Top 10 Islamic Inventions
Some of you may be surprised that some of the daily stuff we use is rooted from Islamic origins. Much like the west, the Islamic World had a plethora of contributions - many of which had a huge impact in society which you can see today. Many of these said inventions have been created during the Islamic Golden Age - a time which spurred medical, philosophical, scientific, and other advancements to be made starting in the 8th century and ending in the mid-13th century. Later on, these inventions would proliferate to the west as well as the rest of the world. This list shows some of their most significant inventions.Did you know that the everyday numbers we use come from Arabic speakers residing in North Africa in the 10th century? From the introduction of the numbers in Codex Vigilanus, the use of Arabic numerals slowly began to spread in Europe. When the printing press was invented in the 15th century, the concept diffused to many parts of Europe and later had a major impact on the rest of the world.
Ah yes, one of the most feared subjects in school also happens to come from the Islamic world. Even the word itself has Arabic roots.
While the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Greeks were trailblazers in developing algebraic concepts, Muslims contributed many mathematical concepts as much as these aforementioned civilizations. In the 8th century, Islam saw an enlightenment of mathematics, most importantly algebra. Muhammad Ibn
Musa al-Khwarizmi was the pioneer of algebra, often referred to as the "father of algebra." His notable contributions include solutions for solving linear and quadratic equations through methods like completing the square, dealing with like terms, reducing, and the canceling-out method.
He was the first person to treat algebra as a discipline, thanks to his written work, "The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing," which contains most of his material.
The Arabs were very innovative in inventing surgical tools and methods, which had a massive impact from the medieval world to the Renaissance over several centuries. One prime example is Al-Zahrawi, known as "the father of modern surgery."
Along with inventing medical tools, he composed his magnum opus, "Kitab Al-Tasrif" or "The Method of Medicine," which covers a vast amount of information regarding illnesses, medicine, instruments, surgery, and other health-related topics. Some of his methods are still in use today.
Healthcare in the Islamic medieval ages significantly cared for people regardless of their financial status or background. In fact, healthcare was entirely free for everyone, including foreigners, due to their religion and traditions.
The hospitals in the medieval world, called bimaristans, admitted sick patients until they fully recovered. There were also treatments for the mentally ill, including music therapy. These hospitals functioned as institutions providing opportunities for medical students to further their knowledge.
One of the hospitals resembling the modern hospital today is the Al-Fustat Hospital, built in 872 in Cairo. This was one of the first hospitals to treat the mentally ill with care.
Its exact origins remain obscure, though it's mostly believed to have been invented by Indians or the Chinese earlier than in the Islamic world. However, evidence indicates that the spinning wheel was recognized in the Islamic world in the 11th century.
The spinning wheel is one of the pioneer inventions that played a large role in the Industrial Revolution. It was distributed in Europe in the following centuries and was especially important for producing yarn, which significantly contributed to the textile industry during the Industrial Revolution. In fact, the spinning wheel played a large role in developing the spinning jenny and even the printer due to the reduced cost of paper.
Ironically, coffee was considered a sin to drink among many Christians because it came from the "infidels." However, there's a reason why Arabic coffee usually tastes so good. Even Pope Clement VIII took a sip and decided otherwise, despite the pressure to ban the drink. He said, "This Satan's drink is so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it," and blessed the beverage.
Thereafter, coffee became popular throughout Europe and eventually the whole world. Although Ethiopia had tales regarding coffee centuries before, evidence of drinking coffee traces back to Yemen in southern Arabia. While it wasn't part of the Islamic Golden Period, it was discovered relatively later in the 15th century. By 1600, coffee was introduced to Italy and then to the rest of the world. Surprisingly, how we prepare coffee today is quite similar to what the Yemenis did centuries ago.
Some of you might be in disbelief considering most of these inventions come from the medieval period, but the pinhole camera was first invented in the 11th century. When the "camera obscura" phenomenon was described by the mathematician and physicist Ibn al-Haytham, many inventions and experiments related to the phenomenon followed.
It wasn't Schweppes that was the first to sell soft drinks in history. It was Middle Easterners who were among the first to produce and sell soft drinks. Sharbat was one of the most popular drinks during the medieval period. Believed to be made in Iran, it is prepared with a variety of fruits mixed with honey and syrup. This was long before the marketing of soda drinks became popular worldwide.
This everyday invention, also known as a convex lens, traces back to the 10th century in the Book of Optics, written by the same inventor of the pinhole camera. It may not seem like the most useful invention, but the magnifying glass was actually the predecessor of eyeglasses, which emerged in Italy in the 13th century after the book was translated and distributed throughout Europe in the 12th century.
Definitely one of the inventions we use most, Islamic or otherwise.
One of the lost inventions of the Islamic world, Damascus steel is distinguishable by its wavy appearance. It is known for its strength and durability, surpassing most ordinary steel from the medieval period. Production started in the 8th century but ended in the 19th century. After its discontinuation, many people tried to recreate the steel but to no success. It remains a notable legend to this day.