EYE ON SCIENCE

Bibliotheca Alexandrina Planetarium Science Center WINTER 2016 | Year 9, Issue 1

THE PEOPLE OF SCIENCE: THE SCIENCE OF THE ARABS IN THIS ISSUE...

Planetarium First Arab Mars Probe is Science Center 4 the New “Hope”

5 Essam Heggy: A profile WINTER 2016 Al-Qarawiyyin: Year 9, Issue 1 6 The Oldest University in the Islamic World Cultural Outreach Sector THE SCIENCE OF THE “Brain Drain” Threatens Educational & Promotional 7 the Future of Arab Publications Unit (COPU) Science

Human Flight: Maissa Azab 8 Adventures and ARABS: Head of Unit Misadventures Legacies of the Past; Challenges of the Present By: Maissa Azab Editorial Team Arab Science Fiction Shahenda Ayman 10 Esraa Ali “The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the Before Newton, there systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical Lamia Ghoneim 11 was Alhazen and natural world through observation and experiment”; this is Jailane Salem the dictionary definition of the word Science. Science is indeed an Moataz Abdelmegid Top Ten Influential Arab activity; an activity conducted by humans; an instinctive activity Sherine Ramadan 12 Scientists: Then and Now that aims at understanding, unraveling, imitating, improving, Nourane Khaled becoming better, becoming stronger, and so on. The Science of Egypt: Science is thus part of human nature; a human nature that Design 14 Two Academics’ marvels at nature. Nonetheless, not all humans are the same; Asma Haggag Journeys not all of them are driven or capable of dedicating themselves to observation, contemplation, investigation, experimentation, and Communication Guru thus revelation. Only some do; a very special some. Publishing Department 16 Hatim Zaghloul That is why we dedicate the issues of SCIplanet 2016 to Language Revision the “People of Science”. Naturally, because we could never do Omar Yaghi: Modern justice to all the people of science, we have decided to focus on Contact Us: 17 Age Alchemist [email protected] four groups of such people that we, the Editorial Team, find most relevant to us Egyptians at this point in time. SCIplanet 18 Glass-making Within this context, we are dedicating this first issue of 2016 to “Science of the Arabs”. Despite many attempts to overshadow Leather Tanning and the immense historical influence of Arabs on science, and 19 Fabric Dyeing despite many challenges and obstacles that hamper the scientific efforts and ambitions of modern-day Arabs, Arabic scientific The Suffering of achievement, past or present, cannot be overlooked. 20 Scientists In this issue, we attempt to highlight some distinctive Arab scientists of the past and the present and their impact on different 21 Almagest sciences, and in turn on our lives and the lives of all humans. We also try to shed some light on the opportunities versus challenges For additional information Arabs, especially Arab scientists, are exposed to.

| WINTER 2014 and reservation, please 1001 Inventions 22 Exhibition Developed by the Cultural Outreach Sector Publications contact: Unit, SCIplanet is published by and under the umbrella of [email protected] | WINTER 2016 the Planetarium Science Center. We are as always proud to Tel.: +(203) 4839999 present valuable collaboration from the Cultural Outreach Sector Ext.: 2350, 2351 family; in this issue, the writings of Dr. Mohamed Soliman and Fax: +(203) 4820464 Dr. Shyamaa Elsherif, in addition to the artwork of Mohamed www.bibalex.org/psc Khamis. We wish you a happy and blessed new year, full of achievement and progress.

2 Age of Islam” during the 12 the during Islam” of Age and puts his left hand on the falcon bill on his left side. A ball falls ball Aside. left his on bill falcon the on hand left his puts and side right his on bill falcon the from up hand his lifts balcony the on hour, the bird sings; half of one hole becomes white; the man sitting Two vasesareonthetwosidesofelephantneck. elephant neck, holding an axe in his right hand and a staff in his left. is situated an arc that is divided to 7.5 degrees; a handler sits on the on which there is a clerk holding a pencil in his hand. On the platform chair,the platform of a center and the on hemisphere a it, on coiled the balconywithtwofalconsonrightandleftsidesofman. is set on the citadel towards the elephant’s head; a man is sitting on dome. the on bird Aa and citadel balcony the on dome small a with on its shoulders. On the column of the chair corners there is a citadel Phoenicia, and Spain. Iraq, India, Egypt, China, from elements incorporating by Islam of universality the celebrated clock the time, the telling to they elephant; the of top on housing hour.half each sound make and move to addition designed In were a in kept were clock the of an of form the in mechanism water elephant. Asian elements the All inventions was the Elephant Clock; it consisted of a weight-powered ON THECOVER B hn h pni o te lr cms o . dges n af an half in degrees 7.5 to comes clerk the of pencil the When Between the columns of the balcony lies an arm with two snakes chair a with elephant an of shape the in clock his built Al-Jazari inventor who lived during what is referred to as the “Golden the as to referred is what during lived who inventor and scientist engineer, Arab an was al-Jazari adi'al-Zaman THE ELEPHANTCLOCK th and 13 and th centuries. Among his many his Among centuries. http://inhabitat.com/ http://museum.kaust.edu.sa/ http://www.1001inventions.com/ uh s nml n hmni atmt, uoai gts and References gates automatic automata, humanoid doors, aswellclocks. and animal as such Mechanical Devices, which is a manuscript describing 50 machines are instructions CE and 1206 Al-Jazari’s in illustrated drawings stands design detailed engineering The robotics. mechanical and automation modern of and origins Muslim the of example physics an as today of principles the white indicatingthatonehourhaspassed. completely becomes hole one time, this side; left the on snake the and falcon the for repeated is process same degree the the which after of sign, out comes clerk the of pencil The passed. hour an half that announcing consequently sound, a making falls, belly its the on head. elephant strikes and staff a with hand his lifts he axe; his with head elephant the at thrusts elephant the of handler the elephant; the of right side; the snake moves the ball in the vase to the right the shoulder on mouth snake’s the into side right the on bill falcon the from By: Moataz Abdelmegid By: Al-Jazari's 900-year-old automatic elephant clock that exhibited that clock elephant automatic 900-year-old Al-Jazari's on hanging bell a chest; elephant the from out comes ball The Book ofKnowledgeIngenious 3 | WINTER 2016 MARS PROBE HOPEIS THE NEW FIRST ARAB FIRST

A COSMIC POINT OF VIEW By: Lamia Ghoneim

All eyes have turned to Mars lately with NASA announcing the discovery of water on the neighboring planet. Mars has been the target of human exploration for years, being the planet closest to habitability after Earth, which was further across the galaxy, to determine which may confirmed by the latest discovery. Numerous rovers continue to prowl the surface have an atmosphere that could support of Mars, in addition to satellites orbiting around it, gathering information and extra-terrestrial life. exploring the planet’s surface and atmosphere. The probe will orbit the Red Planet until at least 2023, with an option to extend the mission until 2025. It will send back more

Now the Arab World will join the breakdown of water (H2O) brought on by than 1000 GB of data to be analyzed by Martian exploration race, as the United the Sun’s incoming photons. teams of researchers in the UAE. The data Arab Emirates (UAE) prepares to send The Emirates Mars Mission will be from the space mission will also be shared the first Arab probe to explore the Red the first to study dynamic changes in the freely with about 200 universities and Planet’s atmosphere, as early as 2021. Martian atmosphere, creating a global organizations around the world, to ensure Named Hope, the ambitious Emirati probe picture of how the Martian atmosphere the spread of knowledge and for the mutual is designed from scratch in the UAE, and changes throughout the day and between benefit of all space organizations. will study the planet’s atmosphere and its seasons. Its specialized instruments As of now, around 75 engineers are climate in detail, spending as long as four will enable scientists to observe weather working on the project, and the number is years in the Martian orbit, aiming to create phenomena such as clouds and dust expected to double by 2020. The project is mankind’s first integrated model of the Mars storms, as well as changes in temperature, 100% Arab, fully staffed by local engineers atmosphere. dust, ice, and gases, including water vapor and scientists. It is a giant leap for Arab technology; throughout the layers of the atmosphere. Meet the Probe one that puts us on the map of space The probe will be a compact spacecraft The Emirates Mars Mission spacecraft technology, signaling hope and optimism the size and weight of a small car. It will will be a compact, hexagonal-section for Arab scientists and engineers blast off in a launcher rocket, then detach everywhere. “If a small young Arab nation and accelerate into deep space. It will reach is able to reach Mars, truly anything is a speed of 126,000 kilometers per hour for possible,” as Emirates Mars Mission Project the 600 million km journey around the Sun Manager, Omran Sharaf, says in the team’s to Mars, which will take around 200 days. announcement. After being inserted into an elliptical The unmanned mission is scheduled 55-hour orbit in the first quarter of 2021, for launch in 2021, to coincide with the Hope will carry out its mission at altitudes 50th anniversary of the founding of the ranging between 22,000 km to 44,000 km.

| WINTER 2016 UAE, and is estimated to arrive in a mere Besides deepening human knowledge seven to nine months. Once there, its about Mars, the data will also help climate work will include analysis of the Martian scientists understand changes in the atmosphere in hopes of finding answers to Earth’s atmosphere over millions of years. ongoing conundrums involving Mars’ long- This knowledge will also help space term water loss via atmospheric photo- scientists evaluate the atmospheres of dissociation. That is, the reactive chemical thousands of newly discovered planets far

4 References • • • its for mission tostudytheMartianatmosphere: instruments scientific three carries It guidance. human without autonomously software that can maneuver it into sophisticated Mars with orbit equipped computer a is in brain spacecraft’s The Sun. constellations determine the to relation studying help by to position its sensors tracker star dish. wide http://www.forbes.com http://phys.org www.emiratesmarsmission.ae control using high-gain antenna with a 1.5 mission solar with communicate 600-watt will three It panels. using batteries its face- composite charge will craft the space, strong in Once sheet. a with surfaced a stiff, but lightweight honeycomb structure, in aluminum from built be will It spacecraft. and hydrogenfurtherinspace. upper atmosphere and traces of oxygen the study to spectrometer ultraviolet An vapor, and dust. water ice, patters, examine temperature to spectrometer infra-red An send to camera back highresolutioncoloredimages. digital a Imager: An with equipped be will spacecraft The m sounding techniques, as well as measuring as well as environments, techniques, sounding and imaging radar of planetary in types different using and elements volcanic terrestrial Objects. and structural, Earth hydrological, probing involves Near research and His satellites icy Moon, the Mars, are geophysics planetary in from France. Group-UPMC honors University Sorbonne distinguished the with Astronomy in 2002 PhD in his obtained Egypt, he of University,then Cairo in Institute from BSc in Astronomy his California obtained Associate the Heggy Technology. at Visiting Geology and Laboratory He NASAPropulsion Radar the Jet at Group Science the in science. Scientist Research a to now is contribution Arab’s and the Arab legacy continuing an eminent NASA, at and scientist field space the in and otherobjectsoftheSolarSystem. Mars, Moon, the on volatiles and water for hunt the in participating up him ended and two Those sky. childhood his through him night haunted dreams desert clear the in explore shiny are to stars why understand how and water learn to passionate was Dr.desert, the in oasis small Heggy Essam a in Born dreams. had they because invent Many them. scientists achieve were encouraged to exert research and to and effort believe utmost we our if future our make i mi itrss n pc and space in interests main His Dr.name well-known a is Heggy Essam can ambitions and dreams Childhood References at theNASA JetPropulsionLaboratory. several NASA radar mission concept design in participated and experiments soundings and imaging radar terrestrial and proposed planetary several a to also scientist is contributing He mission. Rosetta the board on (CONSERT) Transmission by Radiowave Experiment the the Sounding Nucleus board and Comet Orbiter, on Reconnaissance experiment Lunar Mini-RF Chandrayaan-1, the aboard experiment SAR Mini- instrument the orbiter, Express Mars MARSIS the aboard the of team science on Marsin2012. ground-penetrating the radar onboard ExoMars, a rover that landed of the development involves project second The Mars. of images Mars subsurface taking Orbiter, the Express board on equipment (MARSIS) involved Altimeter Radar project Sounding Sub-Surface the first The (ESA). Agency of number ground, projects with a NASA in the and involved the European in been Space has deep Heggy buried objects water and identify and detect to (GPR) Radar the radarfrequencyrange. in rocks of properties electromagnetic the www.turkishweekly.net http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov HEGGY: ESSAM urnl, e s mme o the of member a is he Currently, Specialized in using Ground-Penetrating A PROFILE By: Shahenda Ayman By: 5 | WINTER 2016 DOSSIER Al-Qarawiyyin: By: Jailane Salem The Oldest University in the Islamic World

There are numerous universities around as a place that has great teachers and a This work was more of an encyclopedia the world; they are beacons of knowledge great place to attain knowledge. than a book. It was well-received and was sought by multitudes of people, who journey Many well-known scholars have translated into many languages, serving across lands to join them in the hopes studied or given lectures at Al-Qarawiyyin for a while as the main authority on the of expanding their minds and attaining University, including Ibn Khaldun, the subject. It was made up of nine volumes enlightenment. A University in Morocco famous historian and historiographer, who that discussed the varying climate of the has claimed the title of the oldest university is also considered to be one of the founders different regions of North Africa, as well founded. Some contest that claims; however, of modern sociology. Ibn Khaldun is most as the characteristics of the people and according to UNESCO and Guinness known for a book he wrote entitled The societies that lived in that region. World Records, it is the oldest educational Muqaddimah, (The Introduction); it is about It all started when a woman in the institution that has been continually in use the philosophy of history and was a very 9th century dreamed of building a lasting since its establishment, and is the first influential book that had a great impact on contribution to her community, a place institution to award academic degrees. later historians and sociologists. that could embrace worshippers as well This is Al-Qarawiyyin University, a Another famous scholar who is as those who came to seek knowledge. centuries old university that was founded by connected to Al-Qarawiyyin is Al Bitruji, who Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University Fatima Al-Fihri in the year 859. Her family is a renowned astronomer who lived in the witnessed many changes across the used to live in Tunisia; they eventually 12th century. He accomplished great feats centuries; as other people added and migrated and settled in Fez. In the ninth in his field, and is well known for writing expanded the Mosque and University, it century, Fez was a bustling cosmopolitan Kitab al-Hay’ah—a book on theoretical gained the patronage of powerful rulers city that was an influential center in the astronomy. In this book, he presented a and families, who also wanted to be a part Islamic world, produced many thinkers, planetary motion theory that was from the of this enlightening place. To this day, this and was a kaleidoscope of traditional and Ptolemaic astronomical system, which was embodiment of learning still stands and the cosmopolitan influences. dominant at the time, and instead offered University’s doors are still open to those Fatima’s father was a businessman; an alternative model. who seek knowledge. his beginnings were humble, but as he A great adventurer from the 16th century References continued working he amassed great had attended Al-Qarawiyyin University; http://english.ahram.org.eg wealth. When her father and brother, as he is well-known as Leo Africanus, but he http://insideislam.wisc.edu well as husband, died in succession, Fatima was Hassan Al-Wazzan Al-Fasi. His family http://jenkinsmuslimscientistsandinventors.blogspot.com.eg and her sister Mariam were left with a large had settled in Fez and it was there that he http://muslimheritage.com inheritance, which left them financially attended Al-Qarawiyyin University. After his https://theurbanmuslimwomen.wordpress.com www.whyislam.org independent. Having been well educated, studies, he travelled extensively and as he they put their money in projects that would was interested in how the geography of one be beneficial to the community. Each sister place differs from another, he wrote a book undertook the building of a mosque; the entitled A Geographical History of Africa. mosque that Fatima built had a madrasa, which later developed into a university that still functions to our day. It is said that she oversaw the construction of Al-Qarawiyyin, and that she was attentive to all details even though she was not an architect. A great variety of | WINTER 2016 subjects were taught at the University: The Quran, Islamic theology, medicine, history, chemistry, mathematics, astronomy, and much more. Many famous and prominent thinkers taught and were students at the University; by the 14th century, the University attracted 8000 students with its reputation 6 Drain oss o rb onre o mr than more of countries Arab to losses annual United equate to estimated and is This Kingdom, States. United Canada, moving to ofour these of three-quarters 23% with year, each scientists our of 15% doctors, and engineers, newly- our medical of half qualified of loss the constitutes West.the to That countries developing from drain” “brain total the of one-third about for of intellectuals from the Arab world accounts Strategic Studies found that the immigration their be to than talent other home countriesthatoftenneglectthem. their somewhere for recognized desire the and simply resources, and environment learning social conductive a opportunities, of instability,lack political and job few research, investment of in lack talents: of immigration the raceinscienceastheydidpreviously. lead longer no countries Arab why reasons countries. home scientists, of dubbed “Brain immigration Drain”, is the one their of is the that phenomena from The away excel usually they fields, many in excel do Arabs in bounds moredeveloped countries? and other leaps like fields make scientific not many we so can why countries, If our in exist people advances? talented technology and slow at progressing towards making science world Arab the is why Then, level. every at innovate and excel who professionals have we fields, other engineering, countless and physics, astronomy, medicine, in world; contributing significantly to the development prestigious institutions in most Europe and the United States, the at positions of 2% up to for accounting successful, highly been USD 2billion! of ArabScience Threatens the Future Bra suy y ar’ Gl Cne for Center Gulf Cairo’s by study A the to contribute factors Many while that, is reason apparent One Arab the in talent of lack no is There o mn o tee rfsinl have professionals these of many Now By: LamiaGhoneim i n

and invest in state-of-the-art facilities. This facilities. state-of-the-art in invest and for abroad from scientists renowned attract budgets to them allowing research, increased applied and basic from benefiting and Park, Technology in2009. both inaugurated and Science Science Qatar the for and Arabia, Saudi in (KAUST) Technology University King the Abdullah as such established; been have centers research and institutions scientific reform, reduce and “brain drain”. towards minimize hopefully will steps which taking countries many with countries, Arab in development in the appreciation of scientific research and change noticeable Recently been has there legalities. though, lengthy bureaucratic to endless due in difficulties visions and filled, be to forms of stacks procedures, with their faced executing often are they countries, home their to back give to try do and scientificdevelopment? for research achieved Arab have they could much how countries; home their in utilized space numerous other examplesofgenius Arab minds. and Zewail; Al-Baz; Farouk Ahmed Dr. Nobel Dr.legend Society; winner Royal the Prize by dubbed as Hearts” of King “The or Yacoub, Magdi Dr. the known: well to are homelands Arab away their from it excellence scientific made of West. top who absolute the those in of technology Examples and science of xsig eerh etr ae also are centers research Existing new of plenty States, Gulf the In abroad it make who those of most While effectively were talents their if Imagine f aayig n lvrgn additional true transfersofknow-howandtechnology. leveraging in resulting commercialization, and and funding intellectual catalyzing of of wealth a property shared by both sides that produce is capable could Collaboration countries. Arab in technology their and abroad counterparts intheirhomecountries. scientists the between with a foundation that supports along collaboration abroad, technologists and scientists of Arab directory and network a create help example, done. for be could, countries Arab named afterDr. project Ahmad Zewail. the billion 2 USD witnessed the Technology,and also year Science of City Zewail the of establishment That 2011. and in spent 1% 0.43% research from than up GDP country’s the less of on no be should spending development gross that stipulates also 2014, in voted constitution, grant new The million Commission. 20 European the Euro from a by funded research, in partly jobs 50,000 to the up of and creation 2014, to up science on spending in increase tenfold whopping a announced more government- andpatents. publications and projects, more and grants funding, sponsored research of has resulted in an increase in the availability www.theguardian.com www.scidev.net http://techreviewpanarab.com References This small step could boost research and could that plenty still is there However, In Egypt, in 2011, the interim government 7 | WINTER 2016

DOSSIER By: Jailane Salem Human Flight THE STORY BEHIND SCIENCE AdventuresHuman and MisadventuresFlight Man has always been inspired by nature. Abu Al-Qasim Abbas Ibn Firnas Ibn Wardus, Mostly successful, this experiment By simply observing their surroundings, also known as Ibn Firnas. Ibn Firnas was a encouraged Ibn Firnas to pursue his dream many an inventor sought to imitate natural Berber born in the 9th century in Ronda, a of creating a device that would allow him occurrences and re-create mechanisms city in southern Spain. He later on moved to glide through the air like a bird. So, for and processes they realized. One such to Cordoba. Ibn Firnas was a multi-talented the next two decades, he dedicated himself occurrence is birds flying; elegantly soaring man whose skills and abilities knew no to the study of birds and the building of an through the air, humankind has long been bound; it is clear by the stories of his various ornithopter. fascinated with birds and their majestic eclectic ventures he pursued, how vast his An ornithopter is an aircraft that is either flight. imagination was. manned by a pilot or powered by an engine; Many an ancient religion had birds Some of his achievements include the it achieves flight through the flapping of as deities; many myths and legends told creation of a “sky simulation room” in his wings. Whilst Ibn Firnas did build an early of hybrid creatures that could fly, and home. It contained machines and hidden ornithopter, he probably achieved flight featured heroes who were able to fly or had mechanisms that could recreate the through simply gliding and not the actual attempted to fly. So it is to be expected that movements of planets, stars, clouds, even flapping of the wings he built, making his throughout our history we would find many thunder and lightning. He also developed a prototype more of a hand-glider. incidents, trials and errors where people method of cutting rock crystal, which was His design had two sets of wings in from around the world attempted to fly. quite useful to people in Spain, since they order to adjust his direction and altitude One of the more known earlier myths did not have that knowledge to do so, and while flying. He flew his device at the age is that of Icarus, which is from Greek instead relied on sending their rock crystals of 65 years in 875 CE, proving that age is mythology. He was the son of Daedalus, to Egypt to be cut and refined. just a number. He is proclaimed to have a craftsman who had created a labyrinth Ibn Firnas is also known for creating said “Presently, I shall take leave of you. By to trap a Minotaur on the island of Crete; a water clock named Al-Maqata, which guiding these wings up and down, I should however, at one point he himself was might have helped him in exploring different imprisoned in the labyrinth and to escape tempos since he was also a musician. a dreadful fate he created wings for himself This is in no way a comprehensive list of and his son Icarus. all of this polymath’s achievements; what Daedalus made the wings out of wax cemented his name in history, however, and feathers; before attempting to fly, he was his successful attempt at flight. warned his son not to fly too close to the He was fascinated by the idea of flight, Sun alas the wax would melt. Daedalus and by observing birds he believed that took off first; enthralled by the whole he could build a device that could aid him experience, Icarus being kept soaring in flying. His first attempt was in 852 CE; higher and higher until he reached a point he had built a contraption similar to what | WINTER 2016 where his wings melted and the feathers we know as a parachute and tested it out fell. He soon realized he was flapping with by jumping off the muezzin of the Grand no wings but only his arms, and fell into the Mosque in Cordoba. His parachute, while sea to his death. not the most efficient, helped him slow The first man to actually attempt to fly down while landing, but he did sustain with a contraption similar to wings, was some minor injuries in the process.

8 tails also help birds steer landing; when speed its down slow to it for flying. bird’s The bird’s tail the creates the drag of force needed direction opposite the in occurs that force drag the causes what is resistance air forward, move to it allows that force thrust the with it provides wings the bird’s wing. the air when it moves over as well as under ability to move upwards, which is caused by force the bird the giving that, counteracts lift what is the ground; the pulling towards gravity bird the by caused is force weight The drag. and thrust, lift, weight, flies: bird at howbirdsfly. The feat? answer lies with birds; so let us have a look a that such achieve mechanism to the him is allowed What that? do to the firsttimeamanflew! minutes. was ten like This seemed what for and, flew he accounts, mountain witness eye to according a off himself propelled he experiment, great this witness to came that safely to your side”. In front of a large crowd soaring for a time, I should be able to return after well, goes all If birds. the like ascend ik n ata fahr. e ut have must He feathers. actual and were wings silk the and wood, it with glider making his his glider, built He size. and weight his to appropriate building and flight creates the liftforcethathelpsbirdfly. which pressure, air more is there so therefore and wing and the of underside the wing at the of top slower travels it while pressure, air reduces the on quicker travels air The bottom. its at or wing the top of the on flows it if depending differently interacts air front, the end, the the at at off tapers big and curved, is which shape, the producing lift force needed for flight. Due to the wings’ in crucial is it of shape the how realized and bird’swings, a of function birds cancreatemoreliftandstability. tail feathers, its spreading by flying, when The muscles of the birds that flap their flap that birds the of muscles The Four main forces come together when a able Firnas Ibn was exactly how So Ibn Firnas spent twenty years studying years twenty spent Firnas Ibn the to attention special paid Firnas Ibn their direction, and others who also attempted to fly. In the In fly. to attempted also who others triumphant experience. his after at years twelve years, away 77 of age passed the he life, his of remainder the for pain back from suffer to him cause would behalf his on oversight the This ground. to crashing up ended he descent, his down slow to on way no tail With contraption. a his create to forgot Firnas audience, Ibn minutes. Alas, ten about for an airborne remain to able assembled was and side, mountain a off jumped he design, their is relative lightness. birds aids what since possible as light as it making in attention special paid 11 glide, glide, he was airborne for a very short time, himself Firnas’ and attempted to fly. Though for he Ibn was able to wings of fashioned tales success—he the by inspired also was attaching he say myth speculations Icarus—some the by of by Inspired fly hands. his to to wings attempted England th b Fra wud e olwd by followed be would Firnas Ibn his completed had he finally When etr, mn nmd imr in Eilmer named monk a century,

References day andage. modern our in globe the of corner every take us to can that routes flight and airports of networks vast the into sprouted has that seed the planted who ones the are they for and grateful be must we skies, that them to is It true. the come in dreams their make to dared actually soaring who those of of dreamed bravery by and isstruck ingenuity one the history, course flight the human over of Looking it. to mind your glider his and crashedin1896. of control lost he when injuries very passionate about his endeavor, of was he died as He creation he sustained the machines. for flying way the to pave helped success contribution his aerodynamics; great of studies the made and gliders repeated successful gliding flights was the in lived flights who German a Lilienthal, gliding Otto successful repeated the for him remainder ofhislife. crippling and legs his of both breaking ground, the to and crashing up ended landing, good a make to unable was traversing around 200 meters. However, he 19 https://askabiologist.asu.edu http://thedailybeagle.net www.saudiaramcoworld.com www.grouporigin.com www.flyingmachines.org www.academia.edu th ntig s osbe f ny o put you only if possible is Anything The first person to be able tomake beable to person first The etr. n i lftm, e ul many built he lifetime, his In century.

9 | WINTER 2016 By: Esraa Ali Arab Science Fiction

Science Fiction (Sci-Fi), as defined by in the East neither begin nor end with The Ibn al-Nafis explained these elements Merriam-Webster, is a literary form that deals Arabian Nights. The earliest known fiction was using scientific concepts in anatomy, biology, principally with the impact of actual or imagined written in the 2nd century CE by the Syrian physiology, astronomy, cosmology, and science on society or individuals. This genre Lucian; it is True History, which recounts geology, instead of giving supernatural or has been flourishing rapidly in the West. the story of a space voyage, wars between mythological explanations. For example, he Nowadays, Sci-Fi is viewed in our Arab world celestial planetary bodies, and encounters explained bodily resurrection by introducing as an extension of a foreign heritage, although with forms of alien life. The novel is referred his scientific theory of metabolism and it is not novel or strange to our culture. Arabs to as “the first known text that could be called making references to his own scientific have produced many fantastical stories, as science fiction”. discovery of the pulmonary circulation. well as truly futuristic Sci-Fi works; however, There is also a long history of early Furthermore, Al-Qazwini’s Awaj bin Anfaq they have not always been in the spotlight. Arabic Sci-Fi that goes all the way back to futuristic tale, written around 1250 CE, about Many date Sci-Fi back to the the 8th–13th centuries. Arab sci-fi, which is a man who came to Earth from a distant th 19 century in Europe; to Jules Verne’s inclusive of fantasy and mythology, was planet also has proto Sci-Fi elements. scientific romances and H.G. Wells’ novels, witnessed in many works of intellectuals. In the modern era, Arab science fiction or a few years earlier to the groundbreaking In the 9th century, 500 years before Thomas has been witnessing a revival of interest after publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. More’s Utopia, al-Farabi envisioned in his it was dominated by translations of Western Others argue that Sci-Fi evolved during the Opinions of the Residents of a Splendid City, Sci-Fi tales for many centuries. In the late th Enlightenment and the Age of Reason, 16 – a utopian society ahead of its time. 1950s, Tawfiq al-Hakim publishedVoyage to th 18 centuries, with the birth of early Sci-Fi Moreover, Ibn Tufail’s Hayy ibn Yaqdhan, Tomorrow, followed by Mustafa Mahmoud, works following the scientific revolution and written in the 12th century, is considered who wrote famous Sci-Fi novels, including major discoveries in astronomy, physics, and an early example of Sci-Fi literature and The Spider. Both authors’ works encouraged mathematics. one of the most important books that had other writers throughout the region, including In reality, Sci-Fi dates further back a profound influence on philosophy. In the Nabil Farouq in Egypt, known for The Future several centuries in the East. Noticeable 13th century, Hayy ibn Yaqdhan inspired the Archive, Mohammed Aziz Al-Habbabi in examples of proto Sci-Fi tales are recounted Arabian polymath Ibn al-Nafis to write The Morocco, known for Elixir, and Kassem within the tales of The Arabian Nights. Book of Fadil ibn Natiq, later translated Al­-Khattat in Iraq, known for The Green Some of these tales are The Adventures as Theologus Autodidactus, which is Stain. These are only a few names and of Bulukiya, which depict cosmic pluralism considered a Sci-Fi novel. It narrates the the list goes on, which shows wide interest through Bulukiya, who looks for a herb of story of a wild child on a deserted island; as in that genre from Arabs seeking change, immortality and travels across the cosmos the tale progresses, elements of futurology, hoping to reach a future different from our to different worlds; Abdullah the Fisherman apocalyptic destruction, and other wild present. and Abdullah the Merman, where Abdullah, concepts arise. References the protagonist, discovers an underwater “Science Fiction” and “History of Science Fiction”. submarine society after he gains the ability

| WINTER 2016 Wikipedia. to breathe underwater; The Ebony Horse, “Science Fiction”. Encyclopedia Britannica. about a mechanical horse capable of flying Alberto Mucci, “Arabic SF – Subversive Futures”. Los into outer space; as well as the commonly Angeles Review of Books. 2014. known Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor and Lydia Green, “Close Encounters of the Arab Kind”. BBC Arabic. 2013. Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. Nahrain Al-Mousawi, “Arab Sci-Fi: The future is here”. Although these tales include fantastical The Middle East Monitor. 2015. journeys through various cosmoses, Sci-Fi Nesrine Malik, “What happened to Arab Science Fiction?”. The Gurdian UK. 2009. 10 BeforeNewton,therewas A BeautifulMind as preciselypossible,forthosewhoseekthetruth. story,and life accurately his as narrating by event this celebrate We optics on treatise seven-volume remarkable his of Once UponaTime Alhazen e cvl evn ad dctd n sai suis n ar and Basra in studies Islamic in educated and servant civil a be personal life;instead,itfocuseson hisintellectualgenius. his about little very say writings however, even his scientist, true a Being Iraq, in youth a as life though an autobiography written by him in the year 1027 still exists. his about known is Little Caliphate. Abbasid the of reign the during Basra, of city the in born was him, dubbed later Latins the as Alhazen or Al-Haytham, Ibn Al-Hassan figure, and a brilliant mind. figure, andabrilliant controversial a polymath, genuine a was He task. feigned Fatimid who the Caliphate, of after failing to scientist accomplish his impossible madness the daring escape to the madness also was He scientific method, and the Father of Modern Optics. The year 2015 marks the 1000 ht s nw aot i ery er i ta h ws asd to raised was he that is years early his about known is What Iraq, as known now is what in ago, years 1000 over little A Alhazen was the Arab scientist who birthed the birthed who scientist Arab the was Alhazen th anniversary since the appearance By: LamiaGhoneim Kitab al-Manazir. nme o te rq Clpae te aii Dnsyt further Dynasty—to Fatimid the bythe pursue hisscientificstudies. Caliphate, ruled Iraqi forEgypt—then the left of and job enemies his quit finally he until began to focus his interest on science and other empirical subjects. golden age of scientific advancements in the Islamic Civilization, he the and nearby region. Surrounded by Basra the culture of learning of in Iraq and the Minister as appointed be to excelling Baghdad, light andvision; hisdeviceiscreditedasthe basis ofphotography.light to translates what heneededtobecomeoneofthegreatestscientistsalltime. just was seclusion The home. his to confined simply and actions his of while known as a patron of science and supporter of scientists, he scientists, was alsoknowntoberuthlessandquiteeccentricthough. of supporter and science of patron a as known while In the Land of theNile In theLandof Prisoner of HisOwnHome Prisoner of Caliphate and was very likely to lose his precious head, Alhazen head, then feignedmadness,inaneffort toescape thefuryof Al-Hakim. precious his lose to likely very was and Caliphate construction require large would requiring idea dam, his equipment thatwasnotavailableatdayandage. huge that a Nile of the implementation down the and up team a with While seemingly feasible on paper, Alhazen realized after travelling his endeavors, and ordered him to undertake the task straight away. water of the Nile in order to minimize flooding; Al-Hakim heard about to berecognizedbythethenreigningFatimidCaliphate, Al-Hakim. scientist, until he gained sufficient fame for his knowledge in physics explained how mirrors work, and argued that light rays can bend when movingthroughdifferentcan mediums,aswater. rays light that argued and work, mirrors how explained the to rays He mattered. ray perpendicular the many only if even seen be could sending eye objects how interpreted which nerve, optical an of existence the confirmed that arguments initial the out a such from reflected was or source beforeitenteredtheeye. source luminous a from came ray light a when place take only would vision that concluded thus, He, that light was a crucial, and independent, part of the visual process. is usedtodaybyscientistsintheirinvestigativeresearch. that method scientific the to birth gave he that, by them; verify and on carefully designed experiments, to test theories and hypotheses emphasis strong a by characterized investigation of methodology previously was misunderstood byreveredthinkersasEuclidandPtolemy. that vision of model correct the demonstrate and light of nature the explain to managed Alhazen life, Al-Hakim’s of researching the behavior andpropertiesoflight:optics. researching thebehavior it painful to look at the Sun? This simple realization catapulted him into to Ibn Al-Haytham; if light comes from our eyes, why, he wondered, is our eyes emitted rays of light, like flashlights. This didbecause not make sense worked sight that was theory their illuminated; themselves, In studying science, he found his true passion and self worth, self and passion true his found he science, studying In Upon realizing he had to report his failure to an unpredictable an to failure his report to had he realizing Upon the of flow the regulate to how studying was Al-Haytham Ibn Al-Hakim himself was interested in science, particularly astronomy; asa grew reputation his and flourished Alhazen Egypt, In Alhazen used a dark chamber he called he chamber dark a used Alhazen set he and lines, straight in travels only light that proved He experiment, and reason both by demonstrate, to managed He a concocted Al-Haytham Ibn dilemma, his solve to order In The prevailing wisdom before him was that we saw what our eyes, rest the for arrest house under being decade, next the Over In a way, he succeeded in his performance, for he was granted leave in Latin, to help explain the nature of nature the explain help to Latin, in camera obscura continued on page23 , which Albeit Almuzlim, 11 | WINTER 2016 A BEAUTIFUL MIND TOP 10 By: Lamia Ghoneim

Strictly speaking, the measure of influence of a scientist is based upon complicated calculations and performance metrics that are built on values, such as citation ratings, research rankings, and how their scholarly records measure up against those of the past great scientists. Theoretically this is a job for professional researchers whose careers are centered on establishing and comparing academic rankings of scholars and scientists around the world. For & those of us who are not academic researchers, the influence of scientists can be simply measured by how much their work has affected our lives, and the world in which we live. Selecting the top ten most influential Arab scientists of the past and of today has proved to be anything but simple though. Not for the lack of great Arab minds, but because it was very difficult to omit any of them from the list. Even more difficult was to rank those who actually made it on the list. In the end, we chose to arrange them randomly, and to pair the past with the continuing present.

Jabir ibn Hayyan (721–815) Ahmed Zewail (1964–present) discovered the pulmonary circulation of blood Named the Father of Chemistry and Named the Father of Femtochemistry, and correctly described the role of heart and the Founder of experimental science of Professor Ahmed Zewail was the first blood, and how blood flows from the right Chemistry, ibn–Hayyan was the first man Egyptian and Arab to win a Nobel Prize side to the left side of the heart via the lungs. to change alchemy—a pseudo-science in a scientific field. His pioneering work in He corrected the mistakes of heart centered on turning cheap metals into femtochemistry earned him the Nobel Prize scientists who were before him, and gold—to the actual chemistry of today. in Chemistry in 1999. Apart from inspiring documented his findings in more than 110 He was a polymath; an alchemist, millions of Arabs to follow their dreams volumes of medical textbooks. His most pharmacist, philosopher, astronomer, and and study science, how does his work in famous book was Sharh Tashrih al–Qanun physicist, but his major contributions in femtochemistry influence our lives, you (Commentary on the Anatomy of the Canon the field of chemistry are what influenced might think? of Avicenna) some of which was translated our world the most. Femtochemistry is the use of ultra- and influenced the work of European He discovered various minerals short laser flashes to observe fundamental physicians who came after him. chemical reactions occurring at the and acids; developed fundamental Magdi Yacoub (1935–present) timescale of the femtosecond. It enables experimental techniques such as Selected as The King of Hearts and crystallization, distillation, calcination, us to understand why certain chemical The World’s Legend of Medicine, Egyptian sublimation, and evaporation; and reactions take place but not others, and Dr. Magdi Yacoub, UK’s top heart surgeon, developed several instruments for why the speed and yield reactions depend has performed more transplants than conducting these experiments. His on temperature. It also allows us to study anybody else in the world, saving thousands emphasis on systematic experimentation processes with femtosecond spectroscopy of lives across the globe. In total, he has was outstanding and the reason he is in gases, in fluids, and in solids, on surfaces performed approximately 20,000 life-saving regarded as the Father of Chemistry. and in polymers. heart operations. Among his chemical contributions are Its applications are wide and range from In 1983, Sir Magdi became the first the development of steel, preparation of the production of catalysts and the design person in the UK to perform a double heart various metals, prevention of rusting, of molecular electronic components, to the and lung transplant. In 1987, he went on lettering in gold, use of manganese most delicate mechanisms in life processes to pioneer and perform UK’s first domino dioxide in glass-making, dyeing of cloth and the preparation of medicines. Future heart transplant, where a patient receiving and tanning of leather, varnishing of possibilities are immense, from gaining heart and lungs donates their own heart to

| WINTER 2016 waterproof cloth and identification of greater control over chemical reactions, to someone else. Sir Magdi is also credited paints and greases. He is known to the the possibility of artificial photosynthesis. with performing an operation on UK’s youngest heart transplant patient at just West as ‘Geber’, and his numerous Ibn al–Nafis (1213–1288) 10 days old. He received countless awards writings have had a profound influence Chosen as the Father of Circulatory and achievements, and continues to save on the development of Western chemical Physiology, Ibn al–Nafis was the first lives and work in research that changes the knowledge. physician to discover our hearts. That is, he world every day.

12 er te rdcin f ciss ad the Ptolemy viewsregardingthesolaraphelion. and eclipses, corrected also He parallax. of of phenomenon prediction the year, sidereal and solar the of length the moons, new the of timing the on worked He planets. determined discovered accurately moving the and Moon the of movements the and stars, coefficients, of astronomical lot a of egah, n i tann atoat the astronauts training in and geography, describe to technology computer using of such asthe Arab desert. leading environments dry in water to sustain a and how find and also deserts of study is the in He expert world. all the from honors around numerous received who El–Baz is a renowned NASA space scientist his influenced successors. greatly as Sabi, Al-Zig Al known of astronomy Tablethe Mathematical , modern the today. of His famous book al–Battani’s much basis was for world, astronomy in work the pioneering in astronomers Abu Abdullahal-Battani (858–929) iso i 17, gpin r Farouk Dr. Egyptian rover 1971, 15 Apollo in the for mission in later mission 11 and Apollo 1969, the Moon for ideal site the landing on decide NASA helped Farouk El-Baz(1938–present) trigonometric of string formulae, suchassineandcosinerules. a of invention the e s lo n o te onig fathers founding the of one also is He actual first the of one as Recognized eonzd s h ky cets who scientist key the as Recognized with credited is he astronomy, of Aside He successfully ascertained the positions Al-Sabi Ephemeris,

(Alhazen) (965–1040) Abu AliHasanibnal-Haitham collect to and howtocollectlunarsoil. rocks which on members crew and space observation photography, in addition visual to instructing of skills important o pis nme ter, geometry, theory, number astronomy, andnaturalphilosophy. optics, contributions significant to the made Alhazen and physicist, leading method. scientific the birthed who scientist astronomer, a was mathematician, Alhazen, as S in her obtained BSc Moussa her 1939, in In follow Arab footsteps. to of science study millions to women inspired who scientist, Moussa, Samira nuclear female Dr first world’sand Arab Egypt firsts, of women the Moussa(1917–1952) Samira garnering numerouscitations. field, the on The impact an quite had sensing. has work and medicine, catalysis, in materials those nano- using and developing materials scale on focused has group photo- and solids, systems. biological molecular clusters, gas-phase the molecules, of dynamics elucidate and mechanisms to techniques spectroscopy molecular birthing world, the around all acclamation critical him nano-science earned leading birthed “El Sayed”spectroscopyrule. who scientist a the and researcher, chemical prominent Institute physicist, a Georgia is Technology, at of Chair Brown Julius Mostafa A. El-Sayed (1933–present) correct to and Ptolemy’s modelofvision. light of nature the explain on to managed He Optics. emphasis Modern of Father new a of The title the him earned and experiment, contributing with Our list would not be complete without complete be not would list Our research El-Sayed’s recently, More has spectroscopy molecular in work His and Professor Regents’ a El-Sayed, credited is optics on work Alhazen’s West the in known al-Haitham, Ibn with first class honors class first with Radiology etr f xelne n ad Aai with the supportofHarvardandMIT. Arabia Saudi in excellence of center biotechnology has world-class a also build to Sindi plans countries. poor millions in save lives of to the potential the testing, has under device Still minute. one than less in and cheaply fluids bodily analyzing by disease detects that tool diagnostic cost developing organization “Diagnostics for All”. non-profit the the through to world solutions diagnostic point-of-care affordable researcher deliver to working nanotechnology prominent now is a Sindi University, Cambridge from Biotechnology in PhD a receive to female Saudi of Assembly the first female members of the of one and scientist medical Saudi Arabian Sindi, Dr. Hayat young firsts, of women the Hayat Sindi(1991–present) but herlegacyremains. accident before her work was completed, energy. Unfortunately, she died in a tragic to copper, paving the way for cheap nuclear close was break the atoms of cheap metals such as and help would that equation an purpose discovering this for make as as will and cheap “I available as say treatment to nuclear quoted was and of X-rayradiationonvariousmaterials. effectsthe on research pioneering her after www.wikipedia.com www.usasciencefestival.org www.sciencemuseum.org.uk www.rbht.nhs.uk www.nobelprize.org www.nationalgeographic.com www.encyclopedia.com from theInternet,JonSchiller. Research Using Development: Learning Nanotechnology Active Approach, byMarkCracolice,EdPeters. An Chemistry: Introductory Encyclopedia Britannica References Her greatest invention to date is a low– a is date to invention greatest Her without complete be not would list Our h blee i “tm fr Peace” for “Atoms in believed She . h wre hard worked She aspirin”. . The first Arab first The Arabia. Consultative

13 | WINTER 2016 THE SCIENCE OF EGYPT: TWO ACADEMICS’ JOURNEYS By: Jailane Salem Egypt, a name that invokes a place filled to the brim with history, is a land that has been inhabited for millennia and whose people has always relied on the Nile for sustenance. Many say that Egypt is the gift of the Nile, and without it there would have been no Egypt as we know it. The Ancient Egyptians made

DISCOVER LIFE sacrifices to the River in order to show their gratitude for its existence Egyptian Geological and Survey Authority and ensure a continuation of the Mining Center. He also served as Minister abundance it provided them. The of Industry and had visions of developing lives of farmers have long revolved Egypt in a way to use its vast land, as around the cycle of the river, and in well as looking into ways to preserve the our modern times, the Aswan High ecology of the Nile. Dam has played a central role in the He was a prolific writer and produced lives of Egyptians. studies on the geology of Egypt, the Nile, Our unique location and landscape and also on hydrology. By studying the has inspired many to study the land Rushdi Said geology of the Nile, he examined its history of Egypt. Two academics in particular as well as its future uses, and was adamant Rushdi Said was born in 1920 in have made a name for themselves that it should be safely managed in a Shubra, Cairo, to a family that originally in their respective fields due to their sustainable way, since it is a key factor for came from Assiut. Said studied at the diligence in the study of Egypt: the well-being of Egypt. Faculty of Science, Cairo University, and Rushdi Said and Gamal Hamdan. One In 1993, The River Nile: Geology, excelled at his studies; he graduated with a geologist, the other a geographer, Hydrology and Utilization by Rushdi Said honors in 1941. After working as Lecturer they both spent their lives studying the was published; it is a book that delves at the Faculty of Science, Cairo University, science that made Egypt the land it is. he continued his studies at the University in depth in all matters connected to the of Zurich in Switzerland, and later obtained Nile, charting the history of the geological prepare for present and future climate his PhD from Harvard University. He taught evolution of the river system. In this book, changes. If a certain area is prone to geology and was called the “Father of the Said covers the origin of the Nile, as well floods, then a geologist would study it to Nile” as he was a pioneer in the study of the as explores the different features that make understand the causes of the floods, and geology of Egypt. the Nile unique. the information and data they discover is What exactly is geology? Well, geology Said tackles the different uses of key for people who wish to develop these is a large field that comes down to the the Nile from its uses in Ancient Egypt areas. study of the materials that make up the to Modern Times; he presents the Geologists also study Earth materials, Earth, as well as the processes that occur developments in agriculture that have how they are formed, where they are on Earth, such as earthquakes and floods. occurred over the ages, starting from the found, and how they can be extracted It encompasses the study of how Earth’s irrigation of the land when the Nile flooded from the Earth and put to use by people. materials, processes, organisms, and on a regular basis, to the construction of Oil, metals, gases, groundwater and many structures have evolved and changed over the Aswan High Dam, and the changes more materials are studied by geologists, it brought about to agriculture and the | WINTER 2016 time. and they create methods and make plans By studying the Earth’s past, geologists geology of the Nile. for their extraction and use. can better predict the Earth’s future; since The book is a must read for anyone It is no surprise then to hear that Earth has passed through different phases studying the Nile and anyone interested Rushdi Said, a geologist, was the founder of climate change, by learning about these in its geology, and has been a great and head of Egypt’s National Mining past geological changes, we can better contributor to the already existing Nile Organization, which later became the literature. He has also written many other

14 egah a te aut o At, where Arts, of Faculty of the Department age at the Geography the joined at and sixteen He University of Cairo. Cairo in at up enrolled grew but Governorate, encyclopedia thatshowcasedhisgenius. in he research; to his self-imposed seclusion, he produced an intellectual, life his great dedicate to almost chose A secluded, life. very hermit-like a life, lived public unlike very Hamdan a geographer, lived who Said A Rushdi Hamdan. Gamal of that mind, great another to on move available locally by fueled energy resources”. and industrial bases extensive around habitation built centers, well-planned and well-spaced with strewn Egypt of deserts the envision I resources. natural with balance a maintain a and to environment their with by harmony numbers in live in inhabited enough limited agriculture, population to wholly industry, devoted of free reserve natural garden, a great one into transformed been ValleyNile have the and Delta the Egypt which in an is It Egypt: inhabit. to the you for want I in vision Egypt my you developments with share me new “Let his of about following vision the said he Cairo, in graduating class of the American University for place ideal urban centerstobebuilt. an be would topography realized flat and climate he mild its Valley;with area this Nile that the with Desert Western the project connect to The was proposed thrive. he can industries and live where could it people turn where place and a Egypt into in Desert Western the Egypt: A Life’s Journey. of theRiverNileand including books, adn a br i 12, Qaliyubiya 1928, in born was Hamdan we geography, to geology From the to speech a gave he when 2005, In of use make to wanted Said Rushdi The Geological Evolution Science andPoliticsin

icpie sne hr ae w main two geography. are physical and there geography different human branches: since links disciplines human Geography and natural phenomena. behind find reasons to the seeks it all-encompassing; is its that environments, field large a lands, is It features. and of , inhabitants study the is geography Well, passionately? so pursued his academicresearch. on focus to order in life solitary a pursued decided to resign from his post, and Associate instead he to 1963, in years, promoted five after University.but Professor; was Cairo he Arts, 1958, of In Faculty the at Geography of Department the in Lecturer as working started and PhD his obtaining his in England. to University Reading at studies his Thanks further to 1948. offered was he record, academic in excellent graduated he ok ad rils bt e s ot known for most is he but articles, and books tdig egah cets bte and better a deeper awarenessoftheworldweinhabit. interlinked; creates are geography branches studying Both regions. of deals geography with the environment physical and physical landscapes whilst interplay; and work economies and societies, cultures, So what is exactly this field that Hamdan after Egypt to returned he 1953, In aa Hma pbihd many published Hamdan Gamal how with deals geography Human wih was which The PersonalityofEgypt, Gamal Hamdan References still benefitfromandaspiretoemulate. making them beacons of knowledge that we Egypt of eventually drive, academic land their fueled that the for passion a 2003; had in both away passed Said Rushdi while its hiddenpersonality”. ingenuity’defines own that ‘its clarify to loci other from approach to it attempt an is It differentiates areas. and area an of characterizes what defines distribution It itself. regions of body mere the a exceeds it is, of that regions; and amalgamation mathematical characteristics explains mere and a transcends personality regional personality” “This that “regional concept the of on expands Hamdan Egypt, geography”. transcendental super-geography, is latter The regional place. former is of only the a reporting geography, philosophy but the but a is place, personality of is that description geography a realized regional he conventional his “the Hamdan, understand to For order subject. in history” and instead he attempted “a fusion of geography research; his in methodology geographical the personalityofEgyptasacountry. with deals is and masterpiece, show It a years considered subject. to the ten goes to dedication and of Hamdan’s research, culmination diligent 3552, the of reach is would count which page the and belater would volumes, four It into divided and republished in 1967. published first www.tandfonline.com www.aucpress.com www.arabgeographers.net https://en.wikipedia.org https://ar.wikipedia.org http://www2.econ.hit-u.ac.jp/ http://weekly.ahram.org.eg http://english.ahram.org.eg aa Hma pse aa i 1993, in away passed Hamdan Gamal of volume first the In conventional the follow not did Hamdan The Personalityof genius 15 | WINTER 2016 DOSSIER

By: Moataz Abdelmegid COMMUNICATION GURU HATIM ZAGHLOUL efficient and much more reliable. The benefits of his technology over the conventional ones stem from its high resistance to intended or unintended jamming, ease of sharing of a single channel among multiple user, reduced signal background-noise level hampers interception, as well as determination of relative timing between transmitter and receiver. When this technology was first brought to life, it was tangibly more expensive than the conventional frequency hopping technologies. Every day, thousands of people use cellphone navigators and Due to its high cost, the first market that showed great interest in it Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine their locations and was the military. This is because it uses wideband signals that are find their way to their destinations. This technology is commercialized difficult to detect and that resist attempts at jamming; this is quality to cellphones thanks to Egyptian telecommunication scientist that the military was willing to pay a lot to possess. Hatim Zaghloul, who founded a company that is believed to be the After years of research, the technology grew mature and more first to commercialize the cellular phone location determination/ cost efficient. Today, it is affordable on the market at reasonable tracking technology. This is one of many cyber and communication prices. Spread spectrum processes now became widely applied possibilities we are enjoying today thanks to the years of research for many commercial purposes, especially in local area wireless and the inventions developed by this exceptional individual. networks. Hatim Zaghloul is an outstanding scientist who escalated at Another significant contribution that Dr. Zaghloul presented to rocket speed after graduating from Cairo University, 35 years ago, to the world of communication technology was his invention of the become today the Chairman and CEO of one of the world’s leading Wideband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (WOFDM). companies in the design, development, and global distribution of This is a method of encoding digital data on multiple carrier high-speed wireless data communication products and technology. frequencies. This technology has quickly developed into a popular Dr. Zaghloul holds six patents and has been published extensively in scheme for wideband digital communication, used in applications technical journals. He is best known for his inventions of Wideband such as digital television and audio broadcasting, DSL Internet Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (WOFDM), and Multi- access, wireless networks, powerline networks, and 4G mobile Code Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum (MCDSSS). communications. Dr. Zaghloul’s name is knowingly connected to his invention The primary advantage of this technology over its competitors— “Multi-Code Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum” or MCDSSS. for example, single-carrier schemes—is its ability to cope with This technology introduces a unique approach to spread spectrum severe channel conditions without complex equalization filters. modulation for digital signal transmission over the airwaves. Through Channel equalization is simplified because WOFDM may be viewed MCDSSS, the stream of information to be transmitted is divided into as using many slowly modulated narrowband signals rather than small pieces, each of which is allocated within a frequency channel one rapidly modulated wideband signal. across the spectrum. Today, WOFDM is widely used in digital audio broadcasting A data signal at the point of transmission is combined with a applications, digital television, Wireless LAN applications, ADSL, higher data-rate bit sequence, what is commonly referred to as a and advanced 4G mobile phone standards. chipping code, that divides the data according to a spreading ratio. It is thought that Hatim Zaghloul reached the peak of his career The redundant chipping code helps the signal resist interference success in the year 2000, as he was intensively celebrated and and enables the original data to be recovered if data bits are worldwide known for his scientific and business achievements. damaged during transmission. Dr. Zaghloul, who holds a Canadian nationality next to the Egyptian Before Dr. Zaghloul introduced this technology, other common one, was named by Maclean’s Magazine as one of ten great spread spectrum processes were usually employed, such as | WINTER 2016 Canadians of the year 2000. “Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum” and “Frequency Hopping Code Division”. In these processes, a broad slice of the bandwidth References http://adinotelecom.com spectrum was divided into many possible broadcast frequencies. http://business.highbeam.com Although this fact made the frequency-hopping devices use less http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com power and are available at a cheaper price, the performance of www.iplmedia.com Dr. Zaghloul’s MCDSSS was proven to be significantly more

16 OMAR YAGHI: MODERN AGE ALCHEMIST DOSSIER After successfully developing his Metal-Organic Frameworks, Yaghi decided to zoom-in his work in developing a subclass of MOFs that can be employed in energy-intensive industries and COMMUNICATION GURU produce tangible energy and cost saving. This was the Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks. Industrial separation processes comprise approximately 10% of the global energy demand, driven largely by the utilization of thermal separation methods, for example, distillation. Yaghi studied these processes and realized that significant energy and cost savings can be realized through advanced separation techniques, such as membranes and sorbents. One of the major barriers to acceptance of these techniques remains creating materials that are efficient and productive in the presence of aggressive industrial feeds. This is where Yaghi decided Omar M. Yaghi is a Jordanian chemist celebrated in the scientific to employ his Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks as a thermally and communities for his outstanding contributions in the field of material chemically stable subclass of metal organic framework. The porous science. Yaghi worked for long years on the development of new structures of ZIFs can be heated to high temperatures without substances that have extremely high surface area and very low decomposing, and can be boiled in water or solvents for a week crystalline densities. and remain stable, making them suitable for use in hot, energy- Omar Yaghi, has successfully produced classes of compounds producing environments such as power plants. known as Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Zeolitic Imidazolate He did not stop there. Yaghi continued in upgrading the design Frameworks (ZIFs), and Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs). and synthesis of crystalline extended organic structures and He developed these materials from basic science to extensive developed another subclass of metal organic frameworks in which applications in clean energy technologies, including hydrogen and the lattice building blocks are linked by strong covalent bonds. The methane storage, as well as carbon dioxide capture and storage. upgraded materials were porous crystalline solids consisting of To have an understanding of the nature of the materials Yaghi secondary building units that assemble to form a periodic and highly developed, one needs first to grasp a specific concept in material porous framework. science. For starters, a metal microscopic structure consists of a An almost infinite number of frameworks can be formed crystalline arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules. Let us think through various secondary building unit combinations, leading to of this crystalline structure as a large box that is built of an array of unique material properties for applications in separations, storage, smaller boxes, while each one of the smaller boxes in turn consists and heterogeneous catalysis. These are the Covalent Organic of much smaller boxes, infinitely repeating in all three spatial Frameworks (COFs). They are porous, crystalline, and made directions. entirely from light elements—H, B, C, N, and O—that are known to Such a unit cell is the smallest unit of volume that contains all of form strong covalent bonds in well-established and useful materials the structural and symmetry information to build-up the macroscopic such as diamond, graphite, and boron nitride. structure of the metal lattice. The atoms or molecules are linearly The successful realization of Covalent Organic Framework connected to each other by bonds to form chains of molecules. The materials through molecular building blocks provided unique chains, in turn, are cross-link connected to each other forming the frameworks that could be functionalized into lightweight materials overall structure of the material. The nature of these bonds has a optimized for gas storage, photonic, and catalytic applications. great influence on the physical properties of the material. In 2006, Omar Yaghi’s work on methane and hydrogen storage Yaghi developed a new material, Metal-Organic Frameworks, was recognized by several publications, which listed him among which is a compound that consists of metal ions coordinated to the “most brilliant 10 scientists and engineers in the USA”. In 2010, organic molecules to form dimensional structures that have high Watch Science published a list of the “top 100 chemists in the porosity. This material was made by linking inorganic and organic world”; in this list Omar Yaghi was the second name. units by strong bonds. The flexibility with which the constituents’ References geometry, size, and functionality can be vary has led to more than Yaghi, Omar M. et al., “Effects of functionalization, catenation, and 20,000 different MOFs that Yaghi reported and studied within the variation of the metal oxide and organic linking units on the low-pressure | WINTER 2016 past decade. hydrogen adsorption properties of metal-organic frameworks”, 2006. Yaghi, Omar M. et al., “Exceptional chemical and thermal stability of Today, Yaghi’s Metal-Organic Frameworks with permanent zeolitic imidazolate frameworks”, 2006. porosity are more extensive in their variety and multiplicity than Yaghi, O. M. et al., “Reticular synthesis and the design of new materials”, 2003. any other class of porous materials known. These aspects have http://yaghi.berkeley.edu made MOFs ideal materials for storage of fuels—hydrogen and www.sciencedaily.com methane—capture of carbon dioxide and catalysis applications to www.sciencemag.org mention a few. 17 THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE INDUSTRY: of the products depicting scenes of polo games, hunting parties, and the court. The Role of Chemistry in the Evolution of Glass–making ISLAMIC The Islamic community played a prominent role in the evolution of chemistry, GLASS–MAKING and, thus, in the development of many industries, including glass–making, which By: Shereen Ramadan is considered one of the most delicate and complex chemical industries, considering The glass-making industry is one of the preparation of its primary materials, its the most complicated chemical industries, manufacturing methods, and its need for undergoing many stages until the product skillful, creative, and artistic hands. reaches the desired shape and form: Moreover, many scientists exhibited First: Melting special interest in this particular industry, Glass is chemically created by mixing because they used glass equipment in their limited quantities of sand (silica), soda, and laboratories, leaving us an enormous legacy THE SCIENCE BEHIND INDUSTRY limestone, then placing this mixture in a high- of detailed writings about many industries. temperature furnace until these elements For example, we have the great chemist, The glass-making industry has melt and mix well together, transforming into Gaber ibn Hayaan, describing in his book accompanied humanity since Prehistoric soft dough that is easily shaped. Aldora Almaknouna (The Precious Pearl) Times, although it is not known who first Second: Shaping 46 methods of producing colored glass. discovered it. In one account, it is said The mixture is shaped manually while it He was also able to improve the quality of that the ancient Phoenicians discovered is hot by two methods. The first method is glass used in making the distillation device, it when a group of sailors docked their “blowing in the air”, where the manufacturer Alembic, which he invented. ships at the Syrian coast and could not blows into a metal tube, at the end of which is Arab chemists also played a major role find rocks to place their cooking pots a small piece of the dough, until it becomes in the development of metallic dyes used on to make dinner. It is said they used a small bubble, which grows with continuous in the production of colored glass shards, lumps of sodium compounds they had blowing, and is shaped into the required which still maintain their colors to this day, on their ships; when they lit the fire, they form. As for the second method, it is “blowing surviving weather changes and temperature noticed the merging of these lumps with in the mold”, where the manufacturer blows throughout hundreds of past years. the sand containing silica, producing a the dough in molds of clay or wood, in two Glass Lanterns shiny, transparent liquid. That was the or more pieces, then assembling the pieces The Arab Muslim craftsman invented commencement of glass-making. and sticking them together. glass lanterns used for lighting and decorating In any case, there is no scientific Third: Decorating extravagant religious establishments that evidence about the truth of this account; sultans, princess, and the rich competed however, glass-making was definitely Decoration was done on the glass to construct. These lanterns were made present since Ancient Times in the through different methods, among which of the best quality of glass embedded with civilizations of Egypt, Iraq, and Syria, are adding pieces or glass lines to the body enamel; gold was used to write verses from then moved to the Greeks and Romans, of the product, and pressing metal stamps and eventually inherited by the Arabs with protruding or grooving patterns on the Quran and Hadith on its body, to be hung through the lands they conquered in the glass while it is still hot. After cooling using chains made of silver or yellow copper. Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Egypt. the final product to take its final form, the As such, the Arabs played a central In Medieval Times, the Arabs Arab artisan would unleash his imagination role in the development of glass; whether developed glass-making by introducing to decorate and ornament it, using his chemically, through its manufacture new techniques; they reached high levels meticulousness and skill to produce the and shaping; or artistically, through its of perfection in glass ornamentation most beautiful antiques. decoration and coloring. Antique glass thanks to the advancement of chemistry Calligraphic ornamentation was one of products are still considered among the during that time, the encouragement of the most prominent features of Islamic Arab most beautiful and most valuable artistic sultans and princes, and also for the need art, as artists yielded Arabic calligraphy with artifacts; they also reflect the industrial and of glass products in daily life: bottles, its different styles—Naskh, Tholoth, and artistic strides of that bright period in Middle vases, cups, lanterns, windows, as well Kufi—to write historical, commemorative, Eastern history. | WINTER 2016 as pints for fluids, perfumes, and medical and religious phrases, using gold References سعاد ماهر، الفنون اإلسالمية، القاهرة للنشر والتوزيع، prescriptions. Muslim scientists also sometimes. Arab artisans also created .2009 معجم مصطلحات العمارة والفنون اإلسالمية، عاصم محمد رزق، knew natural crystal, which is excellent a marvelous mixture of geometrical and مكتبة مدبولي، glass containing varying percentages of botanical patterns that are intertwined and .130-129 ،2000 lead oxides, using it to make drinking repeated to generate a new and unique art www.cmog.org glasses, pots, chandeliers, and rings. form known as Arabesque. They also used www.discoverislamicart.org www.vam.ac.uk some animal and human forms on some

18 LEATHER TANNING hm sm fbis r de b pitn. h tcnqe are techniques The printing. by dyed are fabrics some them; uncut fabrics. an the dyeing, and molecules dye After the between established chemicals. is bond chemical particular some and dye the containing solution specific a in dropped are fabrics Generally,the chemicals areusedfortreatingatonofhides. of kg 300 least at process, tanning the During growth. bacterial to and temperature to salts tanning. resistant more leather the makes process This the chromium is Chromium salts are which added to the leather and development, pH is slowly increased. scientific a protein the on acts that acid barks tannic constituents oftheskins. and containing leaves plants the some from of extracts chemical of concentrations plant from agents tanning sources. Hides were used soaked in a series of vats filled with increasing methods tanning traditional The old development. remarkable experienced and underwent changes craft several The World. Ancient the in first established the of industries one was tanning leather materials, available basically and luxurious making for used distinguished products. also as such are hides, snakes, animals’ and Other crocodiles pigs. and sheep, cattle, from are more it making skin, the durable andresistanttowater, bacterialgrowth,anddecaying. from water the withdraws reaction The the reaction of the collagen fibers of the skin with the tanning agent. skins and hides to produce leather. The idea of tanning is based on u atsn hv ue lahr n fbis o create to our scientists havegreatlyimprovedthesecrafts. by fabrics made efforts The civilization. and Arab long-existing our leather of symbol a used day this to remain that arts of pieces marvelous have artisans Our Arabs progress. development. significant their to much adding crafts these a in pioneered exhibited that crafts ancient Dyeing can be done for the fabric or the yarns used to make to used yarns the or fabric the for done be can Dyeing fabrics. the to color adding of process the is Fabric dyeing to thanks available became method another age, modern In its and procedures tanning the of simplicity the to Due manufacture leather in used hides of types main three The animal treating chemically of process the is Leather tanning ete tnig n fbi den ae w o te most the of two are dyeing fabric and tanning Leather By: NouraneKhaled

DYEING FABRIC AND transfer itfromgenerationtoanother. learning and reading neglect; and patrimony our keep to steps essential cannot are about crafts Arabian we that mission a is crafts and traditions our Saving crafts. their of go letting are artisans and seem to persist these days. Crafts are losing their lustrous not attraction does sadly that situation a crafts; these develop to attention of lot a paid leaders former Arab innovation. their and accuracy their world. are facilities These the in colors. products finest the of differentsome today,producing functioning still with fabrics and leathers of variety wide a producing vats numerous with equipped are facilities cities of Morocco where traditional leather tanning and fabric dyeing from the Arabic zafaran. comes which saffron, also is There aniline. English the and aniline, Italian the anil, Portuguese the comes which in from nil and Arabic, is which color, indigo the example, For manufacture. textile the in used terms some and dyes many of nomenclature the in influence the dyeingtechniquesandmaterialsused. chemical Hayan, Ibn Jabir and Razi, Al Bin Mansur Abu improved Harawi, Ali and hasinfluenced drugs made as such scientists, famous by Effortsmade plants. from extractions science, metals scientists pharmacology, Arab chemistry, innovation scientific The tanning. and dyeing include crafts these crafts; and arts necessary compounds dyeing artificial started torise;morestableandresistantwaterdailyusage. chemical Then, plants. and animals ofsuccessfuldyeing. element methods. key the is application process the of temperature and the and time the effects, Controlling structures, chemical that in dye of differs class specific its has fabric of type each and different www.fao.org www.epa.gov www.britannica.com https://sites.google.com https://books.google.com.eg References Arabs pioneered in many crafts; they were known worldwide by worldwide known were they crafts; many in pioneered Arabs old the in seen be can facilities dyeing and tanneries Famous ontheir seen be can crafts these on influence Arab The life- the of improvement the towards interest major paid Arabs like sources natural of were compounds dyeing past, the In 19 | WINTER 2016 SCIENCE & CULTURE 20 | WINTER 2016 whims ofkingsandprinces. who cloth, the of blasphemy,and heresy of them accused men the fleeing spent was it or of hands the at with suffering frothed and worst scholars persecution eminent the these in of died lives which The possible? of ways owners the in pride takes civilization 5 the in Alexandria in lived who philosopher— and astronomer, Hypatia—mathematician, scientist, ufrn sinit hd o ae icuig xmls uh as such examples including face, of to extent the had and persecution scientists of suffering forms the compiled he where A HistoryoftheWarfare ofSciencewithTheologyinChristendom, throughout the streets of Alexandria until her skin fell off her flesh and her she died, after off which they burned fell her; all skin in the name her of religion! until Alexandria of streets the throughout her dragged and hands, her tied clothes, her hair,from her stripped her from her dragged mob a heresy. held, she convention and scientific a witchcraft After of her accused who extremists religious of fables, faced; he was he faced; fables, andDimna the authoroffamousKalila al-Muqaffa’, Ibn one the be may murders all of worst died The such. as and blind became he until vehemently him fought who the of cloth men by head the on hit was time, his of genius philosophy Abu Bakral-Razi,IbnRushd, Al-Farabi, andmanymore. Columbus, Cristopher Galilei, Galileo Copernicus, Nicolas Al-Kindi, Ancient Library was dragged across the streets of this ancient city? “he/she diedinprison”,exile”,etc. “he/she was crucified and killed”, “he/she was burnt to death”, the in following the read biographies to of scientists and scholars: normal “he/she was poisoned”, thus is It cloth authority. the and of men by especially facts, scientific of time the at believed been had what to contradiction in documented they theories and opinions the for blasphemy of accusations and is it contrary, the on petals; packed with killing, dragging, crucifixion, dismembering, exile, rose with laid been rarely has knowledge sought who those of road The ages. different across the of brimming is history which scholars, and many scientists numerous of suffering the of outcome the is It platter. a silver on us to handed not was fields literary and scientific The Suffering This led Andrew White to author his 19 his author to White led Andrew This human the names are there that reader dear aware you Are group a of hands the at murdered was she mention Sources Alexandrian the that reader dear know you did example, For itr mnin hw b Bk a-ai a hmsr and chemistry a al-Razi, Bakr Abu how mentions History The vast body of knowledge we enjoy today in countless in today enjoy we knowledge of body vast The th century amongst the aisles of its of aisles the amongst century Director, ManuscriptsMuseum By: Dr. MohamedSoliman of Scientists th -century book entitled book -century

we draggedbehind. while civilization, its launched has West the where is legacy Said one of the main factors in building the human civilization in all fields. scientific and literary legacy of greata valuebehind andleft thus influence,They science. considered by built be only could civilizations efforts that only those of strong will power could exert, believing that extensive exerted scientists these that doubt without is It pages. of thousands exceeded encyclopedia each where centuries, past in translations scientific and literary as well as encyclopedias, books, n Eyt utl rahd lxnra hwvr I ol only quite during the9 could is traveling which of I difficulty Damascus”, the consideration of into however, taking city achievement the an Palestine, Alexandria; in it Syria, reached of half Iraq, nearly I acquire of until corners Egypt, the and in it for it searched have “I seeking stated: thoroughly, have to said is Ishaq ibn Hunayn and translator, Galen’s and of physician pursuit famous his the Ishaq, ibn Hunayn of book his in mentioned they havehadtotravelinpursuitofscienceandlearning. with filled journeys the and exert, to had have they efforts the endure, to had are have scientists suffering of sources extent the detail that Heritage tales and stories Allah. Bi-amr Al-hakim the Caliph of wrath the flee to insanity claimed al-Khatib, who Al-Haytham Ibn ibn and ad-Din Lisan Al-Jahiz, Al-Mutanabbi, Hayyan, Al-Kawkabi, Al-Ma’ari, Ibn Al-Ghazali, of as such the scientists by blasphemy after of and heresy? The examplesareindeedextensive inthiscontext. accused tortured being upon and friends his imprisoned of one while with fleeing contracted he disease a of result a as age of years fifty of short died the “Canon of Medicine”, near county a Lucena, Cordoba, attheageofseventy, of tosuffer greatly inhisoldage. town Jewish the to banned and exiled was He instead. burnt were works whose being but peers, survive his like to burnt enough lucky was who Rushd, Ibn philosopher, al-Mansour whoaccusedhimofblasphemyandatheism. immee, eaiae, hn und y re o te Caliph the of order by burned then decapitated, dismembered, o te dd huad o Msi sinit ato their author scientists Muslim of thousands did then How We only need to mention one such example, what Ibn al-Qifti Ibn what example, such one mention to need only We suffered persecution of kinds different the beyond all is That of author the Sina, Ibn that reader dear know also you not Do Who of us does not know the great tragedy of the scientist and th century. wih a rr a te time. the at rare was which The Proof, speaking The HistoryofLearnedMen,

n ognzd compilation, organized and accurate explanation, mathematical represented detailed that his and calculations astronomical in theories manner explaining unique articles, dividing it into thirteen extensive scientific references of the Ancient World. references scientific important most the of one and astronomy, of jewel crown the a great example, it is in Greek in the 2 the in Greek in the book eternal his wrote Ptolemy of Alexandria. of scientists Library scientist Ancient the of raised one CE), and (90−168 Ptolemy Claudius born Egyptian- the is encyclopedia h wrd t on ot legacy, lost own toittheirown. adding its world taught the they and when discovery,explanation; research, with their own in turn them flooding knowledge, of rivers ancient the and from Arab gobbled when scientists time Muslim a was It Arabic. learn to Arabic, people pushed Arabic, in spoke spread knowledge in Arabic, and ago. science that produced years reality A thousand some reality living a fantasy was it tales; a and stories of in world the of not not land, was it time, nw t y h nm te Arabs the name suggested: Almagest. the by it know to came world, the then Europe, to that so from Arabic, Latin to back Greek transferred was which Almagest, become to from CE), (827/828 Arabic Arabs the transferred name the was which from changed thus it physics “very big” soon became its name; description in Its mathematics. and content its of theoretical expansion leadership, and uniqueness, accuracy, its for acquired the description “very big” title original its despite astronomy of description of this word pioneering book the fits which big”, “very Greek meaning the of The ArabRevivalofAncientAlexandriaScience In this shining star we find we star shining this In a upon once not was It h ato o ti pioneer this of author The Arabization the is Almagest It The MathematicalThesis. nd century CE, century PTOLEMY’S ALMAGEST Almagest, Mégistos, Mégistos, and astronomicaltables. diagrams explanatory included also it supported theories; contemporary and past of clarification proofs various with and rnltd no rbc based Arabic into translated was It terminology. Greek with mentioned, already issues several contained which one is first the The twice. Arabic into that by Al-Ma’moun inBaghdad. of the House of Wisdom founded the Arabic translation, from the heart to its of copy first the of leading production explained, disseminated, analyzed, and criticized, translated, studied, it in interest Abbasid special took the Al-Ma’moun Caliph why is That time. by the extent of knowledge at the productions in its field, measured written prominent and important most the of one trove; treasure scientific a as regarded still is it Universe revolved the around it. Nevertheless, that delusion the the for detailed it proof elaborate the and Earth, is of centralization the to which dedicated it of article complete gravest the errors, scientific its for criticized today, t s neetn t mention to interesting is It know we what on Based In ChargeofCulturalProgramsand Activities, BA Centerfor a translated was Almagest s highly is Almagest ordering Almagest, By: Dr. Shaymaa Elsherif Francophone Activities Francophone s lo motn t mention to important It also it. from is learn Ptolemy to to scientific people it the offering which before it unique divided by the method and the parts that make up scientific reference. exceptional that they know to which came by and Latin, into Europeans by copied best one the is the version later That to possible. in form this copy of contributed translated production that the scientific terms innovative with and infused new terms Arabic of linguistic helping development the astronomy, in in place taken had revolution scientific an works, translated two Arabic the of production the between perfectly language, full of scientific terms. Naturally, sound and with correct embellished comprehensive, and complete full glory, until its Arabic in produced one when CE, available 892 only the regular readers. for incomprehensible it making difficult, being translation the in resulting Greek, prior of had knowledge time the of readers many Arab that premise the on We conclude by mentioning remained translation That Almagest was Almagest hypotheses. and theories astronomical Hipparchus, his of many on based book this of chapters different great the creating contemporary astronomer, his was by Ptolemy influenced how people ofsciencearealive”. the while dead, are people for alternative; an seek not do and science on “Work verse: poetic his Talibin Abi ibn Aly Imam of of thatcurvature. transversal of planetary orbits, and the size of study curvature the motion, planetary the to use attention pays Ptolemy in article, still planetary last and are thirteenth the today.In that on motion confirmations In the twelfth article, he reaches as Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter. such planets, other on focuses he eleventh, the of in while Earth; centralization the reaffirms he in thenintharticle. which extensively more on elaborates planetariums, formation the of and the Way studies Milky he article, eighth the the In stars. In stationary studies eclipses. he articles, eighth and seventh solar lunar studies and he sixth, while the motion; in lunar deviated second the reveals he article, the fifth studies the In itself. he theory motion while fourth, of formulae; the in its calculations and time the studies ht r bsd n oia and logical proven facts. on based are that methods mathematical of help other and planets, studying all rotational this with the Earth of the movement describes He surface. also its on point the of that the center of towards the and Earth attracts regardless always Earth gravity the of and on roundness evidences provides and definitions proofs then basic specifications, and general lays Ptolemy book, the In the first two articles of articles two first the In True indeed are the words the are indeed True In the tenth article, Ptolemy he article, third the In 21 | WINTER 2016 1001 Inventions: An International Exhibition Personifying 1000 Years of Islamic Civilization

By: Nermine Toma Head, Marketing and Fundraising Unit, Planetarium Science Center

On Tuesday, 20 October 2015, the on our modern life, and stresses on the She added that the Bibliotheca Bibliotheca Alexandrina inaugurated the importance of the scientists’ roles in the Alexandrina, within its role of highlighting international exhibition “1001 Inventions: human civilization through inventions and heritage, and from its cultural responsibility, Discovering our Past, Inspiring our Future” innovations in all fields, while Europe was is organizing this Exhibition to shed light on in cooperation with the Academy of Scientific swamped in darkness and ignorance. the contributions of Arab Muslim scientists in Research and Technology, and the 1001 Moreover, he elaborated on the an innovative, interactive, and dramatic way. Inventions British Organization. importance of the Exhibition in reviving these She expressed her hope that this knowledge The Exhibition was inaugurated by facts for the new generations in an age would contribute to fostering a new generation Eng. Ibrahim Mahlab, former Egyptian Prime characterized by extremism and violence. that is aware of its ancestral scientific role, Minister and the President’s Assistant for In his speech, Dr. Ismail Serageldin capable of facing future challenges. National Projects; Dr. Ismail Serageldin, stressed on the importance of this Exhibition Mr. Ahmed Selim spoke on behalf of Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina; in rectifying the false image propagated by the British 1001 Inventions Organization, Dr. Mahmoud Sakr, Head of the Academy of several foreign entities, implying that the explaining the reason behind founding it Scientific Research and Technology; Mr. Ahmed Western renaissance started with the Greek 10 years ago to celebrate the Golden Age of Salim, Producer and Executive Director of 1001 era, and that Muslims had no contributions in Islam through organizing this Exhibition, in Inventions Organization; Mr. Hany Elmessery, that renaissance. addition to producing films and educational former Governor of Alexandria; Dr. Mohamed In reality, Muslim scientists raised the material related to it. Abou El Fadl Badran, Secretary-General for banner of science and knowledge for nearly He added that the Exhibition highlights the Supreme Council of Culture; Mr. Amr El a millennia. They were open to all cultures, three facts; that the Golden Age of Islam was Ezaby, Advisor to the Minister of Tourism; taking from and adding to them. They laid founded on scientific research, and that most Dr. Abbas Schumann, Under-Secretary of the foundations of the scientific method, scientists were from different countries and al−Azhar; and Eng. Hoda Elmikaty, Head of changing civilization and knowledge through backgrounds, but had rulers who gave them the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Cultural Outreach their contributions. Dr. Serageldin expressed the support and the funds. From his side, Dr. Abbas Schumann Sector. his hope for the new generation to know their assured that the current civilizations are Eng. Mahlab asserted that the idea of ancestors’ achievements, in order to face the based on Arab Muslim scientists, and that hosting such an exhibition, which aims to West with confidence and determination. eminent universities teach the sciences the highlight Muslim Scientific and Cultural On the other hand, Dr. Mahmoud Sakr basis of which were laid by Arab Muslim Achievements during the Middle Ages, was insisted in his speech that this Exhibition was scientists during the Golden Age of Islam. proposed to him earlier, and that he thought able, in a short period of time, to contribute He added that we suffer extensively it was a very important idea to be embraced in promoting science, technology, and nowadays from various movements. One by the nation at this critical time. He added innovation through shedding light on this such movement is extremely strict; rather that the Exhibition highlights a glorious period Golden Age. than guiding the youth to what benefits them, of the Islamic civilization, when science From her side, Eng. Hoda Elmikaty they use them to invent what harms people. and knowledge flourished, and the Muslim ensured that Alexandria has always been the Another is outdated, frozen at a certain period

| WINTER 2016 contributions were of great importance. cradle of knowledge, a forum for scientists of history and insists on pulling us backwards. Mahlab also stressed on the fact that the and researchers, and a capital of culture He also insisted that Arabs and Muslims Exhibition attracts millions of visitors around and sciences. From Alexandria emerged face many challenges; on top of all is the the world, which is proof of the important the engineering theories of Euclid; from the inability to support the innovative youth. He status the Islamic heritage occupies within Ancient Library of Alexandria appeared the indicated that inventions exist, waiting to be the human and scientific heritage. The theories of Archimedes and Galileo, and the explored; he urged businessmen to adopt Exhibition accurately displays the influence experiments of Eratosthenes to measure the young inventors, and support them, and not of the achievements of the Islamic civilization Earth’s circumference. leave the whole matter to the government. 22 BeforeNewton,therewas A BeautifulMind Alhazen www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk www.britannica.com http://muslimheritage.com http://gulfnews.com References Al-Haytham. Newton Ibn of enlightened books the rather that fell but gravity, about that tree apple the legendary from the not was it two bodies: gravity. between attraction the and bodies of movement the on postulate Al-Haytham’s poie ecinws ae o Ibn on and based equal an reaction—was is there opposite action, every for Al-Haytham’s used eversince. methods and Ibn formulae led engineering which the to of calculus, of aware studies numerous was who Newton, Isaac on influence calculus. great a had He particularly mathematics, about optics and astronomy, he studied and wrote to addition In Asteroid. Alhazen the as well there is the Alhazen Crater on the Moon, as which of 55 he have survived. manuscripts, years, and 96 books total solitary in topics, many on his extensively wrote Renaissance, During Modern European of Optics”. “Father the him the consider who of including those scholars, European influenced actual ideas. his did it as methods his upon much as expounded just which treatise, seven-volume his in culminated work see to solitary of years The reached. had others he what wanted theories he himself; these to only elucidating with satisfied t a tu b sf t cnld that conclude to safe be thus may It In fact, Newton’s Third Law of Motion— of Law Third Newton’s fact, In evident; also is astronomy in legacy His ideas his Through hisBookofOptics, not was al-Haytham Ibn However, ; the Book ofOptics;

• • • 10:30, 11:30, 12:30,13:30,14:30,15:30 Sunday–Thursday: Guided Tours Schedule Saturday: Sunday–Thursday: Opening Hours Visitors INFO History ofScience Museum History • • Visitors INFO uem or ae re o ticket for holders. free are Tours Museum Museum entryfeesareEGP 2.- For non-audience of the Planetarium, all Planetariumshowstickets. in included are fees entry Museum at any time without prior notification. the right to cancel or change shows reasons, the Planetarium maintains idy oe ht fr technical for that, note Kindly the consult www.bibalex.org/psc please officialwebsite: Center’s fees, and schedule daily Planetarium the For 45 min.LiveShowbythePSC VISITORS INFO VISITORS Alexandria, TheCradleof 22 min.Full-domeShow 35 min.Full-domeShow 33 min.Full-domeShow 30 min.Full-domeShow 35 min.Full-domeShow 25 min.Full-domeShow Stars ofthePharaohs Resident Astronomer Available Shows Mystery oftheNile Planetarium 35 min.IMAXShow 45 min.IMAXShow The Life ofTrees Seven Wonders Cosmic Voyage Oasis inSpace Kaluoka’hina Stars Show Astronomy 12:00-16:00 9:30-16:00 Tuesday:

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9:00, 10:30 9:00- 12:30 12:00-16:00 9:00-16:00 Thursday:

23 | WINTER 2016 Chance Takers are Accident Makers

Poor boy! Is Outside he trying to be the window a bird? ” article, page 8.

Don’t you get it? You don’t fly with wings only! | WINTER 2016

24 Human Flight: Adventures and Misadventures Check out the “ Human Flight: Illustrated by: Mohamed Khamis