Arabesco .. Arab and Muslim Heritage

Translation and commentary to one of Euclid books, written by Alhasan Ibn Ali one of the scholars of Alnezamiah school in Baghdad (died 1215 AD).

Translation and commentary to one of Aristotle books, written by the Arab philosopher Alfarabi (died 950 AD).

The opening page of the second chapter of Dioscorides book Herbs in Medicine.

The Arab and Islamic civilization and their contributions are largely ignored and overlooked over the centuries and specially by the west despite the fact that the universities, libraries and museums of the west holds a great deal of the Islamic and Arab heritage that goes back for centuries.

Great deal of the ancient history of Europe and the work of the Greek philosopher's only exist today due to the fact that Muslim and Arab scholars and writers translated the ancient literature and enhanced on it.

Indeed the only source for most of the Greek philosophy is from the Arabic manuscripts, but this fact is hardly mentioned in any book you read about this subject.

The translation of the scientific and literature work of the Muslim and Arab scholars into Latin played a major role in shaping the renaissance in Europe.

Most of the famous European works of literature and science were modeled on Arabic books that were written two or three centuries earlier.

Muslim scholars like Ibn Nafis, who explained correctly the minor circulation of blood, Ibn Jaber the great mathematician who produced great works on algebra (which bear his name to this day), Ibn Alhaitham who wrote and developed the modern theory on light and lenses and many more scholars wrote their books centuries before any attempt were made by any European to explore these subjects.

Opening page of the Arabic translation to the Book of Antidote for the Greek Physicians Galen, dated 1199 AD.

Muslim Physician Ibn Nafis who worked at Alnoori hospital
in Damascus, died 1288 AD, described accurately the
minor circulation of the blood centuries before Servetus,
Colombo and William Harvey.

Ibn Alhaitham a mathematician, physicist and physician, died 1040 AD, was the first to point out that vision occurs by the reflection of the light entering the eye and not the opposite as it was thought by the Greek Physicians.

In one of his book Alzahrawi, died 1013 AD, he designed more than two hundred surgical instruments. Most are still in use in surgery with very little modification. The page illustrate various types of scrapers, scalpels, hooks and forceps.

Five hundred years after the Arab Physician Alzahrawi died, his book on surgical and medical instruments was translated to Latin in 1513 AD by Peter Argellata.

Diagram of the eye from one of Ibn Hunayn's ten treaties on the eye (lived during the ninth century).

Following the defeat of the west in the crusades during the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries the west took a hostile attitude towards the Islamic civilization.

This explains why the west is very reluctant to acknowledge the vital and important role the Muslim civilization played in shaping the west today.

Almost the majority of the historians go back to the oldest civilizations in the world like the Sumerians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans to explore the roots of the western civilizations, but when it comes to the Muslim civilization there is complete silence as if the Muslim world did not exist and Europe lived in complete isolation during that period.

It must be acknowledged that the Muslims themselves have contributed to that silence. The majority of Muslims are aware of their heritage in one way or another but they have not attempted to shed the light on that history in more details.

For example if you mention the name of Al Razi or Ibn Sina a lot of Muslims will tell you they were great Muslim physicians but fewer will know they lived in the ninth and the tenth century and even fewer would know the names of some of their books and achievements.

In this exhibition I hope that I would be able to shed some light on some of the Islamic heritage that influenced not only the progress of civilization but the life of the ordinary people in every aspect of their life.

A page from "The book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices", written by Al Jazari during the twelfth century.

A leaf from an Arabic manuscript which describes five hundred plants and their pharmaceutical uses (1224 AD).

A page from the stories of Kalila and Dimna (1300 AD), written by Ibn Amuqaffa (died 757 AD). These stories were translated later into 40 languages and influenced even the prolific French genius La Fontaine.

Students listening and some writing on tablets while two masters in discussion. From the Assemblies of Alhariri stories which describes everyday life during the tenth century.

The Qadi (Judge or Magistrate) settling a dispute between a father and his daughter. From the Assemblies of Alhariri stories.

The Muhtasib (supervisor and regulator of the public services) inspecting a barber shop. From the Assemblies of Alhariri stories.

The right for education and health for the ordinary person in the form
of public schools, universities and libraries.The welfare for the poor and needy in the form of public social welfare and public hospitals. The social justes in the fom of courts to deal with the disputes between ordinary people without the interference of the rulers.

The regulating of trade and markets, town planning and agriculture were all deep rooted in the Islamic civilization centuries before the wakening of the west.

In other words the very ingredient of modern society were formed and greatly influenced by the Islamic civilization.