Customer Reviews

Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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This is an extremely terrific introduction to an unfortunately little-known topic. In fifteen chapters and an epilogue, we are treated here to articulate, carefully crafted commentary and overviews of a myriad of medieval Islamic scientific, pseudo-scientific, and philosophical milieus. Turner presents us with chapters upon astronomy, medicine, geography, alchemy, and mathematics, among many other topics, as well as the Greek, Egyptian, Roman, Babylonian, etc. roots of the traditions surveyed. Each chapter includes intelligently selected material, which is oftentimes broken down into various subsections, for increased clarity and focus. One thing that the new reader of this book might want to be aware of is that the body of text in most chapters is literally only five to ten pages long. A lot of information is conveyed in the sections at the end of each chapter, which consist of beautiful (black and white) photographs and illustrations of various medieval islamic scientific instruments, observatories, learning academies, etc. Below the photographs are pithy, well-written commentaries upon the objects in the photographs. Don't skip over these commentaries -- they contain some of the best material in the book. Also watch for the helpful timeline in an appendix at the end, the glossary of unfamiliar Arabic vocabulary, and the very useful bibliography. Definitely take the time to scan through the bibliography, if you have any interest in pursuing further work in this area. It contains most of the classic works on this topic, and many lesser-known articles, books, etc.

Many people reading this may be interested in the historical background of Islam, or in the medieval period in and of itself. For people who come to this book from curiosity about how our classical heritage was preserved during the centuries between Rome and the Renaissance, (i.e., while the Islamic world was keeping the scholarly and scientific traditions alive, and Europe generally went to pieces), I'd like to take this opportunity to recommend "Scribes and Scholars: A Guide to the Transmission of Latin and Greek Literature," by L.D. Reynolds. The title tells you what that book is about, and it's very well done.

This book is very interesting, very well-researched, and beautifully presented. Two enthusiastic thumbs up.

I was fortunate to read this in manuscript and knew that it was something most readers would like because of the wonderful illustrations. Readers cannot find a better place to begin to understand the fantastic developments in the Islamic world at a time when Europe had lost most ancient knowledge. It will probably become a required book for most courses dealing with the Islamic and Arabic civilizations.

After having just taken a course on the history of the lands of Islam, I found this book to be extremely interesting. Howard Turner covers every area of science imaginable from astrology to medicine to alchemy. Each chapter gives a good introduction to the achievements that were made by the Islamic scientists. Each chapter also starts off by examining where this field of study originated and how the Muslim scientists expanded upon it or completely changed the field of study. The only thing that disappointed me about the chapters was that they were very short. Each chapter gave a brief overview of the major achievements and beliefs of the times but Turner did not go into great detail on any one area of study. Although the chapters were short, Turner provides excellent photos at the end of each section to show you what these scientists were working with and the diagrams that they created. It was absolutely fascinating to see just how advance science was seven hundred years ago and just how much our world of science is based on what was explored at this time.

During the Golden Age of Islam (7th through 17th centuries AD), Muslim philosophers and poets, artists and scientists, princes and laborers created a unique culture that has influenced societies on every continent. This book offers a fully illustrated, highly accessible introduction to an important aspect of that culture - the scientific achievements of medieval Islam. Explores cosmology, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, geography, medicine, natural sciences, alchemy, and optics.

Teachers: If you're "doing" the Medieval Banquet in the Alhambra Palace, you'll need this source for information on many of your "guests." Very suitable for 7th grade - adult, social studies/science/math.

"But an exhibit a book does not make, for an exhibit is one thing and a book is something slightly different, though both products can in principle convey very significant educational messages in their own different ways." George Saliba



Pre Islamic Science:
Alexandria had become the established center of Ancient world's science and philosophy, by the first century B.C., the towering Pharos of enlightenment with its libraries, and institutions. This meeting place of Hellenist and Oriental philosophies with advanced ancient Egyptian Astronomy, Medicine, Chemical technology, mathematics, and Hermeticism, out of which evolved Neoplatonism, became a crucible of sciences and civilized thought.
The Alexandrine heritage systematized and put into dialectical form by the peculiar discursive power of the Greeks, described by the uninformed as greek science, passed from Alexandria to Antioch, and from there to Edessa, by the Monophysite Christian and Syriac Nestorians, particularly instrumental in the evolution of learning in Syriac, as far east as Persia. In the third century A.D., King Shapur I of Persia, founded a school, set up on the model of those at Alexandria and Antioch, in a metropolis that became a center of ancient sciences, studied in Greek and Syriac; astronomy, medicine, mathematics, and logic were taught, mostly from Greek texts translated into Syriac. This school, lasted long after the rise of the Abbasid caliphate, and became an important source of ancient learning in the Islamic world.

Exhibition Catalogue:
I have to start with stating that I was fascinated with this superb collection that still exhibit the splendor of the civilization that produced those objects, and the undisclosed diversity of its inventors Copts, Syriacs, Persians and later Andalusians, majorly of Christian tradition. Since I am a trained engineer who reads in Arabic, I could decipher the writings enjoying more than most of the Western readers and could not agree more with eminent scholar G. Saliba that, "one can easily detect the skill with which this diplomatic curator operated, a skill that makes it very hard for this reviewer to speak critically of a book in which he is thanked for 'valuable guidance'."

Muslim Scientists:
Turner failed like Dr. Hamed Ead, Professor of Chemistry, Cairo U. and director of the Science Heritage Center, Cairo, both briefly quoting or editing G. Sarton's "Introduction to the History of Science," to identify a great many Christian Scientists as Thabit ibn Qurra, Hunain ibn Ishaq, and numerous others, between those who advanced the Islamic motivated empire. "It will suffice here to evoke a few glorious names without contemporary equivalents in the West: Jabir ibn Haiyan, al-Kindi, al-Khwarizmi, al-Fargani, al-Razi, Thabit ibn Qurra, al-Battani, Hunain ibn Ishaq, ... A magnificent array of names which it would not be difficult to extend. If anyone tells you that the Middle Ages were scientifically sterile, just quote these men to him, all of whom flourished within a short period, 750 to 1100 A.D." They did not spring out of obscurity, but pre-existed propagating Christian knowledge of Alexandrine Copts and Antiochian Syriacs.

Scientific Instruments in Islam:
The category of scientific instruments, dealing mainly with astronomy like quadrants, globes, astrolabes, and other directional instruments, which have dominated by their very precision and beauty in exhibitions of Islamic science, have become the icons of Islamic scientific culture, are overwhelmingly used to represent the spirit of 'Islamic Science'. Astrolabes, specifically, played a very important role in Islamic civilization, a role that has yet to be well assessed.
John Philoponus, a Christian philosopher, scientist, and theologian who lived approximately from 490 to 570, in Alexandria is also known as Yehya Al Nahawi( The Grammarian) His oeuvre comprises at least 40 items on diverse subjects such as ..., logic, mathematics, physics, psychology, cosmology, astronomy,... even medical treatises have been attributed to him. A substantial part of his work has come down to us, but some treatises are known only indirectly through quotations or translations into Syriac and Arabic, as quoted from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, wrote on The Astrolabe; Treatise Concerning the use and arrangement of the ASTROLABE and the Engravings upon it; "The subject has already been treated sufficiently by my teacher the philosopher Ammonius, but still requires to be further elucidated so that it may be easily apprehended by those also who are not instructed in such matters."

Themes & Methods:
An introductory few pages on history of that branch of science, are followed by mesmerizing photographs of the precedent objects mentioned, exhibiting the splendor of the civilization that produced those objects. Those cursory introductions are outdated and wanting. Their related captions form unlinked fragmented narratives neither complementing nor coherent with the introductory note expected from a Catalogue, let alone a specialized book. 5 stars for the photos, 3 stars for the text!

A Compelling Review:
Dr. George Saliba, professor of Arabic and Islamic science, Columbia University, a Senior Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the Kluge Center, who rejects common explanations including the claim that scientific inquiry ran afoul with Islamic religious authorities, gave the utmost review. "This book would have been inconceivable without the traveling exhibition "The Heritage of Islam" that was mounted on the occasion of the onset of the Fourteenth Centennial of Islam ... The science curator for that exhibit who diligently collected or photographed the scientific objects exhibited, talked to people all over the world in academic circles, museums, ... Unfortunately, he decided to insinuate that his book was an illustrated introduction to science in medieval Islam."