Middle East

Exhibit items related to Middle East.

Exhibit Items

	Treasury of Optics al-Haytham, Ibn (1572) The frontispiece depicts a variety of optical phenomena: Reflection. Refraction. Perspective. The rainbow. Burning mirrors.
	Introduction to Astronomy, 1489 Abu Ma'shar, (1489) Abu Ma’shar, an astronomer in 9th century Baghdad, was one of the most prolific writers on astrology during the Middle Ages. This work was cited by Albert the Great, Roger Bacon, Pierre d’Ailly, and Pico della Mirandola, among others.
2	Euclid's Elements of Geometry, 1594 Al-Tusi, Nasir ad-Din (1594) This Arabic text of Euclid came from the circle of the Persian astronomer al-Tusi (13th century). Al-Tusi worked in Baghdad and in the observatory of Maragha, in modern northwestern Iran. Printing Arabic with moveable type was a technological challenge.
2	Avicenna's Canon of Medicine Sina, Ibn (1608) University medical textbook: Ibn Sina’s Canon of Medicine became a standard medical text in European universities. Ibn Sina, or “Avicenna” as he became known in Europe, flourished around 1000.
9	Commentary on Al-Qabisi Al-Qabisi, (1512) This medieval introduction to astrology was frequently translated from Arabic into Latin. Al-Qabisi lived in the 10th century in Syria.
10	On the Sphere of the Universe bar Hiyya, Abraham (1546) Abraham bar Hiyya, also known as Savasorda, was a 12th century Jewish mathematician and astronomer in Barcelona. In this beautiful introduction to astronomy, bar Hiyya’s text appears in Hebrew alongside a Latin translation.