Today, few people have heard of Jundi Shapur. But in its time, it was an exceptional university. Jundi Shapur was built in what is now Iran sometime between the 400s and mid-500s A.D. We can only guess the dates, but we do know more about the school. It was the meeting place of the world's great minds. In 529, Christians closed the school of Athens—the last link to the academies of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. The remaining Greek scholars moved to Jundi Shapur. Jews joined them, as did a group of Christians called Nestorians, who had their own ancient and scholarly traditions. Persians added their voices, and one of their learned doctors set off for what is now India, to gather and translate the wisdom of the Hindus. The school created the very first teaching hospital in the world, a place where the sick were treated and young doctors learned their craft, as well as a fine observatory to track the heavens. At Jundi Shapur the best scholars west of China all gathered to think and study together. –Sugar Changed the World, Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos What is the central idea of the passage? Jundi Shapur was most famous for its teaching hospital and observatory. Jundi Shapur allowed teachers and students from different cultures to share ideas. Jundi Shapur included the ideas of scholars such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Jundi Shapur is barely known today, but it was an important place in the Middle East.