Early Islamic Civilisations 

Famous minds 

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During the Golden Age of Islam, there were many famous and brilliant minds who contributed a huge amount to the fields of science, astronomy, mathematics, medicine and other areas.

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Al-Khwarizmi: He was a famous astronomer, scientist and mathematician, and it is from him that we get the words ‘algorithm’ and ‘algebra’, which were named after a book that he wrote.

 

Ziryab: A famous musician, stylist and mathematician, Ziryab introduced the lute to Europe, and his ideas revolutionised lifestyles. He introduced new social customs to other countries, which soon spread.

 

Abd Al-Rahman al-Sui: He was a nobleman and astronomer, whose book The Book of Fixed Stars, published c. ad 964, catalogued over a thousand stars and also refers to the Andromeda galaxy.

 

Abbas ibn Firnas: The first person to make a successful human flight, he constructed a pair of wings made from wood, silk and feathers before jumping of a cliff and gliding down. However, he had been so obsessed with the dynamics of flying, that he had neglected to think about the landing and injured his back, putting an end to any further attempts of flight.

 

Ibn Al Haytham: A pioneering scientist, his Book of Optics influenced European thinkers in the Renaissance period. He reasoned that light reflected from objects enables us to see them, and his ideas would later lead to the invention of the camera.

 

Ibn Yunus: An astronomer, mathematician and poet, his books recorded eclipses and included astronomical tables that were remarkably accurate.