Faces of 1,000 years of Innovation

Sutayta al-Mahamili

This tenth-century mathematician from Baghdad excelled in practical mathematics like arithmetic (hisab) and complex calculations. She was also an expert witness in courts.

Rufayda al-Aslamiya

She lived in the seventh century in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and was considered the first nurse in Islam.

Labana al-Qurtubiya

This tenth-century mathematician from Cordoba, Al-Andalus, was known for her knowledge in solving complex geometry and algebra problems.

Fatima al-Fihriya

Nicknamed Um al-Banin or "the mother of children", this ninth-century patron of art and buildings from Fez (Fes), Morocco, founded Al-Qarawiyin mosque which was dedicated to learning. It later became one of the oldest university in the world.

Zaynab al-Shahda

This tenth-century calligrapher from Dinavar, present-day Iran, who lived in Baghdad, was renowned for her work in fiqh (Islamic law) and hadiths (traditions or sayings of the prophet).

Al-Shifaa bint Abdulla

Living in seventh-century Makkah, Al-Shifaa administered medical healing at her house. Her real name was Layla, but she was nicknamed Al-Shifaa meaning healing.

She was appointed Muhtasibah - health and safety executive for the city of Madina.

Ibn Battuta

Abu Abdullah Muhammad, known as Ibn Battuta, was a renowned 14th century traveler, explorer, and chronicler.

His accounts document his travels over almost 30 years, covering 73,000 miles.

Ibn al-Baytar

Abu Muhammad Dia' al-Din Abdullah ibn Ahmad was a physician, herbalist, pharmacist, and botanist who lived in 13th-century Málaga, Spain. He wrote a dictionary of over 3000 plants and their uses.

Muhammad al-Fatih

Known as Mehmed II or al-Fatih, Muhammad al -Fatih lived in the 15th century in Adrianople, Thrace, Turkey.

He was an Ottoman sultan who conquered and ruled from Constantinople (1451-1481) and constructed many lasting buildings, including the first Muslim cultural buildings in modern Istanbul.

Ibn Khaldun

Abd al-Rahman ibn Mohammad lived in Tunis, Tunisia in the 14th and early 15th centuries.

He was a sociologist, historian, philosopher, and economist. In his famous Al-Muqaddimah or Introduction, Ibn Khaldun traced the rise and fall of human societies.

Ibn al-Haytham

Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham, also known by his Latinised name Alhazen, is an 11th century polymath who was born in Basra, Iraq.

He was a physicist and mathematician who made important contributions to the understanding of vision, optics and light.

Al-Biruni

Abul Rayhan al-Biruni was born in Khwarizm in 973 and died in Gazna in 1050.

He was a mathematician, geographer, pharmacist, physicist, and earth sciences scholar. He calculated the Earth’s circumference by using a highly complex geodesic equation.

Ibn al-Shatir al-Dimashqi

This famous fourteenth-century astronomer lived in Damascus, Syria. He invented a time-keeping device that was placed in the Great Umayyad Mosque in the city. He is also credited with measuring the inclination of the zodiac.

Al-Zarqali

Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Yahya, also known as Arzachel and Al-Zarqali, lived in 11th-century Toledo, Spain.

He was an astronomer who compiled the Toledo Tables of astronomical and astrological data. He invented a universal astrolabe known as Saphea Arzachelis, which worked anywhere.

Al-Kindi

Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Ishaq al-Sabbah from Kufa, Iraq was a cryptanalyst, mathematician, astronomer, physician, and geographer who lived in the 9th century.