Conversation so far:
upon what type of economic activity were the economies of the islamic empires based
Early forms of proto-capitalism and free markets were present in the Caliphate and early form of merchant capitalism developed between the 8th and 12th centuries.
How far did trade reach in early Islamic empires?
During the Islamic Golden Age, isolated regions had contact with a far-reaching Muslim trade network covering most of the Old World.

Question: what was the Golden Age of the religion?
Self-contained rewrite: What was the Islamic Golden Age?