Feature: 1001 Inventions: The rich heritage of Islamic science and culture

9 April 2009. By Penny Bailey

"People talk about the 'Dark Ages' - the 1000-year period following the fall of the Roman Empire until the Renaissance," says Professor Salim Al-Hassani, University of Manchester. "Well, it may have been 'dark' in northern Europe, but it was sunny elsewhere: in Muslim Spain, Italy, the Golden Middle East, China and India, science and technology were flourishing."

Later, Muslim scholarship provided western Europe with scientific texts, concepts, discoveries and inventions that paved the way for the great discoveries made during the fertile period from the 16th to the 19th centuries, from Copernicus to Darwin. As Isaac Newton said, "If I saw more than others, it was because Istand on the shoulders of giants". This phrase in now engraved on the rim of the English £2 coin.

However, as Professor Al-Hassani points out, history tends to tell a different story, emphasising Western innovatorssuch as Newton, Harvey, and neglecting the influence of other cultures during the Dark Ages. As Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC) – a Manchester-based non-profit organisation that aims to promote an accurate account of Muslim heritage and its contribution to present-day science, technology and civilisation – he is naturally keen to redress this imbalance.

In 2005, the FSTC was awarded a Wellcome Trust People Award that, along with funding from other organisations, was used to develop a travelling interactive exhibition called '1001 Inventions: Muslim heritage in our world'.

'1001 Inventions' uses interactive displays, hands-on and sensory exhibits to bring to life the inventions of early Muslim pioneers. These include: the camera and the foundations of modern optics; the crank shaft, used today in every car and motor engine; the first successful manned flight and manned rocket projection; industrial paper making and the fountain pen; the birth of the modern hospital and hundreds of surgical tools; the birth of the first university; and navigation devices.

"People believe that there is tension between science and religion in the Islamic faith," says Professor Al-Hassani. "But the Quran and sayings of Prophet Mohammed offer lots of encouragement to seek knowledge in science and medicine. It urges believers to express their religion through action, by improving the quality of life of humans, animals, trees and plants." It was this expression of faith that led to the emergence of the first hospitals, pharmacies and doctors, who came to Spain from the Middle East - Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo. They reached Europe from 8th Century onwards.

Complementing the exhibition is the 1001 Inventions book, first published in March 2006. The first edition was so popular it sold out within three months of its publication. Meanwhile, two websites managed by the FSTC - 1001 Inventions, a popular, entertaining source of information, and Muslim Heritage, a more substantial academic portal, comprising peer-reviewed research papers - also support the exhibition and further support its work in promoting Islamic science, technology, history and culture. It attracts circa 100 000 page views per day.

The '1001 Inventions' exhibition has toured widely in the UK after opening in Manchester in 2006. In October 2008, a scaled-down version was also shown at the Houses of Parliament and a conference on 'Muslim Heritage in our World: Social cohesion', held in Westminster, was opened by Jim Knight MP, UK Minister for Schools and Learning.

What started off as a UK touring exhibition has mushroomed into a global project, with funding from many sources. Its global roll-out was announced on 10 March 2008, with plans to visit over 20 major locations, starting with North America and the Middle East.

Along with other initiatives, the FSTC hope that by highlighting the universal and multicultural roots of science and technology, they will be able to build strong and lasting bridges between different cultures.

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Credit: Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation