Al-Khwarizmi’s map of the Nile, one of the earliest-known maps depicting the Nile (this is also an example of one of the earliest Islamicate maps produced on paper), became a model for depicting the river in nearly every cartographic manuscript for centuries. Image
This map was part of an 11th-century manuscript copy of al-Khwarizmi’s Kitab surat al-‘ard (Book of a picture of the earth) published in English under the title The Oriental Geography of Ebn Hawqal (1800).
Al-Khwarizmi shows how the Nile emerges from the mythical Mountains of the Moon (now Ethiopia), flows through multiple cataracts and heads north, crosses the equator to pass through the lands of Nubia, Aswan and Beja toward Fustat (medieval Cairo) and finishes in the Nile Delta..
..near Dumyat (Damietta), where it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Cartographers replicated this depiction of the Nile in various ways in every cartographic manuscript thereafter for centuries.
As copies proliferated throughout the medieval Islamic world, this helped establish what became, in effect, the world’s first geographical atlas series.

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More from @IslamScienceNet

21 Jan
On miracles, Stefano Bigliardi has characterised views of modern Muslim scientists as being quite different as follows:

👉Miracles are acceptable in their literal description. They might be controlled by a different set of laws.
👉They are very low probability events that occur extremely rarely, perhaps only once in the universe’s lifetime.
👉Miracles are cited in religious texts figuratively, and are not intended to be true events in a literal sense.
👉A miracle constitutes a “spiritual experience”.
What is the significance of the fact that the Qur’anic term ayah (sign or miracle) is used for extraordinary events as well as for “ordinary” or daily yet wonderful events? Does this suggest that some “miracles” do indeed have naturalistic explanations?
Read 5 tweets
21 Jan
Miracles need to be reconciled as extreme rare and exceptional events with scientific explanations👇
Miracles constitute one of the most contentious issues in the debates of Religion and Science. Miracles are not as fundamental to some religions as to others, but in their direct connection to the more important issue of divine action in the world, they are essential to address.
It is important to define and delineate the concept of Miracles and the extent of their manifestation:
👉Are miracles “violations of the laws of nature”, or are they simply striking events that may point to God or supernatural agents but are scientifically only improbable?
Read 6 tweets
21 Jan
According to Ibn Sina, miracles must have a physical explanation👇

📸The Physician — Movie, starring Sir Ben Kingsley as #IbnSina.
Ibn Sina firmly believed that there are laws of nature which cannot be violated. He believed that all physical phenomena have a known cause – an idea which also characterised his approach to medicine.
This meant that he found it hard to envisage supernatural events such as healing miracles and bodily resurrection.
Read 6 tweets
13 Dec 20
Around ten centuries before the invention of the airplane by Wright brothers, Abbas Ibn Firnas, a well-known Muslim scientist and inventor, made the first attempt of flying.
Ibn Firnas built a wooden flying machine and used it to jump from a building. He failed in his 1st attempt, but he didn’t lose his hope, and years later, he made a successful flight. This time, he used eagles feathers and silk for his flying machine.
Ibn Firnas' designs would undoubtedly have been an inspiration for famed Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci’s hundreds of years later.

📸Artistic impressions of Abbas ibn Firnas and his successful 9th-century flight, 1001 Inventions.
Read 4 tweets
30 Aug 20
Al-Khwarizmi’s map of the Nile, one of the earliest-known maps depicting the Nile (this is also an example of one of the earliest Islamicate maps produced on paper), became a model for depicting the river in nearly every cartographic manuscript for centuries.
This map was part of an 11th-century manuscript copy of al-Khwarizmi’s Kitab surat al-‘ard (Book of a picture of the earth) published in English under the title The Oriental Geography of Ebn Hawqal (1800).
Al-Khwarizmi shows how the Nile emerges from the mythical Mountains of the Moon (now Ethiopia), flows through multiple cataracts and heads north, crosses the equator to pass through the lands of Nubia, Aswan and Beja toward Fustat (medieval Cairo) and finishes in the Nile Delta..
Read 5 tweets
7 Aug 20
Mustansiriya Madrasah was a medieval era scholarly complex that provided a universal system of higher education🎓. It was established in 1227 C.E and was named after and built by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mustansir in Baghdad, Iraq.
The Madrasa taught many different subjects, including medicine, math, literature, grammar, philosophy & Islamic religious studies. However, the major focus of education was in Islamic law. It became the most prominent and high-ranking center for Islamic studies in all of Baghdad.
Within the school of Islamic studies☪️🎓, there were specific divisions of Islamic knowledge. The divisions included the Dar al-Quran and the Dar al-Hadith. The Dar al-Qur’an, or the House of Qur’an was dedicated to the study and recitation of the Qur’an.
Read 8 tweets

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