There is a long list of inventions made during the Golden era of Islamic history. The era of Golden Islamic was from the 7th to 15th century, in which numerous great inventions were made.
It was the time when Muslim scientists and other analytical led the way in this period with achievements that were truly amazing and left remarkable footprints not only in Islamic history but also laid the foundation for other areas like modern medicine and algebra.
It has now been made clear by the modern scientists of the West that during the dark ages of medieval Europe, remarkable scientific achievements were made in the Muslim world.
The great philosophers from Cairo, Baghdad, Cordoba, and Damascus copied the literary works of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, India, China, and Greece, lying the foundation for what we call the modern world.
This content would discuss in brief the top 8 technologies that made a revolution in the Muslim world from the 9th to 15th century. Muslim pro is an Islamic app that is a home for all things Muslim. If you are interested in learning more about Muslim history and great inventions, you can download the app.
1. The Elephant Clock
The elephant clock is a great invention ever introduced by Muslim scientists. The elephant clock is a 3-meter high copy of the early water clock introduced in the 13th century. The water clock was one of the engineering marvels of Muslim scientists. Al-Jazari designed it, and it gives physical form to the concept of multiculturalism.
It includes an Indian elephant, Chinese dragons, a Greek water mechanism, an Egyptian phoenix, and wooden robots dressed as Arabians. The timing mechanism is based on a bucket of water hidden inside the elephant.
2. Ibn Firnas’ Flying Contraption
Another invention that brought a revolution to the Muslim world is the flying contraption. Abbas Ibn Firnas was a successful 9th-century Muslim scientist inventor and the Islamic world’s Da Vinci. He is commemorated on Arabic postage stamps and has a lunar crater named after him.
When he was 65, he built a rudimentary hang glider that resembled a bird and the inventory successfully launched himself from the side of a mountain in his famous attempt at controlled flight. According to some accounts, he was airborne for several minutes before landing badly and injuring his back. He designed a winged apparatus in the 9th century. Modern-day aircraft are designed on the same concept.
3. The Camera Obscura
The advancements in optics were initiated in the Muslim world. The camera is invented by a Muslim scientist named Ibn al-Haytham. AN Arab Muslim scientist of the 10th century. Among his numerous optical contributions was the first correct explanation of how vision works.
He demonstrated how light travels in straight lines from an object to form an inverted image on the retina using the Chinese invention of the camera obscura. His work contributed to the invention of optics (glasses) and binoculars that are part of the modern world.
4. Al-Idrisi’s World Map
This world map of size 3-meter invention of the famous 12th-century map was introduced by the famous Muslim Andalusian cartographer Al-Idrisi. This world map was designed in the period 1100-1166and was made in Sicily.
In the current era, the map was considered the most elaborate and complete description of the world made in medieval times. The map included detailed descriptions of the routes and different regions and was used by travelers for many years. The map touched the route from the Christian north to the Islamic world, including Africa, and the Far East.
5. “Ingenious Devices” By Banu Musa Brothers
In the ninth century in Baghdad, the Banu Musa brothers were three brothers who were great mathematicians and engineers. Their Book of Ingenious Devices, published in 850, was a large illustrated work on mechanical devices that included automata, puzzles, magic tricks, and what we now call “executive toys.”
6. Clock:
Al-Jazari was a brilliant Muslim engineer from Diyarbakir in South-East Turkey. He took the credit for introducing the idea of automatic machines. He was also a devout Muslim. Al-Jazari produced numerous clocks of all sizes and shapes by the year 1206; Muslims over seven hundred years ago needed time to organize their lives, just as we do today.
Al-Jazari was maintaining the long-standing Muslim tradition of making clocks. They understood the value of knowing the time so that it could be used for good deeds, such as knowing when to pray each day at the appropriate time and announcing the call to prayer in mosques.
7. Introduction To Surgery And Medicine
Doctoral-Zahrawi laid the foundation of medicine and surgery. Before his contribution, there was nothing like medicine and surgery. Al- Zahrawi was an Arab physician and surgeon who, nearly 1000 years ago, published a 1,500-page illustrated encyclopedia of surgery. His encyclopedia was used as a reference in Europe for five centuries.
His groundbreaking contributions to the procedures of surgery or operations and instruments had a huge impact in the East and West and laid a foundation for modern medicine, with some of his discoveries still being used in medicine today.
8. Crankshaft Of Car Engines
The crankshaft of the car engine is the invention of a Muslim scientist. A crankshaft is the central part of an automobile engine that transforms the rotary motion into linear motion and enables the crank to lift heavy objects with ease.
This Muslim scientist also published a Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices documents that talk about the valves and pistons, mechanical clocks, and the first-ever lock. This was a great invention in the Muslim world, that lead to easy transportation from place to place.
Final Thoughts!!
From the elephant clock to the concept of using a toothbrush for cleaning teeth the above-mentioned inventions brought revolution not only to the Muslim world but also laid a foundation for the modern era. The above-mentioned Muslim scientists’ inventions help European society to come out from the period of the dark age.
