his predecessor, was personally interested in scholarship and poetry. Originally the texts concerned mainly medicine, mathematics and astronomy but other disciplines, especially philosophy, soon followed. Al-Rashid's library, the direct predecessor to the House of Wisdom, was also known as Bayt al-Hikma or, as the historian Al-Qifti called it, Khizanat Kutub al-Hikma (Arabic for "Storehouse of the Books of Wisdom").

Originating in a period of rich intellectual tradition, the House of Wisdom built upon earlier scholarly efforts during the Umayyad era and benefited from the Abbasids' interest in foreign knowledge and support for translation. Caliph al-Ma'mun significantly bolstered its activities, emphasizing the importance of knowledge, which led to advancements in science and the arts. His reign saw the establishment of the first astronomical observatories in Baghdad and major research projects.

The institution was not just an academic center but also played a role in civil engineering, medicine, and public administration in Baghdad. Its scholars were engaged in translating and preserving a vast array of scientific and philosophical texts. Despite its decline under caliph al-Mutawakkil, who moved away from the rationalist approach of his predecessors, the House of Wisdom remains a symbol of the golden age of Arab and Islamic learning.

Its destruction by the Mongols in 1258 led to the dispersal of its vast collection of manuscripts, with some being saved by Nasir al-Din al-Tusi. The loss symbolized the end of an era in Islamic history, highlighting the fragility of cultural and intellectual centers in the face of conquest and destruction.