- Timeline of Islamic science and engineering
This timeline of
Islamic science and engineering covers the general development of science and technology in theIslamic world during theIslamic Golden Age , usually dated from the 7th to 16th centuries.From the 17th century onwards, the advances made by
Muslim scientists and engineers occurred both within and outside of the Islamic world. For the timeline of Muslim scientists and engineers during the modern period, seeTimeline of modern Muslim scientists and engineers .All year dates are given according to the
Gregorian calendar except where noted.7th century
*
610 -632 [empiricism, theology] TheQur'an , which was revealed during this time, emphasized the use ofempirical observation andreason .Ahmad, I. A. (June 3, 2002), [http://images.agustianwar.multiply.com/attachment/0/RxbYbQoKCr4AAD@kzFY1/IslamicCalendar-A-Case-Study.pdf The Rise and Fall of Islamic Science: The Calendar as a Case Study] , "Faith and Reason: Convergence and Complementarity",Al Akhawayn University . Retrieved on 2008-01-31.] [quote|"Observe nature and reflect over it."|Qur'an (cf. C. A. Qadir (1990), "Philosophy and Science in the lslumic World",Routledge , London)
(cf. Bettany, Laurence (1995), "Ibn al-Haytham: an answer to multicultural science teaching?", "Physics Education" 30: 247-252 [247] )] [cite quran|17|36|quote=You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them.] [cite quran|2|164|quote=Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the benefit of mankind; in the rain which Allah Sends down from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth - (Here) indeed are Signs for a people that are wise.] It has been claimed that the Qur'an also contains knowledge that was far ahead of its time (seeQur'an and science andIslam and science for the debate on this topic).*
610 -632 [astrology] Severalhadith s attributed toMuhammad show that he was generally opposed to astrology as well assuperstition in general. An example of this is when aneclipse occurred during his sonIbrahim ibn Muhammad 's death, and rumours began spreading about this being God's personal condolence. Muhammad is said to have replied: "An eclipse is a phenomenon of nature. It is foolish to attribute such things to the death or birth of a human being." [citation|first=James A.|last=Michene|title=Islam: The Misunderstood Religion|journal=Reader's Digest |date=May 1955|pages=68–70]*
610 -632 [medicine]Muhammad is reported to have made the following statements on earlyIslamic medicine : "There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment"; [Sahih al-Bukhari , Bukhari-usc|7|71|582] "Make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it, with the exception of one disease, namely old age"; [Sunan Abi Dawood , [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/abudawud/028.sat.html 28:3846] ] "Allah has sent down both the disease and the cure, and He has appointed a cure for every disease, so treat yourselves medically"; [Sunan Abi Dawood , [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/abudawud/028.sat.html 28:3865] ] "The one who sent down the disease sent down the remedy." [Al-Muwatta , Muwatta-usc|50|5|12|] The belief that there is a cure for every disease encouraged Muslims at the time to seek out aremedy for every disease known to them.*
610 -632 [medicine, pathology] Early ideas on contagion can be traced back to severalhadith s attributed toMuhammad , who is said to have understood the contagious nature ofleprosy ,mange , andsexually transmitted disease . [Lawrence I. Conrad and Dominik Wujastyk (2000), "Contagion: Perspectives from Pre-Modern Societies", "A Ninth-Century Muslim Scholar's Discussion".Ashgate , ISBN 0754602583.] These early ideas on contagion arose from the generally sympathetic attitude of Muslim physicians towards lepers (who were often seen in a negative light in other ancient and medieval societies) which can be traced back through hadiths attributed to Muhammad and to the following advice given in theQur'an : "There is no fault in the blind, and there is no fault in the lame, and there is no fault in the sick." [Michael W. Dols (1983), "The Leper in Medieval Islamic Society", "Speculum" 58 (4), p. 891-916.]*
622 [calendar]Islamic calendar developed byMuhammad .*
634 -644 [technology]Windmill invented inAfghanistan during the time of theRashidun caliph ,Umar .Ahmad Y Hassan ,Donald Routledge Hill (1986). "Islamic Technology: An illustrated history", p. 54.Cambridge University Press . ISBN 0-521-42239-6.]*
650 -704 [alchemy]Calid (Khalid ibn Yazid), anUmayyad prince, was the first Muslim alchemist, and he translated the literature on Egyptianalchemy into theArabic language .8th century
* 700s - [astronomy, technology]
Brass astrolabe developed byMuhammad al-Fazari . [Richard Nelson Frye . "Golden Age of Persia", p. 163]* 700s - [ceramics, pottery] From the eighth to eighteenth centuries, the use of glazed ceramics was prevalent in
Islamic art , usually assuming the form of elaboratepottery . [Mason (1995), p. 1] Tin-opacified glazing was one of the earliest new technologies developed by the Islamic potters. The first Islamic opaque glazes can be found as blue-painted ware inBasra , dating to around the 8th century.Mason (1995), p. 5]* 700s - [ceramics, glass, industry, pottery] The first industrial
factory complex forIslamic pottery andglass production is built inAr-Raqqah ,Syria . Extensiveexperiment ation is carried out at the complex, which is twokilometre s in length, and a variety of innovative high-purity glass are developed there. Two other similar complexes are also built, and nearly three hundred new chemical recipes for glass are produced at all three sites. [citation|first1=J.|last1=Henderson|first2=S. D.|last2=McLoughlin|first3=D. S.|last3=McPhail|year=2004|title=Radical changes in Islamic glass technology: evidence for conservatism and experimentation with new glass recipes from early and middle Islamic Raqqa, Syria|journal=Archaeometry|volume=46|issue=3|pages=439–68]*
702 -765 - [chemistry]Ja'far al-Sadiq , refutedAristotle 's theory of the fourclassical element s and theorized that each one is made up of differentchemical element s: "I wonder how a man like Aristotle could say that in the world there are only four elements - Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. TheEarth is not an element. It contains many elements. Eachmetal , which is in the earth, is an element." Al-Sadiq also developed a particle theory, which he described as follows: "The universe was born out of a tiny particle, which had two opposite poles. That particle produced anatom . In this waymatter came into being. Then the matter diversified. This diversification was caused by thedensity or rarity of the atoms." Al-Sadiq also wrote a theory on the opacity and transparency ofmaterial s. He stated that materials which aresolid andabsorbent are opaque, and materials which are solid andrepellent are more or less transparent. He also stated that opaque materials absorbheat .Research Committee of Strasburg University, "Imam Jafar Ibn Muhammad As-Sadiq A.S. The Great Muslim Scientist and Philosopher", translated by Kaukab Ali Mirza, 2000. Willowdale Ont. ISBN 0969949014.]*
715 -800 - [ceramics, pottery]Lustreware is invented inIraq by the Arabian chemist, Jabir ibn Hayyan (Geber), during theAbbasid caliphate . [cite web |url=http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%2091.htm |title=Lustre Glass |accessdate=2008-03-29|last=Hassan |first=Ahmad Y |authorlink=Ahmad Y Hassan |work=History of Science and Technology in Islam] [cite web |url= http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%209.htm |title=Lazaward And Zaffer Cobalt Oxide In Islamic And Western Lustre Glass And Ceramics |accessdate=2008-03-29|last=Hassan |first=Ahmad Y |authorlink=Ahmad Y Hassan |work=History of Science and Technology in Islam]*
715 -815 - [chemistry]Geber (Jabir ibn Hayyan), a Muslim chemist, is "considered by many to be the father of chemistry",citation|first=Zygmunt S.|last=Derewenda|year=2007|title=On wine, chirality and crystallography|journal=Acta Crystallographica Section A: Foundations of Crystallography|volume=64|pages=246–258 [247] |doi=10.1107/S0108767307054293] [John Warren (2005). "War and the Cultural Heritage of Iraq: a sadly mismanaged affair", "Third World Quarterly", Volume 26, Issue 4 & 5, p. 815-830.] [Dr. A. Zahoor (1997). [http://www.unhas.ac.id/~rhiza/saintis/haiyan.html JABIR IBN HAIYAN (Geber)] .University of Indonesia .] for introducing theexperiment alscientific method for chemistry, as well as laboratory apparatus such as thealembic ,still andretort , and chemical processes such as puredistillation ,liquefaction ,crystallisation ,purification ,oxidisation ,evaporation andfiltration . He also invented more than twenty types of laboratory apparatus. His collection of works (known as the "Jabirian corpus") include "The elaboration of the Grand Elixir", "The chest of wisdom" in which he introducesnitric acid , "Kitab al-Istitmam" (later translated to Latin as "Summa Perfectionis"), and many others.*
715 -815 - [alchemy]Geber , also a Muslim alchemist, introduces theories on the transmutation of metals, thephilosopher's stone , and "Takwin ", the artificial creation of life in the laboratory. He also further developed the fiveclassical element s into seven elements by adding twometal s:sulfur (‘the stone which burns’ that characterized the principle of combustibility) and mercury (which contained the idealized principle of metallic properties) as 'elements'.*
715 -815 - [chemical substances] In contrast to the ancients ("the onlyacid known to the ancients wasvinegar "), Jabir was the first to produce a number of other acids:mineral acid s such asnitric acid ,sulfuric acid andhydrochloric acid ,Robert Briffault (1938). "The Making of Humanity", p. 195.]Ahmad Y Hassan , [http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%2071.htm Transfer Of Islamic Technology To The West, Part II: Transmission Of Islamic Engineering] , "History of Science and Technology in Islam".]uric acid ,acetic acid , [Olga Pikovskaya, [http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2005/tc20050329_3316.htm Repaying the West's Debt to Islam] , "BusinessWeek ",March 29 ,2005 .]citric acid ,tartaric acid andaqua regia .cite web|last=Hassan|first=Ahmad Y|authorlink=Ahmad Y Hassan|url=http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%2072.htm|title=Technology Transfer in the Chemical Industries|accessdate=2008-05-26|publisher=Ahmad Y Hassan ] Severalchemical element s were also first discovered byGeber :arsenic ,antimony andbismuth .George Sarton , "Introduction to the History of Science" (cf. Dr. A. Zahoor and Dr. Z. Haq (1997), [http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/Introl1.html "Quotations From Famous Historians of Science"] , [http://www.cyberistan.org Cyberistan] )] citation|title=Electrocyclic reactions: from fundamentals to research|first1=Farzana Latif|last1=Ansari|first2=Rumana|last2=Qureshi|first3=Masood Latif|last3=Qureshi|year=1998|publisher=Wiley-VCH|isbn=3527297553|page=2] Geber was also the first to classifysulfur and mercury as 'elements'.Strathern, Paul. (2000). Mendeleyev’s Dream – the Quest for the Elements. New York: Berkley Books.] He also discovered a number of otherchemical substances .*
715 -815 - [crystallography]Crystallization is invented byGeber .*
715 -815 - [glass]Geber wrote on adding colour toglass by adding small quantities of metallicoxide s to the glass, such asmanganese dioxide (magnesia ). These coloured glass were a new advancement in the glass industry unknown in antiquity. [cite web |url=http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%209.htm |title=The Manufacture of Coloured Glass |accessdate=2007-09-03|last=Hassan |first=Ahmad Y |authorlink=Ahmad Y Hassan |work=History of Science and Technology in Islam]*
715 -815 - [chemical technology, glass] In the "Book of the Hidden Pearl",Geber scientifically described 46 original recipes for producing coloured glass, in addition to 12 recipes inserted by al-Marrakishi in a later edition of the book; the first recipes for themanufacture of artificialpearl s and for thepurification of pearls that were discoloured from the sea or from grease; the first recipes for thedying and artificial colouring ofgemstone s andpearl s; the first recipes for themanufacture ofglue fromcheese ; and inventedplated mail for use inarmour s ("jawasin"),helmet s ("bid") andshield s ("daraq").cite web |url=http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%2092.htm |title= The Colouring of Gemstones, The Purifying and Making of Pearls And Other Useful Recipes |accessdate=2008-03-29|last=Hassan |first=Ahmad Y |authorlink=Ahmad Y Hassan |work=History of Science and Technology in Islam] and first described the production of high quality coloured glass cut into artificialgemstone s.cite web |url=http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%2093.htm |title=Assessment of "Kitab al-Durra al-Maknuna" |accessdate=2008-03-29|last=Hassan |first=Ahmad Y |authorlink=Ahmad Y Hassan |work=History of Science and Technology in Islam]*
715 -815 - [chemistry]Destructive distillation is developed by Arabic chemists.*
740 -828 - [animal husbandry, botany, zoology]Al-Asma'i was the earliest Arab biologist, botanist and zoologist; his works include the "Book of Distinction", "Book of the Wild Animals", "Book of the Horse", and "Book of the Sheep".*
751 - [technology]Papermaking is introduced to the Islamic world from Chinese prisoners after theBattle of Talas .*
754 - [medicine, pharmacy] The firstpharmacy anddrugstore s are opened inBaghdad .S. Hadzovic (1997). "Pharmacy and the great contribution of Arab-Islamic science to its development", "Medicinski Arhiv" 51 (1-2), p. 47-50.] The firstapothecary shops are also opened in the Islamic world. [Sharif Kaf al-Ghazal, "Jounal of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine", 2004 (3), pp. 3-9 [8] .]*
763 -809 - [library] TheHouse of Wisdom is founded by theAbbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid .*
763 -809 - [medicine] "The first freepublic hospital was opened inBaghdad during theCaliphate of Haroon-ar-Rashid."citation|last=Sir Glubb|first=John Bagot|author-link=John Bagot Glubb|year=1969|title=A Short History of the Arab Peoples|url=http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/quote2.html#glubb|accessdate=2008-01-25] These "Bimaristan s" were hospitals in the modern sense, an establishment where the ill were welcomed and cared for by qualified staff. In this way, Muslim physicians were the first to make a distinction between a hospital and other different forms ofhealing temple s,sleep temple s,hospice s,assylum s,lazaret s andleper -houses, all of which in ancient times were more concerned with isolating thesick and themad from society "rather than to offer them any way to a true cure." The medieval Bimaristan hospitals are thus considered "the first hospitals" in the modern sense of the word. [citation|last=Micheau|first=Francoise|contribution=The Scientific Institutions in the Medieval Near East|pages=991-2, in Harv|Morelon|Rashed|1996|pp=985-1007]*
763 -800 - [medicine, psychiatry, psychology] The firstpsychiatric hospital s and insane asylums are built by the Muslim Arabs inBaghdad and thenFes .Ibrahim B. Syed PhD, "Islamic Medicine: 1000 years ahead of its times", "Journal of the Islamic Medical Association", 2002 (2), p. 2-9 [7-8] .]*
764 -800 - [petroleum, civil engineering] The streets of the newly constructedBaghdad are paved withtar , derived frompetroleum , coming from naturaloil fields in the region, through the process ofdestructive distillation .*
770 - [astronomy, mathematics] An Indian astronomer visits the court ofCaliph Al-Mansur , and brings with him the "Surya Siddhanta " and the works ofAryabhata andBrahmagupta .*
777 - [astronomy, mathematics]Muhammad al-Fazari andYaqūb ibn Tāriq translate the "Surya Siddhanta " and "Brahmasphutasiddhanta ", and compile them as the "Zij al-Sindhind", the firstZij treatise. [Citation |last=Kennedy |first=Edward S. |year=1956 |title=A Survey of Islamic Astronomical Tables |journal=Transactions of the American Philosophical Society |volume=46 |issue=2 |doi=10.2307/1005726 |pages=123 ]*
794 - [industry, technology] The firstpaper mill s are created inBaghdad , marking the beginning of thepaper industry. [ [http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=329 The Beginning of the Paper Industry] , Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation]* c.
796 - [astronomical instruments] The first person credited for building thebrass astrolabe in the Islamic world is reportedlyMuhammad al-Fazari . [Richard Nelson Frye , "Golden Age of Persia", p. 163.]* late 700s - early 800s - [musical science]
Mansour Zalzal of Kufa. Musician (luth ) and composer of theAbbasid era. Contributedmusical scale s that were later named after him (theMansouri scale ) and introduced positions (intervals) within scales such as the "wasati-zalzal" that wasequidistant from the "alwasati alqadima" and "wasati al-fors". Made improvements on the design of the luth instrument and designed the Luth. Teacher of Is-haq al-Mawsili.*
700 -900 - [legal science]Charitable trust first developed inIslamic law as the "Waqf . [Harvard reference |last=Gaudiosi |first=Monica M. |title=The Influence of the Islamic Law of Waqf on the Development of the Trust in England: The Case of Merton College |year=1988 |journal=University of Pennsylvania Law Review |volume=136 |issue=4 |date=April 1988 |pages=1231-1261 ] [Harvard reference |last=Hudson |first=A. |title=Equity and Trusts |year=2003 |edition=3rd |publisher=Cavendish Publishing |location=London |isbn=1-85941-729-9 |p=32]9th century
*
721 -900 - [chemistry]Chemical process es first described by Muslim chemists include: assation (orroasting ), cocotion (or digestion),ceration ,lavage ,solution ,mixture , and fixation. [Diane Boulanger (2002), "The Islamic Contribution to Science, Mathematics and Technology: Towards Motivating the Muslim Child", "OISE Papers in STSE Education", Vol. 3.] Arab chemists were the first to producepurified water , throughwater purification anddistillation , used forwater supply systems and for long journeys across deserts where the supplies were uncertain.George Rafael, [http://archive.salon.com/books/feature/2002/01/08/alphabet/index.html A is for Arabs] , "Salon.com ",January 8 ,2002 .]Petrol is also first produced by Muslim chemists. [Deborah Rowe, [http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/S/science/society/islamicscience2.html How Islam has kept us out of the 'Dark Ages'] , "Science and Society", "Channel 4 ", May 2004.]*
721 -925 - [chemical technology] In his "Secretum secretorum" (Latinized title),Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi (Rhazes) described the following tools that were invented by him and his Muslim predecessors (Calid ,Geber andAl-Kindi ) formelting substances ("li-tadhwib"):hearth ("kur"),bellow s ("minfakh aw ziqq"),crucible ("bawtaqa"), the "but bar but" (in Arabic) or "botus barbatus" (in Latin),tongs ("masik aq kalbatan"),scissors ("miqta"),hammer ("mukassir"), file ("mibrad").Georges C. Anawati, "Arabic alchemy", p. 868, in Harv|Rashed|Morelon|1996|pp=853-902]*
721 -925 - [chemical technology]Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi described the following tools that were invented by him and his Muslim predecessors for the preparation ofdrug s ("li-tadbir al-aqaqir"):cucurbit andstill with evacuation tube ("qar aq anbiq dhu-khatm"), receiving matras ("qabila"), blind still (without evacuation tube) ("al-anbiq al-ama"),aludel ("al-uthal"),goblet s ("qadah"),flask s ("qarura" or "quwarir"),rosewater flasks ("ma wariyya"),cauldron ("marjal aw tanjir"),earthenware pots varnished on the inside with their lids ("qudur aq tanjir"),water bath orsand bath ("qadr"),oven ("al-tannur" in Arabic, "athanor" in Latin), small cylindirical oven for heatingaludel ("mustawqid"),funnel s,sieve s,filter s, etc.*
721 -925 - [chemical substances]Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi wrote that he and his Muslim predecessors (Calid ,Geber andal-Kindi ) invented the following derivative and artificialchemical substance s:lead(II) oxide (PbO),red lead (Pb3O4),tin(II) oxide ("Isfidaj"),copper acetate ("Zaniar"),copper(II) oxide (CuO),lead sulfide ,zinc oxide ,bismuth oxide ,antimony oxide, ironrust ,iron acetate , "Daws" (a contituent ofsteel ),cinnabar (HgS),arsenic trioxide (As2O3),alkali ("al-Qili"),sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), and "Qalimiya" (anything that separates from metals during their purification).*
721 -925 - [chemical substances]Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi classified the naturalchemical substance s that were discovered by him and his Muslim predecessors (mainlyCalid , Geber,al-Kindi and al-Tamimi) as follows: Four spirits (mercury,sal ammoniac ,arsenic ,sulfur ), eight fusible metals (gold ,silver ,copper ,iron ,tin ,lead , mercury), rhirteen stones ("marqashisha, maghnisiya, daws" (a constituent of iron andsteel ), "tutiya",lapis lazuli ,malachite green ,turquoise ,hematite , arsenicoxide ,lead sulfide , "talq" (mica andasbestos ),gypsum ,glass ), sixvitriol s (black vitriol,alum , "qalqand, qalqadis, qalqatar, suri"), sevenborate s (borax ,bread borax,natron ,nitrate ,sodium nitrate ,potassium nitrate ,sodium borate), and thirteen salts (lead(II) acetate (sweet),magnesium sulfate (bitter), "andarani"salt , "tabarzad",potassium nitrate ,naphthenate ,black salt (Indian), salt of egg,alkali ("al-qali"), salt ofurine ,calcium hydroxide (slaked lime), salt ofoak ashes, natron).cite web |url= http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%2010.htm |title= Arabic Alchemy: Science of the Art |accessdate=2008-03-29 |last=Hassan |first=Ahmad Y |authorlink=Ahmad Y Hassan |work=History of Science and Technology in Islam]*
780 -850 - [astronomical instruments]Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī (Algorismi) invents the quadrant,mural instrument , sine quadran, horary quadrant,David A. King , "Islamic Astronomy", in Christopher Walker (1999), ed., "Astronomy before the telescope", p. 167-168.British Museum Press. ISBN 0-7141-2733-7.] andalhidade . [David A. King (2002). "A Vetustissimus Arabic Text on the Quadrans Vetus", "Journal for the History of Astronomy" 33, p. 237-255 [238-239] .]*
789 -857 - [cosmetics, cuisine, fashion, hygiene]Ziryab ("Blackbird") opens a beauty parlour or “cosmetology school” for women nearAlcázar ,Al-Andalus , where he introduces a "shorter, shaped cut, with bangs on the forehead and the ears uncovered." He also taught "the shaping ofeyebrow s and the use of chemical depilatories for removing body hair", and he introduced newperfume s andcosmetics .citation|last=Lebling Jr.|first=Robert W.|title=Flight of the Blackbird|journal=Saudi Aramco World |date=July-August 2003|pages=24-33|url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200407/flight.of.the.blackbird-.compilation..htm |accessdate=2008-06-29] Ziryab is also known to have invented an earlytoothpaste , which he popularized throughout Islamic Spain. The exact ingredients of this toothpaste are not currently known, but it was reported to have been both "functional and pleasant to taste."citation|last=Sertima|first=Ivan Van|year=1992|title=The Golden Age of the Moor|page=267|publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=1560005815] He also invented under-armdeodorant s and "new shorthairstyle s leaving the neck, ears and eyebrows free,"Salma Khadra Jayyusi and Manuela Marin (1994), "The Legacy of Muslim Spain", p. 117,Brill Publishers , ISBN 9004095993] as well as shaving for men. He also introduced the three-course meal, insisting that meals should be served in three separate courses consisting ofsoup , themain course , anddessert .Salma Khadra Jayyusi and Manuela Marin (1994), "The Legacy of Muslim Spain", p. 117,Brill Publishers , ISBN 9004095993]*
800 - [medicine, psychiatry, psychology] The firstpsychiatric hospital and insane asylum in Egypt is built by Muslim physicians inCairo .*
800 -868 - [biology, language, linguistics, zoology] 'Amr ibn Bahral-Jahiz wrote a number of works onzoology ,Arabic grammar ,rhetoric , andlexicography . His most famous work is the "Book of Animals", in which he was the first to discussfood chain s, [Frank N. Egerton, "A History of the Ecological Sciences, Part 6: Arabic Language Science - Origins and Zoological", "Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America", April 2002: 142-146 [143] ] and was an early adherent ofenvironmental determinism , arguing that the environment can determine the physical characteristics of the inhabitants of a certain community and that the origins of differenthuman skin color s is the result of the environment. [Lawrence I. Conrad (1982), "Taun and Waba: Conceptions of Plague and Pestilence in Early Islam", "Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient" 25 (3), pp. 268-307 [278] .] He was also the first to describe the struggle for existence [Conway Zirkle (1941). Natural Selection before the "Origin of Species", "Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society" 84 (1), p. 71-123.] and an early theory onevolution bynatural selection . [Mehmet Bayrakdar (Third Quarter, 1983). "Al-Jahiz And the Rise of Biological Evolutionism", "The Islamic Quarterly".London . [http://www.salaam.co.uk/knowledge/al-jahiz.php] ]*
800 -873 - [technology] TheBanū Mūsā brothers write the "Book of Ingenious Devices ", in which they describe their following inventions:valve ,float valve , feedback controller,Otto Mayr (1970). "The Origins of Feedback Control",MIT Press .]float chamber ,automatic control , Automaticflute player, Programmablemachine ,Teun Koetsier (2001). "On the prehistory of programmable machines: musical automata, looms, calculators", "Mechanism and Machine theory" 36, p. 590-591.] Trickdrinking vessel s,gas mask , grab, clamshell grab,fail-safe system,hurricane lamp , self-feedingoil lamp , self-trimmingoil lamp ,Harvard reference |last=Hill |first=Donald R. |authorlink=Donald Routledge Hill |title=Mechanical Engineering in the Medieval Near East |journal=Scientific American |year=1991 |date=May 1991 |pages=64-69 (cf. Citation |last=Hill |first=Donald R. |author-link=Donald Routledge Hill |url=http://home.swipnet.se/islam/articles/HistoryofSciences.htm |title=Mechanical Engineering |accessdate=2008-01-22)] mechanicalmusical instrument , andHydropower ed organ.citation|title=The Museum of Music: A History of Mechanical Instruments|first=Charles B.|last=Fowler|journal=Music Educators Journal|volume=54|issue=2|date=October 1967|pages=45-49]* 800s - [education] The first
universities in the modern sense, namely institutions ofhigher education andresearch which issueacademic degree s at all levels (bachelor, master anddoctorate ), were medievalmadrasah s known as "Jami'ah" founded in the 9th century.citation|last=Makdisi|first=George|title=Scholasticism and Humanism in Classical Islam and the Christian West|journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume=109|issue=2|date=April-June 1989|pages=175-182 [175-77] ] The first universities in Europe were influenced in many ways by the madrasahs in Islamic Spain and theEmirate of Sicily at the time, and in theMiddle East during theCrusades . The Islamic scholarly system of "fatwa " and "ijma ", meaningopinion andconsensus respectively, formed the basis of the "scholarly system the West has practised in universityscholarship from theMiddle Ages down to the present day."*
800s - [chemistry, petroleum]Oil field s first appear inBaku ,Azerbaijan , and generate commercial activities and industry. These oil fields, whereoil well s are dug to get the "Naft" (naphta , or crudepetroleum ), are described by geographerMasudi in the 10th century and byMarco Polo in the13th century , who described the output of those wells as hundreds of shiploads.* 800s - [education, legal science]
Madrasah s were the firstlaw school s, and it is likely that the "law schools known asInns of Court in England" may have been derived from the madrasahs which taught Islamic law and jurisprudence.citation|last=Makdisi|first=John A.|title=The Islamic Origins of the Common Law|journal=North Carolina Law Review |year=1999|date=June 1999|volume=77|issue=5|pages=1635-1739]* 800s - [legal science, education] The origins of the
doctorate dates back to the "ijazat attadris wa 'l-ifta'" ("license to teach and issue legal opinions") in the medieval Islamiclegal education system, which was equivalent to theDoctor of Laws qualification and was developed during the 9th century after the formation of the "Madh'hab " legal schools. To obtain a doctorate, a student "had to study in aguild school of law, usually four years for the basic undergraduate course" and ten or more years for a post-graduate course. The "doctorate was obtained after an oral examination to determine the originality of the candidate's theses," and to test the student's "ability to defend them against all objections, indisputation s set up for the purpose" which were scholarly exercises practiced throughout the student's "career as a graduate student of law." After students completed their post-graduate education, they were awarded doctorates giving them the status of "faqih " (meaning "master of law "), "mufti " (meaning "professor of legal opinions") and "mudarris" (meaning "teacher"), which were later translated intoLatin as "magister", "professor " and "doctor " respectively.citation|last=Makdisi|first=George|title=Scholasticism and Humanism in Classical Islam and the Christian West|journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume=109|issue=2|date=April-June 1989|pages=175-182 [175-77] ]* 800s - [ceramics, pottery] Another significant contribution of
Islamic pottery was the development of stonepaste ceramics, originating from 9th century Iraq.* 800s - [chemistry] The first
oil field s andoil well s are created inBaku ,Azerbaijan , in order to producenaphtha .Coffee was also invented byKhalid inEthiopia .* 800s - [milling technology] The
water turbine is invented by Muslim engineers in the Islamic world.* 800s - [astronomical instruments] Muslim astronomers invent the universal
sundial [David A. King, "Islamic Astronomy", pp. 168-169] and universal horarydial [Harvard reference |last=King |first=David A. |year=2005 |title=In Synchrony with the Heavens, Studies in Astronomical Timekeeping and Instrumentation in Medieval Islamic Civilization: Instruments of Mass Calculation |publisher=Brill Publishers |isbn=900414188X ] [Harvard reference |last=King |first=David A. |year=2003 |date=December 2003 |title=14th-Century England or 9th-Century Baghdad? New Insights on the Elusive Astronomical Instrument Called Navicula de Venetiis |journal=Centaurus |volume=45 |issue=1-4 |pages=204-226 ] inBaghdad . The first navigational astrolabe was also invented in the medieval Islamic world, and employed the use of a polar projection system. [Robert Hannah (1997). "The Mapping of the Heavens" by Peter Whitfield", "Imago Mundi" 49, pp. 161-162.]*
800 -873 - [chemistry, environment, medicine, philosophy, physics] Ibn IshaqAl-Kindi (Latinized, "Alkindus") contributed toearly Islamic philosophy ,Islamic physics , optics,Islamic medicine ,Islamic mathematics , cryptography, andmetallurgy . He Worked at theHouse of Wisdom which was set up in810 . He introducesquantification into medicine in his "De Gradibus ", and he is the first to isolateethanol (alcohol ) as a pure compound.cite web |url=http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%207.htm |title=Alcohol and the Distillation of Wine in Arabic Sources |accessdate=2008-03-29 |last=Hassan |first=Ahmad Y |authorlink=Ahmad Y Hassan |work=History of Science and Technology in Islam]*
810 -888 - [aviation, glass, medicine, technology]Abbas Ibn Firnas "was apolymath : a physician, a rather bad poet, the first to makeglass from stones (quartz ), a student of music, and inventor of some sort ofmetronome ." He contributed to the mechanics offlight ,planetarium , and artificialcrystal s, and he made the earliest recorded attempt at controlledflight . He also designed awater clock , devised means of manufacturing colorlessglass , developed a chain of rings that could be used to display the motions of the planets and stars, and developed a process for cutting rockcrystal . Another one of his inventions was an artificial weathersimulation room, in which spectators sawstar s andcloud s, and were astonished by artificialthunder andlightning due tomechanism s hidden in thebasement .Lynn Townsend White, Jr. (Spring, 1961), "Eilmer of Malmesbury, an Eleventh Century Aviator: A Case Study of Technological Innovation, Its Context and Tradition", "Technology and Culture" 2 (2), p. 97-111 [100-1] ] He also describescorrective lens and clear colourless high-purityglass ,cite web |url=http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%2093.htm |title=Assessment of "Kitab al-Durra al-Maknuna" |accessdate=2008-03-29|last=Hassan |first=Ahmad Y |authorlink=Ahmad Y Hassan |work=History of Science and Technology in Islam] and inventssilica glass andfused quartz glass.*
813 -833 - [library] A large number ofancient Greek ,Sanskrit andPahlavi texts on mathematics and astronomy are translated into Arabic atBaghdad 'sHouse of Wisdom ("Bayt al-Hikma") duringAl-Ma'mun 's time.* 813 - 833 - [education, medicine] The first
medical school s are founded in Baghdad during Al-Ma'mun's time. These also became the first medicaluniversities , whereacademic degree s anddiploma s ("ijazah ") were issued to those students who were qualified to be practisingdoctors of medicine .*
820 - [mathematics]Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī (Persian name: خوارزمي, Arabicized name الخوارزمي "al-Khwarizmi", Latinized name "Algorithm") wrote the "Hisab al-jabr w'al-muqabala" ("Calculus of resolution and juxtaposition"), more briefly referred to as "al-jabr", oralgebra . "Algebra was a unifying theory which allowedrational number s,irrational number s,geometrical magnitudes, etc., to all be treated as "algebraic objects". It gavemathematics a whole new development path so much broader in concept to that which had existed before, and provided a vehicle for future development of the subject. Another important aspect of the introduction of algebraic ideas was that it allowed mathematics to be applied to itself in a way which had not happened before." [http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Arabic_mathematics.html Arabic mathematics] , "MacTutor History of Mathematics archive ",University of St Andrews , Scotland] As Rashed writes: "Al-Khwarizmi's successors undertook a systematic application ofarithmetic to algebra, algebra to arithmetic, both totrigonometry , algebra to the Euclideantheory of numbers , algebra to geometry, and geometry to algebra. This was how the creation ofpolynomial algebra ,combinatorial analysis ,numerical analysis , the numerical solution ofequation s, the new elementary theory of numbers, and the geometric construction of equations arose."R. Rashed, "Entre arithmétique et algèbre: Recherches sur l'histoire des mathématiques arabes" (Paris, 1984)] R. Rashed, "The development of Arabic mathematics : between arithmetic and algebra" (London, 1994)]*
820 - [mathematics]Al-Mahani (full name Abu Abdollah Muhammad ibn Isa Mahani - in ArabicAl-Mahani ). Conceived the idea of reducing geometrical problems such as duplicating the cube to problems in algebra.*
828 -896 [agriculture, astronomy, biology, botany, Earth sciences, meteorology]Al-Dinawari , the founder of Arabic botany, writes the "Book of Plants", which describes at least 637 plants; discussesplant evolution from its birth to its death, describing the phases ofplant growth and the production of flowers and fruit. He also deals with the applications ofIslamic astronomy andmeteorology toagriculture : he describes the astronomical and meteorological character of the sky, theplanet s andconstellation s, thesun andmoon , thelunar phase s indicatingseason s andrain , the "anwa" (heavenly bodies of rain), and atmospheric phenomena such as winds, thunder, lightning, snow, floods, valleys, rivers, lakes, wells and other sources of water. He also deals with theEarth sciences in the context of agriculture: he considers the Earth, stone and sands, and describes different types ofground , indicating which types are more convenient for plants and the qualities and properties of good ground.citation|last=Fahd|first=Toufic|contribution=Botany and agriculture|pages=815, in Harvard reference |last1=Morelon |first1=Régis |last2=Rashed |first2=Roshdi |year=1996 |title=Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science |volume=3 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415124107 |pages=813-852]*
836 -901 [anatomy; astronomy; mathematics; mechanics]Thabit Ibn Qurra (Latinized, Thebit) studied at Baghdad'sHouse of Wisdom under theBanu Musa brothers. He made many contributions to mathematics, particularly ingeometry andnumber theory . He discovered the theorem by which pairs ofamicable number s can be found; i.e., two numbers such that each is the sum of the proper divisors of the other. Later,al-Baghdadi (b. 980) andal-Haytham (born 965) developed variants of the theorem.*
838 -870 - Tabari (full name:Ali ibn Sahl Rabban Al-Tabari ). Medicine, Mathematics,Calligraphy , Literature. [http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/ Islamic civilization] , Cyberistan]* mid-
800s - [chemistry]Al-Kindi writes on thedistillation ofwine as that ofrose water and gives 107 recipes forperfume s, in his book "Kitab Kimia al-`otoor wa al-tas`eedat" ("Book of the chemistry of perfumes and distillations").*
850 /858 -929 - [astronomy - mathematics]Al-Battani (Albatenius) writes works on astronomy and trigonometry. He is mentioned twenty-three times in Copernicus' work "De revolutionibus orbium celestium (On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres)". [M. Gill (2005), [http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00005502&channel=university%20ave Was Muslim Astronomy the Harbinger of Copernicanism?] ]*
850 -930 [mathematics] bornAbu Kamil of Egypt (full name, Abu Kamil Shuja ibn Aslam ibn Muhammad ibn Shuja) Forms an important link in the development of algebra betweenal-Khwarizmi andal-Karaji . Despite not using symbols, but writing powers of x in words, he had begun to understand what we would write in symbols as .*
852 - [aviation, flight]Abbas Ibn Firnas (Armen Firman) made the first successfulparachute fall using a huge wing-like cloak to break his fall, nearCórdoba, Spain .*
859 - [education] TheUniversity of Al Karaouine inFes, Morocco , is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldestacademic degree -grantinguniversity in the world with its founding in 859 by the princess Fatima al-Fihri. ["The Guinness Book Of Records", 1998, p. 242, ISBN 0-5535-7895-2]* ca.
860 - [astronomy, engineering]Al-Farghani ("Algraganus") contributes toIslamic astronomy andcivil engineering .*
864 -930 - [chemistry, medicine]Al-Razi (Rhazes) wrote on "Naft" (naphta orpetroleum ) and its distillates in his book "Kitab sirr al-asrar " ("Book of the secret of secrets"). When choosing a site to build Baghdad's hospital, he hung pieces of fresh meat in different parts of the city. The location where the meat took the longest torot was the one he chose for building the hospital. He advocated that patients not be told their real condition so thatfear or do not affect thehealing process. He wrote the earliest descriptions onalkali ,caustic soda ,glycerine , and he first described the modern formula forsoap and invented thesoap bar . [http://www.1001inventions.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.viewBlogEntry&intMTEntryID=2724 The invention of cosmetics] . "1001 Inventions".] He also Gave descriptions of equipment, processes and methods in his book "Kitab al-Asrar" ("Book of Secrets") in925 , and he was the first to clearly describe and differentiate betweenmeasles andsmallpox . He was also a pioneer ofchemotherapy [ [http://www.muslimheritage.com/uploads/The_Valuable_Contributions_of_al-Razi_in_the_History_of_Pharmacy.pdf The Valuable Contribution of al-Razi (Rhazes) to the History of Pharmacy] , FSTC] andantiseptic s.*
870 -950 -Al-Farabi (Al-Pharabius) contributes toearly Islamic philosophy ,early Muslim sociology ,logic in Islamic philosophy ,political science , andmusical science .*
875 - [aviation, flight]Abbas Ibn Firnas made the first recorded attempt at controlled flight employing a glider .*
889 - [navigation]Khashkhash Ibn Saeed Ibn Aswad made the earliest known attempt to cross theAtlantic Ocean . According toAbu al-Hasan 'Alī al-Mas'ūdī 's "The fields of gold and the mines of jewels", Khashkhash Ibn Saeed Ibn Aswad, fromDelba (Palos de la Frontera ) crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 889 and returned with a shipload of valuable treasures (seePre-Columbian Andalusian-Americas contact theories ).10th century
*
800 -1000 [technology] The firstwind power edgristmill s and sugar refineries appear inAfghanistan ,Pakistan andIran .Adam Lucas (2006), "Wind, Water, Work: Ancient and Medieval Milling Technology", p. 65. BRILL, ISBN 9004146490.] The firstgear ed gristmills [Donald Routledge Hill (1996), "Engineering", p. 781, in Harvard reference |last1=Rashed |first1=Roshdi |last2=Morelon |first2=Régis |year=1996 |title=Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415124107 |pages=751-95] and the on/offswitch are also invented by Muslim engineers. [ F. L. Lewis (1992), "Applied Optimal Control and Estimation", Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey.] Other inventions from the Islamic world include thepaned window , street lamp,Fielding H. Garrison , "History of Medicine":quote|"TheSaracen s themselves were the originators not only ofalgebra ,chemistry , andgeology , but of many of the so-called improvements or refinements of civilization, such as street lamps,window -panes,firework , stringed instruments, cultivatedfruit s,perfume s,spice s, etc..."] Mercuryescapement mechanism,bridge dam and Millingdam inIran ,Adam Lucas (2006), "Wind, Water, Work: Ancient and Medieval Milling Technology", p. 62. BRILL, ISBN 9004146490.]diversion dam inIraq ,Donald Routledge Hill (1996), "Engineering", p. 759, in Harvard reference |last1=Rashed |first1=Roshdi |last2=Morelon |first2=Régis |year=1996 |title=Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415124107 |pages=751-795] andlitter collection,waste container s andWaste disposal inAl-Andalus .S. P. Scott (1904), "History of the Moorish Empire in Europe", 3 vols, J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and London.
F. B. Artz (1980), "The Mind of the Middle Ages", Third edition revised,University of Chicago Press , pp 148-50.
(cf. [http://www.1001inventions.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.viewSection&intSectionID=441 References] , 1001 Inventions)]*
800 -1000 [drinking industry]Soft drink s, [Juliette Rossant (2005), [http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200505/the.world.s.first.soft.drink.htm The World's First Soft Drink] , "Saudi Aramco World ", September/October 2005, pp. 36-9] [http://www.1001inventions.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.viewBlogEntry&intMTEntryID=2889 The World's First Soft Drink.] 1001 Inventions, 2006.]sherbet s andsyrup are invented in the Islamic world.*
800 -1000 The firstpublic library andlending library are built in the Islamic world.Peter Barrett (2004), "Science and Theology Since Copernicus: The Search for Understanding", p. 18,Continuum International Publishing Group , ISBN 056708969X.] Thelibrary catalog is also invented in Islamic libraries. [citation|last=Micheau|first=Francoise|contribution=The Scientific Institutions in the Medieval Near East|pages=988-991 in Harvard reference |last1=Morelon |first1=Régis |last2=Rashed |first2=Roshdi |year=1996 |title=Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science |volume=3 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415124107 |pp=985-1007]*
800 -1300 [environmental science] The earliest known treatises dealing withenvironmentalism andenvironmental science , especiallypollution , were Arabic medical treatises written byal-Kindi ,Qusta ibn Luqa ,al-Razi ,Ibn Al-Jazzar ,al-Tamimi ,al-Masihi ,Avicenna ,Ali ibn Ridwan , Ibn Jumay,Isaac Israeli ben Solomon ,Abd-el-latif , Ibn al-Quff, andIbn al-Nafis . Their works covered a number of subjects related to pollution such asair pollution ,water pollution ,soil contamination ,municipal solid waste mishandling, andenvironmental impact assessment s of certain localities. [L. Gari (2002), "Arabic Treatises on Environmental Pollution up to the End of the Thirteenth Century", "Environment and History" 8 (4), pp. 475-488.] Cordoba,al-Andalus also had the firstwaste container s andwaste disposal facilities forlitter collection. [S. P. Scott (1904), "History of the Moorish Empire in Europe", 3 vols, J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and London.
F. B. Artz (1980), "The Mind of the Middle Ages", Third edition revised,University of Chicago Press , pp 148-50.
(cf. [http://www.1001inventions.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.viewSection&intSectionID=441 References] , 1001 Inventions)]*
800 -1300 [medicine, urology] Insexual health , Muslim physicians and pharmacists identified the issues ofsexual dysfunction anderectile dysfunction , and they were the first to prescribemedication for the treatment of these problems. They developed several methods oftherapy for this issue, including the single drug method where adrug is prescribed, and a "combination method of either a drug orfood ." These drugs were also occasionally used forrecreational drug use to improvemale sexuality in general by those who did not suffer from sexual dysfunctions. Most of these drugs were oral medication, though a few patients were also treated throughtopical and transurethral means. Sexual dysfunctions were being treated with tested drugs in the Islamic world since the 9th century until the 16th century by a number of Muslim physicians and pharmacists, includingIbn Al-Jazzar ,Al-Razi ,Thabit bin Qurra ,Avicenna ("The Canon of Medicine "),Averroes ,Ibn al-Baitar , andIbn al-Nafis ("The Comprehensive Book on Medicine").A. Al Dayela and N. al-Zuhair (2006), "Single drug therapy in the treatment of male sexual/erectile dysfunction in Islamic medicine", "Urology" 68 (1), p. 253-254.]*
865 -925 [chemistry, medicine]Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi (Rhazes), in his "Doubts about Galen", was the first to prove bothAristotle 's theory ofclassical element s andGalen 's theory ofhumorism wrong using anexperiment al method. He carried out an experiment which would upset these theories by inserting a liquid with a different temperature into a body resulting in an increase or decrease of bodily heat, which resembled the temperature of that particular fluid. Al-Razi noted particularly that a warm drink would heat up the body to a degree much higher than its own natural temperature, thus the drink would trigger a response from the body, rather than transferring only its own warmth or coldness to it. Al-Razi's chemical experiments further suggested other qualities of matter, such as "oil iness" and "sulfur ousness", orinflammability andsalinity , which were not readily explained by the traditional fire, water, earth and air division of elements. [G. Stolyarov II (2002), "Rhazes: The Thinking Western Physician", "The Rational Argumentator", Issue VI.]*
858 -1048 [astronomical instruments] The first reference to an "observation tube" is found in the work ofAl-Battani , and the first exact description of the observation tube was given byal-Biruni , in a section of his work that is "dedicated to verifying the presence of the new cresent on the horizon." Though these early observation tubes did not have lenses, they "enabled an observer to focus on a part of the sky by eliminatinglight interference." These observation tubes were later adopted inLatin -speaking Europe, where they influenced the development of thetelescope . [Regis Morelon, "General Survey of Arabic Astronomy", pp. 9-10, in Harv|Rashed|Morelon|1996|pp=1-19]*
865 -925 [chemical technology]Kerosene was produced from thedistillation ofpetroleum and was first described byal-Razi (Rhazes) inBaghdad . In his "Kitab al-Asrar" ("Book of Secrets"), he described two methods for the production of kerosene. One method involved usingclay as anabsorbent , while the other method involved usingammonium chloride ("sal ammoniac"). Al-Razi also described the firstkerosene lamp s ("naffatah") used for heating andlighting in his "Kitab al-Asrar" ("Book of Secrets"). These were used in theoil lamp industry. [Zayn Bilkadi (University of California, Berkeley ), "The Oil Weapons", "Saudi Aramco World ", January-February 1995, p. 20-27.]*
865 -925 [alchemy]Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi writes that the onlyvegetable substance used by Muslim alchemists are the ashes of the "Ushnan"plant , from which they producedalkali metal s andalkali salts. Razi also lists tenanimal substances that were used by him and his contemporary alchemists:hair ,skull s,brain s,bile ,blood ,milk ,urine , eggs,nacre (mother of pearl) and horn. He writes that hair, brains, bile, eggs, skulls and blood were used to preparesal ammoniac .*
865 -925 [chemical processes]Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi first described the following chemical processes:calcination ("al-tashwiya").solution ("al-tahlil"), sublimation ("al-tas'id"),amalgam ation ("al-talghim"),ceration ("al-tashmi"), and a method of converting a substance into a thickpaste or fusible solid.*
900s - [mathematics, accounting] By this century, three systems of counting are used in the Arab world. Finger-reckoning arithmetic, with numerals written entirely in words, used by the business community; the sexagesimal system, a remnant originating with theBabylonians , with numerals denoted by letters of thearabic alphabet and used by Arab mathematicians in astronomical work; and theHindu-Arabic numeral system , which was used with various sets of symbols. Its arithmetic at first required the use of a dust board (a sort of handheldblackboard ) because "the methods required moving the numbers around in the calculation and rubbing some out as the calculation proceeded."Al-Uqlidisi (born920 ) modified these methods for pen and paper use. Eventually the advances enabled by thedecimal system led to its standard use throughout the region and the world.* 900s - [technology] The first milling
factory is built inBaghdad .Donald Routledge Hill (1996), "Engineering", p. 783, in Harvard reference |last1=Rashed |first1=Roshdi |last2=Morelon |first2=Régis |year=1996 |title=Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science |volume=1 & 3 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415124107 |pages=751-95]* 900s - [astronomy, mathematics, technology] The cartographic grid is invented in
Baghdad ,David A. King, "Reflections on some new studies on applied science in Islamic societies (8th-19th centuries)", "Islam & Science", June 2004] andgraph paper is also invented in the Islamic world. [David J Roxburgh (2000), "Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World", p. 21,Brill Publishers , ISBN 9004116699.] [Josef W. Meri (2006), "Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia", p. 75,Taylor and Francis , ISBN 0415966914.] [David A. King (1999), "World-maps for Finding the Direction and Distance to Mecca: Innovation and Tradition in Islamic Science", p. 17,Brill Publishers , ISBN 9004113673.]* 900s - Muslim astronomers also invent the
almucantar quadrant, [Elly Dekker (1995), "An unrecorded medieval astrolabe quadrant from c. 1300", "Annals of Science" 52 (1), p. 1-47 [6] .] navigational astrolabe, [Robert Hannah (1997). "The Mapping of the Heavens" by Peter Whitfield", "Imago Mundi" 49, pp. 161-162.] verticalsundial , and polar sundial.citation|first=David A.|last=King|contribution=Astronomy and Islamic society|pages=163-8, in Harvard reference |last1=Rashed |first1=Roshdi |last2=Morelon |first2=Régis |year=1996 |title=Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science |volume=1 & 3 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415124107 |pages=128-184]* 900s - [chemistry] Shaving soap is invented by Arabic chemists.
* 900s - [medicine]
Alcohol is first employed for medical uses by Arabic physicians.*
800 -1000 - Muslim engineers invented a variety ofsurveying instruments for accuratelevelling , including: a wooden board with aplumb line and twohook s, anequilateral triangle with a plumb line and two hooks, and a "reed level". They also invented a rotatingalhidade used for accurate alignment, and a surveyingastrolabe used for alignment, measuring angles,triangulation , finding thewidth of ariver , and the distance between two points separated by an impassable obstruction. [Donald Routledge Hill (1996), "Engineering", pp. 766-9, in Harv|Rashed|Morelon|1996|pp=751-95]*
903 -986 - [astronomical instruments]Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi (Latinized name, "Azophi") first described over 1,000 different uses of anastrolabe , in areas as diverse as astronomy, astrology, horoscopes, navigation,surveying ,time keeping,Qibla ,Salah prayer, etc.cite web|author=Dr. Emily Winterburn (National Maritime Museum )|url=http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=529|title=Using an Astrolabe|publisher=Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation|year=2005|accessdate=2008-01-22]*
964 - [astronomy]Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi writes the "Book of Fixed Stars ", astar catalogue thoroughly illustrated with observations and descriptions of thestar s, their positions, theirapparent magnitude s and their colour. He identified theLarge Magellanic Cloud , which is visible fromYemen , though not from Isfahan; it was not seen by Europeans until Magellan's voyage in the 16th century. cite web | title=Observatoire de Paris (Abd-al-Rahman Al Sufi) | url=http://messier.obspm.fr/xtra/Bios/alsufi.html | accessdate=2007-04-19 ] cite web | title=Observatoire de Paris (LMC) | url=http://messier.obspm.fr/xtra/ngc/lmc.html | accessdate=2007-04-19 ] He also made earliest recorded observation of theAndromeda Galaxy in 964 AD; describing it as a "small cloud".cite book |last= Kepple |first= George Robert |coauthors= Glen W. Sanner |title= The Night Sky Observer's Guide, Volume 1 |publisher= Willmann-Bell, Inc. |year= 1998 |id= ISBN 0-943396-58-1 |pages=18 ] He also catalogued the Omicron Velorumstar cluster as a "nebulous star", and an additional "nebulous object" in Vulpecula, a cluster now variously known as Al Sufi's Cluster, the "Coathangerasterism ",Brocchi's Cluster or Collinder 399.*
909 -950 [ceramics, pottery] TheHispano-Moresque style ofIslamic pottery emerged inAndalusia under theFatimid s.*
920 [mathematics] Bornal-Uqlidisi . Modified arithmetic methods for the Indian numeral system to make it possible for pen and paper use. Until then, doing calculations with the Indian numerals necessitated the use of a dust board as noted earlier.*
927 -928 - [astronomical instruments] The [http://www.soas.ac.uk/visitors/gallery/previous/islamicpatronage/popup25732.html earliest surviving example] of anastrolabe is dated 315 AH in theIslamic calendar .*
936 -1013 [medicine]Al-Zahrawi (Latinized name, Albucasis)Surgery , Medicine. Called the "Father of Modern Surgery."*
940 -997 [astronomy; mathematics] Muhammad Al-Buzjani. Mathematics, Astronomy, Geometry, Trigonometry.*
940 [mathematics] BornAbu'l-Wafa al-Buzjani . Wrote severaltreatise s using the finger-counting system of arithmetic, and was also an expert on the Indian numerals system. About the Indian system he wrote: " [it] did not find application in business circles and among the population of the EasternCaliphate for a long time." Using the Indian numeral system, abu'l Wafa was able to extract roots.*
945 -1000 [cuisine] Some of the earliestrestaurant s came into existence through the medieval Islamic world at this time. The Islamic world had "restaurants where one could purchase all sorts of prepared dishes." These restaurants were mentioned byAl-Muqaddasi (born 945) in the late 10th century. [citation|title=Daily Life in the Medieval Islamic World|first=James E.|last=Lindsay|year=2005|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=0313322708|page=131]*
953 [mathematics] Bornal-Karaji of Karaj and Baghdad (full name, Abu Bekr ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn Al-Karaji or al-Karkhi). Believed to be the "first person to completely freealgebra from geometrical operations and to replace them with the arithmetical type of operations which are at the core of algebra today. He was first to define themonomial s , , , ... and , , , ... and to give rules for products of any two of these. He started a school of algebra which flourished for several hundreds of years". Discovered thebinomial theorem forinteger exponent s. This "was a major factor in the development ofnumerical analysis based on the decimal system."*
953 [technology] The earliest historical record of a reservoirfountain pen dates back to 953, when Ma'ād al-Mu'izz, thecaliph ofEgypt , demanded a pen which would not stain his hands or clothes, and was provided with a pen which held ink in a reservoir and delivered it to the nib via gravity and capillary action, as recorded byQadi al-Nu'man al-Tamimi (d. 974) in his "Kitdb al-Majalis wa'l-musayardt". [citation|journal=Journal of Semitic Studies |volume=XXVl|issue=i|date=Autumn 1981|title=A Mediaeval Islamic Prototype of the Fountain Pen?|first=C. E.|last=Bosworth] [cite web | title = "Origins of the Fountain Pen " | publisher = Muslimheritage.com | url = http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?articleID=365 | accessmonthday = September 18| accessyear = 2007 ]*
957 [geography; cartography; exploration; chemistry] died Abul Hasan Ali Al-Masudi, best known as a cartographer, was also a traveler historian, etc. Al-mas`oudi described his visit to theoilfield s ofBaku . Wrote on the reaction of alkali water with zaj (vitriol ) water givingsulfuric acid .*
965 -1040 [mathematics; optics; physics] Bornibn al-Haitham (full name, ; Latinized name, Alhazen). Possibly the first to classify all evenperfect number s (i.e., numbers equal to the sum of their proper divisors) as those of the form where isprime number . Al-Haytham is also the first person to stateWilson's theorem . if is prime than is divisible by . "It is called "Wilson's theorem" because of a comment by Waring in 1770 that John Wilson had noticed the result. There is no evidence that Wilson knew how to prove it. It was over 750 years later that Lagrange gave the first known proof to the statement in1771 .! “Haytham in the tenth-eleventh century wrote a scathing critique of Ptolemy’s work: ‘Ptolemy assumed an arrangement that cannot exist, and the fact that this arrangement produces in his imagination the motions that belong to the planets does not free him from the error he committed in his assumed arrangement, for the existing motions of the planets cannot be the result of an arrangement that is impossible to exist’.” [Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy , [http://setis.library.usyd.edu.au/stanford/entries/copernicus /index.html (Nicolaus Copernicus)] in M. Gill (2005), [http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00005502&channel=university%20ave Was Muslim Astronomy the Harbinger of Copernicanism?] ]*
972 -1058 [humanities]Al-Mawardi (Alboacen)Political science ,Sociology ,Jurisprudence ,Ethics .*
975 - [education]Al-Azhar University , founded inCairo ,Egypt , was a "Jami'ah" ("university " in Arabic) which offered a variety ofpost-graduate academic degree s ("ijazah "), and had individual faculties [citation|title=A History of Christian-Muslim Relations|first=Hugh|last=Goddard|year=2000|publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=074861009X|page=99] for a theologicalseminary , Islamic law and Islamic jurisprudence,Arabic grammar ,Islamic astronomy ,early Islamic philosophy andlogic in Islamic philosophy .citation|title=From Jami`ah to University: Multiculturalism and Christian–Muslim Dialogue|first=Syed Farid|last=Alatas|journal=Current Sociology|volume=54|issue=1|pages=112-32]*
975 -1075 - [ceramics, pottery]Fustat becomes a center for innovativeIslamic pottery andceramics .Mason (1995), p. 7]*
980 [mathematics] Bornal-Baghdadi (full name, ). Studied a slight variant ofThabit ibn Qurra 's theorem onamicable number s. Al-Baghdadi also wrote texts comparing the three systems of counting and arithmetic used in the region during this period. Made improvements on the decimal system.*
981 -1037 [astronomy; mathematics; medicine; philosophy]Ibn Sina (Avicenna); Medicine, Philosophy, Mathematics, Astronomy. Is considered to be the father of modern medicine*
994 - [astronomy, engineering]Abu-Mahmud al-Khujandi constructs the first astronomical sextant inRay, Iran .*
996 - [astronomy, engineering] Thegear ed mechanicalastrolabe , featuring eight gear-wheels, is invented byAbū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī . [cite web|url=http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/introduction/woi_knowledge.html|title=Islam, Knowledge, and Science|publisher=University of Southern California |accessdate=2008-01-22]11th century
*c.
1000 - [medicine, ophthalmology] Ammar ibn Ali ofMosul writes the "Choice of Eye Diseases", a landmark text onophthalmology in medieval Islam . Incataract surgery , He attempted the earliest extraction ofcataract s usingsuction . He invented a hollow metallicsyringe hypodermic needle , which he applied through thesclerotic and successfully extracted the cataracts through suction. He discovered the technique of cataract extraction whileexperiment ing with his hypodermic needle invention on a patient. [Ibrahim B. Syed PhD, "Islamic Medicine: 1000 years ahead of its times", "Journal of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine" 2 (2002): 2-9 [7] .] [citation|title=Origins of Neuroscience: A History of Explorations Into Brain Function|first=Stanley|last=Finger|year=1994|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0195146948|page=70]*c.
1000 - [physics, mathematics] Abu Sahl al-Quhi (Kuhi), discovers that the heaviness of bodies vary with their distance from the center of the Earth, and solvesequation s higher than the second degree.*c.
1000 - [mathematics]Abu-Mahmud al-Khujandi first states a special case ofFermat's last theorem .Fact|date=September 2008*c.
1000 - [mathematics]Law of sines is discovered by Muslim mathematicians, but it is uncertain who discovers it first betweenAbu-Mahmud al-Khujandi ,Abu Nasr Mansur , and Abu al-Wafa.*
1000 - [mathematics]Al-Karaji writes a book containing the first known proofs bymathematical induction . He who used it to prove thebinomial theorem ,Pascal's triangle , and the sum ofintegral cubes. [Victor J. Katz (1998). "History of Mathematics: An Introduction", p. 255-259.Addison-Wesley . ISBN 0321016181.] He was "the first who introduced thetheory ofalgebra iccalculus ." [F. Woepcke (1853). "Extrait du Fakhri, traité d'Algèbre par Abou Bekr Mohammed Ben Alhacan Alkarkhi".Paris .]*
1000 - [medicine, surgery, engineering]Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi (Abulcasis), the father of modern surgery, publishes his 30-volume medical encyclopedia, the "Kitabal-Tasrif ", which remains a standard textbook in Muslim and European universities until the 16th century. The book first introduced manysurgical instruments , including the first instruments unique to women,Bashar Saad, Hassan Azaizeh, Omar Said (October 2005). "Tradition and Perspectives of Arab Herbal Medicine: A Review", "Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine" 2 (4), p. 475-479 [476] .Oxford University Press .] as well as the surgical uses ofcatgut andforceps , the ligature,surgical needle ,curette ,retractor , surgicalspoon , sound, surgicalhook , surgicalrod , specula, [Khaled al-Hadidi (1978), "The Role of Muslim Scholars in Oto-rhino-Laryngology", "The Egyptian Journal of O.R.L." 4 (1), p. 1-15. (cf. [http://muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=674 Ear, Nose and Throat Medical Practice in Muslim Heritage] , Foundation for Science Technology and Civilization.)]lithotomy scalpel ,Abdul Nasser Kaadan PhD, "Albucasis and Extraction of Bladder Stone", "Jounal of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine", 2004 (3): 28-33.] andbone saw .Paul Vallely, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060311/ai_n16147544 How Islamic Inventors Changed the World] , "The Independent ", 11 March 2006.] He also invented the plaster [Zafarul-Islam Khan, [http://milligazette.com/Archives/15-1-2000/Art5.htm At The Threshhold Of A New Millennium – II] , "The Milli Gazette".] cotton dressing,Patricia Skinner (2001), [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2603/is_0007/ai_2603000716 Unani-tibbi] , "Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine"] oralanaesthesia ,inhalational anaesthetic , andanaesthetic sponge.Sigrid Hunke (1969), "Allah Sonne Uber Abendland, Unser Arabische Erbe", Second Edition, p. 279-280 (cf. Prof. Dr. M. Taha Jasser, [http://www.islamset.com/hip/i_medcin/taha_jasser.html Anaesthesia in Islamic medicine and its influence on Western civilization] , Conference on Islamic Medicine)]* 1000s - [glass] Clear
glass mirror s were being produced inal-Andalus .cite book|author=Dr. Kasem Ajram|title=The Miracle of Islam Science|edition=2nd Edition|publisher=Knowledge House Publishers|year=1992|id=ISBN 0-911119-43-4]* 1000s - [civil engineering] Cobwork ("tabya") first appeared in the
Maghreb andal-Andalus in the 11th century, and was later described in detail byIbn Khaldun in the 14th century, who regarded it as a characteristically Muslim practice. Cobwork later spread to other parts of Europe from the 12th century onwards. [Donald Routledge Hill (1996), "Engineering", p. 766, in Harvard reference |last1=Rashed |first1=Roshdi |last2=Morelon |first2=Régis |year=1996 |title=Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415124107 |pages=751-795]* 1000s - [mechincal technology] In
Al-Andalus , Ibn Khalaf al-Muradi invents complexgear ing,Epicyclic gearing , segmentalgear ing, and thegear ed mechanicalclock . Muslim engineers also invent the Weight-driven mechanicalclock .*c.
1000 -1009 - [physics, engineering]Ibn Yunus publishes his astronomical treatise "Al-Zij al-Hakimi al-Kabir" inEgypt . It contains the earliest desciption of apendulum . [Piero Ariotti (Winter, 1968). "Galileo on the Isochrony of the Pendulum", "Isis" 59 (4), p. 414.] He also constructs the firstmonument alastrolabe . [Salah Zaimeche (2002), [http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=235 The Muslim Pioneers of Astronomy] , FSTC]*
1000 -1020 - [astronomy, engineering]Al-Sijzi invents the "Zuraqi", a uniqueastrolabe designed for aheliocentric planetary model in which the Earth is moving rather than the sky. [SeyyedHossein Nasr (1993), "An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines", p. 135-136.State University of New York Press , ISBN 0791415163.]*
1000 -1030 - [biology] -Ibn Miskawayh discusses ideas onevolution .Fact|date=September 2008*
1000 -1031 - [astronomy]Abū al-Rayhān al-Bīrūnī was the first to conduct elaborateexperiment s related to astronomical phenomena. He discovered theMilky Way galaxy to be a collection of numerous nebulousstar s.Dr. A. Zahoor (1997), [http://www.unhas.ac.id/~rhiza/saintis/biruni.html Abu Raihan Muhammad al-Biruni] ,Hasanuddin University .]*
1000 -1037 - [mechanics, physics]Ibn al-Haytham discusses the theory of attraction betweenmass es, and it seems that he was aware of the magnitude ofacceleration due togravity . Ibn al-Haytham also discovered the law ofinertia , known as Newton's first law of motion, when he stated that a body moves perpetually unless an external force stops it or changes its direction of motion.Dr. Nader El-Bizri, "Ibn al-Haytham or Alhazen", in Josef W. Meri (2006), "Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopaedia", Vol. II, p. 343-345,Routledge , New York, London.]*
1000 -1037 - [alchemy, chemistry, engineering]Avicenna criticizes the theory of the transmutation of metals. [Robert Briffault (1938). "The Making of Humanity", p. 196-197.] He also invents the chemical process ofsteam distillation and extracts the firstfragrance s andessential oil s as a result, for use inaromatherapy and thedrinking andperfume ry industries.Marlene Ericksen (2000). "Healing with Aromatherapy", p. 9. McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 0658003828.] He also invents the airthermometer for use in his laboratoryexperiment s. [Robert Briffault (1938). "The Making of Humanity", p. 191.]*
1000 -1037 - [mechanics, physics]Avicenna , the father of the fundamental concept ofmomentum in physics, [SeyyedHossein Nasr , "Islamic Conception Of Intellectual Life", in Philip P. Wiener (ed.), "Dictionary of the History of Ideas", Vol. 2, p. 65, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1973-1974.] discovered the concept ofmomentum , when he referred toimpetus as being proportional toweight timesvelocity , a precursor to the concept of momentum in Newton's second law of motion. His theory of motion was also consistent with the concept ofinertia in Newton's first law of motion. [A. Sayili (1987), "Ibn Sīnā and Buridan on the Motion of the Projectile", "Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences" 500 (1), p. 477–482.]*
1000 -1038 - [astronomy, physics]Ibn al-Haytham (Alhacen), in his "Epitome of Astronomy", was the first to insist that the heavenly bodies "were accountable to the laws of physics". [Pierre Duhem (1908, 1969). "To Save the Phenomena: An Essay on the Idea of Physical theory from Plato to Galileo", p. 28. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.]*
1000 -1038 - [biology]Ibn al-Haytham writes a book in which he argues forevolutionism .Fact|date=September 2008*
1000 -1048 - [alchemy, chemistry]Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī criticizes the theory of the transmutation of metals. [Michael E. Marmura (1965). "An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines. Conceptions of Nature and Methods Used for Its Study by the Ikhwan Al-Safa'an, Al-Biruni, and Ibn Sina" by SeyyedHossein Nasr ", "Speculum" 40 (4), p. 744-746.]*
1000 -1048 - [anthropology,Indology , history]Abū al-Rayhān al-Bīrūnī , considered "the first anthropologist"Akbar S. Ahmed (1984). "Al-Beruni: The First Anthropologist", "RAIN" 60, p. 9-10.] and the father ofIndology , [Zafarul-Islam Khan, [http://milligazette.com/Archives/15-1-2000/Art5.htm At The Threshhold Of A New Millennium – II] , "The Milli Gazette".] wrote detailed comparative studies on theanthropology of peoples, religions and cultures in theMiddle East , Mediterranean andSouth Asia . Biruni's anthropology of religion was only possible for a scholar deeply immersed in the lore of other nations. [J. T. Walbridge (1998). "Explaining Away the Greek Gods in Islam", "Journal of the History of Ideas" 59 (3), p. 389-403.] Biruni has also been praised for hisIslam ic anthropology. [Richard Tapper (1995). "Islamic Anthropology" and the "Anthropology of Islam", "Anthropological Quarterly" 68 (3), Anthropological Analysis and Islamic Texts, p. 185-193.]*
1000 -1048 - [earth sciences, Indology,geodesy , geology]Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī , who is considered the father ofIndology , the father ofgeodesy , one of the first geologists, and an influentialgeographer , hypothesized that India was once covered by theIndian Ocean while observing rock formations at the mouths of rivers, [Abdus Salam (1984), "Islam and Science". In C. H. Lai (1987), "Ideals and Realities: Selected Essays of Abdus Salam", 2nd ed., World Scientific, Singapore, p. 179-213.] introduced techniques to measure the Earth and distances on it usingtriangulation , and measured theradius of the Earth as 6339.6 km, the most accurate up until the 16th century. He also determines the Earth's circumference.*
1000 -1048 - [engineering, mechanics, physics]Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī was the first to realize thatacceleration is connected with non-uniform motion.MacTutor|id=Al-Biruni|title=Al-Biruni] He also invents thelaboratory flask ,pycnometer , [Robert E. Hall (1973). "Al-Khazini", "Dictionary of Scientific Biography", Vol. VII, p. 346.] andconical measure . [Marshall Clagett (1961). "The Science of Mechanics in the Middle Ages", p. 64.University of Wisconsin Press .]*
1000 -1121 - [mechanics, physics]Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī , and lateral-Khazini , were the first to applyexperiment alscientific method s tomechanics , especially the fields ofstatics and dynamics, particularly for determiningspecific weight s, such as those based on the theory ofbalance s and weighing. Muslim physicists unified statics and dynamics into the science of mechanics, and they combined the fields ofhydrostatics with dynamics to give birth tohydrodynamics . They applied the mathematical theories ofratio s andinfinitesimal techniques, and introducedalgebra ic and finecalculation techniques into the field of statics. They were also generalized the theory of thecentre of gravity and applied it to three-dimensional bodies. They also founded the theory of thelever and created the "science ofgravity " which was later further developed in medieval Europe.Mariam Rozhanskaya and I. S. Levinova (1996), "Statics", p. 642, in Harv|Morelon|Rashed|1996|pp=614-642]*
1019 - [astronomy, technology] InAfghanistan ,Abū al-Rayhān al-Bīrūnī observed and described thesolar eclipse on April 8, 1019, and thelunar eclipse on September 17, 1019, in detail, and gave the exactlatitude s of the stars during the lunar eclipse. He also invents the Orthographicalastrolabe and theplanisphere , which was the earlieststar chart .Will Durant (1950). "The Story of Civilization IV: The Age of Faith", p. 239-45.] [http://muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=482 Khwarizm] , Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation.] He also invents agear ed mechanicallunisolar calendar analog computer withgear train and eight gear-wheels,Donald Routledge Hill (1985). "Al-Biruni's mechanical calendar", "Annals of Science" 42, p. 139-163.] an early example of a fixed-wire d knowledge processingmachine .Tuncer Oren (2001). "Advances in Computer and Information Sciences: From Abacus to Holonic Agents", "Turk J Elec Engin" 9 (1), p. 63-70 [64] .]*
1020 - [astronomical instruments] Thegear ed mechanicalastrolabe is perfected by Ibn Samh inAl-Andalus . These can be considered as an ancestor of themechanical clock . [ [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/introduction/woi_knowledge.html Islam, Knowledge, and Science.]University of Southern California .]*
1021 - [optics, physics, engineering, mathematics, ophthalmology, psychology, scientific method, surgery]Ibn al-Haytham , who is considered the father ofoptics , the pioneer of thescientific method , the "firstscientist ", [Bradley Steffens (2006), "Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist", Morgan Reynolds Publishing, ISBN 1599350246. (cf. [http://www.ibnalhaytham.net/custom.em?pid=571860 Reviews of "Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist"] , "The Critics",Barnes & Noble .)] and the founder ofpsychophysics andexperimental psychology , completes his "Book of Optics ", which has been ranked alongsideIsaac Newton 's "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica " as one of the most influential books ever written in thehistory of physics . [ H. Salih, M. Al-Amri, M. El Gomati (2005). "The Miracle of Light", "A World of Science" 3 (3).UNESCO .] The book drastically transformed the understanding oflight and vision, and introduced theexperiment alscientific method , hence the book is considered the root ofexperimental physics . It correctly explained and proved the modern intromission theory of vision, and describedexperiment s on lenses,mirror s,refraction , reflection, and the dispersion oflight into its constituentcolours . [Dr. Mahmoud Al Deek. "Ibn Al-Haitham: Master of Optics, Mathematics, Physics and Medicine", "Al Shindagah", November-December 2004.] It also explainedbinocular vision and themoon illusion , speculated on the finite speed,rectilinear propagation and electromagnetic aspects of light, [Hamarneh, p. 119.] first statedFermat's principle of least time, described an early version ofSnell's law , and argued that rays of light are streams of energy particles [Rashed (2007), p. 19.] travelling in straight lines. [J. J. O'Connor and E. F. Robertson (2002). [http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Light_1.html Light through the ages: Ancient Greece to Maxwell] , "MacTutor History of Mathematics archive ".] The book also contains the earliest discussions and descriptions onpsychophysics andexperimental psychology ,Omar Khaleefa (Summer 1999). "Who Is the Founder of Psychophysics and Experimental Psychology?", "American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences" 16 (2).] thepsychology ofvisual perception , [Bradley Steffens (2006). "Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist", Chapter 5. Morgan Reynolds Publishing. ISBN 1599350246.]phenomenology , and the inventions of thepinhole camera ,camera obscura , [Nicholas J. Wade, Stanley Finger (2001), "The eye as an optical instrument: from camera obscura to Helmholtz's perspective", "Perception" 30 (10), p. 1157-1177.] and parabolic mirror. In mathematics, the book formulated and solved "Alhazen's problem" geometrically, and developed and proved the earliest general formula forinfinitesimal andintegral calculus usingmathematical induction . In medicine and ophthalmology, the book also made important advances ineye surgery , as it correctly explained the process ofsight andvisual perception for the first time. The work also had an influence on the use of optical aids inRenaissance art and the development of thetelescope andmicroscope . [Richard Power (University of Illinois ), [http://online.physics.uiuc.edu/courses/phys199epp/fall06/Powers-NYTimes.pdf Best Idea; Eyes Wide Open] , "New York Times ", April 18, 1999.]*
1021 - [glass, scientific instruments] In the "Book of Optics ",Ibn al-Haytham develops the following scientific instruments:magnifying glass , [citation|last1=Kriss|first1=Timothy C.|last2=Kriss|first2=Vesna Martich|title=History of the Operating Microscope: From Magnifying Glass to Microneurosurgery|journal=Neurosurgery|volume=42|issue=4|pages=899-907|date=April 1998] parabolic mirror,spherical mirror ,Dr. Nader El-Bizri, "Ibn al-Haytham or Alhazen", in Josef W. Meri (2006), "Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopaedia", Vol. II, p. 343-345,Routledge , New York, London.]concave mirror ,convex mirror ,R. S. Elliott (1966), "Electromagnetics", Chapter 1,McGraw-Hill ]pinhole camera , andcamera obscura .Nicholas J. Wade, Stanley Finger (2001), "The eye as an optical instrument: from camera obscura to Helmholtz's perspective", "Perception" 30 (10), p. 1157-1177.]*
1021 -1037 - [optics, physics]Avicenna "observed that if the perception oflight is due to the emission of some sort of particles by a luminous source, thespeed of light must be finite." [George Sarton , "Introduction to the History of Science", Vol. 1, p. 710.] He also provided a sophisticated explanation for therainbow phenomenon. [Carl Benjamin Boyer (1954). "Robert Grosseteste on the Rainbow", "Osiris" 11, p. 247-258 [248] .]*
1021 -1048 -Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī stated thatlight has a finite speed, and he was the first to discover that thespeed of light is much faster than thespeed of sound .*
1025 - [medicine, pathology, physiology]Avicenna (Ibn Sina), who is considered the father of modern medicine and one of the greatest thinkers and medical scholars in history,George Sarton , "Introduction to the History of Science".
(cf. Dr. A. Zahoor and Dr. Z. Haq (1997), [http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/Introl1.html Quotations From Famous Historians of Science] , Cyberistan.] publishes his 14-volume medical encyclopedia, "The Canon of Medicine ", which remains a standard textbook in Muslim and European universities until the 17th century. The book's contributions to medicine includes the introduction of systematicexperiment ation andquantification in the study ofphysiology , [Katharine Park (March 1990). "Avicenna in Renaissance Italy: The Canon and Medical Teaching in Italian Universities after 1500" by Nancy G. Siraisi", "The Journal of Modern History" 62 (1), p. 169-170.] the discovery of contagious diseases, the distinction ofmediastinitis frompleurisy , the contagious nature ofphthisis , the distribution ofdisease s bywater andsoil , the first careful descriptions ofskin troubles,sexually transmitted disease s,perversion s, and nervousailment s, the use ofice to treatfever s, the separation ofmedicine frompharmacology (important to the development of thepharmaceutical sciences ), the introduction ofquarantine to limit the spread of contagiousdisease s, and the introduction ofevidence-based medicine ,experimental medicine ,Citation |first=Toby |last=Huff |year=2003 |title=The Rise of Early Modern Science: Islam, China, and the West |page=218 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0521529948 ]clinical trial s,David W. Tschanz, MSPH, PhD (August 2003). "Arab Roots of European Medicine", "Heart Views" 4 (2).]randomized controlled trial s,Jonathan D. Eldredge (2003), "The Randomised Controlled Trial design: unrecognized opportunities for health sciences librarianship", "Health Information and Libraries Journal" 20, p. 34–44 [36] .] Bernard S. Bloom, Aurelia Retbi, Sandrine Dahan, Egon Jonsson (2000), "Evaluation Of Randomized Controlled Trials On Complementary And Alternative Medicine", "International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care" 16 (1), p. 13–21 [19] .]efficacy tests,D. Craig Brater and Walter J. Daly (2000), "Clinical pharmacology in the Middle Ages: Principles that presage the 21st century", "Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics" 67 (5), p. 447-450 [449] .] Walter J. Daly and D. Craig Brater (2000), "Medieval contributions to the search for truth in clinical medicine", "Perspectives in Biology and Medicine" 43 (4), p. 530–540 [536] ,Johns Hopkins University Press .]clinical pharmacology ,D. Craig Brater and Walter J. Daly (2000), "Clinical pharmacology in the Middle Ages: Principles that presage the 21st century", "Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics" 67 (5), p. 447-450 [448] .]neuropsychiatry ,S. Safavi-Abbasi, L. B. C. Brasiliense, R. K. Workman (2007), "The fate of medical knowledge and the neurosciences during the time of Genghis Khan and the Mongolian Empire", "Neurosurgical Focus" 23 (1), E13, p. 3.]physiological psychology ,risk factor analysis, and the idea of asyndrome in thediagnosis of specific diseases.Lenn Evan Goodman (2003), "Islamic Humanism", p. 155,Oxford University Press , ISBN 0195135806.] The "Canon" is also considered the firstpharmacopoeia . [Philip K. Hitti (cf. Dr. Kasem Ajram (1992), "Miracle of Islamic Science", Appendix B, Knowledge House Publishers. ISBN 0911119434).] [Dr. Z. Idrisi, PhD (2005). [http://www.muslimheritage.com/uploads/AgricultureRevolution2.pdf The Muslim Agricultural Revolution and its influence on Europe] . The Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilization, UK.]*
1025 - [medicine, pathology] In "The Canon of Medicine ",Avicenna is the first to carry out cancer therapy. He recognizedcancer as atumor and noted that a "cancerous tumour progressively increases in size, is destructive and spreads roots which insinuate themselves amongst the tissue elements." He also attempted the earliest known treatments for cancer. One method he discovered was the "Hindiba", a herbal compound drug whichIbn al-Baitar later identified as having "anticancer" properties and which could also treat othertumor s andneoplastic disorders.cite web|author=Prof. Nil Sari (Istanbul University , Cerrahpasha Medical School)|title=Hindiba: A Drug for Cancer Treatment in Muslim Heritage|publisher=FSTC Limited|date=06 June, 2007|url=http://muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=707] After recognizing its usefulness in treating neoplastic disorders, Hindiba waspatent ed in 1997 by Nil Sari, Hanzade Dogan, and John K. Snyder. [patent|US|5663196|Methods for treating neoplastic disorders] Another method for treating cancer first described by Avicenna was a surgical treatment. He stated that theexcision should be radical and that all diseased tissue should be removed, which included the use ofamputation or the removal ofvein s running in the direction of thetumor . He also recommended the use ofcauterization for the area being treated if necessary. Avicenna's "Canon" was also the first to describe the symptoms ofesophageal cancer and the first to refer to it as "cancer of theesophagus ." [citation|title=The Historical Basis for the AEsophageal Cancer Belt of South-Central Asia|last=Saidi|first=F., MD|journal=Archives of Iranian Medicine|volume=2|issue=1|date=January 1999]Hirudotherapy , the use ofmedicinal leech for medical purposes, was also introduced byAvicenna in "The Canon of Medicine". He considered the application ofleech to be more useful thancupping in "letting off theblood from deeper parts of the body." He also introduced the use of leech as treatment forskin disease . Leech therapy became a popular method inmedieval Europe due to the influence of his "Canon". [Nurdeen Deuraseh, "Ahadith of the Prophet (s.a.w) on Healing in Three Things (al-Shifa’ fi Thalatha): An Interpretational", "Jounal of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine", 2004 (3): 14-20 [18] .] Inphytotherapy , Avicenna also introduced the medicinal use ofTaxus baccata L. He named this herbaldrug as "Zarnab" and used it as a cardiac remedy. This was the first known use of acalcium channel blocker drug, which were not used in theWestern world until the 1960s. [Yalcin Tekol (2007), "The medieval physician Avicenna used an herbal calcium channel blocker, Taxus baccata L.", "Phytotherapy Research" 21 (7): 701-2.]*
1025 -1028 - [astronomy]Ibn al-Haytham , in his "Doubts on Ptolemy", criticizesPtolemy 's astronomical system for relating actual physical motions to imaginary mathematical points, lines, and circles.*
1027 - [arithmetic, astronomy, earth sciences, geology, geometry, logic, mathematics, music, natural sciences, philosophy, psychology]Avicenna (Ibn Sina) writes one of the first scientificencyclopedia s, "The Book of Healing ". Its contributions include nine volumes on Avicennian logic; eight on thenatural science s; four on thequadrivium ofarithmetic , astronomy,geometry andmusic ; a number of volumes onearly Islamic philosophy ,Islamic mathematics ,metaphysics andpsychology ; [Lenn Evan Goodman (1992), "Avicenna", p. 31,Routledge , ISBN 041501929X.] the astronomical theory that Venus is closer to Earth than the Sun; and a geological hypothesis on two causes ofmountain s. [Stephen Toulmin and June Goodfield (1965). "The Discovery of Time", p. 64. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.]*
1028 -1087 - [astronomy, engineering]Abū Ishāq Ibrāhīm al-Zarqālī (Arzachel) invents the "Saphaea", the first universal latitude-independentastrolabe which did not depend on thelatitude of the observer and could be used anywhere. He also invents theequatorium , a mechanicalanalog computer device, [Dr. A. Zahoor (1997). [http://www.unhas.ac.id/~rhiza/saintis/zarqali.html Al-Zarqali (Arzachel)] ,University of Indonesia .] and he discovers that the orbits of the planets areellipse s and not circles. [Robert Briffault (1938). "The Making of Humanity", p. 190.]*
1029 - [chemistry, technology] The purification process forpotassium nitrate (saltpetre; "natrun" or "barud" in Arabic) was first described by the Muslim chemist Ibn Bakhtawayh in his "Al-Muqaddimat".*
1030 - [astronomy]Abū al-Rayhān al-Bīrūnī discussed the Indian planetary theories ofAryabhata ,Brahmagupta andVarahamihira in his "Ta'rikh al-Hind" (Latinized as "Indica"). Biruni stated thatBrahmagupta and others consider that the earth rotates on its axis and Biruni noted that this does not create any mathematical problems. [S. H. Nasr, "Islamic Cosmological Doctrines", p. 135, n. 13]*
1030 -1048 - [astronomy] Abu Said Sinjari suggested the possible heliocentric movement of the Earth around the Sun, whichAbū al-Rayhān al-Bīrūnī did not reject.A. Baker, L. Chapter (2002)] Al-Biruni agreed with theEarth's rotation about its own axis, and while he was initially neutral regarding the heliocentric andgeocentric model s, [Michael E. Marmura (1965). "An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines. Conceptions of Nature and Methods Used for Its Study by the Ikhwan Al-Safa'an, Al-Biruni, and Ibn Sina" by SeyyedHossein Nasr ", "Speculum" 40 (4), p. 744-746.] he considered heliocentrism to be a philosophical problem. [George Saliba (1999). [http://www.columbia.edu/~gas1/project/visions/case1/sci.1.html Whose Science is Arabic Science in Renaissance Europe?]Columbia University .] He remarked that if the Earth rotates on its axis and moves around the Sun, it would remain consistent with his astronomical parameters. [http://muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=482 Khwarizm] , Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation.]*
1031 - [astronomy]Abū al-Rayhān al-Bīrūnī completes his extensive astronomical encyclopaedia "Canon Mas’udicus", [Richard Covington (May-June 2007). "Rediscovering Arabic science", "Saudi Aramco World ", p. 2-16.] in which he records his astronomical findings and formulates astronomical tables. It presents a geocentric model, tabulating the distance of all thecelestial spheres from the central Earth. [S. H. Nasr, "Islamic Cosmological Doctrines", p. 134] The book introduces the mathematical technique of analysing theacceleration of the planets, and first states that the motions of the solar apogee and theprecession are not identical. Al-Biruni also discovered that the distance between the Earth and the Sun is larger thanPtolemy 's estimate, on the basis that Ptolemy disregarded the annualsolar eclipse s. Al-Biruni also described the Earth'sgravitation as "the attraction of all things towards the centre of the earth."*
1038 - [astronomy]Ibn al-Haytham described the first non-Ptolemaic configuration in "The Model of the Motions". His reform excludedcosmology , as he developed a systematic study of celestialkinematics that was completely geometric. This in turn led to innovative developments ininfinitesimal geometry . [Roshdi Rashed (2007). "The Celestial Kinematics of Ibn al-Haytham", "Arabic Sciences and Philosophy" 17, p. 7-55.Cambridge University Press .] His reformed model was the first to reject theequant [Rashed (2007), p. 20, 53.] and eccentrics, [Rashed (2007), p. 33-34.] free celestial kinematics from cosmology, and reduce physical entities to geometrical entities. The model also propounded theEarth's rotation about its axis, [Rashed (2007), p. 20, 32-33.] and the centres of motion were geometrical points without any physical significance, likeJohannes Kepler 's model centuries later. [Rashed (2007), p. 51-52.]*
1038 -1075 - [engineering] Ibn Bassal invents theflywheel inal-Andalus , and he first employs it in aNoria and a Saqiyachain pump . [Ahmad Y Hassan , [http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%204.htm Flywheel Effect for a "Saqiya"] .]*
1044 or1048 -1123 [mathematics, literature]Omar Khayyám , a mathematician and poet, "gave a complete classification ofcubic equation s with geometric solutions found by means of intersectingconic section s. Khayyam also wrote that he hoped to give a full description of the algebraic solution of cubic equations in a later work: 'If the opportunity arises and I can succeed, I shall give all these fourteen forms with all their branches and cases, and how to distinguish whatever is possible or impossible so that a paper, containing elements which are greatly useful in this art will be prepared'." He later became the first to find general geometric solutions ofcubic equation s and laid the foundations for the development ofanalytic geometry andnon-Euclidean geometry . He extracted roots using thedecimal system (Hindu-Arabic numeral system ). He is well-known for his poetic work "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam ", but there is dispute whether the "Maqamat ", a famous diwan of poetry translated to English are actually his work.*
1058 -1111 [law; theology]Al-Ghazali (Algazel), judge and prolific thinker and writer on topics such associology ,theology andphilosophy . He critiqued the philosophersAvicenna andal-Farabi in "The Incoherence of the Philosophers ". Wrote extensive expositions on Islamic tenets and foundations ofjurisprudence . Also critiqued the Muslim scholastics (al-mutakallimun.) Was associated withsufism but he later critiqued it as well.*
1070 - [astronomy] Abu Ubayd al-Juzjani proposed a non-Ptolemaic configuration in his "Tarik al-Aflak". In his work, he indicated the so-called "equant " problem of the Ptolemic model, and proposed a solution for the problem.*
1085 -1099 - [related] First wave of devastation of Muslim resources, lives, properties, institutions, and infrastructure over a period of one hundred years: Fall of Muslim Toledo (1085 ),Malta (1090 ),Sicily (1091 ) andJerusalem (1099 ). This was followed by severalCrusades from1095 to1291 .*
1087 - [astronomy]Abū Ishāq Ibrāhīm al-Zarqālī publishes the "Almanac of Azarqueil", the firstalmanac . The entries found in the almanac "give directly the positions of the celestial bodies and need no further computation". The work provided the true daily positions of the sun, moon and planets for four years from 1088 to 1092, as well as many other related tables. ALatin translation and adaptation of the work appeared as the "Tables of Toledo " in the 12th century and the "Alfonsine tables " in the 13th century. [Harv|Glick|Livesey|Wallis|2005|p=30] [Harvard reference |first1=Thomas F. |last1=Glick |first2=Steven John |last2=Livesey |first3=Faith |last3=Wallis |year=2005 |title=Medieval Science, Technology, and Medicine: An Encyclopedia |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415969301 |page=30]*
1091 - [education] Another earlyuniversity , theAl-Nizamiyya of Baghdad , was founded, and is considered the "largest university of the Medieval world". [ [http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/index/1F7AAVLC25YV4PF2.pdf A European Civil Project of a Documentation Center on Islam] ]12th century
* 1100s - [engineering] The ventilator is invented in
Egypt . [David A. King (1984). "Architecture and Astronomy: The Ventilators of Medieval Cairo and Their Secrets", "Journal of the American Oriental Society" 104 (1), p. 97-133.] Thebridge mill,Adam Lucas (2006), "Wind, Water, Work: Ancient and Medieval Milling Technology", p. 62. BRILL, ISBN 9004146490.]hydropower edforge andfinery forge are also invented inAl-Andalus . Thewar machine is also invented inTurkey .* 1100s - [astronomical instruments] The astrolabic quadrant is invented in
Egypt . [Roberto Moreno, Koenraad Van Cleempoel, David King (2002). "A Recently Discovered Sixteenth-Century Spanish Astrolabe", "Annals of Science" 59 (4), p. 331-362 [333] .]* 1100s - [chemistry, military technology] The
Seljuqs had facilities inSivas for manufacturingwar machine s.*
1100 -1138 - [astronomy]Ibn Bajjah (Avempace) develops the first planetary model without any epicycles, as an alternative toPtolemy 's model.*
1100 -1138 - [mechanics, physics]Ibn Bajjah (Avempace) is the first to state that there is always a reaction force for every force exerted, a precursor toGottfried Leibniz 's idea of force which underlies Newton's third law of motion. [Shlomo Pines (1964), "La dynamique d’Ibn Bajja", in "Mélanges Alexandre Koyré", I, 442-468 [462, 468] , Paris.
(cf. Abel B. Franco (October 2003). "Avempace, Projectile Motion, and Impetus Theory", "Journal of the History of Ideas" 64 (4), p. 521-546 [543] .)] His theory of motion later has an important influence on later physicists likeGalileo Galilei . [Ernest A. Moody (1951). "Galileo and Avempace: The Dynamics of the Leaning Tower Experiment (I)", "Journal of the History of Ideas" 12 (2), p. 163-193.]*
1100 -1150 - [astronomical instruments]Jabir ibn Aflah (Geber) invents thetorquetum , an observational instrument and mechanical analog computer device used to transform betweenspherical coordinate system s. [citation|first=R. P.|last=Lorch|title=The Astronomical Instruments of Jabir ibn Aflah and the Torquetum|journal=Centaurus|volume=20|issue=1|year=1976|pages=11-34] He also invents thecelestial globe , being "the first to design a portable celestial sphere to measure and explain the movements of celestial objects." [cite web|title=An overview of Muslim Astronomers|url=http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=232|publisher=FSTC Limited|date=26 December, 2001|accessdate=2008-02-01]*
1100 -1161 - [anatomy, anesthesiology, biology, medicine, physiology, surgery]Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar) invents the surgical procedure oftracheotomy inal-Andalus . [A. I. Makki. "Needles & Pins", "AlShindagah" 68, January-February 2006.] During hisbiomedical research , Ibn Zuhr is also one of the earliest physician known to have carried out humandissection s and postmortemautopsy . As a pioneer inparasitology , he proves that the skin diseasescabies is caused by aparasite , which contradicted the erroneous theory ofhumorism supported byHippocrates ,Galen andAvicenna . The removal of the parasite from the patient's body did not involvepurging ,bleeding or any other traditional treatments associated with the four humours. [ [http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/Islamic+medicine Islamic medicine] , "Hutchinson Encyclopedia ".] His works show that he was often highly critical of previous medical authorities, including Avicenna's "The Canon of Medicine ". [Nahyan A. G. Fancy (2006), "Pulmonary Transit and Bodily Resurrection: The Interaction of Medicine, Philosophy and Religion in the Works of Ibn al-Nafīs (d. 1288)", "Electronic Theses and Dissertations",University of Notre Dame . [http://etd.nd.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-11292006-152615] ] He was one of the first physicians to reject the erroneous theory of four humours, which dates back to Hippocrates and Galen. Avenzoar also confirmed the presence ofblood in the body. He was also the first to give a correct description of thetracheotomy operation for suffocating patients, and the first to provide a real scientificetiology for the inflammatory diseases of theear , and the first to clearly discuss the causes ofstridor . [Prof. Dr. Mostafa Shehata, "The Ear, Nose and Throat in Islamic Medicine", "Journal of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine", 2003 (1): 2-5 [4] .] Modernanesthesia was also developed inal-Andalus by the Muslimanesthesiologist s Ibn Zuhr andAbulcasis . They were the first to utilize oral as well as inhalant anesthetics, and they performed hundreds of surgeries underinhalant anesthesia with the use ofnarcotic -soakedsponge s which were placed over the face.*
1100 -1161 - [medicine, pharmacopoeia]Ibn Zuhr writes "The Method of Preparing Medicines and Diet", in which he performed the firstparenteral nutrition of humans with a silver needle. He also wrote an earlypharmacopoeia , which later became the first Arabic book to be printed with amovable type in 1491. [M. Krek (1979). "The Enigma of the First Arabic Book Printed from Movable Type", "Journal of Near Eastern Studies" 38 (3), p. 203-212.] Ibn Zuhr (and other Muslim physicians such asal-Kindi ,Ibn Sahl ,Abulcasis ,al-Biruni ,Avicenna ,Averroes ,Ibn al-Baitar ,Ibn Al-Jazzar andIbn al-Nafis ) also developed drug therapy and medicinaldrug s for the treatment of specific symptoms and diseases. His use of practical experience and careful observation was extensive.*
1100 -1165 - [mechanics, physics]Hibat Allah Abu'l-Barakat al-Baghdaadi writes a critique of Aristotelian philosophy andAristotelian physics entitled "al-Mu'tabar". He is the first to negateAristotle 's idea that a constantforce produces uniform motion, as he realizes that a force applied continuously producesacceleration , which is considered "the fundamental law ofclassical mechanics " and an early foreshadowing ofNewton's second law of motion . [cite encyclopedia
last =Shlomo Pines
title = Abu'l-Barakāt al-Baghdādī , Hibat Allah
encyclopedia =Dictionary of Scientific Biography
volume = 1
pages = 26-28
publisher = Charles Scribner's Sons
location = New York
year = 1970
isbn = 0684101149
(cf. Abel B. Franco (October 2003). "Avempace, Projectile Motion, and Impetus Theory", "Journal of the History of Ideas" 64 (4), p. 521-546 [528] .)] Like Newton, he described acceleration as the rate of change ofvelocity . [A. C. Crombie, "Augustine to Galileo 2", p. 67.]*
1100 -1166 [cartography, geography]Muhammad al-Idrisi , aka Idris al-Saqalli aka al-sharif al-idrissi ofAndalusia andSicily , also known as Dreses in Latin. Among his works are a world map and the first knownglobe . He is said to draw the first correct map of the world "lawh al-tarsim" (plank of draught). His maps were used extensively during the explorations of the era of Europeanrenaissance .Roger II of Sicily commemorated his world map on a circle of silver weighing about 400 pounds. Works include "Nozhat al-mushtaq fi ikhtiraq al-&agrav;faq" dedicated to Roger II of Sicily, which is a compendium of the geographic and sociologic knowledge of his time as well as descriptions of his own travels illustrated with over seventy maps; "Kharitat al-`alam al-ma`mour min al-ard" (Map of the inhabited regions of the earth) wherein he divided the world into 7 regions, the first extending from theequator to 23 degreeslatitude , and the seventh being from 54 to 63 degrees followed by a region uninhabitable due to cold and snow.*
1100 -1600 - [ceramics, pottery]Damascus becomes a center for innovativeIslamic pottery andceramics .*
1105 -1200 [astronomy]Ibn Tufail (Abubacer) and al-Betrugi (Alpetragius) are the first to propose planetary models without anyequant , epicycles or eccentrics. Al-Betrugi was also the first to discover that the planets are self-luminous. [Bernard R. Goldstein (March 1972). "Theory and Observation in Medieval Astronomy", "Isis" 63 (1), p. 39-47 [41] .]*
1106 -1138 [polymath] Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Yahya (Ibn Bajjah or Avempace) writes books on philosophy, medicine, mathematics, poetry, and music.*
1110 -1185 [literature, philosophy] AbdubacerIbn Tufayl of Spain. Philosophy, medicine, poetry, fiction. His most famous work is "Hayy ibn Yaqzan ", which is a spiritual investigation into the reality of the world narrated by a man who was raised from infancy by a roe orgazelle on adesert island . This work later had a strong influence onearly Islamic philosophy ,Arabic literature ,European literature , theScientific Revolution , andmodern philosophy .*
1115 -1116 [astronomy, engineering]Al-Khazini wrote the "Sinjaric Tables", in which he gave a description of his construction of a 24 hourwater clock designed for astronomical purposes, an early example of anastronomical clock , and the positions of 46 stars computed for the year 500 AH (1115-1116 CE). He also computed tables for the observation of celestial bodies at thelatitude of Merv. [Salah Zaimeche PhD (2005). [http://www.muslimheritage.com/uploads/Merv.pdf Merv] , Foundation for Science Technology and Civilization.] [George Sarton (1927). "Introduction to the History of Science", vol. I, p. 565. The Carnegie Institution,Washington .] [E. S. Kennedy (1956). "A Survey of Islamic Astronomical Tables", "Transactions of the American Philosophical Society", New Series, 46 (2), pp. 7 & 37-39.] The "Sinjaric Tables" was later translated into Greek byGregory Choniades in the 13th century and was studied in theByzantine Empire . [David Pingree (1964), "Gregory Chioniades and Palaeologan Astronomy", "Dumbarton Oaks Papers" 18, p. 135-160.]*
1115 -1130 [astronomy, biology, chemistry, evolution]Al-Khazini 's "Treatise on Instruments" has seven parts describing differentscientific instrument s: the triquetrum,dioptra , a triangular instrument he invented, thequadrant and sextant, theastrolabe , and original instruments involvingreflection . [Robert E. Hall (1973). "Al-Biruni", "Dictionary of Scientific Biography", Vol. VII, p. 338.] He also wrote another work onevolution in chemistry andbiology , and how they were perceived by natural philosophers and common people in the Islamic world at the time. He wrote that there were many Muslims who believed that humans evolved from apes. [John William Draper (1878), "History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science", p. 237, ISBN 1603030964.]*
1118 -1174 - [education, medicine] Al-Nuri hospital inEgypt was a famousteaching hospital built byNur ad-Din Zanqi, and was where many renowned physicians were taught. The hospital's medical school is said had elegant rooms, and a library which many of its books were donated by Zangi's physician, Abu al-Majid al-Bahili. [al-Hassani, Woodcock and Saoud(2007),'Muslim Heritage in Our World', FSTC Publishing, p.158-59]*
1121 - [astronomy, astrophysics, engineering, mechanics, physics]Al-Khazini publishes "The Book of the Balance of Wisdom", in which he is the first to propose that the gravity and gravitational potential energy of a body varies depending on its distance from the centre of the Earth. This phenomenon is not proven untilNewton's law of universal gravitation centuries later. Al-Khazini is also one of the first to clearly differentiate betweenforce ,mass , andweight , and he shows awareness of the weight of the air and of its decrease indensity withaltitude , and discovers that there is greater density of water when nearer to the Earth's centre. [Salah Zaimeche PhD (2005). [http://www.muslimheritage.com/uploads/Merv.pdf Merv] , p. 5-7. Foundation for Science Technology and Civilization.] He also invents several scientific instruments, including thesteelyard andhydrostatic balance . [Robert E. Hall (1973). "Al-Khazini", "Dictionary of Scientific Biography", Vol. VII, p. 346.]Al-Biruni and al-Khazini were also the first to applyexperiment alscientific method s to the fields ofstatics anddynamics , particularly for determiningspecific weight s, such as those based on the theory ofbalance s and weighing. He and his Muslim predecessors unified statics and dynamics into the science of mechanics, and they combined the fields ofhydrostatics with dynamics to give birth tohydrodynamics . They applied the mathematical theories ofratio s andinfinitesimal techniques, and introducedalgebra ic and finecalculation techniques into the field of statics. They were also the first to generalize the theory of thecentre of gravity and the first to apply it to three-dimensional bodies. They also founded the theory of thelever and created the "science ofgravity " which was later further developed in medieval Europe. The contributions of al-Khazini and his Muslim predecessors to mechanics laid the foundations for the later development ofclassical mechanics in Renaissance Europe. [Mariam Rozhanskaya and I. S. Levinova (1996), "Statics", in Roshdi Rashed, ed., "Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science ", Vol. 2, pp. 614-642 [642] .Routledge , London and New York.]*
1126 -1198 - [mechanics, physics]Averroes (Ibn Rushd) is the first to define and measureforce as "the rate at which work is done in changing the kinetic condition of a material body" [Ernest A. Moody (June 1951). "Galileo and Avempace: The Dynamics of the Leaning Tower Experiment (II)", "Journal of the History of Ideas" 12 (3), p. 375-422 [375] .] and the first to correctly argue "that the effect and measure of force is change in the kinetic condition of a materially resistantmass ." [Ernest A. Moody (June 1951). "Galileo and Avempace: The Dynamics of the Leaning Tower Experiment (II)", "Journal of the History of Ideas" 12 (3), p. 375-422 [380] .]*
1126 -1198 - [astronomy]Averroes rejects the eccentric deferents introduced byPtolemy . He rejects thePtolemaic model and instead argues for a strictlyconcentric model of the universe. [Owen Gingerich (April 1986). "Islamic astronomy", "Scientific American" 254 (10), p. 74.]*
1128 -1198 - [philosophy, law, medicine, astronomy, theology]Averroes writes books on philosophy, law, medicine, astronomy, andtheology .*
1130 - [mathematics] Bornal-Samawal . An important member of al-Karaji's school of algebra. Gave this definition of algebra: " [it is concerned] with operating on unknowns using all the arithmetical tools, in the same way as the arithmetician operates on the known."*
1135 - [mathematics] BornSharafeddin Tusi . Follows al-Khayyam's application of algebra of geometry, rather than follow the general development that came through al-Karaji's school of algebra. Wrote a treatise oncubic equation s which "represents an essential contribution to anotheralgebra which aimed to studycurve s by means ofequation s, thus inaugurating the beginning ofalgebraic geometry ."*
1135 -1200 - [astronomy, engineering]Sharaf al-Dīn al-Tūsī invents the linearastrolabe (staff of al-Tusi). [ [http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-342088/linear-astrolabe Linear astrolabe] , "Encyclopædia Britannica ".]*
1150 - [telecommunication] The use ofhoming pigeon s is introduced inIraq andSyria . [http://www.fbipigeons.com/THE%20SPORT.htm First Birds' Inn: About the Sport of Racing Pigeons] ]*
1154 - [engineering] Al-Kaysarani invents thestriking clock inSyria . [Abdel Aziz al-Jaraki (2007), [http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?articleID=685 When Ridhwan al-Sa’ati Anteceded Big Ben by More than Six Centuries] , Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation.]* 1187 - [military technology]
Mardi bin Ali al-Tarsusi invents the counterweighttrebuchet [Scott Farrell, [http://www.historynet.com/wars_conflicts/weaponry/3823351.html?page=2&c=y Weaponry: The Trebuchet] ] [Philip Daileader, [http://books.google.com/books?id=OVX8j0zR6QYC "On the Social Origins of Medieval Institutions"] ] and themangonel . [Jim Bradbury , [http://books.google.com/books?id=fKFRvUiLEQYC "Medieval Siege"] ]13th century
*
1200s - [chemistry] Al-Jawbari describes the preparation ofrose water in the "Book of Selected Disclosure of Secrets" ("Kitab kashf al-Asrar").*
1200s - [chemistry; materials, glassmaking] Arabic manuscript on the manufacture of falsegemstone s and diamonds. Also describes spirits ofalum , spirits ofsaltpetre and spirits of salts (hydrochloric acid ).*
1200s - [chemistry] AnArabic manuscript written inSyriac script gives description of various chemical materials found in the galapogas islands and their properties such assulfuric acid ,sal-ammoniac ,saltpetre and zaj (vitriol ).*
1201 -1274 - [astronomy; mathematics]Nasir Al-Din Al-Tusi ; Astronomy,Non-Euclidean geometry .*
1204 - [astronomy] Died,Al-Bitruji (Alpetragius.)*
1206 - [engineering, mechanics, technology]Al-Jazari , the father of modern-dayengineering and the father ofrobotics , publishes "The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices", in which he authors fifty inventions, including thecombination lock , mechanicalclock s driven byhydropower and weights,bolted joint lock, clockautomaton , flow control regulator, closed-loop system,elephant clock , kitchen appliance,cam ,camshaft , [Georges Ifrah (2001). "The Universal History of Computing: From the Abacus to the Quatum Computer", p. 171, Trans. E.F. Harding, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (See [http://www.banffcentre.ca/bnmi/programs/archives/2005/refresh/docs/conferences/Gunalan_Nadarajan.pdf] )]connecting rod , crank-connecting rod mechanism,suction pipe, suctionpiston pump with reciprocating piston motion and double-action motion,Ahmad Y Hassan . [http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%202.htm The Origin of the Suction Pump - Al-Jazari 1206 A.D.] ] programmablehumanoid robot , [http://www.shef.ac.uk/marcoms/eview/articles58/robot.html A 13th Century Programmable Robot.]University of Sheffield .] automatic gate,Howard R. Turner (1997), "Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction", p. 181,University of Texas Press , ISBN 0292781490.]pointer ,Donald Routledge Hill , "Mechanical Engineering in the Medieval Near East", "Scientific American", May 1991, p. 64-69. (cf. Donald Routledge Hill , [http://home.swipnet.se/islam/articles/HistoryofSciences.htm Mechanical Engineering] )] andgear ed andhydropower edwater supply system . and especially thecrankshaft , which is considered one of the most important mechanical inventions after thewheel .Ahmad Y Hassan , [http://www.history-science-technology.com/Notes/Notes%203.htm The Crank-Connecting Rod System in a Continuously Rotating Machine] ] Other devices he invented include ahand washing device, machines for raising water, accurate calibration oforifice s,lamination oftimber to reduce warping, static balancing ofwheel s, use ofpaper model s to establish a design,casting ofmetal s in closed mould boxes withgreen sand , emery powder, the most sophisticatedcandle clock s andwater clock s of his time, crank-drivenchain pump ,Donald Routledge Hill , "Engineering", in Roshdi Rashed, ed., "Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science ", Vol. 2, p. 751-795 [776] .Routledge , London and New York.] water-powered saqiya chain pump, [Ahmad Y Hassan , [http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%206.htm Al-Jazari and the History of the Water Clock] ] and intermittent working, andhour hand .Donald Routledge Hill (1996), "A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times", Routledge, p.224.] [Ibn al-Razzaz Al-Jazari (ed. 1974), "The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices", translated and annotated byDonald Routledge Hill , Dordrecht / D. Reidel, part II]*
1206 - [astronomy, technology]Al-Jazari invented monumental water-poweredastronomical clock s which displayed moving models of theSun ,Moon , andstar s. His largest astronomical clock displayed thezodiac and the solar andlunar orbit s. Another innovative feature of the clock was apointer which traveled across the top of agate way and caused automaticdoor s to open everyhour .*
1207 -1273 [sociology; poetry; spirituality]Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi , one of the best known Persian passion poets, famous for poignant poetry on the theme of spiritual enlightenment and passion.*
1217 -1329 [related] "Second wave of devastation of Muslim resources, lives, properties, institutions, and infrastructure over a period of one hundred and twelve years.Crusade r invasions (1217 -1291 ) andMongol invasions (1219 -1329 ). Crusaders active throughout theMediterranean fromJerusalem and west to MuslimSpain . Fall of Muslim Córdoba (1236 ), Valencia (1238 ) andSeville (1248 ). Mongols devastation from the eastern most Muslim frontier, Central and Western Asia,India ,Persia to Arab heartland. Fall of Baghdad (1258) and the end ofAbbasid Caliphate . Two million Muslims massacred in Baghdad. Major scientific institutions, laboratories, and infrastructure destroyed in leading Muslim centers of civilization."*
1213 -1242 [anatomy, biology, medicine, pharmacology, pharmacopoeia, physiology]Ibn al-Nafis publishes his "Commentary on Compound Drugs", a commentary onAvicenna 's "The Canon of Medicine " concerningpharmacopoeia . It contains criticisms ofGalen 's doctrines on theheart and theblood vessel s and dealt with thecirculatory system to some extent. This work was later translated intoLatin by Andrea Alpago ofBelluno (d.1520 ), who had lived in Syria for about 30 years before returning toItaly with a collection of medical Arabic books. A printed version of his translation was available inVenice from1547 . [C. D. O'Malley (1957), "A Latin translation of Ibn Nafis (1547) related to the problem of the circulation of the blood", "Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences" 12 (2), p. 248-249.
(cf. Dr. Albert Zaki Iskandar (1982), "Comprehensive Book on the Art of Medicine", "Symposium on Ibn al Nafis", Second International Conference on Islamic Medicine: Islamic Medical Organization, Kuwait)
(cf. Dr. Albert Zaki Iskandar, [http://www.islamset.com/isc/nafis/iskandar.html Comprehensive Book on the Art of Medicine] , "Encyclopedia of Islamic World")]*
1213 -1288 [biology, cosmology, epistemology, futurology, geology, literature, physiology, psychology, science fiction, sociology]Ibn al-Nafis publishes his "Theologus Autodidactus", the firstscience fiction novel , where he uses the plot to express many of his own themes on a wide variety of subjects, including biology, physiology, cosmology,epistemology ,futurology ,geology ,natural philosophy ,psychology , and sociology. The narrative is used to present religious, philosophical and scientific arguments onspontaneous generation and bodilyresurrection , and the book also contains the earliest medical description onmetabolism : "Both the body and its parts are in a continuous state of dissolution and nourishment, so they are inevitably undergoing permanent change." [Dr. Abu Shadi Al-Roubi (1982), "Ibn Al-Nafis as a philosopher", "Symposium on Ibn al-Nafis", Second International Conference on Islamic Medicine: Islamic Medical Organization, Kuwait (cf. [http://www.islamset.com/isc/nafis/drroubi.html Ibn al-Nafis As a Philosopher] , "Encyclopedia of Islamic World").]*
1213 -1288 - [anatomy, biology, medicine, ophthalmology, physiology]Ibn al-Nafis publishes his ophthalmological work, "The Polished Book on Experimental Ophthalmology", where he discovers that themuscle behind theeye ball does not support theophthalmic nerve , that they do not get in contact with it, that theoptic nerve stransect but do not get in touch with each other, and many new treatments forglaucoma and the weakness of vision in one eye when the other eye is affected bydisease .*
1228 -1229 - [chemistry, military technology] Medieval French reports suggest that Muslim armies also usedexplosive s against theSixth Crusade army led byLudwig IV, Landgrave of Thuringia in the 13th century.*
1235 - [astronomical instruments] Agear ed mechanicalastrolabe with ananalog computer calendar is invented by Abi Bakr ofIsfahan .Silvio A. Bedini, Francis R. Maddison (1966). "Mechanical Universe: The Astrarium of Giovanni de' Dondi", "Transactions of the American Philosophical Society" 56 (5), p. 1-69.] His geared astrolabe uses a set of gear-wheels and is the oldest surviving complete mechanical gearedmachine in existence. [cite web|url=http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/astrolabe/exhibition/gearing.htm|title=Astrolabe gearing|publisher=Museum of the History of Science, Oxford |year=2005|accessdate=2008-01-22] [cite web|url=http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/students/03to04/Astrolabes/Starholder_history.html|title=History of the Astrolabe|publisher=Museum of the History of Science, Oxford ]*
1242 - [anatomy, biology, medicine, physiology, scientific method]Ibn al-Nafis , anArab physician and anatomist publishes another commentary onAvicenna 's "The Canon of Medicine " called the "Commentary on Anatomy in Avicenna's Canon", in which Ibn al-Nafis discovers thepulmonary circulation (the cycle involving the ventricles of theheart and thelungs ) andcoronary circulation , [Husain F. Nagamia (2003), "Ibn al-Nafīs: A Biographical Sketch of the Discoverer of Pulmonary and Coronary Circulation", "Journal of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine" 1, p. 22–28.] and describes the mechanism ofbreath ing and its relation to theblood and how it nourishes on air in the lungs, for which he is considered the father of circulation theory [Chairman's Reflections (2004), "Traditional Medicine Among Gulf Arabs, Part II: Blood-letting", "Heart Views" 5 (2), p. 74-85 [80] .] and one of the greatestphysiologists in history. [George Sarton (cf. Dr. Paul Ghalioungui (1982), "The West denies Ibn Al Nafis's contribution to the discovery of the circulation", "Symposium on Ibn al-Nafis", Second International Conference on Islamic Medicine: Islamic Medical Organization, Kuwait)
(cf. [http://www.islamset.com/isc/nafis/drpaul.html The West denies Ibn Al Nafis's contribution to the discovery of the circulation] , "Encyclopedia of Islamic World")] He followed a "constructivist" path of the smaller circulatory system: "blood is purified in the lungs for the continuance of life and providing the body with the ability to work." During his time, the common view was that blood originates in the liver then travels to the right ventricle, then on to the organs of the body; another contemporary view was that blood is filtered through the diaphragm where it mixes with the air coming from the lungs. Ibn al-Nafis discredited all these views including ones byGalen andAvicenna , and at least an illustration of his manuscript is still extant.William Harvey later explained the circulatory system without reference to Ibn al-Nafis in1628 . Ibn al-Nafis also extolled the study of comparative anatomy in his "Explaining the dissection of [Avicenna's] Canon" which includes prefaces and citations of sources. He emphasized the rigours of verification bymeasurement ,observation andexperiment . He subjected conventional wisdom of his time to a criticalreview and verified it with experiment and observation, discardingerror s. He was also an early proponent ofexperimental medicine , postmortemautopsy , and humandissection , [Ingrid Hehmeyer and Aliya Khan (2007), "Islam's forgotten contributions to medical science", "Canadian Medical Association Journal" 176 (10), p. 1467-1468 [1467] .] and he also discredited many other erroneous Avicennian andGalen ic doctrines on thehumorism ,pulse bone s,muscle s,intestine s, sensory organs, bilious canals,esophagus ,stomach , and theanatomy of almost every other part of thehuman body . [Dr. Sulaiman Oataya (1982), "Ibn ul Nafis has dissected the human body", "Symposium on Ibn al-Nafis", Second International Conference on Islamic Medicine: Islamic Medical Organization, Kuwait (cf. [http://www.islamset.com/isc/nafis/index.html Ibn ul-Nafis has Dissected the Human Body] , "Encyclopedia of Islamic World").] Ibn al-Nafis also drewdiagram s to illustrate different body parts in his new physiological system. [Dr Ibrahim Shaikh (2001), [http://muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=209 Who Discovered Pulmonary Circulation, Ibn Al-Nafis or Harvey?] , FSTC.]*
1242 -1244 [biology, medicine, surgery, urology, scientific method]Ibn al-Nafis publishes the first 43 volumes of his medical encyclopedia, "The Comprehensive Book on Medicine". One volume is dedicated tosurgery , where he describes the "general and absolute principles of surgery", a variety of surgical instruments, and the examination of every type of surgical operation known to him. He states that in order for a surgical operation to be successful, full attention needs to be given to three stages of the operation: the "time of presentation" when thesurgeon carries out adiagnosis on the affected area, the "time of operative treatment" when the surgeon repairs the affected organs, and the "time of preservation" when the patient needs to be taken care of bynurse s. "The Comprehensive Book on Medicine" was also the earliest book dealing with thedecubitus of a patient. [Dr. Albert Zaki Iskandar (1982), "Comprehensive Book on the Art of Medicine", "Symposium on Ibn al Nafis", Second International Conference on Islamic Medicine: Islamic Medical Organization, Kuwait (cf. [http://www.islamset.com/isc/nafis/iskandar.html Comprehensive Book on the Art of Medicine] , "Encyclopedia of Islamic World")] "The Comprehensive Book on Medicine" is also the earliest book dealing with thedecubitus of a patient.Iskandar (1974), p. 603] Another section is dedicated tourology , including the issues ofsexual dysfunction anderectile dysfunction , where Ibn al-Nafis is one of the first to prescribe clinically tested drugs asmedication for the treatment of these problems. His treatments are mainly oraldrugs , though earlytopical and transurethral treatments are also mentioned in a few cases.*
1242 -1288 [medicine]Ibn al-Nafis publishes more commentaries onAvicenna 's "The Canon of Medicine ". All of his commentaries on "The Canon of Medicine" add up to 20 volumes in length.*
1244 -1288 [medicine]Ibn al-Nafis writes down notes for upcoming volumes of his medical encyclopedia, "The Comprehensive Book on Medicine". His notes add up to a total of 300 volumes in length, though he is only able to publish 80 volumes before he dies in 1288. [Iskandar (1974), p. 602-603] Even in its incomplete state, however, "The Comprehensive Book on Medicine" is one of the largest known medicalencyclopedia s in history, and was much larger than the more famous "The Canon of Medicine " byAvicenna . However, only several volumes of "The Comprehensive Book on Medicine" have survived into modern times. [Nahyan A. G. Fancy (2006), "Pulmonary Transit and Bodily Resurrection: The Interaction of Medicine, Philosophy and Religion in the Works of Ibn al-Nafīs (d. 1288)", p. 61, "Electronic Theses and Dissertations",University of Notre Dame . [