Dear friends, I didn´t talk about "better" that is a subjective word and a respectable opinion. I talk about "precursor". And in all those things you said, byzantines (and persians) were the precursors, and arabs learned from them (and were a very good pupils, IMO). There were not "public illumination" or sewers, or great palaces, or sophisticated gardens at Muhammad´s Arabia. Those things arrived to arab culture after the conquer of Persia and the south-east byzantine territories at half-seventh century.
And Byzantines learned from romans.

That´s all.
Greets.